《Adventuring Other-Worlds with the Adapting System》 -1 Death "Haaˇ­ haa... haaˇ­" A young man could be seen running through a forest. Blood dripped from his chest as a sword was lodged through, barely missing his heart. The young man kept running as a sadistic laugh could be heard echoing around him. He fell to the ground and yelled, "Why are you doing this?" From the shadow of a tree in front of the boy, a man in an all black suit appeared and stood before him. The man grabbed the sword in his chest and said, "Your father doesn''t want a disgrace to the Avalon lineage." The man''s arm began to glow as the sword become a flame, burning the young man''s heart. After the man killed the young man, he took his sword from the young man''s body and left. As the young man lay, dying, he used the last of his strength and said, "I''llˇ­ be back." The young man''s eyes closed as a slight smile hung on his lips. --- A young man was lying on a bed with his window and door open. "Sooo boredˇ­" Said the young man as he rolled left and right. The young man leapt from his bed as he walked out of his bedroom. He walked everywhere inside the house before giving up and walking to the lounge. He sat on a couch and turned the TV on. Suddenly, the young man heard the door unlock. He rolled off the couch and sprinted to the door. He swung the door open and said, "Mum, Dad. Your finally ba-" However, before he could finish his sentence, a knife stabbed him in the stomach. The man at the door pulled the knife out and started stabbing the young man repeatedly. Suddenly, the TV said, "Now to breaking news. An internationally wanted criminal has escaped from prison. The public is advised to avoid the criminal at all cost as he has been diagnosed as being extremely volatile and dangerous." The young man turned to the TV only to see the man currently stabbing him, only he''s wearing an prisoner uniform. The young man slowly closed his eyes as he thought, ''Just my luckˇ­'' 1 Arrival Inside a forest, a gentle breeze blew as a young man lay unconsious on the ground. A groan escaped his lips as he slowly woke up. The young man gasped for a breath of air before he whispered, "W-where am I?" Suddenly, the young man collapsed to the ground again as he clutched his head in pain. The young man felt memories, old and new, flood into him. Sweat dropped from his brows as he lay on the ground. The young man, exhausted and confused, slowly said, "I rememberˇ­ I was at home before a man came inside and killed meˇ­" The young man froze as his face slowly turned into a frown. He said, "Then whose memories are these? A third prince, exiled for being a useless disgraceˇ­ killed by an assassin, hired by hisˇ­ no, my fatherˇ­" The young man slowly sat up as he began to realize, he was the young prince. Gritting through the pain, the young man slowly made his way towards the sound of water. After 10 minutes, he came across a lake with streams pointing in every direction. The young man walked to the edge of the pool and looked at his own reflection. The lake''s surface showed a handsome young man, about 15 years old. The young man had jetblack hair and dark blue eyes. He appeared rather scrawny and weak while his skin was a pale white. He was wearing a tattered shirt that had a bloody hole where his heart was. The young man felt his face before he said, "Is thatˇ­ me?" The young man smiled. He closed his eyes and put a hand over his heart before he said, "Nice, I get to live again. I must have taken over this guys body when we died. Don''t worry bro. Because I got your memories, I can feel what you wanted. We will have our revenge, so rest easy and reincarnate." The young man slightly glowed as a spirit in the shape of the young man flowed out from him. The spirit smiled and bowed before it began to fade and disappered. Suddenly, a transparent screen appeared before the young man. The screen read, [The Adapting system would like to bind to host, Accept?] The young man stared at the screen as he thought, ''This must be my cliche power butˇ­ Adapting system?'' He stared for a second before he said, "Accept." The screen changed as it displayed a loading screen, [Binding: 1%ˇ­ 13%ˇ­ 37%ˇ­ 76%ˇ­ 100%ˇ­ Congratulations host for successfully binding. Host has been awarded: 1x Starter Package.] Even though he expected it, he was still surprised when the system binded with him. He felt a weird, tingling feeling course through out his body before it settled down and went back to normal. The young man sat down as he said, "System?" [Yes host? Also, a quick reminder. Please use your thoughts to talk to the system or else you risk looking like a crazy person.] Instead of a screen, the young man heard a robotic voice with no distinguishing trait. "System, what exactly can you do?" The young man asked. The sun was up high in the sky so the forest floor felt extreme warm and cozy, making the young man yawn. [I can grant you anything from the realms in which you''ve been to.] The young man froze as he thought, ''This is actuallyˇ­ more than expected.'' The young man suddenly yawned as his eyes slowly closed and he fell asleep. After a couple hours, he woke up and said, "System, what happened while I was asleep?" [Nothing important happened. Some small animals came by and drank some water before leaving.] The young man slowly stood up as he said, "System, how do I get stuff?" [You can use the store function. Anything in the world''s you''ve been to can be bought, for a price. Also, you should open the starter pack as it''ll give you a small amount of System points, a set of clothes, a weapon and an ability.] Explained the system. The young man nodded towards the explanation as he asked the system to open the starter pack. He gained 10,000 system points, a white shirt with black jeans and black sports shoes, a light green crystal bow and a cooking skill. "System, what''s with this bow? I don''t even have a quiver or arrows!" Said the young man. From his memories, both this life and the last, he never used the bow. His last life was a world of peace so he never got the chance and in this world, his body couldn''t handle any type of strain so he never even left his bedroom. The system gave a quick reply as it said, [That bow is called ''Oak'' and it''s the lost treasure of the elves. Oak was lost in the second world war as the Elven king at the time entered the fray to give his people enough time to escape. This bow is made from a material called ''Hallow'' and has the ability to turn a person''s magic power into an arrow.] The young man stood wide-eyed as he stared at the bow. He thought that he must be extremely lucky to get a legendary equipment on his first try. The young man held the bow in a standard archery position and tried to make an arrow but after 5 minutes, the only thing he managed to make was silence. The young man brought the bow down and asked, "Hey system, Why can''t I make an arrow?" [It''s because host has damaged magic circuits. The system can fix them for 5,000 system points.] The young man collapsed to his knees as he muttered, "So expensiveˇ­" After think for a bit, the young man agreed and asked the system to fix his magic circuits. It took roughly 30 minutes before the system told him it was finished. The young man closed his eyes as he savoured the feeling of magic flow through his body. He stood up and held the bow and tried to channel his magic to the bow. The bow shone with a dim green light as an arrow of light appeared. The young man drew the arrow back and aimed at a far away tree. He suddenly let the arrow loose as it took off in a blur of light. A couple seconds later, an explosion rang out as a huge dust cloud rose in the direction he fired the arrow. The young man sprinted towards the dust cloud. Waiting as the dust settled, the young man said, "System, can you store the bow? It''ll be inconvenient to always carry it. Plus, it could get stolen." [Opening Inventory Functionˇ­ Inventory Unlocked! Host only needs to think of what you want to store or take out to use the inventory. Also, dropping a drop of blood on the bow binds it to the host.] The young man stored the bow after binding it before turning towards the dust cloud and became stunned. What appeared was an extremely long snake with transparent scales that shimmered in the light, making it extremely hard to find but the huge hole through it''s body helped. Suddenly, the system rang out as it said, [Opening Quest Functionˇ­ Quest Function Unlocked! Quest complete: Kill 1 one-star beast. Reward: 10 system points. Milestone Quest Complete: Reach level 5. Reward: 10 Status points.] The young man asked, "System, what other functions do you have? Plus, what''s with the one-star thing?" [The system has a myriad amount of functions, however, the functions the host can unlock depends on the situation. They could be unlocked or maybe not. The systems current functions are: Status, Abilities, Inventory, Store and Quests. Next, the one-star represents the beasts danger rating. In this world, people and beast have evolved into extremely strong beings. Humans developed cultivation and magic while beasts evolved. A normal animal doesn''t have a rating but when it evolves into a beast, it gains a star rating. Each star represents its danger level and while one-star may seem weak, it''s still able to destroy villages.] The young man thanked the system for the information as he stored the corpse. He checked his surroundings before slowly making his way back to the lake. He sat down on the edge of the lake as he said, "The third prince died that day and I took over, so lets bury his names to let him rest in peace. From this day forward, I''ll be calledˇ­" 2 Axel "System, show me my status." Said the young man as he lay in a little sleeping bag that cost 10 system points. Instead of the system talking, a screen appeared in front of him. [Name: Axel (Prince Icarus Avalon) Age: 15 Gender: Male Level (LVL): 5 Level progress (LVP): 9% Health Condition (HC): Injured Magic Points (MP): 170/170 Strength (STR): 4 Agility (AGI): 9 Stamina (STA): 12 Intelligence (INT): 17 Dexterity (DEX): 13 Mentality (MEN): 24 Luck (LUC): 1 Charisma (CHA): 19 Status Points: 30 System Points: 5,000.] Axel grew quiet as a gentle breeze blew by. He sighed and said, "System, what''s with the game-like status screen?" The screen disappeared as the system said, [It''s to help you. People in this world can''t control their stat growth and most train themselves towards their chosen path so there stats automatically go to where they can help. By using the game layout, during each level up the host can either manually add stats or the system could automatically distribute them.] Axel nodded before he fell silent again. After thinking for awhile, he said, "System, I''d like you to distribute the stats in a way that''ll make it easier for me to live in this world. Can you do it?" [Of course. Automatically distributing status points to match the hosts conditionsˇ­] After a minute, a new screen popped up. [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 5 LVP: 9% HC: Injured MP: 200/200 STR: 10 (+6) AGI: 10 (+1) STA: 20 (+8) INT: 20 (+3) DEX: 15 (+2) MEN: 24 LUC: 10 (+9) CHA: 20 (+1) Status Points: 0 System Points: 5,000.] Axel looked over his new stats and nodded. He suddenly yawned again and fell asleep. --- (POV Change) Inside a huge hall, a group of people trained in martial arts. Kicks and punches were flying everywhere. A man in an all black suit made use of the shadows and arrived in a hidden room. Inside, a tall and regal looking man was sitting on a chair. Before the man in black could say anything, the regal man threw him a bag. The bag made a heavy thump as it hit the ground and opened, revealing gold and jewels. The man in black smiled, took the bag and left. The regal man smiled as he said, "Finally, we were able to rid the Avalon lineage of that disgrace." The regal man stood up from his chair as he suddenly disappeared without leaving a single hint of him being there. --- (POV - Axel) After a couple hours, Axel woke up. Before he could finish stretching, a screen popped up that said, [Emergency Quest! Find a way out of the forest. Reward: 15,000 system points, 3x Skills, 1x Function.] Axel abruptly froze mid-stretch as he said, "What!?!" The system rapidly explained as it said, [This forest is known as ''The World of the Kings'' and is home to all sort of powerhouse monsters. Also, the forest itself is a ten-star monster that creates an endless day inside it''s territory. A three-star monster has been alerted to your presence due to the host killing it''s off-spring.] Axel sprung out of his sleeping bag as he stored it. He quickly stored a couple litres of water from the lake, some nuts and berries from the surround shrubbery and ran. Suddenly, an extremely loud hissing sound rang through out the forest. Axel picked up speed as he thanked himself for letting the system add the stat points. He could feel that just walking before was taxing but after leveling up, he felt fine even while sprinting at full-speed. While running, without caring about looking crazy, Axel yelled, "SYSTEM!!! WHEN DO I COMPLETE THE QUEST!?!" The screen popped up again but it looked different than the one from last time. [Emergency Quest! FIND A WAY OUT OF THE FOREST. Reward: 15,000 system points, 3x Skills, 1x Function.] Axel instantly understood what it meant and began a mad sprint towards the outer edge of the forest. The loud rumble of trees and the earth being smashed raged out from behind him but he ignored everything as only one thought was on his mind, ''RUN!'' A few minutes later, Axel began panting as running became harder and harder each passing moment. Suddenly, a large tailed whipped from his side, sending him flying into a tree. "Argh!" Grunted Axel as he spat a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. Axel slowly stood up as he was face to face with a giant white snake. It''s eyes shone with an amber glow as it glared at him. Axel went pale as he found himself unable to move. The snake whipped it''s tail at him, crushing anything in it''s way. Axel gripped his fist hard enough to bleed as he thought, ''Moveˇ­ Moveˇ­ Move, Damn it!!!'' At the last second, Axel jumped and barely dodged the attack. As he landed, he quickly withdrew the bow and began to circle the snake while firing. Everyshot took about 20 MP but he wasn''t clear whether it was effective or not. The snake growled loudly as it opened it''s mouth and started to gather magic power inside. Axel stopped as he aimed his attack at the mouth and fired. The arrow hit the snakes magic and caused an explosion. After the dust settled, the snake glared at Axel as it slowly turned around and left. A wave of relief washed over Axel as he collapsed to the ground. He was about to asked why the snake left when a screen popped up. [Emergency Quest Complete! Find a way out of the forest. Reward: 15,000 system points, 3x Skills, 1x Function.] Axel looked at the screen confused as he said, "When did I leave the forest?" The screen disappeared before the system said, [The forest is enclosed in a space-type barrier that only those of the races can enter and exit. Once a monster is inside, It can''t leave. The three-star snake had no chose but to retreat. Now, would you like to roll for your skills and function?] "Roll?" Asked Axel. Instead of getting an answer, Axel felt like he was being dragged somewhere as he appeared before a huge spinning wheel with ten blank tabs. The system said, [Now, pick the three skills you want and they''ll be added to the wheel. Once you''ve picked, the rest will be taken up with random skills from this world and earth. Also, while in here, time outside is in stasis.] Axel suddenly shouted, "Wait, wait, wait! What''s happening!?! What''s up with the spinning wheel!?!" The system said nothing as it waited. Axel growled as he picked Mind''s Eye, The Golden Skin technique and Nature Magic. Seven tabs glowed a bright gold while the other three glowed in a rainbow. The wheel spun before Axel could grab it. A minute later, the wheel slowly stopped on a gold tab. The tab shot into Axel, freaking him out. The wheel started again and stopped a few seconds later on a rainbow tab. Unlike the first time, Axel could guess what was happening and let the tab fly into him. The last spin suddenly gained a dark red tab. The tab looked ominous and gave off a dark glow. Axel asked the system, "What''s with that tab?" [That tab is called the trader tab. It will allow you to trade one real-life item or ability for system points or something from the system store of equal trade.] Axel was about to ask more questions when the wheel started to slow down. He closed his mouth and held his breath as he watched the wheel move towards the trader tab slowly. As it landed on the tab, Axel burst into cheer, only for the wheel to turn one last time and land on another gold tab. The gold tab flew into Axel as he had a bitter smile on his face. The wheels tabs all turned white as they gained an ''AS'' symbol. Without asking, Axel already knew that the tabs were most likely the system function. While staring at the tabs, Axel quietly thought to himself, ''I didn''t know the system was a Narcissist.'' Suddenly, the system said, [The ''AS'' actually stands for ''Additional Support.''] Axel smiled in embarrased and said, "Sorry." The wheel spun extremely fast for a grand total of 5 minutes before it started to slowly down and landed on a tab. Instead of flying into Axel, the tab flipped over and showed three words in bold. Axel rubbed his eyes as he stood stunned by the function he gained. He slowly said, "DIMENSIONAL TRAVEL FUNCTION." 3 Terms and Conditions In a little grove between the barrier and the forest, Axel lay down amongst a bed of flowers. He sighed and said, "System, just what is this? I got such a function AND one of the skills I picked. Could I be a godsend or something?" [No. This is due to the boost in the Luck stat. Remember, your luck was at 1 point. Plus, this function isn''t really that good.] Axel''s brows creased slightly as he said, "Explain." A screen popped out as it said, [Dimensional Travel Function: The host may travel to another world at RANDOM. Each world the host travels to has a total of five quests, with varying difficult that the host MUST complete to travel back. Once the quests are completed, the host will be RATED on his performance in that world. Rating is split into the following categories: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS. Each category also has a higher and lower grade, for example, (A+) or (A-). A rating of (A-) or above allows free travel to said world. Each category has rewards for the host as the higher the category, the more plentiful the rewards and vice versa. Failure to complete a quest will lead to an automatic decrease in rating. Rating of (F) from any grade automatically makes the host forfeit any benefits gained from travelling to said world, even system benefits, for example, buying stuff from that world. Time Dilation: 30 - 1 (30 days = 1 day) Cool-down: 1 month.] Axel became slack-jawed as he thought, ''What''s with these rules!?! Was Iˇ­ ripped off!?!'' Axel shook his head as he slapped his cheeks hard. He clenched his fist as he said, "No. It''s not ripping me off. No one said that the road to becoming strong was easy. I have to be willing to walk forward, even if the road is a path of blades." *Rumble* The air stagnated as Axel''s cheeks flushed a deep red. He heaved a sigh of relief as he muttered, "At least no one-" However, before he could finish, a group of armoured people who followed behind a little girl arrived just in time to see hisˇ­ ''resolution.'' "Pfftˇ­ hahaha!!!" The little girl collapsed to the ground laughing while clutching her stomach. The people behind her however didn''t make a single noise as they quickly got into a fighting stance. Before Axel could say anything, the little girl waved her hand and said, "Stand down! I can tell this boy is only a half-star." Axel thought, ''Half-star?'' When the system explained that people are also rated by stars, however, it''s not about raw strength like monsters but strength, technique and ability. Axel also realized something as he remembered what the little girl said. He thought, ''She said that she could tell, which means she could see that I have a couple skills. That meansˇ­'' As the little girl saw Axel in deep thought, She grinned and said, "I guess you''ve already realized. I am the 2nd heiress to the Apollo clan, Olivia von Apollo." Axel forcefully straightened up as he bowed and said, "Axel, no last name. Nice to meet you." Olivia''s mood visibly dropped as she snorted before turning away. One of the armoured people took off there helmet, revealing an old man with a monocle. He walked up to Axel and said, "Young man, could you please drop the formalities? The miss doesn''t really like them and we can see your also forcing yourself." Axel only nodded before he sat on the ground and casually said, "Sorry about that. Had a run in with this noble (His Father) who sent an assassin to kill a good friend of mine (The Prince)." Silence flowed in the air as all the armoured people had one united thought, ''Aren''t you too casual, too fast!?!'' Even Olivia was stunned by his change before she burst into laughter. She slapped his shoulder as she said, "I knew it! You really were a good guy!" Axel only wryly smiled while all the armoured people stood shocked. He looked towards the old man as he said, "What''s up, gramps?" The old man began to tell a tale. He started off by saying Olivia has had the ability to see-through people since a young age. Her father made use of her ability to fill the upper echelon with trust-worth people. It was smooth sailingˇ­ until she began to hate her father. She began to see more and more greed from him and in no time, She left. She took a handful of people before hand to make sure her father didn''t send his people to guard her. Lastly, he said that Olivia has never called anyone a ''good guy'', not even anyone in the group. Axel quietly looked over at the young girl who looked to be all smiles and giggles before turning towards the old man and giving him a weird look. The old man wryly smiled before shaking his and walking back into formation. Suddenly, Olivia tackled Axel over as she began an unrelenting onslaught of questions. Axel made sure to slowly adjust the distance between her and himself before he proceeded to answer her questions. As time went by, what was once a Q&A session between Olivia and Axel, quickly became a competition to see who would fail at answering. With a giggle, Olivia said, "Axel, What''s your real name?" The air froze as Axel''s expression took a quick 180. He stared at her with an expressionless face and said, "What ever do you mean, miss?" Olivia shuddered as she could feel something she''s never felt before. Emptiness. All she could see radiating from the once clear spring was a void of emptiness. Olivia forced a smile and said, "A-Axel, I was just kidding, Okay?" Axel slightly smiled an empty smile and stood up. Olivia said, "What are you doing?" However, Axel said nothing in return as he packed his gear up and left. Olivia reached a hand out and was about to call out when she retracted it and said nothing. The old man only sighed before he muttered, "Ahhh, Youthˇ­" Axel was walking off, making sure he was just between the barrier. While walking, he began to find something wrong with himself. He muttered, "Why did I leave like that..." Suddenly an intense headache struck Axel as he was forced to take a knee. After a couple minutes he stood up as he sighed before he said, "No wonderˇ­" The reason he had a headache was him recalling the prince''s memories. Once, he had snuck away from the castle when he was young and healthy. He played with the commoner kids and ate the commoner food. As he was playing, he discovered something. This life was way more fun then being a prince. Being a prince required having to live a certain way and only do certain things but he didn''t like it. He liked the feeling of being free. However, It didn''t last long. Once, he had told his group of friends that he was using a fake name. Being kids, they grew curious and asked and the prince told them. Then word got around. People ambushed the group and killed the other kids before kidnapping the prince. He was later rescued by his father''s second in command but he slapped the prince''s face and left in disgust. Ever since then, a deep yet forgotten trauma was made. Axel only wryly smiled before continuing his walk. He thought for awhile as he walked before he said, "System, Can you show me my skills?" The screen appeared in front of Axel''s view, so he decided to sit down and read. The screen said, [Skills: Cooking, Appraisal Magic, Nature Magic, Harvesting] "System, can you do a detailed explanation on them?" Asked Axel. He had a rough idea of what each skill did but he wanted to be sure. The screen disappeared and reappeared with different information. [Skills: Cooking - The ability to cook food. The taste of the food cooked depends on the level of this skill. LVL: 5. Appraisal Magic - Magic that''s used to appraise items. Also works on people and monsters. Information gained from the appraisal depends on the level of this skill. LVL: 2. Nature Magic - Magic used to control plants. Can control growth and shape of plants. Strength of nature magic depends on the level of this skill. LVL: MAX Harvesting - The ability to harvest crops. The quality of crops harvested depends on the level of this skill. LVL: MAX.] Axel jumped to his feet as he screamed, "AM I SUPPOSED TO BE A FARMER!?!" 4 David and Goliath On the forest floor, a figure could be seen drawing circles in the dirt with a stick as he muttered, "A farmerˇ­" The figure, Axel, sighed before standing up and continuing on. After a couple hours of walking, he came across a small mountain. Axel looked to his surroundings before shaking his head. "It''s too steep to go over so I''ll have to be careful and go around." Axel looked towards the barrier and walked inside. After walking for a bit, he withdrew the bow just to be safe. A few birds flew past Axel while some squirrels dashed past him. That''s when Axel noticed something odd. "They''re all going in the same directionˇ­" Said Axel as he decided to follow. However, Axel missed that the animal''s eyes all had a slight amber glow. He walked through brushes and brambles until he came across a cave. "I hope this isn''t-" Said Axel but before he could finish, a loud roar echoed from the cave. It only took a couple seconds before a large white snake slithered out from within. It''s amber eyes glared at Axel. Axel quickly tried to make distance before the snake could attack, however, the snake dashed head first into him, sending him flying. Axel quickly stabilized himself and rolled a couple times when he fell to the ground. He wiped a trickle of blood from his lips as he said, "Just my luck..." With a bow in hand, Axel began to weave between the trees as he waited for an opportunity. The white snake let loose a roar as it swung it''s tail, decimating everything around. "Pfft!" Blood sprayed from Axel''s mouth as a log hit him directly in the chest. His face paled as his body trembled. He kept trying to think of a way out but came up blank. Axel hid behind a large rock and screamed in his head, "SYSTEM!!! WHAT SHOULD I DO!!!" [Calm dowm and think.] Said the system before becoming inactive again. He cursed the systems 8 generations before it hit him. He realized that while the snake was superior to him in everything, it''s also huge. He only needed to hit it with something huge and he knew just where to get it. Axel dashed out from behind the stone and yelled, "Hey! You scaly bastard! Catch me if you can!" Axel then turned towards the mountain and ran like hell. While the snake couldn''t understand the human language, it could tell it was being taunted and chased after him. With the mountain face in sight, Axel smiled as he ran faster. Once he arrived, he went directly to the mountain face and pressed his arms on it. Axel repeatedly muttered, "Come onˇ­ come on, come on, come on!" Before he finally felt a connection with a small grove of trees atop the mountain. He closed his eyes as his hands glowed green. This was Axel''s first time using nature magic so he needed to focus. He forced the tree''s roots to grow in every direction when a hissed resounded from behind him. Axel dropped to the ground, barely dodging the tail which brutally smashed against the mountain face. He saw that nothing happened and decided to risk it. Axel grit his teeth as he smacked his ass and said, "Dumbass! You wouldn''t even be able to hit a tree!" The snake''s eyes glowed in rage as it''s head started to glow in a dark red hue. It charged towards him like an arrow, smashing into his right flank and sending him flying. Axel spat a couple mouths full of blood before collapsing. He panted as he watched his plan play out. Once the snake made contact with the mountain face, the shock from the attack loosened the already loose rocks, trees and boulders, causing a rock slide. Axel guessed that a couple trees wouldn''t be enough so he made the roots stretch as far as he could. This, however, made the entire top of the mountain unstable as the mountain collapsed to all sides. Axel was lucky as he wasn''t any closer, causing only peebles to hit him. He panted, "Systemˇ­ What''sˇ­ my MPˇ­ likeˇ­" [MP: 20/200.] "Isˇ­ is itˇ­ dead?" Panted Axel as his vision started to blur. [No. Only injured and unconscious. It''ll wake in 2 weeks and take at least 7 years for it to heal from this.] Axel could only laugh before he too fell unconcious. --- (POV Change) In an grove filled with flowers and trees, a little girl sat and stared at a depression in a bed of flowers. Behind her, an old man wearing armour sighed before he said, "Miss, we should go now. We still need to-" However, before he could finish, a deafening sound rang out through the forest. The old man quickly turned towards the source as he said, "That sounds like a rock slideˇ­ but, the only place high enough for somethin like that isˇ­" Suddenly, the little girl twitched before she sprung up and sprinted towards the sound. All the armoured people stood stunned as the old man screamed, "Miss!?!" Olivia ignored him as she ran with all her might. She could still feel it. The Anger, the helplessness and most importantly, the fear of death. The forest zoomed past her as she finally stopped. In front of her, the once tall mountain was reduced to a small hill. Bits of bloody scales could be seen everywhere, signifying a battle just took place. The group of armoured people arrived a few minutes later to the sight of Olivia dragging a familiar body from the rock slide. The old man stared for a second before he exclaimed, "Axel!?!" Olivia held him in her arms as she could feel a faint but strong vitality inside him. She said, "Gramps, he''s critically injured but alive. We need to apply first aid, and fast." The old man wasted no time as he and the other four people began using healing magic on him. The injuries on the outside healed but because of the mental and physical exhaustion, he remained unconscious. Olivia sighed and said, "Great, he''s fine now. We''ll take him to basecamp to rest and recover. Any objections?" One of the armoured people removed their helmet, revealing a man. He held his helmet as he said, "With all due respect miss. This young man is clearly untrustworthy. Not only have we only met today, do you remember his reaction when you asked for his real name? For all we know, he could be a criminal." Olivia nodded before she said, "That''s right. However, I can feel that we can trust him." "But missˇ­" "No buts. I know you just want to protect me but when it comes to seeing through people, I have no equal." The man bowed his head as he said, "Yes, miss." Olivia carried the unconsious Axel as she said, "To basecamp!" 5 School "Argh!!! Haa... haaˇ­ haaˇ­" Inside a small white hut, a young man abruptly shot up from bed as he gasped for air. Sweat dropped from his head as the young man, Axel, clutched his chest while his breathing began to calm. He looked left and right before he said, "Whereˇ­ am I?" The sun gentle shone through as Axel looked at his body and realised his wounds were healed. He quietly muttered, "Wasn''t I injured from the fight against that giant snake? System, what happened?" [While host was unconsious, your emotions at the time somehow contacted that girl, Olivia. She later saved you and brought you to someplace she called, ''Basecamp.''] Axel slowly nodded before he said, "System, show me my status." [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 5 LVP: 9% HC: Healthy MP: 200/200 STR: 10 AGI: 10 STA: 20 INT: 20 DEX: 15 MEN: 27 (+3) LUC: 10 CHA: 20 Status Points: 0 System Points: 20,000.] Axel looked at his status in shock. He quickly said, "System, why did the mentality stat increase!?! I haven''t leveled up yet!" The screen disappeared before the system said, [Host, you can gain stats by doing something that would increase it. By having a near death experience, you''ve gained mentality stats.] Axel followed up as he asked, "Then, can you give me a simple description of the stat?" The system said nothing as a screen appeared. [STR: The numerical value of strength, determines explosiveness and physical power. AGI: The numerical value of Agility, determines speed and reflexes. STA: The numerical value of stamina, determines the amount of physical power can be exerted before exhaustion. INT: The numerical value of intelligence, determines memory and magic power. DEX: The numerical value of Dexterity, determines reflexes and senses. MEN: The numerical value of mentality, determines mental fortitude. LUC: The numerical value of luck, cannot be increased passed 50. CHA: The numerical value of charisma, determines elegance, eloquence and etiquette, can be turned off and on.] After the screen disappeared, Axel quickly lay back in bed and began to think. He opened his mouth to say something when a woman wearing a lab coat walked in. Axel quickly closed his mouth and acted asleep. He began communicating in his mind as he said, "System, you said something about Olivia and how she brought me here, how long was I out." [1 week.] Axel jumped from his bed and screamed, "A WEEK!?!" *crash* Axel suddenly froze as he turned to the source of the noise, only to find the doctor collapsed on the ground while a tray and bottles that were filled with different coloured liquids were scattered everywhere. The doctor quickly stood up after picking up the bottles and acted like nothing happened. She lay one bottle besides Axel, glared at him and started to leave. However, before she could walk out the door, she heard Axel mutter, "Black-lace..." causing her to fall again. Axel forcibly shut his mouth with his hands but ended up getting a death glare from a red-faced doctor before she said, "Hmph!" and left. Axel slapped his head and sighed. Suddenly, Olivia burst in through the door and screamed, "AXEL!!! YOU UP!?!" Axel and Olivia made eye-contact for about 20 seconds before Axel lay his head against his pillow, closed his eyes and said, "I''m asleep." Silence sounded in the hut as Axel pretended to sleep. Olivia looked stunned by his shamelessness before grinning and walking way. A couple minutes later, she came back with a huge pot of food. She grinned and said, "Oh, if only Axel was awake. We made way too much food and can''t eat it ourselves. Guess we''ll have to-" but before she could finish, Axel sat up and grabbed the pot before he said, "Guess it can''t be helped. I''ll take that off your hands." Axel lifted the pot up and began chugging. Olivia watched him and laughed as she thought it was going to spill but after a couple minutes, her laughter became amazement as he dropped the pot and burped. She looked him up and down and didn''t see a single trace of the food anywhere on him besides his lips. Actually, Axel didn''t eat it all. When he finished eating, he stored the rest of it inside the inventory. He licked the remainder off his lips and said, "Thank you." Olivia tilted her head as she said, "For the food?" Axel rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, and for saving me." Olivia only smiled before she stood up and left. Axel then turn towards the bottle on his bed. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a simple glass bottle that looked like a test-tube and was covered with a cork. Inside the bottle was a strange orange liquid. Axel pointed his palm towards the bottle and muttered, "Best time to test itˇ­ Appraisal." Suddenly, a screen popped in front of him. [Detecting a form of Appraisalˇ­ Fusion into systemˇ­ Congratulations host, for gaining the appraisal function.] Axel stood silent for a couple minutes as the screen disappeared. He said, "Systemˇ­ What is this?" [Appraisal function.] Axel double face-palmed and said, "Show me the details on the appraisal function." [Appraisal Function - Able to show information on a target. Information already known by the host will be shown alongside information gained from using appraisal magic. Instead of the information being sent to the host''s mind, the information will show up on a screen. Function is used in unison with any form of appraisal.] Axel looked over the screen for a bit before he sighed and said, "System, Isn''t getting functions way too easy?" [Not at all. Out of the multiple system functions, some are extremely easy to get while others are extremely hard to get.] Axel used appraisal on the bottle. He felt his magic power diminish slightly before a screen popped up. [Stamina Potion.] He shurgged his shoulders, drank the potion and got out of bed. He quickly tidied the bed before changing into his clothes and walking out the door. The sight that welcomed him was a small community of people. Tents and huts were strung everywhere as people travelled through out the place. In front of the hut Axel just came from were 2 tents. A large bonfire was ablaze as a group of people sat around it, laughing and eating. Axel was about to leave when a voice echoed from behind. "Where are you going, Axel?" He slowly turned around and said, "Nowhere, just getting some air. By the way, Where are we Olivia?" Olivia''s head popped up on Axle''s head as she climbed his shoulders. She ignored his attempts to shoo her off as she said, "This is basecamp. It''s basically an examination area. Everyone here is trying to take the test to enroll into one of the adventure schools." Axel''s heart began to race. He looked at her in confusion and said, "Adventure schools?" Olivia slipped from above him and fell to the ground. She dusted herself off before she smiled bitterly and said, "So I''ll have to start from there?" With a cough, she pointed to the area filled with red tents and said, "Pyro Academy, school of fire. Basically, anyone who wants to use anything related to fire, that''s where they go." Next, She pointed to the area filled with blue tents. "Aqua Academy, school of water. Mainly teaches support magic but also teaches water magic." She pointed to the area with yellow and green tents and said, "Quake Academy, school of earth and Slyph Academy, school of wind. Quake teaches defensive combat and magic while Slyph teaches assassin techniques." Axel noticed a few other groups of tents and said, "And those ones?" Olivia looked around before she said, "Black and white tents represent unholy and holy magic. They don''t have an academy but get taught in churches. Those tents with no colour represent the Sects. And finally, where we are. We represent the Adventure Academy." Axel sat down before the bonfire and thought, ''Adventure Academyˇ­ The Prince must have wanted to go there because my heart started beating faster when she said itˇ­'' Suddenly, Olivia said, "Did something good happen Axel?" Puzzled by her question, Axel tilted his head and said, "Why?" She pointed at Axel and said, "Because your smiling." Axel touched his face and became surprised. He was smiling. Axel turned towards Olivia and said, "Hey Olivia. How do I join Adventure Academy?" Suddenly, Olivia''s face broke into a wide smile. 6 Becoming stronger The next day, Axel and Olivia gathered in the forest early in the morning. Olivia looked at him and said, "Have you had any formal training?" "None whatso ever." Said Axel. Since a young age, Axel was never allowed out of his room because he had a weak body. Now, however, thanks to the system, he''s at least four times stronger than before. Olivia sighed. With a wave of her hand, a bunch of weapons appeared from thin-air. She clapped and said, "Okay. Axel, pick a weapon. I''ll train you to an adequate level." Axel stared at the weapons for a long time before picking the bow, sword and daggers. Olivia''s brows slightly furrowed as she said, "Axel, have you heard the saying, ''To bite off more than one can chew''?" He only replied with a small smile. Olivia snorted and said, "Well fine, Here." She threw over three scrolls held together by a golden rope. Axel was about to ask what these were when a screen popped up. [Detecting skillˇ­ Would host like to learn?] He swallowed back his words as he mentally said, "Yes." Suddenly, the scrolls glowed for a couple seconds. When the glowing finished, a screen appeared. [Congratulations host, for learning: Apollo-style Archery technique: Orion, Apollo-style Sword technique: Savant, Apollo-style Dagger technique: Luna.] Axel was about to ask the system what happened when Olivia suddenly screamed. She ran up to Axel and said, "Wait! Sorry Axel, I gave you the wrong scrolls. Those are my clans secret techniques. Here!" Axel didn''t grab the scrolls as he was stuck in thought. After 5 minutes, Axel sighed before he decided to tell her the truth. He said, "Olivia, I''ve already learned the techniques on the first set of scrolls." Olivia froze. She looked at Axel in disbelief and said, "Your lying! How could you possible learn those techniques? You didn''t even open the scrolls!" Axel decided to take a risk. He slightly bit his lip and said, "I have a special ability that lets me learn skills." Olivia stood stunned before she said, "Impossible! That''s impossible!" She, however, knew he wasn''t lying. Using her ability, she saw that his soul didn''t have the slightest ripple. It still maintained it''s clarity. She took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down. After calming down, she grabbed Axel''s shoulders and said, "Axel, you''ve only learned the technique, right? You don''t know how to utilize it yet, right?" Axel was taken back because he could see a slight glimmer in her eyes. He backed away and stuttered, "Y-yes?" She smiled and said, "Wait here! I''ll be back!" Axel watched her back go further and further away before it disappeared. Axel relaxed and said, "System, can I learn skills just by holding a scroll?" The system said, [Yes and no. You can learn skills as long as its recorded down. However, the skill has to be 90% complete or else you have to pay system points to fix the missing parts.] "You can add missing parts?" Said Axel. He didn''t think that the system could complete the incomplete skills. [Please don''t underestimate me, host. When I adapt to a realm, I acquire all skills that exist in that realm, at there most perfect state.] Before Axel could speak, Olivia returned. She was carrying a two huge backpacks. She threw one to Axel and said, "Training starts today. For one month, we''ll live off and inside the forest. During the day, I''ll teach you how to utilize the techniques and at night, we''ll rest." Axel nodded. He and Olivia began walking through the forest as she lectured Axel on survival skills inside the forest. She explained how to move around to lessen attraction from monsters, how to use all your senses to keep watch and how to tell which monsters territory your in. After a couple hours, Axel and Olivia came to a clearing and decided to set up camp. When Olivia left, Axel began communicating with the system. He said, "System, show me the details on the new skills." [Apollo-style Achery technique: Orion - A set of archery techniques designed by the first grandmaster of the Apollo clan. Centered around the combination of Magic, speed and precision. All Archery techniques in the Apollo clan are derived from this technique. LVL: 0. Apollo-style Sword technique: Savant - A set of sword techniques designed by the first patriarch of the Apollo clan. Centered around quick and precise attacks. All Sword techniques in the Apollo clan are derived from this technique. LVL: 0. Apollo-style Dagger technique: Luna - A set of Assassination techniques designed by the wife of the first patriarch of the Apollo clan. Centered around lethality and remaining unseen. All dagger techniques in the Apollo clan are derived from this technique. LVL: 0.] After reading the skills description, Axel let loose a cold breath before breaking into a gittery smile. He giggled like a kid who just got a new toy. Olivia came back after a couple more minutes carrying a couple birds and some berries and nuts. Axel help set up the tents and the campfire. Just before he lit the fire, Olivia waved to him, signaling him to stop. Seeing that he listened, Olivia waved her hand as 10 wooden posts appeared. She took five of them and said, "Grab those posts and put them firmly into the ground around our camp. As long as a five-star monster doesn''t show up, these barrier posts will stop them. They also stop sound and smell from getting outside." Axel nodded and grabbed the posts. He proceeded to follow Olivia''s example and laid them around the camp in even spaces. After he finished laying the posts, he went back to the campfire, only to find Olivia lighting it. A couple minutes later, she built a wooden spit and started to roast some meat. However, when she took it off the fire, it was completely burnt black. She glared at the lump of coal before sighing and taking a bite. *CRUNCH!!!* The loudest crunching sound ever to exist, echoed in the camp. Axel quickly went pale as he saw that the entire roast had been burned the entire way through. Just as he was wondering how she managed to do that, she chucked him some meat and said, "You cook your own. Tomorrow, you also need to look for your own food." Axel nodded to her as he quietly wiped off his cold sweat from the thought of her cooking. He stuffed the meat with some herbs he picked on the way and roasted it. After 5 minutes, the delicous aroma of roasted meat wafted through the entire camp. Axel licked his lips and was about to take a bite when he heard a sound. *Growl* He jumped into a battle stance, checking his surroundings. That''s when he noticed a red-faces Olivia holding her stomach. The both of them stood frozen for awhile before Axel collapsed to the ground and roared with laughter. Olivia''s face became a darker shade of red as she covered her face with her arms. Axel stopped laughing when he heard a quiet sobbing sound. He looked at Olivia, who was curled up and crying. Axel panicked as he slammed his head against the ground and apologized. Seeing that it wasn''t working, Axel rumaged through his inventory and bag before he withdrew a bowl and filled it with the left-over stew and gave it to Olivia, along side his roasted meat. Olivia sniffled and looked up to the sight of an abundant amount of food and Axel, bowing and apologizing. She silent took the stew and quickly downed it. However, when it came to the meat, she took one bite before bursting into a wide smile. After she finished, she smiled and said, "Hey Axel?" "Yes?" Said Axel while he was still bowing. "Have you ever thought about being a chef?" Said Olivia. On her face hung an extremely serious face. Axel fell to the ground face first. 7 Fight part 1 A deer had it''s head down, eating grass. A dim green light shone from a gem on it''s forehead. Suddenly, an arrow hit the deer in the throat. The arrow made no noise before it hit. The deer quickly shot up and tried to run but before it could take a step, the arrow embeded inside it''s neck exploded into a raging tornado. After the tornado died down, the corpse of the deer fell to the ground. 100 meters away, atop a tree, Axel lowered his bow. He grinned and said, "2 weeks of training with Olivia and now, I can shoot from 100 meters away with 90% accuracy." Axel stored his bow and climbed down the tree. It''s been 2 weeks after he began training with Olivia. During the first couple days, Olivia taught him the basics on the weapons he choose. In return, Axel tried to teach her how to cook. After learning the basics, Olivia told him to start learning the bow first. After memorizing proper stance and technique, he started hunting normal animals to put what he learned to the test. With each animal he hunted, his familiarity with the bow grew stronger. After a couple hunting sessions, he felt subtle changes in his archery. When he asked the system what it was, it told him it was the skill attempting to help him and that he should let it. Thanks to that, he became able to hit anything in a 100 meters. However, his training slowed down. It tookfour days before he could actually feel the skill help him with the sword and even longer for the dagger. Axel jumped to the ground and dusted himself off. His clothes were practically destroyed as holes were everywhere. He ignored how he looked and ran to his game. Axel was surprised when he arrived because Olivia was crouched in front of the deer. "Nice, a Gust deer. I heard tha-" Olivia was about to finish her sentence went she turned around and saw Axel, wearing scraps of cloth. She blushed as she could see Axel''s slightly chiseled body. Olivia felt her body heat up as she slightly bit her lip. Shaking her head, she coughed and said, "Axel, you should get new clothes. Those are ruined." Axel finally noticed that the clothes he was wearing were nothing but rags now. He rubbed his head in embarrassment and quickly left before she could say anything. Olivia only sighed before storing the gust deer and walked back to the camp grounds. In a tent, Axel sat on his sleeping bag as he spoke to the system. "System, open the store." A screen popped up in front of Axel. However, the screen that floated in front of him was different than normal as it looked like an online store back on earth. He skimmed all the tabs which represented types of stuff up for purchase and clicked the tab labelled, ''Clothing''. It only took a couple seconds for an almost endless amount of clothes to show up. Axel felt a headache coming on as he sorted the clothes by price, lowest to highest. Most of the low price clothes were from earth, even reaching as low as 1 system point. After a couple minutes, he found a good pair of clothe and clicked purchase. [Deducting 163 system pointsˇ­] The system informed him that his purchase was inside his inventory. He quickly disposed of his old clothes and wore the new pair. He pulled a mirror from the bag Olivia gave and looked himself over. Axel''s hair grew slightly while his skin had gained a healthy gloss. His body put on some noticeable muscle, making him look healthier than before. Paired with a black suit, he looked extremely suave. He grinned and arrogantly said, "Who''s that handsome man?" Suddenly, Axel clutched his stomach as he started hysterically laughing. He said, "Hahaha!!! Iˇ­ I can''t!!!" After a couple seconds, he stopped and said, "System, show me my status." [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 11 LVP: 27% (+2%) HC: Healthy MP: 300/300 STR: 17 AGI: 17 STA: 30 INT: 30 DEX: 15 MEN: 30 LUC: 10 CHA: 20 Status Points: 0 System Points: 52,865.] With a slight nod, Axel closed the screen and walked outside. Olivia stood before the campfire as she roasted some meat. She was so focused on the roast that sweat dripped from her forehead. Axel sat down next to the fire as he watched her cooking diligently. While looking at her face, he became dazed as he remembered the 2 weeks that just passed. He reminisced about all the little things, like the jokes they said to each other and how she talked about her family and friends. He, on the other hand, talked about all kinds of stories from earth, completely enamoring her. He especially remembered the shock he got when he found out she was a year older than him. When she saw he didn''t believe her, she revealed that she was disguised with a transformation spell so she could travel without worrying about being kidnapped. When she removed the spell, what replaced the little girl was a beautiful teenage girl. She had brunette hair that grew to her waist and jade green eyes. She was slightly shorter than Axel and her body curved in and out in all the right places. With all these features paired with her gentle and graceful looks, there was only one way to describe her. Drop-dead gorgeous. There is only one thing that made Axel want to faint. Based on the memories of the prince and Olivia''s reminder, people like her aren''t considered beautiful. While she isn''t considered ugly, she also wasn''t a beauty. She was consideredˇ­ average. When he learned of this, Axel screamed injustice to the sky as he kept yelling about her being extremely beautiful, forgetting that Olivia was standing in front of him. Ever since that day, Olivia''s treatment towards Axel slightly changed. Axel, however, hasn''t realised this, much to Olivia''s dissatisfaction. She also hasn''t used the transformation spell since then. As Axel watched in a daze, a pair of hands pulled his cheeks as a voice said, "Idiot! I said the foods ready! Hurry up!" Snapping back to reality, what lay before him was a salad, some water and a leg of roasted meat. Olivia held her hands as she waited for him to eat. Axel acted completely unperturbed by this and began eating. After a couple bites of the food, he looked at the anxious Olivia, smiled and said, "This is great. You''ve really come far from when you completely burnt the food." Olivia was delighted when she heard the first part of his comment but she did a complete 180 when she heard the rest. She pouted and said, "I thought we agreed to not talk about that." Scratching his nose, Axel smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry." Suddenly, a screen appeared before Axel. [Emergency Quest! Defeat the four-star monster coming to kill you. Rewards: ???.] 8 Fight part 2 The moment he received the emergency quest, he quickly ate the food, almost choking and left to his tent. Olivia smiled bitterly before cleaning the camp and going to her tent to sleep. Axel was in a panic inside his tent as he mentally screamed, "SYSTEM!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN A FOUR-STAR MONSTER IS COMING TO KILL ME!?!" The system quickly explained as it said, [The three-star snake you injured made a breakthrough and evolved into a four-star monster. It''s also using it''s new power to locate you. Luckily, while your inside the barrier posts, unless it''s a five-star, it won''t be able to find you.] Axel sighed and asked, "What about the reward?" However, the system quickly replied, [Don''t know.] He fell face first to the ground. Axel bitterly laughed as he thought the system was messing with him. The system knew what he was thinking and explained further. [I mean it''s a random reward. I couldn''t quantify the fight between you and the monster. The reason being, you will die if you fight it. I can''t really give you a reward just to make you run to your death.] Axel fell silent for a second before he said, "System, is there anything I can purchase from the system to help me?" The system didn''t reply for a couple minutes before a screen showed up. [Skills: Fire Magic - Magic used to control and create fire. Strength of fire magic depends on the level of this skill. LVL: 0. Cost: 10,000 system points. Ice Magic - Magic used to control and create ice. Strength of ice magic depends on the level of this skill. LVL: 0. Cost: 10,000 system points. Lowest Magic Affinity - Increases the amount of Magic points per intelligence stat from 1/10 to 1/100. Cost 25,000] Axel ran through a couple plans to utilize each skill. After a couple minutes he said, "System, purchase lowest magic affinity, fire magic and ice magic." [Deducting 45,000 system pointsˇ­] After confirming he had the new skills, he lept out of the tent and collected as many seeds he could. Axel held a handful of seeds, took a deep breath and left the camp grounds. He ran as fast as he could to the cave. With the help of Olivia''s 2 weeks of training, Axel naturally knew how to find it''s home. 10 minutes after leaving the camp grounds, the cave entrance appeared in Axel''s sight. He picked up speed and dashed to the cave. When he arrived before the entrance, he threw all the seeds he had into the cave and used magic to make them all sprout into trees. A thick wall of trees with a gap in the middle appeared. Axel created an extremely concentrated fireball and threw it into the gap and closed the hole. 5 minutes later, the sound of banging rang out. Axel could feel the snake trying to come out but he felt the size of the snake was smaller. Half an hour passed by as the banging died down. During the half hour, he used ice magic and layered the entire outside area in ice. Suddenly, the trees exploded as a figure could be seen exiting. Axel was stunned as he saw a young lady walk out of the cave, panting and gasping for air. The lady looked about 21, had amber eyes and white hair. She collapsed down to the ground and started to shiver. She glared at Axel and said, "E-evil humanˇ­ first you kill my child, now you locked me and my other children inside thatˇ­ that hell!" Axel stared at her dumbfounded. He put one and one together and muttered, "Your that snakeˇ­" Her glare intensified as she yelled, "Watch your tongue! I''m no snake, I''m an earth-dragon!" Axel was caught off guard and laughed at her before covering his mouth. However, he didn''t manage to cover it in time and the snake saw he was mocking her. She glared and yelled, "What are you laughing at!!!" Seeing no reason to hide it, he burst into laughter and said, "How can you be a dragon with no wings?" Axel didn''t even know what happened before being sent flying. He smashed through a couple trees before he fell to the ground. He spat a mouthful of blood as he focused on the snake lady. Her body gained an unnatural shade of blue while she shivered. Soon, she collapsed to her knees. The snake knew her time was coming so she crawled back into the cave. Axel followed her, only to find 3 eggs in a little nest. She nuzzled her head against it as she gazed at the eggs with love. Watching her cry silent tears as her body became darker, Axel sighed before lighting a fire and holding it close to the snake. She opened her eyes wide as she stared at Axel. She gave him a grateful smile before curling around her nest. The moment Axel held the flame to warm her, a screen popped up. [Emergency Quest Complete! Defeat the four-star monster coming to kill you. Rewards: Skill - Tame, Skill - Summon, 2x Function upgrade, 2x Skill upgrade, 10,000 system points.] Axel grinned and said, "System, show me the new skills details." [Skills: Tame - The ability to tame monsters. Monsters can only be tamed when a contract that both parties agree on is sighed. There are exceptions. Summon - The ability to create a dimension in which your tamed monsters reside. Only tamed monsters, the host and anyone you approve can enter.] Axel nodded. He looked at the snake lady as she slept and said, "Now show me what those upgrades are." [Function upgrade: Choose a function to increase it''s intended effect. Skill upgrade: Choose a skill to increase its intended effect.] Axel sat beside the snake and muttered, "Tameˇ­" A light blue glow shone from Axel''s hands before being absorbed into her. A screen popped up, saying he tamed a monster. He slapped his forehead and said, "System, why did that work? I thought I had to make a contract before getting approval." [That''s right. However, the earth dragon surrendered to you the moment she sensed you inside her den. Basically, you can make the rules.] He looked towards the sleeping snake and decided to make it an equals contract. Axel then used tame on the eggs and moved them all to his summoning world. With everything taken care of, Axel went around the den, taking anything of value before he left. However, when he took the first step outside, a voice said, "What do we have here?" 9 To adapt to this world, I will kill... Axel immediately backed away while on full alert. In front of him stood a young man donning an entirely black robe. He had extremely pale skin, light blue eyes and white hair. His cheeks were deflated, giving him the look of a skeleton. The skeleton-like young man sadistically grinned before he said, "What brings you out here?" Even his voice brought a chill to Axel as he became even more alert. He glared at the young man and said, "Nothing, just taking a walk." His sadistic grinned grew larger as he laughed. He ignored Axel''s glare and said, "Well, well, well. That''s good to know. I thought you were pillaging the serpents burrow and taking the treasures inside." Axel immediately broke into a sprint and tried to run back to camp but he came to an abrupt stop when he ran into an invisible wall. Axel stood up and bashed his hands against the wall before the young man''s eerie voice echoed from behind him. "That''s useless, you know? That''s a barrier capable of containing a five-star monster." Axel turned around, only to see the young man holding a skull in his hand as he arrogantly smiled. The young man caressed the skull and said, "This barrier can only be created by using the life of someone dear to you as a catalyse. I used my mother''s heart and my father''s skull. In the unholy church, your only allowed to leave when you complete your barrier." Axel tried his hardest to stop himself from throwing up as he broke into cold sweat. Finally, he noticed what was inside the young man''s other hand. A heart. Worse of all, it still seemed to be beating. The barrier pulsated to the rhythm of the heartbeat. The young man smiled as he withdrew a thin long sword from behind him. He smiled at Axel and said, "You have two chooses. One, I kill you and take whatever I can find. This includes your corpse as I''ll turn you into a zombie slave. Two, Give me everything on you and I might let you live." Axel grit his teeth as hatred burned from every being of his soul. This hatred didn''t just come from the fact he was in a ''Do-or-die'' situation, it also came from the fact that he defiled the corpses of his parents for power. Axel, from the bottom of his heart, loved his parents. Even though he was a tough case to handle, they still loved and supported him. Now, right before him stood a young man who didn''t care before defiling his parents. Coupled with the fact that Icarus''s father sent an assassin to kill him, he''s finally hit his limit. Suddenly, a screen popped up in front of Axel. [Personal Quest Triggered! Kill the young man and bury his parents to rest. Reward: 10,000 system points, 1x Trader Tab, 5x Lottery tickets.] Axel''s face bloomed into a brutal smile. He glared at the young man and said, "While I''m against killing because of how I was raised, for scum like you, you''re the perfect virgin kill for me to get accustomed to my new life." The young man''s face twisted into a ferocious smile. He stab his sword towards Axel''s heart and yelled, "Die!!!" Axel backflip and used the barrier as a wall and jumped, barely making it out of his range. His bow, Oak, appeared in his hands as he sent a barrage of arrows at the young man. The young man dodged the barrage with ease. He arrogantly grinned and said, "Are you even trying to hit me?" Axel said nothing as he continued his onslaught. What the young man failed to notice, however, was that each arrow had a dim green light that flowed on the arrow head. After half a minute, the young man suddenly frowned and said, "This is getting boring." He jumped backwards and yelled, "Black arts: Decapitation!" His sword gained a black glow as it shot like a meteorite towards Axel''s neck. Axel smiled. He slammed his hands against the ground and yelled, "Original spell: Forest of spears!" With great vigor, the ground glowed a dim green as a forest of wooden spears burst from the ground, shooting up and piercing the sky. Axel began panting as he heard a shrill screech. Before Axel could check if he won or not, a screen popped up. [Detecting the creation of an original spellˇ­ Fusion into systemˇ­ Congratulations host, for gaining the spellbook function.] Axel completely ignored the system as he looked at the figure before him. A sword rested just a few centimeters away from his neck as the young man was skewered in place. Wooden spears tore through his body, exposing skin and extremely bloody wounds. The most surprising thing was that the young man was still alive. He glared at Axel in hate and growled, "What have you done!?! Do you know who I am!?!" Axel completely ignored him and ripped the young man''s sword from his hands. He weighed it in his hands and looked it over before he shook his head and muttered, "Too lightˇ­" The young man''s glare intensified when he suddenly froze in fear as Axel thrust the sword towards his heart. He started begging and screaming but Axel ignored it all as only one thought crossed his mind, ''Kill!'' However, just when the sword was about to kill him, the voice of an old man ballowed, "That''s enough!" Axel flew back as he was hit by a huge shockwave. Once he balanced himself, he coughed a couple mouths full of blood and began to tremble. Beside the fainted young man was an old man wearing a black robe, but the difference between them was the old man''s robe having golden highlights. Axel couldn''t help but grit his teeth as he watched the old man pick up the fainted young man. The old man looked over at Axel before he snorted and disappeared. Once the old man left, Axel collapsed down to the ground. He began panting extremely hard while a grin slowly crept it''s way onto his face. He waved his left hand as a skull and heart appeared. Axel sighed and said, "I hope that when I bury these, his parents can rest in peace." He spent 6 hours digging 2 graves. Then, using nature magic, he spent another 2 hours crafting 2 small coffins. Axel placed the skull and heart inside the coffins, lowered them into the grave, buried them before closing his eyes and praying for them to rest in peace. Axel opened his eyes a couple minutes later only to see 2 wisps of smoke float from the graves as they slowly condensed into human form. A handsome middle-aged man and beautiful woman appeared. They bowed to Axel and said, "Thank you." When they stopped bowing, they smiled as their forms slowly faded. Axel had his head down and muttered, "I hope my parents are okay." Clenching his fist, he took a couple breaths to calm himself down. Axel wiped the tears from his face and began walking back to camp. He smiled and said, "I''m sure they''re fine." 10 Even In Two Lifetimes, I Never Dated Inside a tent, Axel sat on his sleeping bag with a blank look on his face. Everything he just experienced sent his emotions on a rollercoaster ride and after calming down, he collapsed onto his sleeping bag as he was both mentally and physically exhausted. Axel sighed and said, "System, show me my stats." [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 11 LVP: 34% (+7%) HC: Injured MP: 120/3000 STR: 19 (+2) AGI: 18 (+1) STA: 33 (+3) INT: 30 DEX: 19 (+4) MEN: 33 (+3) LUC: 10 CHA: 20 Status Points: 0 System Points: 7,865.] He smiled slightly at his stats and said, "Now show me my skills." [Skills: Cooking, Appraisal Magic, Nature Magic, Harvesting, Apollo-style Archery technique: Orion, Apollo-style Sword technique: Savant, Apollo-style Dagger technique: Luna, Fire Magic, Ice Magic, Lowest Magic Affinity, Tame, Summon.] Axel closed the screen. He began to mull over how he acted when he was fighting the skeleton-like young man. He thought about his readiness to kill him and shuddered. He took a couple seconds to calm down and said, "I need to be able to live in this world. From the memories I got from Icarus, this world lives by, ''Might is right.'' Sooner or later, I need to be prepared to kill someone. To not only save myself but my family, friends and to prevent future problems." Suddenly, the system said, [You not only need to be able to kill but also be able to spare. Not all things need to be solved with killing off the problem. Please, remember this.] Axel became stunned before he revealed a wide smile and joyfully said, "Your absolutely correct, system! I don''t always need to kill." With the weight on his mind becoming a little lighter, Axel began to close his eyes to sleep when a screen popped up in front of him. [Personal Quest Completed! Kill the young man and bury his parents to rest. Reward: 5,000 system points, 3x Lottery tickets.] Axel became wide awake as he said, "System, why did I complete the quest? And why is the reward halved?" [You completed half the quest because you managed to put his parents to rest, so you''ve earned half the reward.] Nodding his head, Axel started to relax in his sleeping bag and said, "What''s with the lottery ticket? Is it actually a lottery?" When he recieved the quest, he was in a bad state of mind which caused him to ignore the reward of the quest. Now that he''s calm, Axel finally notice that he doesn''t know what the lottery ticket is. The system said nothing while a screen appeared. [Lottery ticket - A lottery containing anything and everything inside the current realm of occupation. All prizes are randomly drawn and are final. A random amount is gained when an item is drawn in the lottery. Every 10 tickets gains 1 free draw.] Axel thought hard for a couple minutes before he said, "System, use 2 lottery tickets." [Using 2 lottery ticketsˇ­ Congratulations host. Prizes: 3x Evolution stones, 13x two-star cores. All items gained have been deposited into your inventory.] With his entire body comfortably wrapped up in his sleeping bag, Axel said, "System, when I wake up, tell me what the evolution stones are and what the spellbook function is. I have an idea of what they do but I''m tired. Goodnight." Axel''s eyes slowly shut as he began to drift to the land of dreams. --- (POV Change) A group of men, young and old, stood and talked amongst themselves as an old man wearing a black robe with gold highlights walked towards them and said, "Brothers, one of our disciples was injured." Everyone turned and looked in surprise at the young man being held by the old man. The young man was unconcious and severly injured with wounds all over his body. An old man wearing a black robe with red highlights walked out. He looked at the young man and frowned before he said, "What happened?" The old man carrying the injured young man began recounting everything that happened. Once he finished, everyone yelled in outrage. A youth wearing said, "Who does he think he is? Doesn''t he know who senior is?" Another youth said, "We should find him and kill him." Suddenly, the old man said, "We can''t. He''s currently the companion of Olivia von Apollo, so we can''t. However, I gathered some information that he''s going to be attending the Adventure Academy. When the inter-academy battle competition starts, we can kill him. Luckily, we only have to wait 2 months until it starts." Another old man wearing a black robe with blue highlights added, "Also, it''s impossible for him to get stronger in that short of a period. It takes years to even increase from a half-star to a one-star." Cruel smiles were present on everyone''s faces. The old man carrying the young man muttered, "Soonˇ­" --- (POV - Axel) A gently ray of sunlight shone through the tent as Axel lay asleep in his sleeping bag. Drool dripped down his mouth while he muttered in his sleep. Axel slowly opened his eyes. He sat up while rubbing his eyes and yawned. After regaining a clear state of mind, a screen suddenly popped up. [Evolution Stone - A stone containing the power to forcefully evolve any beast below five-stars. Using the evolution stone carries no side-effect. Function: Spellbook - Records all original spells and corrects them to be as efficient as possible. Can be set to record any spell, power, ability and skill. However, anything other than original spells that are recorded can''t make use of the, ''Correction and Efficiency'' feature.] Axel stared at the screens in confusion before lightly tapping his forehead. He said, "That''s right, I asked the system to tell me what the new function and items were before I fell asleep." Streching his body, Axel jumped out of his sleeping bag and got changed. A few minutes later, he exited his tent. Axel took a couple deep breaths before breaking into a smile. "Even though it been 2 weeks, the fresh air in the morning is addicting. Nothing like it back in my old world." Axel said in his mind. Every morning since coming to this world, Axel always takes a deep breath of morning air. Just the crisp feeling of air that doesn''t make you choke became a slight addiction for him. Axel walked to the campfire, only to find the entire place empty. He slyly grinned to himself as he thought, ''She must still be asleep. Let''s go wake her.'' A small gust broke out as Axel dashed at Olivia''s tent. He barged in and yelled, "Olivia, wake-" but before he could finish, what greeted him was a drowsy Olivia, halfway through changing. Her eyes were barely open as she tried pulling up her panties. Still half-asleep, Olivia looked over at the frozen solid Axel and smiled. She jumped at him and began cuddling with him as she said, "Yay~ It''s Axel~ Hug me~ Hug me~" Axel didn''t move because he mentally shut down as his mind tried to reboot. While he was rebooting, Olivia began groping him when she noticed something important. She wasn''t dreaming. Olivia''s face turned scarlet in a flash as a puff of smoke came from her head. She didn''t scream nor yell. She only lowered her head and occasionally glanced at Axel. However, she became conflicted as she saw that he had froze. She felt happy that he was stunned because of her but she was also annoyed he didn''t try to apologize or leave. She pouted and said, "Idiot, how long are you gonna stand there? Go outside so I can change." Axel said nothing, only nodding and robotically walking out. Olivia chuckled to herself and finished getting changed. Outside, Axel sat down by the campfire as he was deep in thought. Due to the experience of both his life and the princes with there lack of women, Axel couldn''t make heads or tails about the situation he just experienced. Axel was still in deep thought when Olivia came out of her tent. She smiled towards Axel before grabbing some ingredients and cooking breakfast. After a couple minutes, a couple dished were served. She said, "Axel, breakfast is ready." Recieving no reply, Olivia turned and saw that Axel was still stunned. She began feeling annoyed. She pinched his cheeks hard and yelled, "Idiot! Breakfast is ready!" Axel rubbed his cheeks and glared at Olivia. He knew that she only did that to snap him out of his dazed state, but he felt annoyed by her method. Axel swallowed his annoyance and thanked her before eating. 11 A Really Hard Ques After breakfast, Axel and Olivia said goodbye as they went their separate ways. Olivia had to talk to her guards about returning to the Adventure Academy and Axel wanted to test something. Inside a clearing, Axel closed his eyes and said, "Summon." A complex series of Magic runes appeared on the ground. The runes slowly began to pulse while spinning, revealing a beautiful woman with white hair as she slowly materialised above the runes. The woman slowly opened her eyes, revealing an enchanting amber glow. Axel became slightly dazed when she said, "I don''t forgive you for killing my childˇ­ but, for sparing me and my other children, I thank you." Axel snapped out of his stupor. He bowed and said, "No. I''m sorry for killing your child. I was testing my bow and a stray arrow hit it." The woman''s face showed a look of sadness as she said, "So it was an accidentˇ­ It''s fine. It would have been killed anyway. Predators, humans. This place is only for the strong. If only I had it''s coreˇ­" "Core?" Said Axel, tilting his head. He rummaged through his inventory, which looked like him swiping at the air to the woman, before pulling out a gem covered in scales and blood. He pointed at the gem and said, "You mean this?" The woman''s eyes brightened in excitement as her yelled, "That''s it!" Axel covered his ears and looked at the woman in confusion. She saw this and explained that her children were all created by condensing her own core and chipping it. After she made a shard, she would inject her own power into it until it formed an egg. They would later hatch and leave the cave. "Wait! So your telling meˇ­ that your childrenˇ­ are clones!?!" Exclaimed Axel. The woman tilted her head and said, "Yes?" Axel face-faulted onto the ground and groaned. The woman became even more confused by this and followed what Axel did, falling face first into the ground and groaning. The woman quickly sat up and rubbed her nose. She looked at Axel and said, "Master, what are you doing?" When Axel heard how the woman addressed him, he slipped once more and exclaimed, "Master!?!" "That''s right? Why are you so surprised?" Said the woman. Her head tilted cutely to the side while a beautiful smile lay on her face. Axel''s face became flushed as his heart began beating faster. He slapped his cheeks and repeatedly said in his head, "She''s a snakeˇ­ She''s a snakeˇ­ She''s a snakeˇ­" The woman stared in confusion for a while before making an expression that said, ''I got it!'' She chuckled and said, "I guess your confused about the change in how I speak to you?" Axel only looked at her and nodded while the blush on his face began to fade. The woman chuckled again and said, "To us monsters, a core is our very being. Our soul, if put into terms a human can understand. Just like how you humans can resurrect as long as you have your soul, us monsters can do the same as long as we have our cores." The woman''s face suddenly frowned. She sighed and said, "However, only a ten-star beast can resurrect another monster. Also, there''s a bunch of conditions." "Conditions?" Said Axel. By now, his embarrassment was gone as complete calm and concentration replaced it. His eyes revealed no desire as clarity could be seen from within them. The woman look confused about the sudden change in her master but decided to pay it no heed. "Well, the conditions only require certain sacrifices. Like cores, materials, items. However, the items used as a sacrifice must have one thing in common, they must be at least one level higher than the monster you wish to revive." Said the woman. Even though Axel could see her talking to him, he still managed to catch a glimpse of the woman caressing the core he gave her. "Soˇ­ unlike a human resurrection, to bring a monster back to life I''d need to find items one level above it''s star level AND have a ten-star beast complete the ritual!?!" Said Axel as tears threatened to come out of his eyes. All in all, the first condition is easy. All he has to do is gather some two-star materials. The hard part is getting a ten-star monster to compete the ritual, and not kill him. The woman could feel the distress inside Axel and couldn''t help but begin to panic. She quickly pressed her forehead to the ground and said, "Please master, please resurrect my child. If you promise me, I swear to do whatever you ask of me." Axel''s heart began to race, however, it was not because of lewd thoughts of what he could make her do. No, it was because of the love she had towards her child. Willing to sacrifice her freedom just so her child could live. He quietly remembered his own mother and how she and his father worked long hours just so he could have the best life. As he was reminiscing, his memories suddenly overlaped with the memory of a man staring down at him. The man coldly said, "Trash." before turning around and leaving. Unconsiously, tears began streaming down his face as the woman still pressed her forehead against the ground. Axel wiped his tears away before helping the woman up. He held her hand and said, "I promise to find away to resurrect your child." Suddenly, a screen appeared right between himself and the woman, causing Axel to state blankly at what was written. [Personal Quest Triggered! Resurrect your summons child. Gather the following: Scale of a five-star Fire Dragon Scale of a five-star Water Dragon Scale of a five-star Wind Dragon Scale of a five-star Earth Dragon Core of a five-star Unholy Dragon Core of a five-star Holy Dragon Reward: 1x Resurrection Stone, 10x Lottery tickets, 2x Trader tabs, 1x Skill, 10 Status points, 10,000 System points.] Axel read over everything before coming to one conclusion. He''s screwed. Axel collapsed to his knees and screamed, "WHAT THE ACTUALLY FUCK!!! I CAN BARELY KILL TWO-STARS AND WHEN I RELY ON TACTICS I CAN FIGHT THREE-STARS!!! BUT NOW YOU WANT ME TO FIGHT A FRIGGIN FIVE-STAR!?! WHY DON''T YOU KILL ME NOW!!!" The woman stared as she watched her master cry and scream. After ten minutes, she saw that Axel had collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. She tilted her head and said, "Master, are you freaking out about what that small transparent wall said?" It was at that moment Axel.exe stopped responding. 12 Partners The woman stared at Axel, confused about why he suddenly froze up. Axel, on the other hand, was panicking. Inside his mind, he screamed, "SYSTEM!!! WHY CAN SHE SEE THE SCREEN!!!" [It''s because she''s your summon. The taming ritual of this world binds the souls of the user and the target together through a soul contract. Depending on the amount of the soul that gets binded, determines the contract type. If the amount of your soul is between 99% and 80%, it becomes a contract of Absolute Dominance. If the amount of your soul is between 79% and 51%, it becomes a Master-Servant contract. If the amount of your soul is between 49% and 0%, the contract fails. Finally, if the amount of the two souls is a perfect harmony of 50-50, it creates a Partnership contract.] Axel ignored the woman who was flailing about in front of him and mentally said, "System, ELABORATE!" The system didn''t keep him waiting long, as it quickly said, [A contract of Absolute Dominance means that the tamed creature cannot go against your words. They have their entire being sealed, becoming the most efficient doll. Next, the Master-servant contract. Basically as it sounds, you become the Master and the tamed creature becomes the servant. The servants still retains free-thought, enabling it to think for it''s self. Next, a failed contract. This happens when too little of your soul is added to the taming ritual, causing it to fail. The backlash because of this is damage to the soul. Lastly, a Partnership contract. This contract makes both the ritual user and target become equals. This contract allows the soul of the user and target to exist together in harmony. Please note, that with each contract exists a world law that makes the tamed creature unable to kill the user.] When the system finished it''s explaination, Axel became lost in thought. The woman saw that unlike before, her master was lost in thought and decided to let him think. After a couple minutes, Axel lifted his head and said, "Soˇ­ because our souls are in a sort of harmony, she can see the system''s screens. Due to the fact she kept flailing about while you were talking, I''m guessing she can''t hear you." [Correct. She can only hear me if you allow her to. However, when you do, I''ll forcefully implant a fail-safe into her soul that forbids her to talk about my existence.] Said the system. Axel could feel a shiver run down his spine when he heard the system. He slapped his cheeks and decided to allow her to hear the system. After asking the system to explain the situation to her, Axel watched the woman''s constantly changing expression. She went from alert to surprise to worship. A sparkle glowed in her amber eyes as Axel swore he could see stars in them. "So, the quest to ''resurrect your summons child'' was created because you promised to bring my child back to life and, while the items we have to gain have becomeˇ­ difficult, it removed the hardest condition, which is finding a ten-star to do the ritual." Said the woman as she brushed her long hair out of her face. Axel stared in wonder at both the enchanting movement and the fact that she managed to remember and break-down the quest. The woman saw that her master had become dazed again and tilted her head. She said, "Master, why are you dazed again?" Axel broke into a coughing fit as his face turned into a tomato. He quietly straightened his clothes before turning around and walking off. The woman sprung up and followed alongside him. Using his peripheral vision, Axel saw that the woman walked elegantly besides him. He also noticed a certain pair bouncing as they walked. The woman was walking behind Axel when she noticed him staring at her. She smiled to him and said, "Master?" Almost tripping on tree root, Axel stood straight and said, "Uh, yes. Do you have a name? Or something I can call you besides ''You''?" "No, master. I don''t have a name. Why don''t you give me one?" Said the woman. She stood calmly besides him as the sun shone down on her. A light smile hung on her face. Axel felt his heart jump as he thought, ''Prettyˇ­'' Shaking his head, he went into deep thought for a couple minutes before he said, "How aboutˇ­ Stella?" Stella''s cheeks blushed as she happily said, "Thank you, master. From now on, my name is Stella." With a quick nod, Axel continued walking to camp. He said, "We''re gonna have to train so we can get those items. As you''ve probably guessed, if we complete this quest, I assume the reward can possibly resurrect your child without the need of a ten-star." Stella quickly said, "It might not be necessary to train, master." Axel came to a halt as he said, "Explain." "If we can barter for old scales from those of the dragon clan, we may be able to get them without fighting. Be prepared because we will need to trade top grade items for the scales. The cores will be hard because they can only be harvested from the dead. We would also need a core harvester because five-star and above can bring their core inside their body." Stella said as she stood besides Axel. Suddenly, Axel froze as he said, "Harvester?" Stella looked at Axel in confusion as she wondered why he repeated that part. Axel, on the other hand, spoke to the system. He said, "System, can my harvesting skill harvest cores?" [Correct.] Was it''s reply. 13 The Calm before... Be warned that the following chapter may contain a visual description of events that may be unsuitable for an audience of younger readers. Reader discretion is advised. --- --- --- After a couple minutes, Axel and Stella finally made it back to camp. As they drew nearer to the campfire, a chill ran down Axel''s spine yet he ignored it, thinking it was just cold out. Of course, his assumption was entirely correct. However, ignoring this chill would prove to be his biggest mistake ever since coming to this world. About 20 meters away stood Olivia. Flames spewed out her eyes as veins bulged on her head. She grinded her teeth as she thought, ''What the hell is he doing!?! Inviting some big-tits hussy into OUR camp!!!'' Being blinded by rage, Olivia was completely ignorant to the fact that she too, had big breasts. Axel and Stella sat around the campfire while discussing plans on how to acquire the items to complete the quest. The two of them were so absorbed into there conversation that they were completely oblivious to the demon walking towards them. The air suddenly stagnated when Axel felt a hand grip his shoulder. Sweat ran down his head like a waterfall as the whispers of hell quietly said, "Axel, Who is this?" Axel mechanically turned around, only to see Olivia gripping his left shoulder with an expression that told him, ''I will kill you if you don''t give me a good answer.'' Swallowing back every urge to scream, Axel pointed towards Stella and said, "T-this is Stella. She''s a four-star monster that I managed to tame." The visage of a demon disappeared, revealing a bright smiling Olivia. She sat left of Axel and said, "Oh, so she''s a monster. I thought you''d brought someone into OUR camp." Wiping the sweat from his brow, Axel thought, ''Damn, I thought she was jealous or something. Turns out she just doesn''t want people in our camp.'' Stella, who was watching the whole ordeal, sadistically smiled and thought, ''If I''m not wrongˇ­ The lady likes my master but he''s oblivious to her feelings. This could be funˇ­'' Axel was about to leave to prepare for dinner when he felt a strong pulling force from his right. He fell back into his chair and felt his entire right side enveloped in a huge, soft and sweet embrace. He turned his head to the right, only to see Stella wrapping his arms into her chest. Now that things have called down, Axel finally noticed that she was wearing a purple dress with 2 white snakes embroided on each side. Stella pressed her chest against him harder and seductively said, "Master~" Before Axel could enjoy the soft sensation, his left arm was also enveloped in a soft embrace. When he looked over, he saw Olivia pressing his arm between her great ravine. Olivia had a light blush on her face as she leaned an inch away from Axel''s ear and whispered, "I won''t loseˇ­" Axel could feel heaven calling him as he thanked every god in existence for what was happening. However, god is fair. Suddenly, Stella began feeling weird. She started to fidget as she felt a fire begin to form inside her. Her face turned red, her eyes became watery and she started panting. Axel noticed this and tried to remove his arm from her grasp so he can check on her. Stella felt his movement and clutched his arm even harder. Axel felt pain as well as pleasure from the sensation coming from his arm, but before he could enjoy it, Olivia clutched his arm harder as well. Axel finally noticed that something abnormal is happening. He swallowed the pain and said, "System, what''s happening to them?" [Are you sure you want to know?] Surprisingly, the system didn''t tell him but asked whether he wanted to know or not. Axel looked surprised but shook his head and said, "Yes." [Stella is in heat.] Said the system. Axel became stunned and muttered, "ˇ­What?" [Stella is in heat.] Repeated the system. Looking at Olivia, Axel muttered, "ˇ­And her?" [Stella is unconsciously releasing an aphrodisiac.] Before Axel could ask why it''s not affecting him, the system continued as it said, [The reason that your not being affected is because your her master. Due to world law, tamed creatures cannot harm their master, whether it''s a consious act or an unconsious act.] As he sat between the two, he felt movement from his left. He turned and saw Olivia grinding against his arm. Axel began feeling hot, not due to the aphrodisiac but because of her actions and was about to try and leave when he felt movement from his right. Just like Olivia, Stella began grinding against his arm as well. Using all his willpower, he resisted the temptation and mentally screamed, "SYSTEM!!! WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?!" [Become a sage?] Uncharacteristically, the system made fun of the current situation Axel was in. The flame inside Axel was overpowered by another emotion. Anger. He mentally screamed, "FUCK YOU!!! FUCKING HELP ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!" [Sorry host. All you need to do is find them an outlet in which they can release their desires.] The system noticed that it may have made a joke at the wrong time and explained what he could do. Axel forced himself to called down and said, "Noˇ­ I''m sorry system. I shouldn''t have snapped at you. Now, what kind of outlets." [One, have sex with them.] Said the system without hesitation. "Denied!!!" Screamed Axel in response. He wouldn''t mind this if he was sure of their feelings towards him. Plus, he felt that if he took advantage of the fact that were under the influence of an aphrodisiac, he would hate himself. The system could tell what was going through his head and said, [Host, since you don''t want to fulfill their lust, you''ve got to replace it.] Axel tilted his head and said, "With what?" [Bloodlust.] 14 The Storm Be warned that the following chapter may contain a visual description of events that may be unsuitable for an audience of younger readers. Reader discretion is advised. --- --- --- "Haaˇ­ haaˇ­?" "Ahhnˇ­?" Like a stone statue, Axel sat between the 2 girls as they used his arms to grind on, not moving an inch. Resisting every urge to give into his desire, he grit his teeth and said, "Girls, can you let go?" "No~" Said both girls in unison. Axel groaned and said, "System, can you think of a way to get them to let go?" The system said, [Be strict and order them.] Axel took a deep breath. Lowering his voice, he ordered, "Let go." The girls pouted before reluctantly letting go. Axel thanked the system and said, "Girls, how about dinner?" "No~" Said the girls in unison again. Even though Axel ordered them to let him go, they began groping him all over, much to hisˇ­ delight? Letting loose a warm breath, Axel ignored where they were touching and said, "A bath?" "No~" Said the girls in unison once more. Suddenly, Olivia looked at Axel with a seductive smile and said, "I want you~" Stella''s amber eyes glowed for a second before revealing a flirtatious smile and said, "Me too~ I''d rather have you~" "System, please help me!!!" By this point, Axel was begging the system for help. He could feel their hands reaching for his final bastion of restraint and didn''t know if he could keep a clear head any longer. The system heard his plea and said, [Get them to hunt. If they don''t agree, tell them that who ever hunts the most can ask you to do one thing.] In the heat of the moment, Axel screamed, "GIRLS, IF YOU CAN HUNT MORE MONSTERS THAN THE OTHER IN THIRTY MINUTES, I''LL DO ANY ''ONE'' THING YOU WANT!!!" Both girls suddenly froze before bursting into ferocious smiles. Olivia looked at him with a dangerous glint and said, "Are you serious?" Axel swallowed as he felt like a mouse cornered by snakes. He worked up his courage and stuttered, "Y-yes." Both Olivia and Stella glared at each other something fierce before disappearing in a cloud of dust. Axel collapsed down as he said, "Thanksˇ­ Systemˇ­" [It''s alright host. I''m here to help.] "By the way, are you becoming more human?" Said Axel. After that hectic mess passed, he started to realise that the system began acting more alive. The system quickly said, [You''re mistaken, host. I''m not acting human, I''m analyzing your interactions so far to better improve my responses. The only way for me to actually, act human, is to update myself.] "Neatˇ­" Listlessly said Axel. He was about to whip himself something to eat when a screen appeared before him. [Repeatable quest complete: Kill 1 one-star beast. Reward: 10 system points. Repeatable quest complete: Kill 1 one-star beast. Reward: 10 system points. Repeatable quest complete: Kill 1 one-star beast. Reward: 10 system points. Repeatable quest complete: Kill 1 one-star beast. Reward: 10 system points...] Every couple seconds, the list would get longer and longer, increasing in number. [Repeatable quest complete: Kill 5 one-star beast. Reward: 100 system points. Repeatable quest complete: Kill 1 one-star beast. Reward: 10 system points. Repeatable quest complete: Kill 1 one-star beast. Reward: 10 system points. Repeatable quest complete: Kill 1 one-star beast. Reward: 10 system points. Repeatable quest complete: Kill 1 one-star beast. Reward: 10 system points. Repeatable quest complete: Kill 10 one-star beast. Reward: 500 system points...] Confused, Axel started scratching his head and said, "Systemˇ­ what''s happening?" [Give me a secondˇ­ It seems that, because of Stella being able to hear the system, which is thanks to you giving her permission, when ever she kills a monster, it counts as you killing it.] Axel''s eyes lit up as he thought of a ton of ways to exploit this. Suddenly, the system cut his dreams short as it said, [I know what your thinking and it won''t work.] "Why not?" Groaned Axel. He thought to let her continuously kill monsters to farm points. [Because, while it says that you complete the quest, it''s really only half-completed so the reward is only half, which would make farming system points and experience two-times as long as normal.] With a sigh, Axel said, "Status." [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 11 LVP: 37% (+3%) HC: Injured MP: 2700/3000 STR: 19 AGI: 18 STA: 33 INT: 30 DEX: 19 MEN: 33 LUC: 10 CHA: 20 Status Points: 0 System Points: 8,205.] Bitterly smiling after confirming what the system said, Axel started grilling meat for the 2 girls when they come back. 30 minutes later, Axel had just taken the last bit of meat off the fire when two figures appeared. He looked up from the fire to welcome them back but when he saw them, he froze stiff. Both girls looked like feral beasts. There wasn''t an inch of their bodies that wasn''t covered in blood. They had their eyes wide and bloodshot while their mouths curved into a grin. Before Axel could say anything, both girls glared at each other and yelled, "48!!!" "52!!!" Axel stared in fright, wondering what they were talking about when Stella collapsed onto the floor and Olivia started dancing with joy. Olivia smiled at Axel and dashed at him. Seeing the in-coming projectile, Axel dodged on instinct, barely missing her while carrying the food he just cooked. Olivia pouted and screamed, "WHY DID YOU DODGE!!!" A vein burst on Axel''s head as he flared up and yelled, "CAUSE YOUR COVERED IN BLOOD!!! GO TO THE RIVER AND CLEAN YOURSELF!!! BOTH OF YOU!!!" Both Olivia and Stella wimpered like an abandoned puppy before walking to the river to bathe. Axel used the 10 minutes cleaning up the camp grounds and setting the table for dinner. The girls came back around the time he finished. The girls quietly sat on the table and didn''t utter a single word. Axel looked at the pair strangely and said, "System, why are those two acting like that?" Because Stella could hear it, the system whispered, [It''s because you raised your voice. That attitude basically zapped the rest of aphrodisiac out of them. The bloodlust too.] Axel tilted his head then slapped his head and said, "Rightˇ­ the competitionˇ­ I''m going out on a limb here butˇ­ did Olivia win?" Seeing that he wasn''t mad, both girls physically relaxed as Olivia stuck her chest out with pride and said, "Yeap, I won! 52 kills!" With a wave of her hand, 52 clean cores appeared on the table. A small vein popped up on Axel''s head as he growled, "Oliviaˇ­" Olivia drew back from Axel as she quickly stored the cores. Stella was still pouting about her loss and said, "I only got 48 because I had to drag each kill back to camp." Axel told her that after dinner, they can go and store the kills. He also asked the system if she could access the system''s inventory, to which the system replied, [No.] Quickly serving up dinner, Axel turned to Olivia and said, "Ok, Olivia. I''m a man of my word. What do you want?" Stella was also interested in what she would ask of her master, so she quietly stared in anticipation. Olivia''s face turned into a gently expression as she smiled and said, "Tell me your real name." 15 Fear, Truth and Yearning The sun had long ago set as Axel and Olivia sat face to face inside her tent. Both sat in silence while waiting for the other to talk. Honestly, Axel really didn''t want to talk about his identity. It''s not that it was hard for him. All he''d have to say was, '' My name is Icarus Avalon, Third Prince to the Avalon family.'' and that would be that. However, for his and Icarus''s revenge, he needed every moment to get stronger, at least strong enough to protect himself and his friends. Revealing himself could prove fatal if word got out. While Axel was sitting and debating, Olivia looked over at him with a dazed expression. She could tell that he was going through alot of inner termoil. With her ability, she saw that a storm was raging inside him. She was about to say something when she felt a throbbing pain in her chest. Her vision swayed before focusing on the problem. A sword stabbed her through the heart. She could feel it digging through her, tearing her insides to shreds. Suddenly, the silhouette of a man appeared before her. She felt something forcefully dragging her head up, only to be greeted by the silhouette grinning. The sword inside her suddenly burst into flames, turning her heart to cinders. She could feel deep pain, regret and relief coming from inside her before losing conscious. However, right after she passed out, she came back to reality, only to find Axel in front her, still debating. While in shock, Olivia reached her hand out and placed it above Axel''s heart. Tears began flowing down her face as she muttered, "ˇ­How did you survive?" Axel noticed her acting weird and was about to ask her what''s wrong when Olivia suddenly placed her hand on his chest and spoke. As time slowly passed by, Axel noticed that he began to shudder. His heart rate shot up while tears began gathering in his eyes. He didn''t know why but he became afraid, so very afraid. That''s when he finally realised, he''s extremely afraid of dying again. Because he has the memories of both himself and Icarus, he remembers how both of them died. While it may be normal to be afraid of death, it''s different after you''ve experienced ''death''. He was afraid of the cold, endless abyss. The fact that nothing existed there, only yourself. The fear of death quickly took hold of him as he began hyperventilating. The world slowly spun as he curled into a ball. Everything started to become dim when he felt a hand hold his own. Everything stopped as he looked up and saw Olivia. She held his hand in a vice-grip while tears spilled down her gorgeous face. She reached her other hand towards him, signalling with her eyes to grab it. Axel could feel the warmth from her hand and desired more. Grabbing her other hand, Axel slowly pulled her into an embrace. Nothing sexual, he only desired the warmth from her while Olivia desired the same. The two kept hugging when Axel said, "ˇ­My old name is Icarus Avalon. My father hired an assassin to kill me and I died." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "However, that''s when ''I'' appeared. I died in my world and was reincarnated into Icarus''s dying body. Luckily, when I did reincarnate, it fixed his body or I would have died again. When I finally got the jist of the situation, I decided to live as ''Axel'' and bury my old names." Olivia snuggled closer and whispered, "Can you tell me ''your'' name, please?" With a sigh, Axel hugged her tighter and said, "ˇ­Evan, my name was Evan Nightingale." Olivia looked him in the eyes from inside his embrace and said, "It''s a nice name but I like my Axel better." With a wry smile, he and Olivia continued to embrace while chatting about their lives. Olivia talked about school life and her friends while Axel talked about his world and his family. Suddenly, Axel looked at Olivia with a questioning glance and said, "Olivia, why are you ok with the fact that I reincarnated into this body?" Olivia sleepily yawned and said, "It''s actually not impossible for people to reincarnate. However, it''s never heard of for someone to reincarnate into someone else''s body, it''s always been infants or artifically bodies. Plus, while this world is separated into different dimensions, people don''t believe other worlds exist, me included." "Then why?.." Said Axel. Suddenly, Olivia hugged tighter and said, "Because my ability tells me your not lying." The pair began feeling tired and decided to sleep together. They released each other and began making arrangements. Olivia opened her sleeping bag and lay it across the ground while Axel went and grabbed his sleeping bag so they could use it as a blanket. Leaving her tent, Axel went and talked to Stella about where she would be sleeping. She told him that she would be fine with staying on watch. However, when Axel turned to leave, Stella smirked at him before closing her eyes. Walking inside the tent, what welcomed him was a semi-nude Olivia. She smiled at him and signalled him to come closer. Axel gulped and walked closer to her. He tried to say something but the words kept getting stuck inside him. Olivia only smile and said, "Get changed, you idiot." Axel shyly took off his clothes, revealing his black briefs. Olivia noticed a significantly large bulge in his underwear and muttered, "ˇ­I don''t think it would fit." Olivia lay in the make-shift bed and said, "Axel, come sleep." However, Axel had a feeling he wouldn''t be getting any sleep tonight. 16 Mercy!!! Be warned that the following chapter may contain a visual description of events that may be unsuitable for an audience of younger readers. Reader discretion is advised. --- --- --- "ˇ­" "ˇ­" Lying inside a make-shift double bed, Axel and Olivia silently stared at each other as a small light shone ever slightly in the tent. There was no movement or sound as they both just stared at the other, waiting for the other to speak or move. Axel felt every urge to turn his head and sleep yet he felt that if he did, he would lose something. Olivia on the other hand was at her wits end. She honestly expected him to make a move on her. Like, which girl would ever let a boy sleep with them if they didn''t want something to happen. With each passing second, she began feeling more and more anxious. With a cough, Axel stared at Olivia and said, "U-um, Goodnight." As his eyes slowly closed, he felt a smooth hand rest on his thigh. Axel''s heart rate skyrocketed as he heard muffled sobbing. He quickly opened his eyes and saw Olivia covering her face with one arm and shaking. Axel opened his mouth to speak when Olivia suddenly cut him off and said, "ˇ­ Am I not good enough?" Every word he thought to say disappeared as he could only watch Olivia as she cried. Olivia moved the hand covering her face, stared straight into Axel''s eyes and said, "Axel, I like you." Pausing to take a deep breath, she continued, "I know you might be thinking that I''m being rash but I really, really like you." Axel sat in silence. Olivia took that as a sign he was listening and continued. She wiped the tears from her face and said, "Ever since we first met, I feltˇ­ something I''ve never felt before. The first conversation we ever had was the best I''ve ever had in my life." "ˇ­You''re exaggerating." Said Axel. Olivia smiled at him and shakily said, "I''m not. Thanks to my ability, I''ve been able to see what everyone thinks of when we talk. Everytime, every conversation, every person, they only think about the benefits they can get or they lust after me like a toy. However, unlike them, you literally only thought about talking with me without thinking of how it could benefit you." When Olivia finished speaking, Axel stared at her and fell into thought. His gaze continued to stay on her as Olivia could feel all sorts of emotions from inside him. A couple seconds later, Axel released a long sigh that was followed by a wry smile. He shook his head and said, "Iˇ­ I like you too. I justˇ­ think we should think it through beforeˇ­ you know." Suddenly, Olivia''s expression changed into that of a teary-eyed seductress. With her greatest fears being dismissed, she felt a huge boost in her confidence. Two rows of tears slowly fell from her face as she smiled and said, "I, as the girl, have already thought it through. So why should you worry?" Pausing, Olivia crawled up to Axel until she was an inch away and whispered in his ear, "Giveˇ­ itˇ­ toˇ­ meˇ­~" Axel let loose a warm breath as he felt the blood in his body rush to his head. He watched as Olivia flicked her hand out from under the blanket and from the corner of his eyes, he could see the light blue nightgown Olivia was wearing on the ground. Olivia leaned in closer and began nibbling on his neck. Her hands roamed all over his torso while Axel quickly removed his last line of defence, his underwear, and threw them next to her nightgown. While she was groping and nibbling on him, he could feel that she was shaking and decided to take the lead. He grabbed her by the wrists and flipped her onto the ground. Axel quickly leaned into a kiss. Both of them acted slightly awkward as this was a first for the both of them. The kiss lasted a couple seconds before the pair separated, leaving a thin line of saliva hanging from there lips. Both Axel and Olivia licked their lips. They both thought of the kiss being sweet and desired more. Olivia''s eyes began to slightly glossed over as she felt a large, hot stick press down on her stomach. Axel stared in confusion, wondering what was wrong when he suddenly felt a smooth hand grab his dick. He finally remembered he was straddling her. However, it was too late as she slowly began to stroke it. Axel shivered before leaning forward into a kiss. He could feel that the sleeping bag had become too hot and threw off the blanket covering them. With everything laid bare, Axel stared in wondering and gulped. Olivia lay before his eyes, completely naked, exposing her perfect figure. Her body was awkwardly trying to cover up certain places while her hand still worked on his dick. Olivia had a bright blush on her face as she stared at Axel with large, watery eyes. She could also see his dick from the corner of her eyes and thought, ''It''s at least 20cmˇ­ that''s gonna hurt sooooo badˇ­'' Filled with determination, Axel smiled and used one hand to grasp one of her boobs while he used his mouth and started to suck on the other. Using his free hand, he reached down to her pussy and thought, ''Porn and Sex-Ed, don''t fail me now.'' What he didn''t expect, however, was the fact that when he reached his hand down, the first thing he made contact with was a small bean. He remembered it being an extremely sensitive part of a women''s body, so he only slightly pinched it. However, Olivia ended up screaming loudly. Her hand had let go of his dick as her back arched upwards. Her eyes slightly rolled back as a clear stream shot from her pussy like a water fountain. Her legs and arms violently shivered before collapsing, leaving Olivia lying on the bed, panting hard. Axel felt a painful throbbing come from his dick. He swallowed loudly as he muttered, "She''s a squirterˇ­" Olivia felt as if she was on cloud nine as she thought, ''Did I justˇ­'' However, before she could finish her thought, she felt Axel''s dick rubbing against her pussy. Axel was about to ask her if they could start having sex when Olivia closed her eyes and spread her pussy open, welcoming him inside. He gulped and slowly inserted his dick inside. "Owww!!! Argh!!! *sob* *hic* *sob*" Even though she braced herself, Olivia still felt an unbelievable amount of pain from him enter and began crying. Axel, on the other hand, could only feel pure pleasure from her incredibly warm, wet and tight pussy. He badly wanted to move, however, when he saw the amount of pain on her face, he controlled himself and waited. After a couple minutes, Olivia embraced Axel as she rubbed his back. Axel took this as an OK signal and began to slowly move. Olivia''s groans of pain and sobbing slowly turned into moans of pleasure. Axel lightly kissed the tears away from her face as he looked at Olivia and panted, "Oliviaˇ­ Oliviaˇ­" Biting her lip, Olivia burst into tears as her legs wrapped around his waist and she said, "Axelˇ­ Iˇ­ I love you!.." Axel felt his heart stop for a second before it jumped into hyper speed. He slowly began speeding up and said, "Me tooˇ­ Olivia, I love you too!.." Once he said that, he felt her pussy become even tighter as her legs locked up. Olivia had used her ability and could tellˇ­ he wasn''t lying. Even though they''ve only known each other for about two weeks, they both instantly clicked and the pairs connection only got stronger with time. Olivia began matching her pace to Axel''s as the pair slowly started to get faster. Axel started panting as he said in a hoarse voice, "Oliviaˇ­ I-I can''tˇ­ I''m gonna cum..." With watery eyes, Olivia stared straight into his eyes and yelled, "Do it! Cum! Cum inside me!!!" Axel felt a switch inside him flick on and frantically started thrusting. He felt closer and closer to climax but right before release, he regained clarity and pulled out. The sudden pull of his dick made Olivia squirt and collapse. Axel came after pulling out, covering Olivia in semen. Axel collapsed besides Olivia as the two continued panting. After a minute, Axel looked at Olivia lovingly and said, "I love you." However, Olivia only faced the opposite direction and ignored him. Axel became pale, thinking he did something wrong when Olivia said, "ˇ­You didn''t cum inside." "Huh?" Said Axel as he stared at her with a blank expression. Olivia turned towards him and said, "You didn''t cum inside me!" "But I didn''t want to get youˇ­" Muttered Axel. Suddenly, Olivia interrupted him and said, "Pregnant, right?" Axel chose to stay silent. She took that as acceptance and said, "But I told you, right? I was prepared. Just before returning back from the hunt, I consumed a potion I got from my team''s doctor. For a couple days after consumption, I can''t get pregnant." She stopped and glanced at Axel. Her cheeks turned a dark shade of red as she shyly said, "I, uh, was kinda hoping something like this would happen." The air inside the tent froze. Olivia had a bad feeling but before she could act on it, Axel grabbed her and flashed her a smile that wasn''t a smile. In one thrust, he plunged his dick inside and yelled, "DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS!?!" --- Round 2 "W-wait, Axel. We just finished so I''m stillˇ­ CUMMING!!!" --- Round 3 "A-Axel, please! I-I can''t h-handle thisˇ­ AHHH!!!" --- Round 5 "WHY DO YOU KEEP CUMMING INSIDE!?! AHHHHHHH!!!" -- Round 7 "HARDER!!! HARDER!!! AHHHH!!!" --- Round 9 "MERCY!!!" 17 Morning After Be warned that the following chapter may contain a visual description of events that may be unsuitable for an audience of younger readers. Reader discretion is advised. --- --- --- Early in the morning, two figures could be seen intertwined. One of the figures, Axel, slowly opened his eyes and stared in wonder. Before him stood a pair of melons which slowly heaved up and down. The memories from last night quickly washed over him as he gently smiled and said, "Good morning." However, when he tried to move, he felt his dick being clamped in a wet embrace. Axel looked down and saw his dick, fully erect, and still inside Olivia''s pussy. His face blushed as he tried to slowly pull out. When he finally managed to pull out, Olivia''s eyes shot open as her back arched. She screamed some inaudible words as a stream of juices gushed from her pussy. Olivia collapsed onto the makeshift bed and began panting. She stared at Axel in a daze and whispered, "ˇ­You could''ve just woken me up normally." Axel''s blush intensified, but before he could say anything, Olivia chuckled. She smiled gently, kissed him and said, "Good morning." With the pair awake, Axel shakily stood up while Olivia shyly whispered, "ˇ­I can''t feel my legs." Axel face-faulted. After he quickly got changed, he walked over and wrapped her in a blanket before carrying Olivia in a princess hold. When they walked outside the tent, what greeted them was Stella with a cheesy grin. Axel notice her poking fun at them but choose to ignore her. Axel lay Olivia on a seat next to the campfire. He gave her some food and said, "You must feel kinda sweaty fromˇ­ last night. So I''ll get a bath ready." Olivia watched as he walked away and thought, ''A bath? In the forest?'' Inside his tents, Axel stored everything inside. After making sure he didn''t miss anything, he opened the store and looked for a bath. Picking a large bath with the cost of 1,000 points, he laid the bath down and said, "System, what''s my points looking like?" A second later, the systems uncharacteristic voice replied, [8,310.] Axel clicked his tongue, trying to decide if he should use ice magic to create the bath water when the system said, [Host, you do know you stored water from the lakeˇ­ don''t you?] With a slap to his forehead, Axel dumped enough water to fill the bath and used fire magic to warm it to the perfect temperature. While walking back to the campfire, Axel began asking the system some questions. He said, "Hey system, what would happen if I use all the function upgrades on the ''Dimensional travel function''?" [If you chose to upgrade this function, the time dilation would be increased from ''30-1'' to ''90-1''. Also, cooldown will be decreased to 2 weeks.] "Hmmmˇ­ we''ll continue this later." Said Axel as he arrvived at the campfire. Olivia shakily walked up to him, only to stumble. Axel leaned forward and easily caught her. He flashed a sly smile and whispered, "The bath is readyˇ­ why don''t we clean you up?" Her head burst into smoke as she turned as red as a strawberry. She snuggled into his chest as she lightly hit him. In the end, however, she rested in his embrace and nodded. Axel carried her like a princess, making his way to the bath. Inside the tent, Axel flung the blanket that covered Olivia away and stared. He swallowed as he scanned the work of art before him, burning the image into his memory. Olivia, on the other hand, was dying of embarassment. It''s not that she didn''t want to be stared at, she was still getting used to their new relationship. With a hop in her step, Olivia jumped into the bath. The water splashed outwards, waking Axel from hisˇ­ ''Art appreciation''. Olivia began giggling at Axel but before she could stop, Axel quickly removed all his clothes and slipped into the bath. All types of sound stop as Axel and Olivia stared at each in the bath. Because Axel wanted to save points, there was no soap, only warm water. This time, Olivia was the one dazed as she beganˇ­ ''Appreciating the weaponry''. She stared in a daze at his half-mast erection. Feeling the intense gaze from Olivia, Axel crossed his legs in an embarassed attempt to hide his dick. A playful light flickered in Olivia''s eyes. She leaned into Axel, pinning him against the bath and seductively whispered, "What''s the matter?~ Weren''t you staring pretty hard before?~ Why do you suddenly get shy when the tables are turned?~" Axel stayed glued to the edge as his heartbeat started picking up speed. His half-mast erection sprung into action, rising out of the water and slapping Olivia''s pussy. Olivia moaned from the dick-slap as a fiery looked appeared on her face. Before Axel could even try anything, Olivia began kissing him. She quickly stradled him and inserted his dick. She let a quiet moan escape her lips as she shivered from insertion. Her kissing intensified as she started moving erratically. Axel was stunned because everything happened so fastˇ­ but it''s not like he was complaining. After 20 minutes, Axel held Olivia in an embrace as she rested. He wryly smiled at her and said, "If you already couldn''t feel your legs, shouldn''t you have just taken a bath? I wouldn''t have mind, you know?" Olivia slowly panted. She couldn''t even glare at him as she just rested in his embrace and muttered, "Who''s faultˇ­ do youˇ­ think it isˇ­" She paused as her arm slowly rose from the water and lightly hit Axel in the face before she said, "Who wentˇ­ 12 roundsˇ­ consecutively... even thoughˇ­ it was my first." Axel merely chuckled as she was right. He still remembers that they had at least 12 rounds, spanning from 5 to 20 minutes each. In the beginning, he tried to control himself and came outside. However, when he learned from Olivia that he could cum inside, he became an animal as he kept pounding away. Each time he came, the time he could last became longer and longer. During the bath, Olivia came at least five times while he only came once. He looked over her and said, "Also, I think you might be too sensitive." While panting, Olivia wryly smiled and said, "Yeahˇ­ I think so too." Thinking she took it the wrong way, Axel frantically waved his arms, causing water to splash everywhere, and said, "I-I didn''t mean it in a bad way! I actually think it''s really hot how sensitive you are." The air stagnated as Axel had every urge to smash his head against the ground. He stared as Olivia just silently sat in front of him. He was about to apologize for his stupidity when he felt a hand grasp his dick. Olivia suddenly turned around and whispered, "I''m REALLY horny for some reason. I need you to fuck me, NOW." Axel gulped as sweat began to form on his brow. With everything said and done, he is still human. The sessions from last night and just now have began to take its toll. While it''s not to the point of exhaustion, he is tired. However, he never got to utter a word of rejection as Olivia pushed him against the bath tubs edge and straddled him. She rubbed against his dick just enough to get it hard and instant devoured it using her pussy. She started rough and fast, causing the pair to quickly start panting. Axel grit his teeth as he grabbed Olivia by the waist and started to piston her. The rapid stabs quickly lead her to orgasm, and yet, before she could gather her bearings after cumming, Axel restarted pistoning her. After who knows how long, Axel and Olivia finally left the bath. The pair was clean, that''s for sure, but they could only stand when they leaned against each other. Axel and Olivia sat side by side next to the campfire. The pair watched the flames dance in silence. Olivia tugged at Axel''s sleeve and whispered, "You look tired, wanna rest your head on my lap?" Without bothering to reply, Axel lay his head down on her thighs. Olivia giggled while patting his head. Her face gradually formed a gentle smile as she said, "I haven''t said this unless we wereˇ­ you know. So, I just wanna sayˇ­" She stopped and softly held his head before gently kissing him. Backing away slightly, her checks turned extremely red while a smile was ever-present on her face. She looked Axel dead in the eyes and said, "I love you." Axel''s face formed an embarassed smile. Suddenly, he remembered that he had something he wanted to say this morning. He looked up to Olivia and said in a dead-serious tone, "Olivia, we need to talk." 18 Discussion Olivia felt her heart stop while Axel continued to stare. He opened his mouth, trying to say something when he froze. Olivia looked extremely pale while tears gathered in her eyes, threatening to spill. Axel felt a major dose of anxiety kick in when he suddenly remembered what he said and how it could''ve been taken. He shot up like a spring and gripped Olivia''s hands firmly. He looked into her eyes with a gently smile and said, "Olivia, I didn''t mean I''m leaving you. I mean, we''re already a couple. I meant that I''m leaving to continue my training as well as a coupleˇ­ personal tasks I have to complete." The tears stopped as Olivia bitterly thought, ''What''s wrong with me? I never used to cry but now? I cry at every little thing. Well, only if it involves Axel.'' She cleared her throat with a cough and said, "Wellˇ­ Iˇ­ I DON''T mind butˇ­ why can''t I go with you? I could be a big help, you know?" Axel closed his eyes as if he was in deep thought and mentally began talking to the system. He said, "System, can Olivia come with me to another world." As always, the system replied quickly. It said, [No, but there are functions that you can gain to bring others to and from other worlds.] "Do I have that function or can I unlock it?" Said Axel once he heard the systems reply. [No. You don''t have it and you haven''t met the conditions to unlock it.] Axel thought for a little before opening his eyes. He wryly smiled at her and said, "I don''t think I can. It''s a place only I can enterˇ­ for now." "Hmmˇ­ Fine, you can go. Just remember, you have to come back in two weeks. That''s when the exam ends. I''ll pull a couple strings and try get you enrolled." Said Olivia. She already had a plan for getting him enrolled, however, everything she''s thought of could be for naught if the target was missing. Axel felt warm from her care towards him and promised to be back before the due date. The couple continued to rest near the campfire. Suddenly, Olivia twitched as she said, "Hey Axel." "Yes?" Said Axel, completely unaware of Olivia''s changing tone. "I''m gonna say this now, I don''t mind if you have more than one girlfriendˇ­" Said Olivia. Axel could feel his heart stop as he waited. Seeing that she captured his attention, she smiled and continued. She said, "However, your gonna have to make a couple promises." Axel watched her as she held up one finger and said, "First, you''ll treat everyone the same. It won''t matter if you have 3 or 13, you only have to love everyone the same." A second finger went up as she continued, "Second, you have to be able to protect us." She thought for a short while before raising her third finger. She said, "Third, you have to tell them you have a harem. It won''t be fair if you suddenly get together with a girl and she only later finds out you have others." A fourth finger rose as she said, "Fourth, trust us. I can tell, you have stuff your hiding and I respect that you don''t want to talk about it. But, I''d like it if you trusted me more. I mean, getting your name was a huge hassle and in the end, I had to give you my virginity." Olivia smirked as her cheeks dyed red. Axel''s cheek were similarly dyed red as he wryly smiled and said, "Sorry for being difficult." The smirk on her suddenly transformed into a gently smile as she said, "It''s fine. Something must of happened that made it difficult for you to trust others. I''m not saying, ''Tell me all your secrets!'' I''m saying to trust me more." Lastly, the fifth finger went up as she looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Fifth and final. No matter what, I get to be first wife." Axel froze as the word, ''Wife'', echoed in his mind over and over again. Sweat started to form on his brow as Olivia said, "I don''t mean we''re getting married. I mean that I get to be ''first''." With the matter clarified, Axel sighed in relief as he relaxed into his seat. He stared at the ground for a couple seconds before slowly looking towards Olivia. He cleared his throat, nodded and said, "I''ll try. Also, you are and will always be, my first." A sweet smile appeared on Olivia''s face for a split second before disappearing. She shook her head and said, "Good enough." Now that discussions were finished, Axel stood up to prepare some food. He cooked a large amount of food which was quickly devoured by everyone. After resting for awhile, Axel delievered a weak and tired Olivia to her tent before calling Stella over to talk. He didn''t mess around and got straight to the point. He explained that early morning tomorrow, the two of them were gonna travel to a new world. Axel had no doubt in his mind that he could take Stella with him as he secretly asked the system about it when he was cooking. The reply he got was, [Yes, you can take her. You can take any creature you bind with taming magic.] Axel slowly made his way to Olivia''s tent to sleep. After getting changed, he laid next to an already sleeping Olivia. His eyes slowly began to close as he quietly muttered, "Tomorrowˇ­ I''ll be traveling to another worldˇ­ I can''t waitˇ­" Once his eyes shut, a smile filled with excitement appeared on his face as he slept. 19 Nanda Kore Wa!!! Early in the morning, Olivia and Axel packed away all the camp gear on-site with the reluctant assistance of Stella. After yesterday''s discussion, Olivia decided to return to basecamp to regroup with her guards. With all the camping instruments packed away in large bags, Axel started making breakfast. He slowly took his time, trying to make the best breakfast ever. He cooked some eggs while grilling some bacon on the side. Without a toaster, most people would''ve found making toast difficult, however, with the help of fire magic, he lightly toasted a couple slices of bread to a perfect golden brown before buttering the toast. Axel did what every person does and taste-tested his cooking. Nodding to himself after taking a couple bites, he grabbed three plates and began plating up. Axel walked to the table with a bright smile as he lay the plates before Olivia and Stella. Olivia had stars in her eyes as drool slowly dripped from her mouth. Stella, on the other hand, smiled extremely happily as her snake tongue slipped out of her mouth. Without waiting, everyone dug into their breakfast. Axel critiqued everything as he used ingredients that were either bought by Olivia or found in the forest. Olivia ate while her vision stayed locked on Axel. Stella ate slowly, savorying the flavors to the fullest as a content smile was glued on her face. After a delicious breakfast, Axel and Olivia sat next to each other while looking over a patch of flowers. A breeze slowly blew, lifting pollen from the flower bed as the pair chatted away. Without a care in the world, the couple talked all the way to midday. The two only realised what the time was when a cough resounded from behind. Turning around, they pair were welcomed to the sight of Olivia''s guards and Stella, both wearing wry smiles. The old man stepped forward from the group and bowed. He looked at the pair a couple times before he smiled and said, "Congratulations, miss. I see you managed to snag Axel." Olivia burst into a cloud of pink smoke as her face became flushed. She buried her awkwardly smiling face into Axel''s chest, causing Axel to wryly smile as he looked towards the old man and said, "I''m guessing your gonna continue searching for one-stars for points for the next couple weeks?" Feeling Axel''s intention to change the subject, the old man chuckled and said, "Not quite, young master. For the next 2 weeks is actually a sort ofˇ­ break. Every exam has a break period, mostly when nearing the end. It''s so people don''t get desperate thinking that they could take on monsters that were a higher level then they were to gain extra points." The old man stopped to let the information set in before continuing. He said, "What we will be doing is search for potion materials in the areas which are relatively safe, even for normal people." Axel was about to ask why they were doing that when a pair of black and lacy panties appeared in his mind. He clapped his fist to his palm and said, "Ah, your gather ingredients for that black-lace doctor." The old man tilted his head in confusion while one of the guards began to shake. The rattle of metal subsided a couple seconds later as Axel felt a death glare locked on him. Sweat slowly dripped from his forehead as he mechanically turned towards the guard who was shaking and said, "ˇ­Doc?" The guard instantly flicked her head to the side and snorted. Rubbing his nose, Axel bitterly smiled as he said, "Sorryˇ­" Olivia and co gave him a subtle glance before glossing over the conversation. The old man lead the guards to search for materials in the surrounding area while Olivia lead Axel and Stella to a clearing. Inside the clearing, Olivia flicked her hand as a couple bags appeared. Axel looked at her, questioning what she was doing when Stella slightly smiled and said, "It seems the young lady wishes to help you, master." Axel looked at Olivia and said, "Olivia, I can''t-" but before he could finish, Olivia put a finger to his lips and said, "I know, you can''t take me. These are items I had gramps prepare to help you." Olivia''s beautiful smile stunned Axel as he stupidly muttered, "Items? And when did you contact the old man!?!" With a giggle, Olivia handed him a list. What was written was a long list of potions, materials, food, weapons, money, jewels, gold and a couple scrolls. Axel stared at her in amazement while also feeling extremely happy from the care she had towards him. He pulled her into a hug as he whispered, "Thank you. Really, thank you. I don''t think I''ve had anyone care about me this much but my original parents and my mother in this world." A flash of blurry images appeared in his mind for a second before disappearing. Axel instinctively tightened his hug as he thought, ''Whatˇ­ was that?'' Olivia felt his emotions spike and thought he was remembering something unpleasant. She rubbed his back slowly and said, "You alright, Axel?" "I''mˇ­ okay. Thanksˇ­ again." Said Axel as he let go of her. After making sure he was okay, Olivia kissed Axel on the cheek and left. Both master and summon stood in the clearing as he stored the bags. He looked at Stella with a smirk and said, "You ready?" Stella smiled and said, "Do you even need to ask?" Axel''s smirk grew as he held her hand and said, "System, activate ''Dimensonal Travel Function''." The systems voice echoed as it said, [Activating Dimensional Travelˇ­ Locating Random Worldˇ­ Random World Locatedˇ­ Commencing Dimensional Travelˇ­] The duo''s bodies quickly turned into particles that disappeared as quickly as they came. --- Axel stared in wonder at the gigantic concrete buildings and huge crowds of people as the voice of the system said, [Dimensional Travel Completeˇ­] Dazed by the familiar sights before him, Axel stood still as he said, "Systemˇ­ where am I?" Unlike usual, the system didn''t reply back. Instead, a man who looked to be a police officer walked up to him and said, "Excuse me. Kid, are you lost?" Axel blankly said, "A-Ah, Officer. No, I''m not lost, just forgot where I was. What country is this?" The police officer gave him a weird stare before breaking into a smile. He exclaimed, "Kid, this wonderful country is Japan!!!" Axel froze for a couple seconds before mentally screaming, "WHAT IS THIS!!!" 20 Trying to get by "Sonny, We''d like your name, age, address and a phone number in which we could contact your guardians." "Sorry, officer. But I don''t have any guardians, I''m an orphan. I came to tokyo for a job and better life. My name is Axel, age 15." After a conversation with an older police officer, Axel was released from the police station. With a long sigh, Axel walked away as he said, "System, where am I? And don''t just say nothing or that I''m in ''Tokyo, Japan'', I mean, am I in my old world?" The system wasted no time as it said, [No, your not in your original world.] Wryly smiling, Axel accepted that he wouldn''t get a proper answer and decided to give up. Axel walked around until he came across a couple benches. Sitting down, Axel began thinkin about his current situation. He thought, ''Okay, I need to quickly gain shelter, clothing and food. Clothing is good for now, so thats that one crossed off. Food is good, for now at least. The only one left isˇ­ shelter.'' A couple minutes later, Axel stood up and left. He walked up to people and asked if they could point him to the nearest rental agency. After a couple failed attempts, an old couple offered to walk him to the closest one. Axel thanked them before walking inside. After awhile, Axel came out with a wry smile as he was reminded that he currently had no money, well, no money from this world or country. Luckily, he asked the rental agent if there was a pawn shop near by. While it was a ways away, he still decided to stop by. While walking, Axel decided to pull up his stats. He said, "System, show me my status." [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 11 LVP: 37% HC: Injured MP: 3000/3000 STR: 19 AGI: 18 STA: 33 INT: 30 DEX: 19 MEN: 33 LUC: 10 CHA: 20 Status Points: 0 System Points: 8,310.] Nodding to himself, Axel quickly closed the status screen, only to crash into someone a second later. Axel rubbed his head from the collision before looking at the person in front of him. A suave old man wearing a pink shirt and long white jeans stood in front of him. Axel quickly bowed his head and said, "Sorry! I wasn''t paying attention to where I was going." The old man looked at Axel and shrugged his shoulders. He said, "Don''t worry, kid. Just pay attention to where your walking." And with that said, the old man continued on his way. Axel thought to himself that the old man was pretty cool before setting on his way again. With the help of asking directions, Axel had finally made it to the shop. The rental agent hadn''t thought that Axel had anything valueable and thought he wanted to sell some stuff on him to pay the rent, so he pointed him to a place that bought anything. Inside the shop, Axel froze. Guns, everywhere you looked, there were guns. Army rations, Kevlar vests and different types of weapons. Suddenly, a hoarse voice echoed from behind Axel. It said, "Brat, I don''t think this store is for you." Axel turned around only to be welcomed by a man glaring at him. He gathered what shreds of courage he had and said, "I''mhere to sell stuff." "Hohˇ­" Said the man as he signalled Axel to show him. Axel was about to show him the items when he remebered something important. He''s not carrying what he wanted to sell, it''s in his inventory. Sweat began to form on Axel''s head when the impatient voice of the man echoed, "Brat, you gonna show me or what?" With a cough, Axel looked at the man with a slight smile and said, "Umˇ­ would you like to see a magic trick?" A physical pressure fell on Axel as the man just glared. After a couple seconds, he chuckled and said, "Fine. Go ahead brat." Axel released a sigh of relief before holding his empty hands up. He said, "As you can see, I have nothing in my hands, right?" The man only nodded. Axel felt his eye twitch but ignored it. He waved his hand as a huge gem, the size of a phone, appeared. The man suddenly shot up from his seat with his eyes wide open. With a smug look on his face, Axel said, "What do you-" but before he could finish, the man grabbed Axel by his shirt and growled, "Brat, where did you get that from? And how did you make it appear?" Honestly, Axel was far stronger than him and could easily get himself out of the man''s grasp, but he didn''t want to create problems before he could complete his missions. So he calmed down and said, "I got it from my girlfriend." The man glared at Axel something fierce as he said, "Lies! No one would just ''give'' something so precious away." "Look, I really did get it from my girlfriend." Said Axel as he gently removed the man''s hand from his shirt. The man glared at him one last time before closing his eyes. A second later, he sighed and said, "How much do you want for it?" Axel bitterly smiled and said, "I don''t know how much its worth." The man sighed with a tired expression as he said, "Brat, how about this. I''ll sell it, and whatever we get out of it, we''ll split. 60 - 40. How''s that?" "Hmmˇ­ 70 - 30. I''m sure it''ll rack up alot of money, so it shouldn''t be a problem." Said Axel. He used appraisal beforehand on the gem and saw that it was a pure ruby, so it should fetch quite the sum of money. The man rubbed his head, seemingly done with this as he sighed and said, "Sure, kid." The pair shook hands as Axel handed over the gem. The man brought out some paperwork and said, "Here. Wouldn''t want you thinking I''m scamming you. This is a pre-made contract. I''ve already signed the stuff concerning my end. Now, all it needs is your signature." The man pointed to a couple areas, signifying where he should sign. Axel spent a couple minutes reading the contract before nodding. He signed his name and said, "Here. It looked like a pretty fair contract, even if I don''t know law." The man took the papers and said, "Of course, I run a proper business here, after all. Nowˇ­" the man paused as he resumed glaring at Axel and asked, "How did you make it appear?" A drop of sweat fell from his head as he thought, ''Why am I scared by him? Don''t I know magic!?!'' With a cough, Axel plainly said, "I know magic." The man froze for a second before bursting into laughter. He wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "Kid, you sure know how to joke! Fine, I won''t ask. Come back here tomorrow, your lucky I already had a customer looking for precious gems." Axel suddenly smiled bitterly and said, "Excuse me butˇ­ is there anyway I could get some money now? Iˇ­ don''t have anywhere to stay. Actually, I don''t have any money at all." With a sigh, the man took out 10,000 yen from his register and said, "I''m taking this out from the gem. However," He glared at Axel like a beast and continued, "If, and I say if, this gem turns out to be a fake and doesn''t make any money, you''d best pray you never see me again." Axel swallowed as he muttered, "N-noted." Turning to leave, Axel reached for the door when a hoarse voice echoed from behind as it said, "Kid, what''s your name?" Axel thought for a second before he said, "Axel. Just Axel." A chuckle could be heard from behind as the man said, "Ok, ''Just Axel'', I''m Iwai." A small smile appeared on Axel''s face as he left. 21 Spoiler - Title at the end After everything that''s happened, Axel managed to rent a small apartment for a month. Thanks to alot of bargaining and convincing, he managed to snag it for 8,000 yen. Axel looked over his empty room and said, "I''ll have to find a way to make moneyˇ­ I could do a sidewalk magic show..." Suddenly, he froze as he remembered something extremely important. He hasn''t seen Stella since they came to this world. Panicking, Axel screamed, "STELLA!!!" Not giving the slightest care about neighbours. Axel ran to the door, trying to leave and look for her, when he felt movement in his left pocket. A tiny snake head popped out as Stella''s voice yawned, "Hahhhˇ­ Yes, master?" Axel blinked as he pointed a shaking finger at the snake and muttered, "ˇ­Stella?" The small snake nodded. Sighing in relief, Axel slowly walked to center of the room and with a wave of his hand, withdrew a chair and his sleeping bag from his inventory. He took Stella out of his pocket and lay her gentle on the chair before collapsing on his sleeping bag. He looked at the crystal white, 2.5 meter long snake that was curled up sleeping, and mentally said, "System, whatˇ­ happened to her?" The system started acting like usual as it said, [It''s a world law. In this world, animals are animals, humans are humans. Because of this, she was forcefully sealed into a form deemed acceptable. However, because you recognise that she can talk and have heard her speak before, she can still talk but only to you. Also, there is a way for her to use her human form in this world but it requires using a sort ofˇ­ second dimension.] Axel rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. With a short yawn, he muttered, "What dimension?" The system stayed silent, giving Axel all the answers he didn''t need. Wryly smiling, Axel said, "Ok, I won''t ask. What about the function upgrades? What''ll happen if I use them now?" [Time dilation would be updated at midnight. The time for today would be counted as, ''30 - 1'', while it would continue on a scale of, ''90 - 1''.] Axel slightly smiled as he told the system to use the function upgrades. A large screen appeared, however, unlike usual, this screen was blank except the words, ''Update begins at midnight''. Axel was slightly surprised by this and said, "Is that normal?" The system gave a short reply as it said, [Yes.] A long yawned was released from Axel''s mouth as he muttered, "ˇ­Goodnight, system." And shut his eyes, drifting off to sleep. Before he fell asleep, he managed to hear the system quietly whisper, [ˇ­Goodnight, host.] --- (POV Change) In a world of blue and black, Axel found himself adrift in the void. His eyes remained shut as he twitched, as if he was having a bad dream. Suddenly, the growl of a hoarse voice echoed, "Hohohˇ­ What do we have here? Something outside the bonds of fate in this world. Interesting, very interesting. This actually may get in the way of mine and that long nose''s bet." A hand slowly reached towards Axel, only to phase right through him. The voice grew silent for a second before bursting into laughter. It said, "Even I cannot touch him and I''m a god. This fellow could be the key point in my little game. Now, it''s up to him to pick his direction. Hell, I''ll be surprised if he manages to come to the metaverse in the first place" Axel''s body stopped midair as he slowly began to float backwards. As he left, a fit of maniacal laughter rang out through the void. Right before Axel disappeared, the voice said, "I''ll be waiting for the day we meet again, one who cannot be controlled." However, Axel never heard any of this. --- (POV - Axel) The next morning, Axel woke up feeling extremely weak and tired. He stumbled to his legs as he said, "Why am I so weak? Did I not sleep enough?" With a yawn, Axel sat on his sleeping bag and stretched his hand towards the chair. He gently lifted Stella as he said, "Stella, wake up. Breakfast." Stella slowly opened her eyes and yawned. She drowsily looked left and right before focusing on Axel. After a minute of staring at each other, Stella smiled as she slithered up Axel''s arm and rubbed against his face. Even though he wasn''t used to this sort of attention, he shook his head as he softly patted her head. With a wave of his hand, a couple bowls of soup, some white bread and a couple strips of jerky appeared. Axel looked at the soup questioningly and said, "System, isn''t this soup from my first day at basecamp?" [Yes, it is.] "Then, is it safe to eat?" Said Axel as he let Stella eat the jerky. It took a couple seconds before the system said, [Yes, it''s ok to eat. The inventory function has alot ofˇ­ extra features. It took me a couple seconds to read them all. Basically, time freezes on the item you store unless you don''t want it to freeze.] Axel became wide awake as a glint shone in his eyes. He said, "What are the other features." [Host, I can say with certainty that you don''t have any other options besides infinte storing space, range storing and time freeze. If you had of used a function upgrade on the inventory, you would have gain a feature but you already used them on dimensional travel.] With a sigh, Axel bitterly smiled while drinking his warm soup. Stella, who finished all the jerky, ignored her soup and coiled herself around Axel''s left arm. Seeing this, Axel shrugged his shoulders and drank her soup as well. After using the bathroom to tidy up, he left to find Iwai about the gem. Walking through the concrete jungle bought back alot of memories but at the same time, Axel felt unfamiliar here. Before reincarnating, Axel was born into a simple family in New Zealand. He was an only child, adored by his loving parents. Everyday, he looked forward to his parents return. His mother and father never told Axel what they did for a living but he never cared. As long as they loved him, he never questioned them. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his head, Axel continued on his way to Iwai''s shop. Honestly, Japan is huge, filled with a large amount of people to match. The train ride from where he lives to the city wasn''t long but the train was cramped. Axel barely had space for himself as he was crushed between a group of people. Bitterly smiling, Axel sighed and decided to suck it up and persevere until his destination. A couple minutes later, Axel walked out of the station and was welcomed by the familiar sights from yesterday. He followed his memory and in a couple twists and turns, finally made it to the shady alley that lead to Iwai''s shop. Axel held his chest to brace himself before opening the door and walking inside. However, the first thing that greeted him was Iwai, who had a huge smile on his face. Axel shuddered from the sight and thought, ''This is much worse than him actually angry!'' and decided to leave. Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder as Iwai said, "Hey, kid. Where you going? I got some really good news." "What''s up, Iwai-san?" Said Axel. Because he''s in Japan, he decided to adapt to their customs, in hopes of not standing out. Iwai waved his hands and said, "Stop, no need for the, ''-san''. Just Iwai will do." Axel felt Iwai let go. With a sigh, Axel said, "So, what''s got you in a good mood?" Iwai relaxed into his chair and rummaged under the register. After a couple seconds, Iwai pulled a bulging envelope out and threw it to Axel. He ignored Axel''s confusion and said, "Yesterday, I went to an appraiser and had him appraise that gem. The results was that it was a ruby with 100% purtiy. When I told my buyer that, he offered me 3,000,000 yen. That right there is your share, 2,100,000 yen." Axel was about to freak out when a screen suddenly appeared. Axel calmed himself down and excitedly read his first quest. [First Ranking Quest! Find a way to enroll in Shujin Academy before April 10th. Reward: 20,000 system points, 20 Status points, ???.] --- Title - First Quest in a New World! 22 Theres no such thing as a free lunch With the appearance of his first quest, Axel forcefully calmed himself down and began to think. A full 5 minutes want by and yet, nothing came up. Suddenly, a couple of light slaps landed on his face, shaking him from his thoughts. Axel covered his cheeks as he looked at Iwai and growled, "What was that for!?!" Iwai shrugged his shoulders and said, "Kid, you''ve been standing there for 5 minutes and said nothing." He paused to sit down before he continued, "What''s up? You look like you''ve got something on your mind. I might be able to help if you tell me." Axel shot a questioning gaze at him and said, "Why? We''ve only known each other for a day." Iwai said nothing as he gave Axel a look that said, ''It''s up to you to talk about it.'' Sighing, Axel said, "Wellˇ­ I want to enroll in Shujin Academy. Hopefully, before April 10th." Iwai was about to talk but Axel cut him off as he said, "However, I don''t exactly ''exist''. And before you go calling me an idiot, I mean I don''t exist in this countries legal system. I''m aˇ­ hmmmˇ­ Illegal immigrant, I guess." With a short sign, Iwai slouched into his chair as he muttered, "I seeˇ­ well, while this may seem difficult, If I use my connections I should be able to get the paperwork done fairly easily.." Axel found light at the end of the tunnel and was about to ask Iwai for help when a cold hand dragged him back to the darkness as Iwai said, "But, Why should I use my connections to help you. Like you said, We only met yesterday." The light was snuffed out as Axel wryly smiled. He looked at Iwai and said, "I''m guessing that if I want your help, I''m gonna have help you with something, right?" Iwai''s face curled into a smile as he said, "That''s right. I need your help with something." Axel sighed and muttered, "Of courseˇ­ Well, what is it? What do you need from me?" "Don''t worry, kid. It''s nothing illegal, I just need you to watch out for the cops for the next week or so." Said Iwai. Using all his willpower to hold back from shouting, ''LIES!!!'', Axel composed himself and asked, "Why and how?" Seeing that Axel didn''t leave, Iwai smirked and said, "It''s because of an order. I make and sell airsoft guns and models. However, the order is for a moreˇ­ realistic gun. And before you get the wrong idea, it''s not a real gun, just a realistic model." Axel tilted his head and said, "Then why would you need to watch out for the cops?" Iwai rubbed his forehead as he sighed and said, "I''m being set up. Some guys I knew from myˇ­ younger days ordered these gun models so they can pin me with supplying fire arms." Slacked jaw, Axel failed to form a sentence as Iwai sat in silence. After a couple seconds, Axel muttered, "Why?" With a shallow laugh, Iwai said, "The reason? Heh, It''s because I left." Axel really wanted to ask what he left but he also felt that it was something Iwai didn''t want to talk about. Afterwards, Axel and Iwai came up with a plan. Using 1,500,000 yen of the money Axel just got, Iwai would organise for Axel to become a ''legal'' resident and sort out his enrollment while Axel would wait on the street just outside the alley. To avoid suspicion, Axel would use all his talents to act as a street magician. Whenever the cops approach, Axel was to ring Iwai. No talking, he only needed to ring Iwai''s phone to let him know they were coming. Once they were finished organizing, Axel left to buy himself a phone. Luckily, Iwai said that he would be getting the shipment in the afternoon and didn''t need his help yet. After asking where the best place to buy a phone from, Axel started walking to a place called, ''Electric town''. Softly patting his left arm, Axel whispered, "Stella, you doing okay?" A couple seconds later, Axel felt a small amount of movement as Stella replied, "I''m fine, just bored." With a sigh of relief, Axel whispered, "I''m sorry, Stella. Once we get home, let''s play some games or something." Suddenly, Axel crashed into someone. He rubbed his head and looked up. To his surprise, it was the suave old man from yesterday. He bowed his head and said, "I''m sorry. I wasn''t watching where I was goingˇ­ again." "Again?" The old man looked at Axel in confusion for a couple seconds before he clapped his fist against his palm and said, "Ah, your that kid from yesterday. The same one that ran into me. Now, didn''t I say to pay attention to where your going?" Axel smiled in embarrassment as he stuttered, "S-Sorry. I''m not from here so everything isˇ­ kinda full-on." The old man slightly smiled as he said, "Tourist?" Shaking his head, Axel corrected him as he said, "No, I moved here from overseas." Chuckling, the old man looked around and said, "What about your parents? Where are they?" The smiling silhouettes of his parents from his old world and his mother from the new one appeared in his mind as he sadly muttered, "Goneˇ­ theyˇ­ Iˇ­" The old man could see he touched a sensitive nerve and decided to change the topic as he said, "Where are you going? Do you need help?" Axel bitterly smiled as he thought, ''I guess leaving my parents hit me harder than I thought.'' Shaking his head, he looked at the old man and said, "Electric town. You?" A stunned expression appeared on the old man''s face before he started chuckling and said, "Same, I''m going to Electric town to pick up a couple things." Axel started laughing at the coincidence, successfully forgeting the previous mood. The two made their way to the trains. Unexpectedly, the train wasn''t that full as both Axel and the old man managed to snag a seat. The two began talking and started to bond. Suddenly, Axel exclaimed, "No way!?! You own a cafe!?!" The old man, who''s name was Sojiro, chuckled as he said, "Shhhˇ­ not so loud. Yeah, it''s a cafe called Leblanc. You should visit sometime." After a couple minutes, the train reached their stop. Both Axel and Sojiro walked to a small area just outside the station. Sojiro looked at Axel and said, "Well, I''m heading to that figure store. What about you?" "I''m buying a phone, soooˇ­ the electronics store?" Said Axel. Sojiro was about to say something when an alarm sounded from his phone. He looked over at the new message and said, "Sorry, Axel. I have to go." Axel said goodbye to Sojiro and walked into the electronics store. After a long lecture on random stuff about phones from the shop employee, Axel bought a slightly new model. He also used his money to purchase a 12 month unlimited calls, texts and data plan. He wryly smiled as he thought, ''The only reason I bought this plan was because it was cheap. Plus, I get unlimited calls, texts AND data.'' Since he had the time, Axel went around Electric town and purchased daily necessities and items that wereˇ­ not so necessary. After a very long and gruelling shopping spree, the sun began to set as Axel decided to head home. As he walked, Axel smiled while humming as he thought, ''Tomorrow, I better be ready. I''ll be watching out for cops while disguised as a street magician.'' 23 Prepare to be Amazed! "Ahhhhhˇ­ Now this is livingˇ­" After a long day of talking and shopping, Axel relaxed in his apartment on a new sofa. And thanks to his inventory, he didn''t even need to carry anything back or hire movers. Instead of an empty room, a tv was set in the left-hand corner of the lounge as two sofas were set five meters away in the shape of an L with a large gap where the two lines intersect. In front of the two sofas was a small coffee table while a larger dining table was behind the sofa on the right-hand side. Pulling out his phone, Axel opened his contacts and muttered, "Good thing I remembered to grab Iwai''s number before heading home." With a short sigh, Axel put his phone away and looked at the sight before him. On a 50 inch flatscreen TV, an online gun match was playing out as Stella was constantly flailing about with a controller gripped between her tail while shouting. This was one of the items Axel bought today: a gaming console. Somehow, Stella became instantly drawn in once he finished setting it up. At the start, the pair played together. However, it didn''t last long as Axel yawned and told her he was gonna watch. From that point, Stella continued to play single player until she was completely dominating. Axel found her way of playingˇ­ unique, to say the least. She would wrap half her body around the controller and with her tail, she would move the thumb sticks while she pressed the buttons by twitching her muscles. But fighting the computers became unappealing to her. Pausing her game, she stared at Axel and said, "Master, this is becoming boring. The computer is too predictable. I''d like to try this ''online multiplayer'' you were talking about." After a short talk with the landlord, Axel acquired the Wi-Fi password at the cost of an extra 2000 yen. Once everything was set, Axel watched as a legend was born. Thanks to the training up until that point, Stella dominated as she somehow always took top of the leaderboard. Occassionally, Axel would have a turn to let Stella rest but the outcome didn''t change in the slightest. Well, he actually did managed to beat her score on more than one occasion, much to Stella''s annoyance. And with the aid of video games, a friendly rivalry was born between the two. The duo continued taking turns, trying to best the other. Shaking his head, Axel stared at the curse-hurling snake and said, "Stella, turn off the game. It''s dinner time." Stella glared at Axel like an enraged beast and growled, "Your only saying that cause your in the lead." "What? No. Look at the time, I have business tomorrow so early dinner then bed." Said Axel while he was trying his hardest to stop a smirk from appearing on his face. Stella saw that his face was constantly twitching and thought he was thinking about tomorrow. She felt guilty that she was causing him to worry and said, "Okˇ­ let''s have dinner." Confused about her sudden change of mind, Axel shook his head and waved his hand. A couple burgers appeared as Axel said, "These are from that burger place by Iwai''s shop. I think it was called ''Big bang burger''? Meh, doesn''t really matter. Let''s dig in." Axel and Stella enjoyed a delicious dinner while the two joked around the entire time, causing dinner to last an extra 20 minutes. After a quick shower and wash, Axel entered his bed and slowly made his way to the land of dreams when his phone suddenly started ringing. Groaning, Axel rubbed his eyes and grabbed his phone. He looked at the time and thought, ''It''s almost 11pmˇ­ what does Iwai want.'' Opening his screen, a text appeared that said, ''Come to the store around 6am.'' Wryly smiling, Axel set his phone to wake him at 5am before heading back to sleep. ˇ­ 5am, Axel was rudely awakened from his slumber. With a groan, Axel stopped the alarm. He crawled from his new warm and comfortable bed and stretched what remained of his drowsiness out of him. With a slight yawn, Axel dragged Stella, who blatantly refused to get up, to the bathroom to wash up. After a freshly made breakfast, Axel packed a small box of food for Iwai and left. The trains were packed again but Axel did everything in his power to protect Stella, even getting slugged in the face by a couple shoulders. When the train pulled into the station, Axel saw that he had 10 minutes left and hurriedly left to Iwai''s shop. Walking in an alley, Axel sighed in relief as he saw a neon sign that said, ''Unstoppable''. He knocked on the window and said, "I''m here." A second later, the door opened as a voice from inside echoed, "Hurry up and get in." Walking inside the shop, the first thing Axel notice was a couple crates on the front counter. Before he could even ask what was going on, Iwai''s voice echoed from the back as he said, "Axel, could you come back here and help me." Axel voiced his agreement and made his way to the back. Once there, he saw 8 other crates that looked just like the 2 up front. Iwai looked over and said, "See that crate by the door? Could you help me by putting it in the corner with the others?" With a short nod, Axel easily lifted the crate and set it beside the others. Iwai whistled and said, "Hell, didn''t think you were this strong. That box was loaded with gun models and vests. It was at least 200 kgs but you made it look freaking easy." "I''m strong." Replied Axel. Chuckling, Iwai smirked and said, "Guess so." After moving all the crates to the corner, Axel and Iwai sat down on the crates, using them as chairs. Suddenly, Axel remembered he packed a box of food for Iwai. He withdrew the food from his inventory and handed it to Iwai as he said, "Here. I made it this morning." Iwai gave him a funny look as he said, "Why?" Shrugging his shoulders, Axel said, "Consider it a thanks for the 10,000 yen." Shaking his head, Iwai ignored Axel as the smell of the food lingered on the box and slowly drew him in. With a pop, Iwai took the lid off and gulped. The food inside appeared to shine as the smell alone was enough to think it was cooked by a talented chef. Half the box contained white rice while the other half had an omelette with vegetables and bacon. Iwai shakily brought some rice to his mouth and swallowed. He froze for a second before a flash of surprise and hunger showed on his face. Suddenly, Iwai started eating like he was starving. Not even a minute had passed when Iwai put the empty box and chopsticks down. A blissful smile was on Iwai''s face as he looked at Axel with gratitude and said, "Axel, thanks. Really, thanks. That is hands down, one of the greatest things I''ve ever eaten." Axel wryly smiled as he said, "It''s cool. I''m glad you liked it. Even if you did like it a bit too much." Iwai chuckled and began telling Axel the plan. He explained that Axel would only have to perform for about four days. Everyday, if he spotted people that looked suspicious, he was to sneakily ring Iwai. In case of an emergency, Axel was to be as flashy as possible so he can distract the police and at the same time, hopefully alert Iwai. With the game plan discussed, Iwai gave Axel a table with a sign attached and said, "Here. With this, you can set up. Remember, all you have to do is sit out in front of the alleyway and watch for the cops." Nodding, Axel smirked and said, "Got it. Well, I''ll go set up." In front of the alleyway, Axel set up his table and put a hat on top of it, just in case people wanted to give him money for his performance. Satisfied with his set up, Axel spread his arms wide and with a confident grin on his face, exclaimed, "Prepare to be amazed!" 24 Go Big or Go Home! It''s been a couple days since Axel became a street magician. On the first day, Axel drew a large crowd even though he only made things appear and disappear using his inventory. Even though he was surrounded by a large amount of people, he didn''t neglect his duty. Halfway through the day, he managed to inform Iwai about some cops coming around. Later that day, Iwai told Axel that he managed to hide the models and trick the cops. After a good laugh, Axel began heading home. However, he didn''t managed to leave the store before Iwai''s voice echoed from the back of the store, asking him to bring more food tomorrow. The next day went basically the same, however, this time he let Stella participate. Most people were scared or concerned when they saw a snake but once they saw the tricks she did, they forgot everything and cheered. Even the cops stopped to watch as Stella contorted her body into a multitude of shapes, giving Axel and Iwai more than enough time to hide everything. The third day became more hectic as more and more people gathered by the alleyway, almost blocking it off. Luckily, Axel still kept an eye out and managed to inform Iwai. Everyday, Iwai''s mood continued to get better and better which freaked Axel out. Every morning, Iwai would wait outside the store like a dog. Once he spotted Axel, it''s like he became a blur. There was no greeting or welcome as Iwai would instantly snatch the food that Axel always brought. Coupled with the fact that they were managing the orders and the cops, it''s like a smile was always present on his face. However, that all changed on the last day. Early in the morning, Axel easily woke up at 5am. Pulling out his phone, the date was the 16th of March. Sighing, Axel muttered, "I hope Iwai comes through." After a short period of getting ready, Axel opened the door and left. Breathing out, his breath was slightly visible as he carried a box of food to the station. The train was like usual, crowded. However, the people on the train were unusually quiet. Axel tilted his head in confusion before he suddenly over heard a man talking on his phone about something imteresting. "Hey, did you see the news last night? Another person collapsed. Some CEO or somethingˇ­ Yes, I know butˇ­ Look, I think it''s related to those so called ''Mental Shut-downs''ˇ­ I''m just sayingˇ­" Axel became lost in thought as he mentally said, "System, do you know about these ''mental shut-downs''?" A couple seconds passed by but the system remained silent. Axel was about to complain but sighed and gave up as he knew complaining would get him nowhere. The rest of the trip was calm as Axel eas-, *cough*, I mean, happened to coincidentally hear many other people who all linked the strange event to mental shut-downs. Arriving at the station, Axel made a mental note to search up the mental shut-downs later. After walking towards Iwai''s shop, Axel saw a huge and excited crowd gathered where he usually set up. With a slight smile, Axel dipped in and out of the crowd before setting up his table in the usual spot. All eyes were on him as a coughed loudly and said, "Hey guys, how''s everyone doing this morning?" A myriad amount of voices echoed as they tired to reply. After a couple minutes, the voices stopped. A wide grin appeared on his face as he let Stella slowly slither out from his arm. The crowd instant began cheering while Stella started twisting her body. Time pasted by quickly as they took turns to preform as well as take break. Suddenly, Axel noticed a pair of people that slowly weaved between the crowd. Trusting the feeling in his gut that told him those 2 were cops, Axel reached into his pocket to grab his phone. Withdrawing it ever so slightly, Axel tapped the power button to turn it in. However, it still stayed turned off. He began to slightly panic as he realised he somehow forgot to charge it. Hell, he didn''t even realise it need to charge when he opened it this morning. His brain went into over-drive as he saw the cops move closer and closer to the store. Gritting his teeth, Axel flung his hands wide open and screamed, "Everyone, may I please gather your attention!!!" Everyone, including the cops, stopped and looked at Axel. Axel''s heart frantically tried to break out of his chest. Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, he revealed a slight smile and calmly said, "I wonder if everyone would like to seeˇ­ a new magic trick?" Everyone''s interest was tickled as everyone silently watched Axel in anticipation. Slowly reaching out his open hand, Axel took a deep breath as his hand started to glow in a pale white. Everyone stared in awe as crystals of ice slowly condensed into a ball. Axel sighed as he watched everyone stare at him in a daze. Making the most of his time, Axel sneakily told Stella to go and warn Iwai. Taking a deep breath, Axel stared at the crowd that slowly began regaining themselves. Inside the hundreds of eyes, Axel could see awe, wonder and excitement. The ball of ice still lay in his hands and didn''t melt in the slightest. Grinning, Axel used his free hand and tapped on top of the ball. Suddenly, the ball slowly began to bloom. As if made of sand, the ice ball collapsed into itself and in a matter of seconds, everyone stared wide-eyed as the ball of ice had become a beautiful rose made of ice. While the crowd was distracted, Axel checked his status and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it didn''t take to much MP to create. Axel was about to finish up when he heard a childish voice mutter, "Pretty~" Looking down, a small child stared up at the flower in his hand with a sparkle in her eyes. The child''s mother saw that Axel was looking at her child and thought she did something. She was about to apologize when Axel kneeled down and said, "Would you like this flower?" The girl rapidly nodded while her mother looked slightly embarassed. Axel chuckled as he handed her the flower. The girl began giggling as she held the flower gently in her hands. The girl''s mother thanked him before holding her child''s hand and walking away. The crowd began to disperse as Axel let loose a sigh of relief. Axel leaned against the table as Stella jumped up and relaxed on the table. He gave her a tired look as Stella said, "I somehow warned him. He first gave me a couple cautious looks until I pointed at you with my tail. He then remembered I''m your pet and dashed into the store." Counting himself lucky, Axel stored the table and walked inside Iwai''s store. Looking around, he couldn''t find any sign of Iwai until his voice echoed from the back as he said, "I''m out back." Walking to the back of the shop, Axel saw Iwai sitting on the crates with a huge smile. A pack of beer sat next to him while a couple empty cans were on the floor. With a loud laugh, Iwai chugged the beer in his hand and said, "To a job well done! We''re finally finished." Axel sighed and was about to sit down when an envelop suddenly came out of nowhere and hit him in the face. He rubbed his nose as he glared at Iwai and yelled, "THE HELL!?!" 25 ...Huh? Sweat dripped down Iwai''s head as he felt a pressure coming from Axel''s eyes, as if to say, ''Explain. Now.'' With a cough to clear his throat, Iwai said, "That''s what you asked me to get. It''s a passport, proof of citizenship as well as acceptance papers for Shujin." Axel quickly retracted his glare as a screen appeared in front of him. [First Ranking Quest: Complete! Find a way to enroll in Shujin Academy before April 10th. Reward: 20,000 system points, 20 Status points, Skill - Persona, Skill - Wildcard, 5x Lottery ticket. Rank: S.] Ignoring Iwai, Axel closed the screen before he sat down on an empty crate and mentally said, "System, why is the rank S? Also, show a basic description of the new skills." [Host, the rank of the quest is ''S'' because of the amount of time you managed to complete it in. Thought there are other minor facts that lead to it being rank S, the most defining factor was time. As for the skillsˇ­] The voice of the system cut off as a screen appeared that displayed the skills. [Skills: Persona - The manifestation of the users personality. One-off MP consumption when summoning. All skills minus physical abilities consume MP. MP Consumption: 100. Wildcard - Allows the user to use multiple personas. Other abilities unlocked when the user is deemed worthy.] Axel was stunned silly as one thought kept running through his mind after putting one and one together. ''I''M IN FUCKING PERSONA 5!?!'' With all his interactions thus far, it should of been easy to figure it out. However, since arrival, Axel has been too high strung about all that''s happened. The familiar yet unfamiliar land, the large crowds, the fact that this was another world. Everything absorbed his attention and didn''t allow a momentary break. Axel felt it would take a while to process everything that was happening, so he quickly said goodbye to Iwai before hastily making his way home. On the train home, Axel blocked out everyone in his surroundings as he started putting together everything that''s happened so far. Rubbing his chin, Axel sighed as he thought, ''So far, of all the characters I can remember from the main story, I''ve met Sojiro and Iwai. I''ve built a slightly good first impression with Sojiro while I have an easy-going relationship with Iwai. Hmmmˇ­ my guess is that around April 10th is when the original story starts. And depending on the quests I gain, will decide what sort of actions I will likely takeˇ­'' After leaving the station, Axel absentmindedly wandered around the area. Suddenly, Axel awoke from his thoughts as he frowned and muttered, "I got off at the wrong stopˇ­" Unlike the area where he lives, everything looked different as he could easily see the wrong station name. However, the area also brought a strange sense of ''deja vu'' to Axel in the deepest part of his memory. Shaking his head to clear out useless thoughts, Axel continued to wander around in an attempt to balance his current mood. Funny enough, not even 5 minutes after he started wandering around and Axel found himself staring at a store that made him realise why he felt everything looked slightly familiar. In front of him stood an old, retro looking building with a large red and white canopy with the word ''Leblanc'' written in the middle. A sudden burst of excitement took over Axel as he quickly opened the door and entered. Looking around inside, Axel noticed one thing that was pretty much consistent in the game and somehow carried over to real life. The cafe was empty. There were no customers in any of the booths while a familiar looking face stood behind the bar while wiping a cup. Sojiro looked towards the entrance and said, "Welcome." He paused as he looked at Axel with surprise. Smiling, Sojiro continued, "I didn''t expect you to visit here so soon." With a short nod, Axel made his way over and sat on a chair. Quickly scanning over the menu, Axel said, "One coffee and two servings of curry and rice." "Coming right up." Said Sojiro as he began to busy himself in the kitchen. A few minutes later, 2 plates of curry and a cup of coffee were set in front of Axel. Sojiro gave him a funny look as he said, "Are you sure you can eat that much?" Smirking, Axel lay his arm just above the table. Sojiro stared at him in confusion until a snake head slowly slithered out from his arm. Sojiro jumped in shock and yelled, "SNAKE!!!" "So loud!" Said Stella as she wrapped her tail around her head in an attempt to block the sound. Axel slowly nodded as he could feel his ears ringing. With a sigh, Axel looked at the shocked Sojiro who watched as Stella started to eat the curry, and said, "This is Stella. Myˇ­ pet." Axel felt a sharp glare drill into him but chose to ignore it as he continued, "She''s complete tame so she won''t cause any trouble, right Stella?" Sojiro continued to stare in shock as the snake looked as if it understood what they were talking about and nodded. Rubbing his forehead, Sojiro sighed as he said, "That''s fine. Justˇ­ please don''t pull something like this again. Almost gave me a heart attack." Axel chuckled as he nodded. Sojiro sighed once more before going behind the bar and continued cleaning. One bite of curry was enough to almost make Axel kneel in reverence. He felt as if he was kissed by a beautiful goddess with how each and every flavour melded together to create the most perfect taste experience. The same could be said about the coffee as the flavour perfectly complimented the aftertaste of the curry. Even though Axel had a lvl 5 cooking skill, he still felt he wouldn''t be able to create something so delicousˇ­ yet. After a couple minutes in complete silence as both Axel and Stella slowly ate their food to appreciate the flavour, Axel began to clean up after offering his thanks for such a meal. A small smile appeared on Sojiro''s face as he watched Axel tidy up the plates. Even though there are people that clean up after eating, most usually leave the plate on the table for him to collect. Suddenly, the ring of the doorbell alerted Sojiro that he had another visitor. Sojiro greeted the new arrival while Axel turned to look at the new person. However, as soon as he saw the person, he froze. Even with her face in her phone, Axel managed to catch a glimpse of her brown eyes as they occasionally locked gazes when she looked up. She had long, silver hair and wore a business suit. In her left-hand was a black suitcase while she held her phone in the other. The new arrival felt a bit irritated as she looked up from her phone with a glare and said, "Boss, one houseblend please." Sojiro chuckled at Axel before he turned to the lady and said, "Coming right up." Axel rubbed his head in embarassment and was about to leave when the lady suddenly stared at Axel with a mix of confusion and intrigue and said, "Do we know each other?" Thrown off by her question, Axel began to think, ''Technically, I do know her. Sae Nijima, number one prosecutor as well as legal guardian of Makoto Nijima. However, I can''t just tell her I do know her and it''s not really lying if I say ''No'' since we haven''t met face to face before, right?'' Sae patiently waited as she felt something oddly familiar about the boy before her. Not even a second later, Axel shook his head and stared at her with a confused gaze. She frowned as she began searching her memories for when she had seen him. Suddenly, her frown turned into a smile as she said, "No wonder you don''t know me. I saw you online. Your pretty famous right now." She opened her phone and browsed on something for a couple seconds before continuing, "Actually, your still gaining fame. Look." Axel stared at the screen that showed a video of all his ''Magic Shows'' and blankly muttered, "ˇ­Huh?" 26 Out of the frying pan and into the fire "Haaaˇ­" After finding out that he''s become famous, Axel slumped into his booth as he covered his face and lamented his stupid past self. He would of continued to wallow in self-blame if it wasn''t for the system notification he just got. [Second Ranking Quest: Change the world in any significant way 10 times. Progress: (1/10) Reward: 40,000 system points, 20 Status points, ???.] Axel was excited that he got a new quest. However, after reading the details, Axel decided 2 things. First, this quest was going to be extremely hard and second, he didn''t mind being famous. Sure, he knows it''s gonna bring alot of trouble but it also brings quite a few benefits. One such benefit being the (1/10) in his ranking quest. Even though all of this shouldn''t be enough to make him depressed, what pushed him over the edge was the person in front of him. Just after Sae showed Axel the video, she quickly introduced herself before she played the video and said, "My little sister sent me your video and said, ''Sis, check this guy out! He''s amazing!'' Which surprised me because she usually only messages me about dinner and household supplies we lack." As time passed, Axel watched as her expression constantly switched between amazement and disbelief. By the time the video, which was a cut of all his best tricks, ended, she sat in front of him and began asking about how he could do all those tricks like a little girl with stars in her eyes. Axel honestly felt shocked by the difference in character between her and the video game. However, he knew this was a real world, with real people, and decided that Sae was just overly-curious. Funny enough, even Sae didn''t know why she was acting like this. The moment she watched his ''magic show, she felt something deep inside her had awakened, begging to find the truth to how Axel managed to do those tricks. Some of his tricks could be explained with slight of hand or training. But when it came to the flower of ice, she had no explanation. Even after trying every logical solution she could think of, it just didn''t make any sense. Her natural curiosity got the best of her as Sae not only sat in the same booth as Axel, she ordered food and coffee for both of them before barraging Axel with questions. After an hour of talking, even Axel was fired up as they not only talked about his ''magic tricks'' but Sae ended up sharing all kinds of stories and gossip. With a serious expression, Sae looked at Axel and said, "Lately, there''s been rumors going around about something called, ''Mental Shut-downs''. They say that the victim would wither in pain before spitting up a black substance. Some say it''s blood, others say it''s poison. Afterwards, they would collapse and become unresponsive until they eventually die." Axel mentally thanked Sae for the info because even though he now knows what world he''s in, that doesn''t mean he remembers everything that happened. Hell, even remembering Sae''s name was a fluke. Unless he buys a skill to remember everything, which he has confirmed does exist but costs an arm and a leg, he won''t be able to remember every little detail. Suddenly, Sae''s phone started ringing. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Sae accepted the call and growled, "What!?!" A timid voice slowly said, "S-sorry sis. I just called to tell you dinner will be ready soon." Axel, who could barely hear her speak, noticed that Sae''s face went from annoyed to sad as she sighed and softly said, "Sorry, Makoto. I was talking toˇ­" Suddenly, she paused as her face lit up. Makoto''s worried voice called to Sae but all she got in reply was an excited shout as Sae said, "Makoto, could you prepare another serving? I''ll be bring a guest around." Every fiber in Axel''s body was screaming to him to leave. However, before he could stand up, Sae ended her call, looked at Axel with a burning stare and said, "Would you like to have dinner with my sister and I?" Axel was mentally berating himself for not leaving faster as a look of extreme caution appeared on his face. Sae looked extremely offended by his stare but before either of them could say anything, Sojiro chuckled and said, "Axel, you''ll be fine. Out of everyone that would do something to you, she''s probably the least likely. She''s a prosecutor." Sae nodded at Sojiro''s timely assistance before looking over at Axel, hoping he would accept. What the two didn''t know, however, was that Axel knew she wasn''t gonna try anything funny. And even if she did, he could easily escape. No, what he worried about was a never ending amount of questions. Not just from Sae but from Makoto as well. After a few minutes, Axel sighed and agreed. Sae smiled widely before paying the check and practically dragging Axel out of the store. However, right before they left, Axel saw Sojiro smirk at him as he mouthed, ''Don''t forget to use protection.'' Axel felt extremely frustrated as he knew that Sojiro was messing with him yet no comeback could come to mind as all he could think about was the upcoming battle he was about to face. After a short trip through Tokyo, Sae dragged Axel to a large living complex. The area surrounding the complex looked relatively private as Axel swore he could see a guard station in the distance. Sae noticed Axel staring in the direction of the guard station and exclaimed, "Can you see the station from here?" Axel nodded, thinking it wasn''t anything special. What he failed to realize, however, was the fact that hunting had increased his eye sight to be better than the average human. While he could see the guard station perfectly fine, even with the bad lighting due to the time of day, Sae struggled to see it as it was almost 100 meters away. She pressed the doorbell and thought, ''That''s some incredible visionˇ­'' Almost instantly after ringing the doorbell, the door flew open, revealing a beautiful girl. Axel stood dazed because even though he knew he''d be meeting Makoto, he still became captivated. She had beautiful ruby eyes that somehow enchanted Axel. Unlike her sister, Makoto had short, brown hair that ended just a little bellow her ears. All this was wrapped together with her wearing her signature Shujin uniform. Makoto looked at Sae with a smile and said, "Welcome back sis." Sae gave her a small nod. She noticed Makoto was giving her a questioning gaze about the young man she was holding, so she cleared her throat and said, "This is Axel. I met him while I was getting coffee. He''s that street magician from that video you sent me." It took Makoto a couple seconds to register everything she said. However, once she did, a fire blazed in her eyes that made Axel unconsiously take a step back. Sae chuckled because she saw Axel take a step back from Makoto''s stare. She gave him a pat on the back and said, "Come. We''ll have dinner then continue that chat from earlier." With the three walking towards the dinning table, Sae told Makoto that she could join the discussion but she had to go to bed at Midnight, since tomorrow is a school day. Once inside, Makoto left to do the finishing touches on dinner while Sae dragged Axel over to the lounge. The two made themselves comfortable on the couch and began their chat from where they left off. Hearing the constant chatter, Makoto sneakily glanced into the lounge and became stunned by what she saw. Her usually overly serious and strict sister was acting like a teenage girl as she was laughing and smiling while Axel told jokes and stories. A wide smile appeared on Makoto''s face as she thought, ''I haven''t seen sis this happy inˇ­ forever. I have to thank Axel after this.'' With a smile still present on her face, Makoto peered into the lounge and said, "Dinner is ready." 27 Its a trap! With a sign, Axel followed Sae so he can wash his hands. As he walked to the washroom, Axel thought, ''They''re probably gonna barrage me with questions about my so called, ''Magic tricks''ˇ­ haaa.'' Shaking his head, Axel grinned as he quickly washed his hands and splashed Sae on his way out. Instead of getting angry, Sae released a girly giggle which almost caused Axel to kiss the floor. After realizing the sound she just made, Sae covered her mouth as a heavy blush appeared all over her face. She gave Axel a glare before closing the door. Axel commited her giggle to memory before making his way to the dining table. However, once he made it to the lounge he saw Makoto as she struggled to carry all the plates and cutlery to the table. He walked over to her with a gentle smile on his face and said, "Makoto, would you like some help?" Makoto looked over to Axel and became slightly dazed. While she has seen her fair share of handsome men, she had to admit that they don''t hold a candle to the one currently in front of her. There was somethingˇ­ otherworldly about him. His rough, black hair that looked good without even trying, coupled with his sapphire eyes and gentle facial features made him look extremely handsome. While Makoto couldn''t see his body, she could tell he worked out due to the fact that he wore clothes that hugged his body and emphasized the definition of his muscles. She bit her lip as she thought, ''Damnˇ­'' Axel saw her bite her lip and thought she was conflicted on whether to accept his help or not due to the fact that he''s a guest. With a short chuckle, Axel grabbed the plates and said, "Here Makoto, I got these two. You can set up the cutlery." Makoto absentmindedly nodded as she followed Axel to the table and began setting up the plates and cutlery. The pair them made another trip to the kitchen to grab cups and drink. However, unlike with the plates, Makoto awoke from her dazed state as she and Axel began joking around. After a couple trips of carrying stuff and joking around, Sae finally came out of the washroom. She smiled when saw that everything was set up on the table as Axel and Makoto sat opposite each other and were smiling and giggling. Sae say at the head of the table and said, "Thanks for waiting. Well, time for dinner." Both Sae and Makoto clasped their hands together as they said, "Itadakimasu~" Axel quickly copied them in a fluster as he said, "Itadakimasu." Which earned a chuckle from both Sae and Makoto. With an embarrassed chuckle, Axel began eating. From the looks of the food, he would have to guess that they were having lamb chops, a side of vegetables and mashed potatoes that were covered in gravy. An audible swallow echoed as Axel slowly brought some lamb to his mouth. As he was about to eat, he noticed that Makoto was trying to sneakily watch his reaction. An evil grin appeared on his face as he turned away from her and put the food in his mouth. After a couple seconds he turned around only to be met with a short glare from Makoto. Smiling, he looked over to Makoto and said, "What''s wrong Makoto?" Sae stopped eating and turned towards Makoto with a questioning stare. Makoto blushed from suddenly becoming the center of attention as she silently cursed Axel under her breath. With a sigh, she said, "I was just going to ask if the lamb was to your liking." Suppressing his laughter, Axel grinned and said, "Are you sure? From the way you were looking at me before, I would''ve thought there was something on my face." Makoto could feel her face burning and in the heat of the moment, she said, "H-hey Axel, how did you do that trick with the flower made of ice?" Axel''s grin froze on his face as his eyebrows started to twitch. However, his movement didn''t go unnoticed as a grin appeared on Makoto''s blushing face. She thought to herself, ''I got you nowˇ­'' and said, "Come on Axel, I''m really curious on how you managed to create that flower of ice. Also, I''d like to know how you managed to do ALL your other magic tricks~" Axel cursed himself for trying to tease Makoto as he could see that her words also caught Sae''s attention as she stared at Axel with a burning curiousity in her eyes. With a sigh, Axel wryly smiled and said, "Well, if I told you I actually know magic, would you believe me?" Both Makoto and Sae were about to say, ''No'' when they felt a spark ignite inside them. The spark, while small, somehow gave them the feeling that Axel wasn''t lying. It was as if their instincts were screaming at them that he was telling the truth. So, no matter how unbelievable it was, both girls looked Axel in the eye and said, "I believe you." Axel''s eyes widened in surprise. He honestly didn''t think they would believe him. As he continued to stare in shock, Sae smiled and said, "While I haven''t known you for long, I have this feeling that you aren''t lying. It''sˇ­ strange." Makoto nodded at her sisters words and added, "Just like sis. I feel like you aren''t lying. Plus, I don''t think your tricks could be explained normally. So, you knowing magic is a quick and self-explanatory reason, even if it seems impossible." At this point, Axel didn''t know what to feel. The inside of his mind was in shambles trying to make heads of the current situation. After a few minutes of thinking, Axel sighed and said, "Thanksˇ­ for believing me." Both girls smiled in a way that made Axel believe the were angels. However, no matter how angelic the two were, what came next was the battle he had been preparing for. Straight after Axel thanked them, Sae and Makoto kept barraging Axel with questions that ranged from his family life, childhood and schooling to his favourite colour, favourite food and favourite animal. Sometimes, Axel would tell stories and jokes from his world while Makoto and Sae would share gossip, jokes and facts about Tokyo. Their talk continued for hours until Sae''s phone started ringing. Before anyone could ask what it was, Sae smiled and said, "Don''t worry. It''s an alarm I set so I could send Makoto to bed." Axel felt something was wrong. With a bit of caution in his voice, he mechanically turned to Sae and said, "Uh, Sae? What time is it?" With a triumphant grin, Sae said, "It''s midnight." A forced smile appeared on Axel''s face as he shot up from his chair and quickly exclaimed, "Well, what do you know? Look at the time. Iˇ­ I think I should go. See-" However, before he could finish, Sae grabbed his arm and said, "What do you mean, Axel? The stations are closed right now so you won''t be able to go home from here. I suggest you stay the night. You can rest on the couch." Axel looked in the direction Sae was pointing and shuddered. On the couch was a couple pillows and a thick blanket. With a wry smile, Axel thought to himself, ''I''ve been set upˇ­'' 28 Fame Axel stared at the ceiling above him and sighed. Looking over at his sleeping companion, Stella, he mentally said, "Status." [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 11 LVP: 37% HC: Injured MP: 3000/3000 STR: 19 AGI: 18 STA: 33 INT: 30 DEX: 19 MEN: 33 LUC: 10 CHA: 20 Status Points: 20 System Points: 28,310.] Thanks to this world being relatively peaceful, Axel''s stats and level came to a stand still. However, Axel felt that it was fine considering the benefits he''s already gained. "System, show me my skills." Said Axel. [Skills: Cooking, Appraisal Magic, Nature Magic, Harvesting, Apollo-style Archery technique: Orion, Apollo-style Sword technique: Savant, Apollo-style Dagger technique: Luna, Fire Magic, Ice Magic, Lowest Magic Affinity, Tame, Summon, Persona, Wildcard.] A frown appeared on Axel''s face as he silently complained, "System, the skill menu is somehow REALLY annoying to look at. Can I change it?" It took a couple seconds before the system said, [Yes.] With a long yawn, Axel muttered, "Then separate skills by Physical, Magic and Passive." Without a reply from the system, the skill screen appeared with the new changes applied. [Physical Skills: Apollo-style Archery technique: Orion, Apollo-style Sword technique: Savant, Apollo-style Dagger technique: Luna. Magic Skills: Appraisal Magic, Nature Magic, Fire Magic, Ice Magic, Tame, Summon, Persona. Passive Skills: Cooking, Harvesting, Lowest Magic Affinity, Wildcard.] Nodding to himself, Axel did the last objective on his mind as he said, "Finally, use the ''skill upgrades'' on ice and fire magic." After a couple seconds, a screen popped up that said, [Congratulations, host. For upgrading: Fire Magic to level 2, Ice Magic to level 2.] Feeling content with himself, Axel flashed a satisfied smile before closing his eyes and drifting off to the land of dreams. --- (POV Change) Axel''s body once again found itself in the realm covered in blue and black. However, unlike last time, his body didn''t twitch at all as a small smile could be seen on his face. Suddenly, the entire realm began to quake as an eerie voice muttered, "So this is humanity''s endless potentialˇ­ No wonder that long nosed freak decided to place his bet on them." A multitude of hands sprung into existence and attempted to grab Axel. Yet, each attempt only ended in failure as each hand phased right through him. A small chuckle rang out as the eerie voice whispered, "I don''t know how he managed to gain a persona or the wildcard but this will only make the game more interesting." The sound of chuckling continued to ring throughout the realm as Axel''s body slowly floated upwardsˇ­ --- (POV - Axel) Axel lay curled up comfortably on the couch as a small smile could be seen on his face. Stella had awoken long ago as sheˇ­ and Makoto watched Axel with a smile on their faces. Sae sat on another couch, opposite Axel, while drinking a cup of coffee with an amused smile on her face. She knew that inviting Axel to stay the night wasˇ­ weird, considering they had only just met. However, she felt no aversion to the idea of him staying, which baffled her to no end. Just as she finished her coffee, Axel slowly sat up and yawned. After rubbing his eyes, he scanned his surroundings with a hazy look and muttered, "ˇ­Good morning." Setting her cup to the side, Sae slightly smiled and said, "Good morning, Axel. We were waiting for you to wake up. Would you like me to drop you off somewhere or would you be fine on your own?" Axel fell into thought for a couple seconds before asking where everyone was going, to which Sae replied she was taking Makoto to school. Because they were chatting yesterday, the pair were aware that Axel was accepted into Shujin so Makoto worked up all her courage and stuttered, "M-maybe you''d like to come with me and check out Shujin?" As if a lightbulb turned on inside his head, Axel smiled and nodded. The trio and Stella hopped into Sae''s car and began chatting up a storm as they made their way to Shujin. After about 10 minutes, Axel saw a flood of students wearing the black and red Shujin uniform. While he was distracted by the amount of students, Makoto giggled as she opened the door and practically dragged Axel into the school building. With a wry smile, Axel silently thought to himself, ''They really are sistersˇ­'' as Makoto proceeded to drag Axel around in the exact same fashion as her sister. Suddenly, Axel found himself in the teachers lounge as Makoto stood by his side with an excited smile on her face. Makoto peered around the teachers lounge until she came to an abrupt halt. She excitedly dragged Axel to a teacher and said, "Kawakami-sensei, I''ve brought a new student with me. Would you please welcome him to our school and show him around." Kawakami gave the pair an unenthusiastic glance before sighing. She flashed Makoto a forced smiled and said, "Okay, Makoto. I''ll show him around." With a bright smile, Makoto bowed before excusing herself, leaving Axel behind as he and Kawakami shared an awkward glance. In an attempt to clear the awkward air, Kawakami coughed and muttered, "Soˇ­ your a new student? Name please." After easily provided her name as she silently started browsing her computer. After a couple minutes, she gave Axel a small smile and said, "Here we go. Axelˇ­ huh, you have no family name? Oh well, not important. Yourˇ­ hey! Your in my class! Ok then, I''ll give you a brief tour during break." Standing up, Kawakami dusted herself off as she said, "Since your here, you might as well sit in on class. Come with me." Axel was obedient as he followed Kawakami all the way to her class. She signalled Axel to stay outside as she opened the classroom door and exclaimed, "Okay everyone! Queit down! We have a new student with us today. He''s smart enough that he''s jumped an entire grade." Once he recieved the OK, Axel slowly strolled into the classroom. The boys showed grim and painful expressions while the girls had stars in their eyes and a deep blush on their cheeks as everyone stared at the new student. Axel slowly peered around the classroom as he noticed two people he recognised from the game. However, before he could continue thinking, Kawakami tapped him on the shoulder and said, "This is Axel. I hope everyone tries to get along with him. Nowˇ­ Axel, you can sitˇ­ hmmm, next to Takamaki. Ann, could I ask that you share your text books with him for today?" Thanks to Kawakami, Axel slowly made his way over to his seat while sneakily observing one of the heroines from persona 5. She had bright blue eyes and wavy platinum blonde hair styled in a bushy pigtail. Axel noticed that unlike everyone else, she wore the standard black blazer over a varsity-like hodded sweatshirt. With a sneaky glance downwards, Axel saw she was wearing red tights and brown boots. She stared out the window with a bored expression while occassionally glancing at Axel. Half-way to his seat, a student from the back row suddenly shot up from his seat with his eyes wide open. He stared at Axel with stars in his eyes, which creeped out Axel to no end, and screamed, "YOUR THAT STREET MAGICIAN!!!" Half the class were confused by the sudden outburst of their classmate. However, the other half had unbelieving expressions on their faces as they quickly pulled their phones out. A couple minutes later, half the class had stars in their eyes, which made Axel shudder as he watched everyone whisper and chatter about him. Once the class quieted down, Axel broke into a cold sweat from the heated gazes of his classmates. He quickly made his way to his seat, only to find Ann staring directly at him. Before he could say anything, Ann flashed him a smile before turning to face the front. Axel sighed heavily as he felt that this was the start of a very long day. 29 An Unexpected Day Inside a classroom filled with people, Axel tried to keep his head low, as he could feel the gazes of everyone around him. Even Kawakami was affected as she tried multiple times to draw everyone''s attention away from Axel, only to end up being ignored. Like the rain during a drought, the bell echoed as Kawakami sighed and said, "Alright. The bell for first break has gone. Remember, next period is English, so I expect to see everyone back on time." Axel looked towards the door with an enamored stare and was about to dash out of the classroom when he felt a small poke on his shoulder. He turned around slowly with a cautious gaze, only to be greeted by Ann with a light smile on her face, completely ignoring the stares of her classmates that were right behind her. She looked Axel up and down with a curious glance before nodding to herself. With a small chuckle, she ignored the questioning gaze from Axel and said, "You probably heard this before but I''m Ann, Ann Takamaki." As if it were natural, she stretched her arm towards him with a smile and said, "Nice to meet you, Axel." Axel relaxed his guard slightly as he shook her hand with a gently smile and said, "Nice to meet you too, Takamaki-san." Even though he seemed more relaxed than the introduction, Axel still kept his guard up against the rest of his class. It''s not as if he was afraid of them, no. It''s because he didn''t want to answer annoying questions. However, his guard would prove to be futile because as soon as Ann let his hand go, the rest of his class bolted over to him and flooded him with questions. Kawakami gave Axel a pitying glance before shaking her head. She looked over to Ann and said, "Takamaki, can you take Axel and show him around the school?" With a small frown, Ann was about to decline when she saw Axel''s current expression. His eyes looked to be pleading to take him away from here. Coupled with his handsome face and fit body, Ann sighed before dragging him out of class. The voices of his dissatisfied classmates echoed behind him but Axel paid no mind to them as he gave Ann a grateful smile. After a couple minutes of showing Axel around, Ann and Axel walked into the courtyard. Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind that caused Ann to bloom into a happy smile. "Ann!" "Shiho!" The two girls jumped into a short hug as they started giggling. Axel stood nearby as he thought, ''Shiho Suzuiˇ­ I can''t really remember much about her besides her name. All I can remember is the fact that something bad will happen to her.'' Shiho had brown eyes and long black hair that was tied up in a pony tail. Instead of the basic black and red blazer, she wore a beige sweater that was rolled up to her elbows. She also wore the basic school skirt as well as a black leg brace on her right leg. Once their little hug broke up, Shiho looked at Axel for a couple seconds before a small smirk appeared on her downtrodden face as she whispered, "Your boyfriend?" Ann blushed slightly and was about to explain the situation when Axel smiled and said, "Sorry to disappoint but I''m not. My name is Axel, I''m a new student and today''s my first day." Shiho gave Axel a small nod as slight smile appeared on her face as she said, "Welcome to Shujin, Axel." Axel accepted her welcome with a smile, completely oblivious to the fact that Ann''s facial expression was a mix between a smile and a frown while her lips constantly twitched. With a couple deep breaths, Ann showed a small smile and started to join the conversation. After a while, a bell rang, signifying the end of the lunch break. Somehow, Axel''s constant blabber about stories and jokes managed to break the walls the girls had put up, leading them to truely enjoy his company. Axel waved goodbye and began walking to class right after the ball rang, much to Ann''s distress as she quickly said goodbye to Shiho. Shiho giggled as she began to walk to her next class, humming a cheerful ditty with a small skip in her step. ˇ­ The rest of the day was normal. Axel didn''t really make any friends besides Ann and Shiho. Even then, he didn''t really consider himself their friend as it''s been too short since they met. One of the reasons he couldn''t make any friends was also due to the fact that the next two lunch breaks, Makoto would track him down and start chatting with him. Thanks to Makoto, however, Axel now knew what he need to prepare for school. The best part was when the final lunch break came around. When Makoto and Axel were chatting, Axel''s stomach let her know that it''s was mildly dissatisfied with it''s apparent emptiness. With a small chuckle, she had given him her lunch. Of course, he didn''t except it right away. He kept repeatedly asking if it was alright until Makoto felt fed up and literally, grabbed some food and shoved it into his mouth. Currently, Axel was standing just outside the school with a small frown on his face. To his left, Makoto tried to drag him back to her house. It''s not that Axel didn''t mind hanging out with her, he just wanted to go home and relax. Last night, while he may have been able to sleep, he was tense due to the fact that he was sleeping over at a girl''s house. He felt the need to relax in his own home. Axel was about to leave when he felt his right arm in a vice grip. A couple drops of sweat fell from his forehead as he silently thought, ''Hell, this is comparable to when Stella and Olivia were off their rockerˇ­'' However, when his thoughts reminded him of Olivia, a peaceful smile dawned his face. Makoto saw his smile and felt her heart skip a beat. She blushed as she grabbed Axel and pleaded, "Please come with me, Axel. My sis usually doesn''t get off work until late and it getsˇ­ lonely." Axel turned to face Makoto and saw the slight sadness in her eyes. While he wasn''t at Olivia''s level, he was able to tell how people feltˇ­ sometimes. With a tired sighed, Axel wryly smiled at her and muttered, "Fineˇ­" Makoto was ecstatic as she dragged Axel with her to help with the shopping. After a fun time of shopping and playing around, Axel and Makoto made their way to her house with large smiles on their faces. However, when they opened the door, the pair were surprised to see that Sae was already home. Makoto was especially happy as she dashed inside and said, "Sis! Did you come home early today?" With a small chuckle, Sae gave Makoto a hug and said, "Yup. I sent in an application for a couple days off and it was approved." As if seeing the perfect chance, Axel slowly back away towards the day as he gently said, "Well, would you look at that? Now that your big sis is here, you won''t get lonely anymore. I guess-" however, right when he reached the door, two pairs of soft, white hands gripped his shoulder. A loud gulp escaped from Axel as he slowly turned around. Once he stared into the girls eyes, Axel froze as sweat slowly formed on his brows. Sae and Makoto had a dangerous light in their eyes, like that of a child that found an interesting toy. Makoto sweetly smiled at Axel as she said, "Why don''t you stay for dinner, Axel?" 30 Dinner Party part 1 Contrary to his belief, the girls didn''t spam him with questions about his magic but asked questions that were generally about his day. This gave Axel a warm feeling in his chest as he excitedly recounted his day. After a small Q&A session, the trio sat down and began playing games. Minutes turned to hours as Sae chuckled before calling them over. Sae decided to hold a small celebration due to the fact she managed to get away from work. Once Makoto learned that Sae was taking them out to eat, she began to cheer happily. With a huge smile on her face, Makoto shot towards her room to get changed while Axel started moving towards the door. However, as soon as his hand landed on the doorknob, he heard Sae''s voice whisper into his ear, "Not gonna join us for dinner, Axel?" Axel''s body jolted away from Sae with a small blush on his face. He stared at her in embarassment and stuttered, "W-well, aren''t I just getting in the way of your family time?" Sae froze for a couple seconds before bursting into a mad fit of laughter. After calming down a few minutes later, she glared at Axel and said, "Axel, it doesn''t matter if you think your getting in the way of our family time. To be honest, Makoto and I have talked to each other more in the one day we met you then we have in months." Suddenly, Sae''s gaze changed from fierce to melancholy. With a tired sigh, she smiled bitterly and said, "I honestly didn''t want it to be this way. It''s just, with work always being hecticˇ­ I never get much time to bond with my little sister. With you around, it just makes relaxing a whole lot easierˇ­ don''t know why though." The air in the room felt heavy as both Axel and Sae stood still in silence. After a few seconds, a sigh escaped Axel''s mouth as he bitterly smiled and muttered, "Soˇ­ where we having dinner?" A smile bloomed on Sae''s face as she chuckled and said, "Secret~" ˇ­ Instead of taking the car, Sae, Makoto and Axel ended up taking the train. The train was filled to the brim with people as the three of them bundled together in a little circle. Sae felt the need to punch her past self as they wouldn''t have had to deal with all the pushing and shoving if they used the car. However, thanks to an emergency during work today, the car was on the fritz and wouldn''t even start, which brought about the current situation. Smushed between two different soft places, Axel desperately tried to contain his heart beat. Thanks to his strength, Axel became the center point of their group. Axel rooted himself to the spot as both Makoto and Sae slightly clung to him to stop themselves from flailing about. With a short cough, Axel looked towards Makoto and quietly whispered, "Hey, Makoto. Do you know where we''re going?" Makoto shivered at the breath that blew on her ear. She shook her head and stuttered, "I-I don''t knowˇ­" Her voice was almost non-existent yet because of the close proximity, Axel managed to hear her. He gave her a chuckle and said, "It''s alright Makoto. Thanks." Makoto gave Axel a small nod as her cheeks became a light shade of red. Sae, who had saw everything that transpired but couldn''t hear a word with how loud the train was, watched the pair as her lips twitched. A small frown appeared on Sae''s face for a second before it disappeared. However, a small amount of dissatisfaction appeared in her heart as she unconsciously thought to herself, ''Annoyingˇ­'' The rest of the trip was relatively quiet. After almost half an hour, the train finally pulled into town. As the doors opened, the group tried to go with the flow, only to be slowly pushed back inside by the incoming traffic. Suddenly, the girls felt themselves moved forward, albeit slowly. Axel used fire magic to warm up the area in front of him. The people who were walking in front of him felt the temperature jump from normal to sweat-inducing hot and quickly moved to evade the heat. A small path was formed which made exiting easy. However, as if to undermine all his effort, a couple businessmen that appeared to be in a rush, pushed Axel and his group out of the way. Normally, Axel wouldn''t be moved by this level of strength but because he''s holding both Makoto and Sae who were falling while clinging to him, he was dragged down with them. "Kyaa~" "Ahnn~" "Shit!" After Axel regained his bearings, his head abruptly turned towards the closing doors as a tick mark appeared on his forehead. He glared at the men who pushed them down with a vicious glint in his eyes and roared, "WATCH WHERE THE FUCK YOUR GOING!!!" Against all expectations, the businessmen returned his glare with a disdainful glance, as if they were above him, which thoroughly pissed him off. Axel began to grind his teeth together as he tried to clench his hands into fists. However, he froze as he felt two different types of softness. In his right hand, Axel felt an extremely soft and tantalizing mound the size of a grapefruit. In his left hand was an equally soft lump that was about the size of an orange. "No~" "Mhhn~" Axel mechanically turned towards the source of the noise and felt his heart rapidly pick up in speed. Sae and Makoto were both pinned underneath Axel. If that wasn''t bad enough, Axel''s right hand was wrapped around Sae''s surprisingly large chest while his left hand was grabbing Makoto''s budding breast. It took the trio a couple of seconds to register everything before realization kicked in. Makoto''s face quickly became a dark shade of red while Sae slightly bit her lip. However, neither of their changes were noticed as Axel quickly bowed his head. Axel''s face was slightly pale as he thought that he might lose some of the only friends he has in this world. With a quivering voice, Axel kept his head down and sincerely said, "Please forgive me. It wasn''t my intention to grab yourˇ­ *ahem* chest." Both girls silently watched Axel''s apology and couldn''t help but smile. The pair knew it wasn''t his fault and weren''t going to hold it against him. However, that and the fact he benefited from the situation are two separate things. Makoto, with a blush covering her face, coughed in an attempt to catch his attention and said, "W-well, we know it was an accident and all but you still got to touch myˇ­ my b-breast." Sae, on the other hand, was staring into space as she continued to bite her lips. Her face had a light blush and a dazed look. Only once Makoto finished speaking did Sae recover from her dazed state. Turning her head away from Axel and Makoto, Sae released a hot sigh before lightly slapping her cheeks. She quickly straightened her clothes after standing off the ground and turned back towards the pair. With a small tap on both Makoto''s and Axel''s shoulder, Sae coughed and said, "Ok you two, let''s stop there. It was an accident, so don''t blame anyone besides those jerks from before. For now, let''s make our way over to where we''ll be celebrating." As soon as Saw finished speaking, she turned towards the exit and started walking. Feeling that they didn''t want to be left behind, Makoto and Axel smiled to each other before racing after Sae while playing around. Sae could hear the constant laughter coming from behind her and smiled as she thought, ''They''re like little kids.'' 31 Dinner Party part 2 After a short walk through a familiar area, Axel knew exactly where they were going but didn''t open his mouth, just in case he was wrong. The closer they got to the store, the more certain Axel was about his guess. It wasn''t until they were a couple blocks away did Axel walk next to Sae and whispered, "Sae, are we going to LeBlanc?" Sae stopped for a second before turning towards Axel with a cheeky grin on her face. She tilted her head in a cute manner and said, "Guess the cats out of the bag." Axel, however, was stunned the moment he saw Sae''s face. To see the usually serious Sae pull a cheeky grin wasˇ­ an experience, to say the least. Before Axel could think any further, Sae dragged Makoto next to Axel and smiled as she said, "Makoto, the place that we''ll be celebrating at is the place where I met Axel. It''s a small cafe called, ''LeBlanc''. I can personally guarantee that the curry and coffee are the best of the best." Without bothering about her sister, Makoto dragged the half-dazed Axel while she repeatedly said, "Let''s go Axel. Come on! Come on! Come on!" Axel absentmindedly nodded before slowly showing Makoto where the cafe was. By the time they arrived, Axel had finally recovered from his shock. Walking inside, the trio were greeted by Sojiiro, who was actually in the middle of making some coffee. The smell alone made Makoto happy that they came here as she quietly muttered, "What a nice smell..." Sae dragged her dazed sister and Axel to a booth before she looked over at Sojiro and said, "Three servings of curry and three coffees please." With a small chuckle, Sojiro smiled and said, "Coming right up." Before turning toward the kitchen to cook the food. Suddenly, Sae''s phone started ringing. With a bitter smile, Sae apologized as she excused herself while Makoto''s mood quickly fell to rock bottom as a small look of sadness appeared on her face for a second before she tried to cover it up. Axel obviously saw her small look of sadness but didn''t know how to comfort her. Mustering up some courage, Axel silently moved next to Makoto and gave her a hug. It wasn''t overly-affectionate or constricting, but it gave Makoto a small feeling of warmth that slowly burned away the loneliness inside her as she closed her eyes and leaned into Axel''s chest to enjoy the warmth. After a couple minutes, Sae came back inside and sat across from Makoto and Axel. Sighing, Sae flopped onto the table and started complaining. "What don''t they get by the word, ''Vacation''!?! Why the hell did they have to call me about where the stupid stapler is!?! They should''ve just looked for it instead of call me!?!" Sae started ruffling her hair in irritation while Makoto looked at her big sister with a sad smile. Seeing that the celebration was falling apart, Axel took a deep breath and said, "Sae, are you okay?" When Axel stopped speaking, Sae''s body twitched before collapsing onto the table. With her arms around her head, she released a tired sigh. With no better option in his head, Axel reached over the booth and started gently rubbing her back. While his actions may seem odd, Axel didn''t have much of a choice. With his limited experience with people of the opposite gender and comforting them, Axel could only repeat what his mother did to comfort him when he was younger. Under Axel''s gentle touch, Sae softly twitched for a couple seconds before becoming relaxed. The tension left her body, allowing her to rest while being silently reminded of her father through Axel''s actions. She could vaguely remember that during her childhood, whenever Sae felt sad about something, her father would gently rub her back with a smile. Somehow, she would always feel better afterwards. Using a couple seconds to calm down, Sae sat up with a bright smile on her face. With a cheerful laugh, Sae gave Axel a hug and quietly muttered, "Thanks." Even though her voice was really soft, Axel managed to hear her. With a small smile, Axel returned her hug and said, "Your welcome." Suddenly, Axel felt a foot kick him from under the table. In shock, Axel turned and discovered Makoto glaring at him. Sae also noticed her little sisters antics but she only laughed before dragging Makoto into the hug. Makoto was initially stunned by her sisters actions. However, she slowly showed a huge smile as she laughed and wiped a small amount of tears out of her eyes. Seeing her sister tearing up, Sae''s eyes also started to become teary as she held Makoto and Axel tighter than before. Axel slipped out of their hug as the two sisters hugged each other tightly while apologizing for various things. A sigh escaped Axel''s mouth as he felt a hand grab his shoulder. Turning towards the person who grabbed him, he saw Sojiro with a gentle smile while he was holding a tray with three cups of coffee. With a small nod, Sojiro silently said, "Good job." Before setting the cups on the table. Axel watched as he quietly went back to the kitchen, not even telling them their coffees were ready, so they can have their moment together. Before he could even have a sip of his coffee, Makoto pulled Axel back into their sisterly hug while giggling. However, she used too much force in her pull, resulting in the three of them ending up on the floor in a pile. Suddenly, Sae started giggling, which became louder and louder until she was full-on laughing. Her laughter somehow seemed contagious as it spread to Makoto, then Axel and finally Sojiro, who was adding the finishing touches to the curry. The trio quickly sat at the table and apologized to Sojiro, who waved it off and served them their curry. While the cheerful atmosphere still lingered, Axel quickly said, "Itadakimasu." And started digging into his food. Makoto and Sae had happy smiles on their faces while a strange light flashed in their eyes when the sisters looked at Axel. When the two made eye contact, it was like they spoke a thousand words before they both clasped their hands like they were praying and said, "Itadakimasu~" The dinner was silent while the only sound that could be heard was a TV that was showing the news. However, the silence made everyone present feel at peace and happy. Then, something clicked in Axel''s mind. This was one of the things he loved the most about his family. There wasn''t a need for words or actions, just their presence alone was enough to make Axel feel happy and loved. Somehow, silently eating with the beautiful sisters reminded him of his time with his family. Even though they looked and acted nothing alike, they brought a sense of deja vu to Axel as a gentle slowly appeared on his face. After a couple hours of partying and messing around, Axel and the girls grew much closer than before. Pulling out his phone, Axel saw that it was getting late and knew he should start heading home. Yet before he could even say, ''Goodbye.'' Both Makoto and Sae grabbed him by his arms and started dragging him to their house. Before the party, he might of shook them off and explained that he wanted to relax by himself but now, he smiled as he began walking with them instead of being dragged. 32 Unexpected Encounter Smiling to himself while humming happily, Axel was busy in the kitchen cooking up a feast. After yesterday''s fiasco, Axel felt the most relaxed he has in a while and he knew it was due to the sisters. To show his appreciation, Axel has been pushing his cooking skill to its limit in an attempt to make the most delicious food he can for them. He continued to cook with so much focus that he didn''t even realize he was in a type of trance. His body would twitch every now and then, allowing him to add the perfect amount of herbs and spices or control the heat of the pan as if it was a part of him. The skill was automatically correcting him and was bringing his cooking closer and closer to perfection. When he finished cooking, he wiped some sweat off his head with a satisfied smile on his face. When he was about to check the time, a screen suddenly appeared that said, [Skill: Cooking has reached level 6.] Axel''s face showed a shocked expression before his smile came back in full force. He quickly began setting up plates and the food when the sound of a door opening could be heard. Turning around, he saw both Makoto and Sae still in their pajamas, unkept bedhair and drool dripping from their mouths. With a smile from the bottom of his heart, he walked over with a bounce in his step and said, "Good morning. I made breakfast." Both Makoto and Sae were temporarily stunned by Axel''s change in attitude. However, all thoughts they had were sent flying out of their head the moment they smelt the food Axel cooked. A small tower of pancakes with a side of butter and maple syrup, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and to top it all off, a tall glass of orange juice. Sae unconsciously gulped as the smell was slowly driving her crazy. Usually, when she woke up she only felt like a couple slices of toast and that was it, but the aroma from the food made it hard to resist. Makoto, on the other hand, left her dazed sister behind and quickly sat at the table with a hungry look in her eyes. Axel chuckled at their reaction before sitting next to Makoto. Luckily, Sae quickly recovered from her daze and sat across from Axel and Makoto. All three of them were about to start eating when a blur of light appeared. Stella gave Axel a death stare as she said in a threatening tone, "Were you going to eat all this food without me, Master?" Sweat slowly formed on his brow as he knew she was slightly addicted to his cooking. With a dry laugh, Axel quickly halved his share, much to his distress, before offering it to Stella. Stella gave him a small nod as a smile appeared on her scaly face. Axel could hear both Makoto and Sae laughing at him but decided to pay it no mind. Everyone brought their hands together and said, "Itadakimasu." Before digging in. However, as soon as they put the first bite into their mouths, they all froze. It''s not that the food was bad, no it was the opposite. The food was so good that everyone froze. Sae was stunned as she stared with wide eyes at the food before turning to Axel with a shocked expression. Makoto''s body twitch for a couple seconds as she smiled happily with a light blush on her face. Axel nodded to himself as he was proud of his cooking and the fact he managed to surprise the girls. With a gentle smile on his face, Axel looked over to the girls while leaning against his hands and said, "Is it good?" Maybe it was because of the good food or the fact that they woke up early in the morning but the sisters felt their brains shut down for a few seconds when they saw Axel''s current expression. Both Makoto and Sae looked towards the floor with a small blush on their faces. Sae, being an adult, quickly recovered and said, "It''s really good." Makoto, not wanting to be outdone, nodded her head and muttered, "It''s delicious." Axel looked at the sisters and smiled. With a small cough from Sae, the three of them and one snake started eating the food with wide smiles on their faces. After a beautiful breakfast, both Axel and Makoto quickly ran around the house to get ready for school. It didn''t take long before they both shot out the door as they both said goodbye to Sae, who was waving from the door with a smile. Walking to the station was actually quite enjoyable for Axel and Makoto. The crisp morning air felt comfortable as the pair slowly continued on their way while playing around. As the duo was walking, Axel suddenly said, "Makoto, do you want to hang out for a bit before going to school?" Makoto abruptly came to a stop as she stared at Axel in contemplation. Her expression kept changing until it finally settled on a smile as she nodded her head. With a small laugh, Axel grabbed Makoto''s hand and took off. Makoto felt a sudden pull and thought she was going to fall to the ground, so she closed her eyes and waited for the impact. However, to her surprise, she opend her eyes and noticed that while Axel was running, he was constantly making sure she wouldn''t fall. Feeling warm and giddy in her heart from his care, Makoto unconsiously gripped Axel''s hand tighter as a heavy blushed appeared on her smiling face. Half an hour later, Axel and Makoto were sitting down in a small family restaurant while having a drink. In Axel''s hand was a bag filled with all sorts of school supplies ranging froms textbooks to pencils. Axel leaned back into his chair and released a relaxed sigh. Makoto mimicked his actions as she relaxed into the booth seat and said, "We''ve got about an hour before school starts." Makoto paused for a second and glanced at Axel and his new school gear. Grinning, she continued, "Now that you''ve got all your school supplies, I won''t accept any slacking in your grades." Rolling his eyes, Axel smirked at her and said, "Yes, miss president." Slowly, Axel began to stretch his feat under the table, only to be met with a fierce kick. Like a frightened rabbit, Axel quickly reigned in his legs as he stared at Makoto while she was giving him a smile that wasn''t a smile. Makoto slowly leaned over the table until she was halfway over. Gripping Axel''s shirt collar, Makoto pulled him until his face was a couple centimeters away from her mouth and whispered, "I won''t accept any slacking~" However, before Axel could make so much as a ''Squeak'', a lively voice that had a hint of confusion echoed from across the restaurant as it said, "Axel?" Turning towards the source of the voice, Axel looked pleasantly surprised as he stared at the familiar platinum blonde hair and said, "Ann? What are you doing here?" Ann smiled and was about to answer him when suddenly, she froze as her vision locked on Makoto. Axel didn''t know why, but the temperature inside the restaurant fell a couple degrees, causing a shiver to crawl up his back. Suddenly, Axel had the weirdest feeling that he was about to have a bad time. 33 Some Flowers have Thorns Sipping on his drink quietly in the corner of the booth, Axel sat in a cold sweat as both Ann and Makoto sat facing each other, glaring something fierce. Ann sat with her arms crossed over her chest with a friendly smile on her face. However, if you looked close enough, you could see her lips twitching in annoyance. Makoto was sitting with her back straight and her hands crossed at her lap like a lady, but she had an intense glare that made her out to be anything but. In a futile attempt to clear the air, Axel released a couple coughs before turning toward Ann with an intrigued gaze and said, "Soˇ­ why are you here?" While maintaining her friendly demeanour, Ann smiled and replied, "Some days, I like to come here to clear my head." Pausing, she handed the menu that was on the table to Axel and continued in a joyful tone, "This place sells my favourite drink, the melon soda float." Hearing her answer, Axel ordered her a drink before explaining why he and Makoto were here. After he finished telling his story, Ann''s face visibly began to twitch more often while Makoto quickly turned away in an attempt to hide her smug grin. As time ticked away, the trio became more open to one another. While Ann and Makoto didn''t see eye-to-eye, the two girls had one thing in common. Both wanted Axel''s attention. And due to wanting his attention, both girls came to an unsaid agreement to put their differences aside so they could talk in a moreˇ­ civil manner. If not for the imaginary sparks that Axel swore he could see flying off the girls, he would of easily mistaken them for bestfriends. Axel added his ten cents into the conversation at every given opportunity as the girls talked about a great deal of interesting topics. However, the most interest would have to beˇ­ "ˇ­So, like I was saying. Kamoshida, the volleyball coach, has rumors floating around about him using corporal punishment." Makoto rolled her eyes at Ann and said in an annoyed tone, "And like I was saying, that''s impossible. Kamoshida is a gold medalist. He wouldn''t use physical punishment. And even if he did, I''m sure the students would inform their parents or the teachers." With a sigh, Ann started massaging her forehead as she muttered, "How can you beˇ­" Axel, who was still quietly sipping an empty cup, suddenly looked at his phone and said, "Girls, we''ve got about 20 minutes to get to school." Ignoring the two who continued to glare at each other while getting ready, Axel quickly packed up his stuff and headed towards the door after paying for their food. Everything was fine till he got outside. As soon as he set good outside, Axel felt two pairs of arms wrap around his. Looking to his left, Axel saw Makoto gripping his arm while a light blush was on her face. To his right was Ann, hugging his arm between her breasts. A tick mark appeared on Makoto''s head while Ann had a wide grin accompanied by a deep blush. Before both girls could begin fighting, Axel coughed to gain their attention and said, "Girls, we really should go now." Makoto and Ann gave each other a final glance before they flicked their heads away from each other and said, "Hmph!" Suddenly, both girls started dragging Axel to school, much to his dismay as a wry smile formed on his face. The walk to school was filled with silence as both girls continued to drag him along. Luckily, they managed to make it to school 5 minutes before the school started. As they were walking through the school, Ann suddenly had a wide grin on her face as she looked at Makoto and smugly muttered, "Aw, Makoto. Looks like you''ll have to let go. You know, because Axel is in MY class and yours is on the 1ST FLOOR." Axel swore he could see Makoto about to snap but luckily, the bell rang. Makoto released Axel and glared at Ann one last time before turning towards her class and stomping away. Ann pulled the bottom of her eyelid down slightly and poked her tongue out. Once Makoto was out of sight, Ann turned towards Axel with a victorious smile and said, "Now that that''s over, let''s get to class." Walking towards his classroom, Axel was thankful to finally have his freedom back but also strangely missed the warm and soft texture he felt from both girls. Shaking his head, Axel silently reprimanded himself before walking to class, not noticing the small smile on Ann''s face. The moment Axel opened the classroom door, Kawakami gave the pair a tired glare and said, "You two were almost late. Please take your seat." Running the back of his head, Axel gave a dry chuckle before quickly making his way to his seat with Ann in tow. Kawakami noticed the school supplies Axel brought and gave him an approving nod, to which he smiled back. Opening the book in her hands, Kawakami said, "Okay, for today''s schedule, we''ll first be doing revision on a couple things. Then, for the rest of the day, the school will be holding a volleyball event which is led by Mr Kamoshida." Feeling a sense of dread from beside him, Axel stealthily glance over at Ann, only to find her curled into a ball on her desk, silently shaking. Slowly, Axel began to analyze what he knew was going to happen. ''If my memory serves me right, Kamoshida should of been trying to hook up with Ann. Judging by the current date to when they actually started "hanging out", I''d say Kamoshida is still trying to convince her.'' Immediately after Axel had this thought, a deep frown appeared on his face and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t wipe the displeasure from his face. The time slowly ticked by until the ball rang, signifying the end of class. Ann remained on her desk, pretending to be asleep while Axel had a scowl on his face. As he silentl made his way to the door, Axel accidentally bumped into someone. "Woah!" "Huh?" Looking towards the ground, Axel saw a relatively average looking young man with a beat up face. He had short, spikey blue hair and wore what Axel believes to be the standard shujin winter uniform with the shirt untucked, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and suspenders off his shoulders. Rubbing the back of his head, Axel gave him a sheepish laugh as he said, "Sorry about that. I wasn''t paying attention to what was in front of me." The average-looking young man sprung to his feet. He looked over at Axel for a couple seconds before stuttering, "D-don''t worry about it." With a friendly smile, Axel extended the youth his hand as he said, "I''m Axel, the new kid. You are?" The youth hesitated for a couple seconds before he shook Axel''s hand and replied, "Mishima. Mishima Yuuki." 34 Start of the Tournamen After a not-so-great first meeting, Axel offered to buy lunch for Mishima as an apology. Even though Mishima was a little awkward in the beginning, once Axel managed to break his outer shell, he became a chatter box. It was like he exploded with rumors and gossip. He talked about all kinds of things that were happening, not just about in school but outside as well. However, no matter how Axel tried, Mishima just wouldn''t talk about anything relating to Kamoshida. A couple minutes before the bell, Mishima turned so Axel couldn''t see his face and said, "Axel, I don''t know what your trying to do, digging up info on Kamoshida but it won''t end well. The school doesn''t care what he does so be careful or he mightˇ­" Without finishing, Mishima quickly left. Axel gave an appreciative smile to the wounded youth before falling into thought. ''Kamoshida''s influence is stronger than I thought so I''ll have to be careful. However, that doesn''t mean I have to leave him alone.'' A small amount of laughter escaped Axel''s mouth as a mischievous smile plastered itself on his face. The sound of the bell quickly brought Axel out of his thoughts. With a smile, Axel walked to his class. A couple minutes later, Axel entered the classroom only to be glare at by Kawakami as she lazily said, "Your lateˇ­ again." With a wry smile, Axel sheepishly muttered, "I was at the other side of the school when the ball rang soˇ­" Kawakami rolled her eyes at Axel before allowing him in. Once everyone was sitting and waiting, Kawakami stood up from her chair wearing the biggest smile anyone''s ever seen and said, "Okay class, from now until the end of school you''ll all be participating in a volleyball tournament." Before she could continue, Axel stuck his hand up. Kawakami gave Axel a glance before allowing him to speak. "Sensei, will we be competing against other schools?" Students around class began whispering to one another about potentially having to compete against another school. However, Kawakami quickly dashed those rumors as she said, "No. It will only be a friendly competition between other classes in the school. Also, their will also be ''teachers vs students'' match'' later on but if you want to play you need to sign up." Speaking up to here, Kawakami grabbed a paper from her desk. She looked over it for a second before handing to the closest student and saying, "For those who wish to participate in the ''teachers vs students'' matches, please sign up on the paper that will be passed around." Once the paper made it around to Axel, he noticed almost no one signed up. However, the names that were on the paper intrigued him. With a small smile, Axel thought, ''Mishima and Ann, huh.'' Before quickly writing his name and passing the paper on. After a couple minutes, the paper circulated around the whole class and ended up back in Kawakami''s hands. Looking at the three names in the paper caused Kawakami''s face to twitch but she quickly covered it up with a nod. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing someone very familiar to Axel. ''Makoto!?!'' Yes, the new person that appeared happened to be Makoto. She had an especially happy smile on her face as she directly stared at Axel, causing him to shrink into his seat from the stares of his classmates and the death glare he could feel from Ann. Kawakami noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere of the class. With a quickly cough, she brought the focus of the class back as she handed the sign-up paper to Makoto and said, "Here are the people willing to participate in the ''teachers vs students'' matches." Makoto scanned the paper and smiled when she saw Axel''s name. She gave a small nod to Kawakami and said, "If you''ll excuse meˇ­" but before she left, she turned and gave Axel a wink. Luckily, the only people who noticed her actions were Ann (If a glare could kill, Axel would be dead), Mishima (He had stars in his eyes, like he had just met his idol), Kawakami (She gave Axel an amused glance as she found the whole situation funny) and the recipient himself, Axel. Axel gave Ann a wry chuckle which earned a quiet snort from her as she turned away while pouting, which Axel had to admit was quite cute. Then he looked at the reverence practicality radiating from Mishima and sighed. Mishma saw Axel sigh and sheepishly laughed while rubbing his head. Strangely enough, both boys felt closer for some reason. Axel didn''t even need to look at Kawakami as she made no effort to hide her amusement. Axel felt his face twitch but quickly managed to calm himself down. Kawakami told everyone to quickly get changed and meet up at the gym. The girls all quickly left for the changing rooms while the boys couldn''t be bothered and changed in class. After a couple minutes, everyone met up inside the gym as Kawakami was waiting for them. She did a quick roll-call and only when everyone was present did she smile. "Ok class, we''ll start by forming 4 teams of 6. Make sure you properly consider which position you''d like to play." Said Kawakami. Fairly quickly, the class split into four small groups. Somehow, before Axel even realized, he was in a team with Ann and Mishima. Mishima had an excited but anxious look on his face as he keep staring at the volleyball net with a small fire in his eyes. However, his stare froze for a second before his eyes suddenly lost that flame. Axel turned to see what happened, only to discover a tall, well built man walking in through the door. Leaning towards Mishima, Axel silently whispered, "Mishima, who''s that who just walked in." Axel had a feeling he knew who it was but he wasn''t quite sure as he''s never met the person yet. However, his guess proved correct as Mishima replied in a monotone voice, "That''s Kamoshida." Kamoshida had long black unkempt hair, thick eyebrows and a broad and square jawline. He wore a white sport T-shirt and black sport trousers with double white stripes. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Axel glanced at Ann from the corner of his eyes and saw her shivering slightly. Due to his time in the forest, Axel''s hearing was much better compared to the average human and he could hear what some of the other students were muttering. "Isn''t Kamoshida dating Ann?" "I heard that the two of them have been in a relationship for a while now." "You think they do it?" Every sentence he heard made Axel want to flip out on them but when he looked over at Ann, who silently accepted the judging stares of her peers with her head hung low, he quickly calmed himself down. However, his resolve to get some payback burned brighter. 35 Volleyball Tournament Part 1 With everyone separated into teams, Axel was ready for fun and payback when Kawakami suddenly said, "Ah. Axel, Mishima and Ann. Could you three please come here for a second?" Confused, Axel looked over to Ann incase she knew something but she only shrugged her shoulders. Axel sighed before making his way over to Kawakami with the pair in tow. "Since the three of you are participating in the ''Teachers vs Students'' matches, you''ll be excused from the first match as the other students will meet up outside to decide teams." Said Kawakami. Kawakami saw Axel was about to ask something and said, "Do you have a question, Axel?" Without saying anything, Axel pointed to his team. Kawakami instanly realized what he meant and said, "Don''t worry, other students from our class that aren''t currently competing will take over for you." Axel gave her a small nod before leaving the gym with Ann and Mishima quietly following behind him. --- (POV Change) As Kawakami watched Axel''s back as he left, she sighed as she muttered, "I''m tiredˇ­" but before she could relax, a relatively large figure appeared beside her and tapped her shoulder. Kawakami jumped from the sudden touch but relax when she saw who it was. In an exasperated tone she said, "Kamoshida-sensei, please don''t sneak up on me like that." Kamoshida gave a small laugh as he grinned and said, "Sorry, sorry. You looked a bit tired so I wanted to wake you up." Rolling her eyes, Kawakami looked at him and said, "Well, did you need something? Or did you really only come over here just to scare me?" With a small cough to view his throat, Kamoshida looked in the direction of where Axel left and muttered, "That student just nowˇ­ the one with Ann. I don''t think I''ve seen him before." Nodding her head, Kawakami said, "That''s natural. His name is Axel and he just started a couple days ago." Kamoshida continued looking at the door as his brows slowly furrowed. --- (POV - Axel) Outside the gym, a variety of students gathered in a clearing. Axel slowly made his way over with the pair silently following him from behind. However, the silence didn''t last long as a happy voice suddenly echoed, "Ann! Over here!" Axel stopped as a small smile appeared on his face. Turning around slightly, he saw a smile bloom on Ann''s face as she quickly dashed over to the source of the voice. Ann jumped at the figure as she happily said, "Shiho!" Shiho luckily managed to catch Ann as she chuckled and gave her a hug. After being released, Shiho turned towards Axel and signaled him to come over. With a small smile, Axel slowly made his way over to the pair. However, before he could reach them, Axel stopped as he felt a strong grasp pull him from behind. Turning around, Axel was met with the sight of Makoto, who was wearing a large grin on her face. "H-hey Makoto." Muttered Axel as he was still a little surprised. Makoto was about to say something when her lips twitched. Before Axel could ask what happened, a marshmallow-like feeling enveloped his right arm. Gritting her teeth, Makoto looked over at the person holding Axel''s arm and said, "Hello Ann." Ann glared at Makoto while holding Axel''s arm tighter and growled, "Makoto." Shiho, who was watching from the side with an amused expression, suddenly looked at Axel and muttered, "You sly dog." causing Axel''s face to twitch. Axel quickly broke free from both their grasp and fixed his P.E uniform. Both girls looked surprised that Axel actually shook them away but became startled when they saw the look he was giving them. With his arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently on the ground, Axel looked at the pair with a frown and said, "Why can''t you girls get along better?" Both Ann and Makoto started waving their arms in the air as they started spitting a multitude of excuses. However, every word they said landed on deaf ears as Axel ignored them. It took a couple seconds for both girls to realise they really ticked Axel off this time. Makoto felt sad as she reached her arm towards Axel, only to quickly take it back as her lips quivered. Ann just stood still as she didn''t expect Axel to act this way. Shiho saw that things were quickly going south and tried to smooth it over between the trio but before she could speak, a teacher called all of their names. Turning towards the teacher, he handed Axel a paper with all their names written on it and said, "Since you five have been ''busy'' over here, you missed out on forming a team. Luckily, you all seem like friends so all of you will be on the same team. Your last member will be one of the staff because all the other students are already in a team. There''s still some time before the first matches finish so you can stay out here and come up with a game plan. Just remember to come back inside when the matches end." After the teacher left, everyone stood still in silence. Axel still had his arms crossed but his expression started to falter when he saw Makoto and Ann. Makoto had a really sad look on her face as her body unconsiously shrunk, making her appear small and fragile. Ann, on the other hand, had a small frown on her face as she gave Axel a ''blaming'' look. Before Axel could contemplate whether to continue being mad or forgive them, he suddenly felt a rather heavy blow strike him on his side. With wide eyes, Axel turned to the left only to discover Shiho elbowing him in the gut. She gave him a small smile which slightly frightened him and said, "I think that''s enough, right Axel?" Rubbing his ribcage with a contorted face from the pain, Axel stuttered, "Y-yeahˇ­" Turning to face the girls, Axel saw the worry in their eyes and felt slightly guilty for getting mad at them. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. With a small cough to gather their attention, Axel turned his head away from them while scratching the back of his head and muttered, "Sorryˇ­ for getting madˇ­" What Axel didn''t realise, however, was the fact he had a slight blush on his face which caused the girls to all think the same thing. ''C-Cute!!!'' 36 Volleyball Tournament Part 2 Thanks to Shiho, Axel and the girls managed to get back on track now that the awkward situation was adverted. They all huddled up in a small circle on the ground before discussing a game plan for fighting against the teachers. Unlike the other teams that basically sat together and chatted away, Axel''s group actually formed proper strategies thanks to having actually members of a volleyball team, namely Shiho and Mishima. Mishima mainly added in bits and pieces while Shiho built a game plan from the ground up. Axel fell into a short daze as he stared at her in awe as her previously downtrodden face turned into an excited smile as she passionately discussed different moves and strategy. Her eyes seemed to gain a spark of light while her way with words managed to kept everyones attention. However, what surprised Axel most was her voting to make Axel the team captain. Waving his arms in a flustered manor, Axel gave Shiho an exasperated looked before saying, "I can''t be team captain! I don''t even know how to play volleyball properly!" The team didn''t seem to mind his lack of knowledge about the sport as Makoto proudly said, "It''s ok! I don''t know how to play either." She paused as she leaned next to Axel''s ear and whispered, "Lets do our best to learn together~" Makoto''s breath tickled Axel''s neck as a slight blush appeared on his face. Ann silently grumbled something before pulling Makoto away from Axel. Axel watched as Makoto gave Ann a quick glare before turned back to Axel while pouting. Before Axel could speak, Shiho started to cough. Seeing that she successfully managed to gather her teams attention, she gave every member a small frown as she said, "Guys, you should take this more seriously. If you guys haven''t noticed, we''ll be up against Kamoshida, a gold medallist. If we don''t take this seriously, we won''t even know how we lost." Her words sent everyone into thought. A couple minutes later, Ann put her hand up and said, "Shiho, can I say something?" Shiho turned towards Ann and nodded while smiling. Ann took a deep breath and said, "No offence Shiho but I don''t really mind if we lost. I mean, we ARE going up against the volleyball team couch who also happens to be a gold medallist. Winning is gonna be next to impossible." Shiho''s smile faltered a bit before quickly trying to mask it. She manage to pull the wool over mostly everyone present. However, Axel managed to see it. Axel began running through a multitude of different reasons for why she would want to win so badly. After a couple seconds, as if a light was turned on inside his head, Axel looked towards Ann and said, "I think she wants to prove herself." Silence covered the group for a few seconds as Axel''s words settled in. Axel quickly noticed that while Shiho remained silent, her body was slightly trembling. But before he could think to deeply about it, Ann''s voice quickly brought him out of thought. "But why would she want to prove herself? She''s already an exceptional volleyball player. Who would she be trying to prove herself to anyway?" Ann seemed to have asked the question that was on everyone''s mind as the entire groups focus snapped back to Axel. Even Shiho was looking at him, silently waiting for his response. Seeing that everyone was waiting for him to speak, Axel stared at Shiho and said, "I think she wants to prove it to herself. That she made the right choice and that playing volleyball wasn''t a mistake. She wants a reason to keep going." Silence overcame the group again as everyone fell into thought. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Since he was staring at her while he was talking, Axel noticed that Shiho seemed to be on the verge of crying as her shoulders started to tremble and the stifled sobbing he could barely hear, even with his enhanced senses. ''Guess I was right.'' Thought Axel as he sighed. A couple minutes passed by in silence as the group were all wrapped up in there own thoughts. Ann was concerned that her friend was feeling insecure and was trying to think of different ways to support her while Makoto just sat there in a daze, thinking about how she could help her fellow peer. Mishima, on the other hand, had a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something but decided against saying it. Luckily, the couple minutes of silence allowed Shiho to calm down even though her eyes were slightly red and puffy. Once everyone calmed down, Axel somehow naturally took on his roll as temporary captain and began talking about strategies with the enthusiastic assistance of Shiho. She smiled as she knew her decision to recommend Axel as captain was correct. He had a certain charm about him that made him easy to talk to and approachable. Not to mention the fact that the only common ground everyone in the group had was Axel. It definitely isn''t because she felt happy that he understood her. After almost 15 minutes, the team was in the midst of having a half-serious, half-fooling around conversation when the gym doors opened. Kawakami and another teacher came through the door, gathering the attention of Axel and all the other students gathered. The teacher next to Kawakami glanced at all the students, making sure their attention was focused on him and said, "The first couple games are finished. We''ll be taking a short break before the next round, which will be the ''Teachers vs Students'' matches." Except the group Axel was apart of, groans and moans sounded out from the gathered group of students. Before anyone could speak, the teacher said, "Quiet! I know the ''Teachers vs Students'' matches were supposed to be later but a last minute change happened. If you want to complain, complain to the principle." All the students kept quiet. The teacher sighed before leading everyone but Axel''s group inside, saying they needed to meet their new teammate. Axel looked at the tired female teacher before him with a look caught between a smirk and a smile while trying his hardest not to laugh. Kawakami looked extremely tired and irritated, muttering, "Why me..." over and over again. Releasing a small chuckle, Axel said, "Welcome to the team, Kawakami-sensei." Almost instantly after Axel spoke, Kawakami glared at him with as much anger as her tired body could muster before releasing a sigh. Rubbing her forehead, she said, "Thank you for the kind welcome." And walked over to the team. Since most of their game plan was already thought out, Axel quickly filled her in on the details. After hearing everything, Kawakami glared at him again and roared, "ARE YOU CRAZY!?!" Surprisingly, no one on the team supported her claim as Axel calmly said, "We''ll only use that tactic as a last resort. We all fully know how dangerous that is, that''s why it''s a failsafe." Kawakami started ruffling her hair in irritation before storming inside the gym. Everyone outside wryly smiled to each other before quickly following her. 37 Volleyball Tournament Part 3 Walking into the gym, Axel was about to walk over and relax with Ann, Makoto and Shiho when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, Axel gave Mishima a confused gaze and said, "What''s up?" Mishima turned left and right, making sure no one could hear him, then whispered, "Come with me. We need to talk." Axel''s confusion only grew as he quickly followed Mishima to a deserted part of school. Checking the surroundings one last time, Mishima turned to Axel with an extremely serious expression and said, "Can I trust you?" Seeing the current expression on Mishima''s face, Axel quickly realised the seriousness of the talk they were about to have. Axel gave Mishima a small nod while his face showed an equally serious look. Mishima stared at Axel for a couple seconds as if he was trying to discern if he was lying or not. Suddenly, Mishima''s expression eased up as he muttered, "I dragged you here because of someˇ­ issues." "Issues?" Muttered Axel, confused but still quiet so Mishima could continue. Seeing Axel waiting for the rest, Mishima began recounting everything that has been happening lately. About how Kamoshida has been verbally abusing Shiho, even to the point of swearing. How he''s been extremely tough on her during training, bruising and injuring her. Finally, Mishima even talked about how he''s been harassing not only Shiho but Ann as well. By the end of Mishima''s explanation, a pressure suddenly erupted from Axel as a dangerous light danced in his eyes. Cracks appeared on the concrete as Axel clenched his hands into a fist and grit his teeth. Mishima backed up in fear and awe, watching as the new kid who was usually all smiles and kindness looked ready to kill someone. It took a couple seconds for Axel to realise that he was starting to lose control. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths and managed to calm down. Axel stared at Mishima, who was still staring at him with a mix between fear and awe, and said, "Thank you for telling me this, Mishima. I just don''t understand why you had to be so secretive about it." Mishima shook his head to regain focus again and muttered, "This schoolˇ­ doesn''t care. Kamoshida has been abusing his power for years and everyone just ignores it. The teachers, the principle and even the parents. Nothing matters because Kamoshida''s gold medal brings prestige to this rotten school. We can''t just talk about this openly unless your prepared to be expelled." The pain and disappointment in Mishima''s voice allowed Axel to see just how much he was risking. Taken back, Axel just stared and said, "Then why risk it?" Mishima only sighed and said, "I don''t know. I''m justˇ­ tired. Tired of keeping secrets." Pausing, Mishima released a self-deprecating laugh and continued, "Plus, I feel like I can trust you. Even though we''ve only known each other for what? A couple hours?" Axel felt touched by the faith Mishima had in him. A stupidly large grin appeared on his face as he held out his fist toward Mishima and said, "Thanks bro!" Taken back by Axel''s sudden change, it took a couple seconds before Mishima responded by pounding Axel''s fist with his own while wearing a similar grin on his face. "Anytime!" --- Quarter of an hour later, the games resumed as everyone got into their teams. A teacher holding a megaphone waited for the students to become quiet before saying, "Ok everyone! Please listen carefully! The first ''Teachers vs Students'' game will be starting shortly! Can we please have the team lead by Axel come down and get ready?" Releasing a sigh, Axel lightly slapped his cheeks and said, "Let''s do this." Before walking towards the court with his team in tow. Everybody present stared at the team in surprise as each and everyone of them looked extremely serious and focused. Even Kawakami was tense because of the vibe the team was giving off. On the court, everyone got into position while ignoring the murmuring from the students. Suddenly, a roar of laughter rang out in the gym. Axel glared at the figure coming towards them and muttered, "Kamoshidaˇ­" Kamoshida didn''t even glance at Axel as he kept his focus on Ann and smiled. Secretly glancing at his team, Axel saw Ann, Shiho and Mishima slightly tremble before resolving themselves to stand and fight. The referee looked at both teams a couple times before raising his arm and yelling, "Begin!" With the ball still in hand, Kamoshida looked over at Ann and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll take it easy!" Before anyone could react, Kamoshida effortlessly served a fastball, quickly earning the first point for his team. Axel stared in disbelief at the sheer speed and power Kamoshida was able to apply in the volleyball. However, this only served to fire Axel and his team up. For almost half an hour, a game of back and forth played out on the court as everyone stared with baited breaths, refusing to look away for even a second. Originally, everyone expected for Kamoshida to easily wipe the floor with the other team but contrary to popular thought, Axel and co managed to score 2 points in a row, earning a temporary lead. This irritated Kamoshida greatly. Even though he managed to hide it, he started taking the game more seriously, which pushed the team to there limits. Mishima was panting in the back, slightly swaying as if he was in the verge of passing out, red marks all over his arms. Ann wasn''t any better as she even had small bruises from having to dive on the floor to keep the ball in play. Shiho and Makoto were relatively better than everyone else as they only panted slightly and had a light sweat. Kawakami was the worst as she looked like she would pass out, even though she didn''t move as much as everyone else. Axel was the best as he had a calm breathing pace and barely worked up a sweat, only slightly annoyed about the pain in his arms. However, the thing everyone had in common was the fire that was present from the beginning still continued to burn brightly in their eyes. Even though they were tied, the referee yelled, "Last serve! You guys are almost out of time! Score is 12 - 12." Suddenly, Kamoshida glared at Axel and said, "Lets finish this!" Kamoshida released the ball high into the air and leaped after it. He fiercely swung his arm down and roared, "GOLDEN SERVE!!!" Gritting his teeth, Axel used as much power as he could and directly met the attack in an attempt to gain control. Howeverˇ­ *BANG* Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. ''Argh!!!'' The serve was stronger than he thought as he felt his skin burn from the pain. Pushing through, Axel tensed his muscles and launched it into the air. Yet this was a mistake as he launched it way too high. Kamoshida smirked as he knew that if it continued on its descent, it would eventually end up out of bounds on his side of the court, basically guaranteeing the win. Everyone almost lost hope when suddenly, Axel screamed, "TACTIC 13!!!" Almost immediately, Kawakami went pale as she yelled, "DON''T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Causing Ann, Makoto and Mishima to freeze in place. However, Shiho completely ignored her as she started sprinting towards Axel and jumped. Then, under the eyes of the everybody present, everyone watched in horror as Axel cupped his hands down low, caught Shiho''s feet mid-jump and launched her into the air with every ounce of strength he could muster while screaming, "GO!!!" Shiho was launched at least a couple storeys off the ground. But there was no fear on her face, only determination. Using the momentum from the launch, Shiho forward flipped with a spin and smashed the ball down with an over-head kick. As her spin came to a stop, Shiho stared at the roof for a second before closing her eyes and falling. She could hear all sorts of people screaming but she ignored them as she started to think. She thought about Ann, her problems, Kamoshida, Volleyball. Her thoughts continued to get more and more erratic until one thought appeared. Axel, the new kid. He somehow managed to wiggle his way into her heart. However, Shiho was quickly dragged out of her inner thoughts as she suddenly heard a loud and manly roar. "I FUCKING GOT THIS!!!" The feeling of weightlessness was replaced by a warm embrace accompanied with an addicting masculine smell and a rather loud thud. Shiho opened her eyes, only to see Axel with sweat pouring down his face and arms. Taking a deep breath, Axel glanced down at her, smiled and said, "We won." 38 The Gears of Fate and Maware! "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?! SOMEONE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED!!! OR WORSE, SHIHO COULD''VE DIED!!!" Kawakami screamed at Axel and his team, who were forced to seiza on the gym floor. Directly after Axel caught Shiho, the volleyball tournament was brought to an abrupt end. All the teachers lead the curious students out of the gym, leaving a furious Kawakami, Kamoshida and the principle. The principle was a fat bald man wearing a yellow suit with the looks of a frog. He looked at Axel and his team in disapproval and said, "You endangered the life of your fellow student. Because of this, I''ll deduct one point from your match and place all of you on detention for the next week or two, depending on how you behave." The principle quickly left while Kamoshida smirked and followed behind him. Axel just looked at the pair of idiots walk away as he knew why the principle really took the point away from their team. As a gold medallist, Kamoshida has a certain standard he has to keep up. That means it can''t be known that Kamoshida lost to a bunch of kids in a volleyball match, especially considering it was obvious near the end that he took the match seriously when he used a move he usually keeps for actual matches. Luckily, Axel had actually planned for this. When he and Mishima were walking back to the gym, he secretly summoned Stella, gave her his phone and asked her to record his match from a good position. One way or another, Axel was gonna wipe that smirk from that phony kings face. Axel quickly came back from his thoughts as Kawakami continued to scold them when Shiho raised her hand. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Kawakami stopped for a second before motioning for Shiho to talk. Taking a deep breath, Shiho said, "Please don''t blame the team. I was the one who ignore you and ran to Axel." Kawakami was taken back by Shiho''s selflessness. She took a couple deep breaths before releasing a long sigh. "Why meˇ­" Kawakami muttered while rubbing her forehead in irritation. Glaring at Axel for a couple seconds, she turned towards the rest of the team and said, "Fine, I won''t blame the team or you, Shiho. However, everyone has to attend detention. Am I clear?" Everyone nodded. Sighing one last time, Kawakami muttered, "You can all leave thenˇ­" before tiredly walking away. Everyone quietly watched Kawakami until she was completely out of sight. Suddenly, everyone collapsed to the ground and began laughing. After some time passed, the laughter died down as Mishima muttered in a shaky voice, "We did itˇ­ we wonˇ­" Mishima quickly covered his face with his hands and trembled. Axel, thanks to his enhanced senses, could hear his stiffled sobbing but said nothing. Shiho wasn''t any better as she grabbed Ann, plunged her face into her stomach and started crying with a beautiful smile on her face. Ann had a few tears on her face as she tightly embraced Shiho. Even Makoto seemed affected as she hugged Ann, who didn''t refuse her, and cried together. Suddenly, the system spoke. [Second Ranking Quest: Change the world in any significant way 10 times. (3/10) Reward: 40,000 system points, 20 Status points.] Axel was confused about why he completed the quest but before he could ask, the system explained, [It''s due to your affect on Shiho Suzui and Yuuki Mishima. Due to your influence, you''ve affectively changed them as a person. Mishima will no longer have negative thoughts as you''ve given him his freedom back while Shiho will no longer be stuck in depression as you''ve given her a reason to live.] Axel was stunned. He didn''t know that he had that much of an effect on people. However, he noticed something that didn''t add up. "What about Makoto and Sae? Didn''t I change them as well?" [While it is true you helped them become closer, anyone closely related to the fate of a world doesn''t count towards the quest unless an extreme change happens. Your actions would be the equivalent of throwing a stick into the gears. While it may stop for awhile, the stick will eventually break and the gears will continue turning.] Confused, Axel mentally asked, "Closely related to the fate of a world?" [To put it in simple terms: the protagonist, the heroines and the antagonists are all people closely related to a world''s fate. No matter how much you help them, certain things are destined to happen. However, you can change things that are destined to happen but you must be prepared to bare responsibility for your actions.] Axel thought deeply on the systems words for a couple minutes. Suddenly, Mishima''s voice broke him out of his daze as he screamed, "DOG PILE ON AXEL!!!" Before Axel could utter a single word in response, Makoto, Ann and Shiho quickly smothered him in an embrace of softness. "Wow, I''m so jealous Axel. Guess I''ll leave you guys to yourselves. Thank me later, hahahaˇ­" Laughed Mishima as he quickly ran away with a huge grin on his face. Under a pile of soft and fragrant bodies, Axel glared at Mishima''s back while blushing and muttered, "Bastardˇ­" While the word he used was harsh, anyone could tell by the large grin on his face, he didn''t mean it. Suddenly, Axel''s blush exploded all over his face as his breathing became rough. One of the girls had accidently grabbed his sleeping dragon, stirring it from it''s slumber. As if on que, Makoto screamed and quickly got off Axel. Her face flushed red while staring at her hand with wide eyes. Axel, noticing her glancing between her hand and his crotch, blushed deeply while trying to wiggle his way out for the pile of soft bodies. However, his actions led both Ann and Shiho to release seducive moans as he could feel slightly hard protrusions poking his arms. Axel ended up giving up as he lay beneath their bodies. A single tear slid down his face as he silently muttered, "Godˇ­ I swear I''m not a pervertˇ­" Ann quickly jumped off Axel while covering her chest. Taking laboured breaths with a deep blush on her face, she turned around and quickly left the gym. Shiho, on the other hand, wrapped her arms around Axel and took a deep breath in, taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking and Axel''s brain had short circuited. After a couple breaths, she released Axel with a flushed yet calm face and quietly followed after Ann. To Axel, her actions looked as if she hugged him so he lightly smiled while watching her leave. Right as Axel stood up, Makoto quickly walked over and gave him a strong hug, ignoring her rapidly beating heart. The smile on Axel''s face widened as he reciprocated her hug before he suddenly burst into laughter and began spinning around with her in his arms. 39 Lets get this show on the road! It''s been a couple weeks since the volleyball tournament. Mysteriously, a video of the game was released, showing how Kamoshida lost to a bunch of kids while taking the game seriously. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. The video had been taken down numerous times yet the next morning, it would be back again like nothing happened. The blow to Kamoshida''s pride was huge, causing the man to reign in his act for the time being. Axel, on the other hand, was relatively busy. About a week after the tournament, a TV station got in touch with him, wishing to interview him. However, Axel ended up rejecting them as he wished to concentrate on his studies while in reality, he didn''t want to draw any more attention. Occasionally, he would visit Iwai and check in with how he was doing, which usually ended up with him having to cook for both Iwai and his son, who he met when visiting him. The most rewarding thing that happened was the fact that Axel, Ann, Makoto, Mishima and Shiho all ended up becoming really close friends. Thanka to being forced to attend detention, Ann and Makoto had enough time to somehow ''bury the hatchet'' between them and became true friends. Shiho was ecstatic about this as she truly enjoyed the company of both girls. The boys, on the other hand, started hanging out after school. Mishima''s personality went through a drastic change as he appeared more free and happy. At school, Mishima smiled more and became friendlier to people around school. Not just him, Shiho began to smile more from the heart and always tried to cheer people up who looked to be having a bad day. However, some people didn''t take to the changes very well. After the match, Kamoshida noticed that Mishima and Shiho stopped staring at him in despair and fear. Instead, what replaced it was a will to fight and the determination to see things through. Driven mad by the lack of things going his way, Kamoshida increased the intensity of their training to extreme levels. However, other than working up a sweat and taking laboured breaths, the pair never once raised a complaint. As if this wasn''t enough, their actions actually inspired the male and female volleyball teams, leading to everyone completing the extra-hard training without complaining. Kamoshida had almost fainted in fury as all the students hailed Shiho and Mishima like hero''s while treating him as an incompetent and tyrannical coach. The principle was also in a tough spot. Due to the harsh training Kamoshida had been making the students do, friends of said students become worried when their friends showed up tried and injured after practice and decided to followed them to training. Horrified by what they discovered, they all began making complaints, using video evidence to force the principle to discipline Kamoshida. Left with no other choice, the principle quickly made Kamoshida reign in his act. Seeing no better outcome for himself, Kamoshida started acting more secretive and removed himself from the spotlight. Reminiscing about what happened the past couple weeks, Axel smiled as he continued walking to cafe LeBlanc. April had just started, meaning the protagonist of ''Persona 5'' should be making an appearance soon. Wanting to meet him without full-on stalking him or ''coincidentally'' meeting at school, Axel made a habit of always going to LeBlanc for a morning coffee, a habit quickly picked up by the Nijima sisters. The reason behind his actions is because he wanted access to the metaverse. While his stagnant status and skills didn''t bother him, he really wanted to train so that he doesn''t get rusty. Plus, he''s been starting to miss Olivia so he wants to quickly finish his missions and return. Sure, he was fine but there was something about not seeing her for almost an entire month that started eating at him. Shaking his head, Axel smiled as he arrived outside LeBlanc cafe. Just as he was about to grab the doorknob, the door suddenly opened. Behind the door was a young man. He had a head of medium length black hair that had a slightly curl, a pair of black glasses and wore the shujin uniform. Surprise painted the youth''s face as he stared at Axel. Giving the young man a small nod, Axel quietly made his way inside with a smirk on his face. As he expected, the youth followed him inside. Ignoring the questioning glare from the youth, Axel sat at the counter with a smile and said, "Morning Sojiro. Could I get the usual?" Sojiro poked his head out from the kitchen and smiled. However, his smile slowly shifted into a frown before shaking his head with a tired sigh. Placing a cup of coffee before Axel, Sojiro awkwardly looked around for a couple seconds before muttering, "Axelˇ­ I know this is sudden but can you do me a favour?" Axel seemed to serious mull over Sojiro''s words while swirling his coffee aroud with a spoon while on the inside, Axel was trying his hardest not to laugh. Giving a small nod, Axel took a sip of his delicous coffee and said with a smile, "Sure. Whatcha need?" Sojiro sighed in relief before pointing towards the youth, earning a small gasp of surprise from the youth as Sojiro said, "Could you take him to school with you? He''sˇ­ new around here and due to personal reasons, I''d rather him travel with someone I can trust to make sure he actually goes." The youth looked visibly offended but Axel ignored him. Nodding, Axel slowly drank his coffee before reaching for his wallet. Before he could even take out the money to pay, Sojiro grabbed his hand and said, "It''s on the house. You boys best start going to school." After both Axel and the youth left, a quiet and awkward walk ensued. The youth seemed to want to ask him about something but lacked the drive to actually speak. Axel, on the other hand, was ecstatic as one thought appeared in his head. ''It''s time! The story has finally begun!'' 40 A School or a Castle? Coming out of the train station, Axel turned towards the youth and said, "We''re almost there. We''ve got at least half an hour before the bell rings so we should be fine." Reaching his hand towards the youth, Axel smiled and continued, "I''m Axel. Nice to meet you." The youth seemed both surprised and happy about Axel''s action. Quickly turning his phone off, the youth shook Axel''s hand and said in a calm and clear voice, "Akira, Akira Kurusu." Axel gave Akira a small smile before continuing forward. The petals of the sakura littered the ground around them while some would occasionally drift down on a small breeze. Suddenly, Axel stopped in his tracks as a smile appeared on his face as he saw Ann waiting to cross the road. "Hey Ann!" He yelled, swing his arms as he attempted to gain her attention. Ann''s head snapped towards Axel as a beautiful smile adorned her face. She quickly dashed towards him and dove at him with her arms wide open as she happily said, "Axel~!" Luckily, Axel was used to Ann''s antics and caught her before spinning into a tight hug. Akira, however, was awestruck as he looked between the two and silently thought, ''Are these two a thing?'' Ann, finally noticing the presence of another, shyly got off Axel. She smoothly fixed her uniform before looking towards Akira. Akira seemed uncomfortable under Ann''s gaze as he started fidgeting while Axel was trying his hardest not to burst into laughter with how funny he looked. As if she sensed his discomfort, Ann stopped staring at him before reaching her hand out and happily saying, "Nice to meet you! I''m Ann Takamaki, aˇ­ friendˇ­ of Axel''s." Akira suddenly gained an understanding about the pair. Ann seemed to be into Axel while Axel seemed to either be dense or is purposefully ignoring her signals. Shaking the thought out of his head, Akira firmly shook Ann''s hand and said, "Akira Kurusu. I just transferred to Shujin Academy and today is my first day." *Beep* Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Ann simply smiled and said, "Welcome!" The walk signal switched to green as Ann took off in a whirlwind as her charming laughter lingered. Opening his mouth to speak, Akira seemed like he wanted to say something but ultimately chose to stay quiet as he thought to himself, ''It''s not my place to say anything.'' Just as they were about to leave, a rough and wild voice bellowed, "HEY! Wait up!" Turning towards the source of the voice, the pair were met with a blonde haired student wearing a modified uniform that seemed to a mix of the uniform and punk-style clothes. The blonde youth seemed exhausted as he spent a couple seconds trying to catch his breath. He held his hand out and tiredly muttered, "ˇ­Here, you dropped this." Inside his palm was a black wallet. Akira quickly reached around his pockets and found his wallet missing. With a pale face, Akira gratefully took his wallet back from the youth and said, "Thank you. I would''ve been screwed if I lost it." "Why?" Asked Axel, giving him a curious glance. With a wry smile, Akira slowly explained that he''s technically on house arrest. Seeing that he felt uncomfortable talking about his situation, the youth beamed a bright smile at the pair as he proudly stood tall and said, "I didn''t introduce myself, did I? I''m Ryuji Sakamoto. Second year, just like you two." Giving him a grateful nod, Akira said, "I''m Akira Kurusu. Nice to meet youˇ­ Sakamoto." Ryuji smiled happily until Akira called him Sakamoto, almost causing him to fall to the ground. Ryuji shot up and angrily muttered, "Don''t call me Sakamoto! Just call me Ryuji!" Axel could barely contain his laughter as he desperately tried to contain it as he slowly said, "Nice to meet you, Sakamoto." As if it was the last straw, Ryuji seemed to slip and fall to the ground. Groaning, he sadly muttered, "Dude, not you tooˇ­" Both Axel and Akira quickly apologized while helping him off the floor. The trio looked at the time before slowly running to school. They only ran slowly because Ryuji seemed to have an injury which prevented him from going too fast. As they were about a couple blocks away, a car came speeding around a corner with an angry driver inside. Ryuji seemed to recognize the driver as a disgusted look appeared on his face as he quietly muttered, "Gehˇ­ Kamoshidaˇ­" *Beep* Confused, Akira looked towards Ryuji and asked, "Who''s Kamoshida?" Slapping his forehead, Ryuji said, "What do yo- Wait, are you the new kid?" Seeing Akira give a small nod, Ryuji sighed and continued, "Kamoshida is this big dickhead! He basically has this school wrapped around his fingerˇ­ well, had." Ryuji suddenly started slapping Axel''s shoulder as he excitedly said, "Now, we have this guy! He showed him that he''s not some king of a damn castle!" *Beep* A weird headache simultaneously hit the three boys. Akira and Ryuji quickly shook it off before continuing to school while Axel excitedly smiled. After a couple minutes, the boys all stood in awe at the humongous castle infront of them. Rubbing his eyes, Ryuji muttered, "ˇ­You guys seeing this?" "Yup." "Mhmm." Ryuji walked around for a bit before muttering, "This is definitely where they school is, er, was." Akira seemed to be in a daze as he just stared at the castle. Ignoring the pair, Axel walked towards the front door and gave it a light push. Slowly, the door opened up. Before Akira and Ryuji could react, Axel walked inside while whistling. Both boys looked at each other before quickly following after Axel. Inside, the boys came to a half as they stared at the interior in awe. Ryuji seemed really impressed as he looked around and slowly muttered, "Woahˇ­ are you for real?" Suddenly, something caught Axel''s eye. A suit of armour was walking around. Before Axel could stop him, Ryuji ran up to the armour and angrily yelled, "Yo! Your a student, right? The hecks up with the school!?! Is this some prank!?!" Wryly smiling to himself, Axel shook his head as he silently cursed, ''Damn it Ryuji!'' What happened next was what Axel completely expected. The armour seemed to call for back-up as it tried to restrain Ryuji. Angered about being manhandled, Ryuji started punching and kicking the armour, only to be stopped by one strong punch to the gut. Akira tried to help free Ryuji but was quickly restrained by the reinforcements. Ryuji looked towards Axel and screamed, "Dude, run! Get help!" Giving Ryuji a light smile, Axel dashed at the closest walking armour and heavily struck its chest, sending it flying. Both boys stared at Axel in shock as he continued to weave in and out of the enemy ranks, using their own attacks against their teammates. While Axel isn''t trained formally in hand-to-hand combat, his physical strength isn''t something to scoff at. Also, thanks to his repaired magic circuits, Axel''s body has been slowly nourished by the magic flowing through it, making him slightly stronger than the average human. Suddenly, Ryuji turned pale as he screamed, "BEHIND YOU!!!" Before Axel could react, he was quickly captured by a set of armour. Reprimanding himself for letting his guard down, Axel wryly smiled and whispered, "My hands freaking hurtˇ­" 41 Joker Dumped inside a cell in an underground dungeon, Axel, Ryuji and Akira were sitting together trying to figure a way out. Akira moved all around the room, fiddling with anything and everything while Ryuji became ''Captain Obvious'' as he pointed out the things everyone could see. "That chain over there seems bolted to the wallˇ­" "That barrel seems emptyˇ­" Axel just stood by and watched while trying not to burst into laughter. While their actions didn''t seemed scripted as they genuinely were trying to find a way out, the way they were going about it was hilarious. However, his laughter didn''t last long as the sound of footsteps could be heard. Unlike in the game, Ryuji leapt into the barrel to hide while Akira pretended to sleep on the bed. With nowhere to hide, Axel opted to just stand in the middle of the cell. The door slowly opened as a man wearing nothing but a cape, his underwear and a fancy crown walked inside. As he went to open his mouth to speak, Ryuji leapt towards the man while screaming. Then, as if they discussed it earlier, Akira dashed off the bed with the ragged blanket in his hands and wrapped his head with it. Axel stared in a daze as the man didn''t even get to speak a word before being besieged by the two teens. Ryuji and Akira were already outside of the cell as Ryuji screamed, "Dude, get a move on! He won''t stay confused for long!" Impressed by their teamwork, Axel followed the two outside. However, not before stealing the key off of shadow Kamoshida and locking him inside the cell. Ryuji and Akira both gave Axel a mischievous smile, which Axel returned with a smile just as mischievous. After running for a bit, the boys stopped as the sound of armour clacking around could be heard just around the corner. Whispering, "I got this.", Axel leaned against the corner as he listened to what the guards were talking about. "Hey, did you guys get the memo? Some intruders are roaming around the castle. They somehow escaped when the king was going to execute them." "Really? Wowˇ­ what a lousy king. Letting the prisoners escape." "I know right? King Kamoshida is lucky his standing makes him king or else we''d be trying for a new King." Axel was surprised by what he was hearing. It turns out that the shadows weren''t was loyal to Kamoshida as they were in the anime. Hell, the even doubted him and wanted a replacement. However, before Axel could get more information, Ryuji suddenly yelled, "Yo, did those guys just say Kamoshida?" Both Akira and Axel glared at Ryuji as they yelled, "DAMN IT RYUJI!!!" Giving both Akira and Axel a clueless look, Ryuji said, "What? What''d I do?" As soon as he finished talking Ryuji finally realised that his little outburst had given away their location and now they were cornered by a huge group of armoured guards. The guards quickly swarmed the trio, making sure to capture Axel first. As they struggled to free themselves, the man who they locked in the cell appeared before them. He clapped sarcastically as he said, "Well done. You three managed to escape me for a full five minutes." Ryuji glared at the man as he yelled, "What the hell Kamoshida! You can''t just hold us here like captives!" Shadow Kamoshida burst into laughter before roaring, "I CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT TO!!!" Kamoshida seemed insane as he suddenly started throwing punch after punch at Ryuji''s stomach while sadistically laughing. Without even a second thought, Kamoshida snatched one of the guards sword and lifted it above his head. Ryuji was shaking in pain and fear as he started thrashing about while begging to live. The sadistic smile on Kamoshida''s face grew and grew as he said, "Die." However, just as Kamoshida went to slash at Ryuji, a shockwave burst outwards from Akira''s body. The guards and Kamoshida were knocked back a bit, causing them to stumble around as Akira suddenly had a white and black mask covering his eyes. Confused and scared, Akira desperately clawed at the mask around his face while ignoring the huge amount of pain it seemed to bring him. While all this was going on, Axel was silently recording him using his phone as the transformation scene in any persona game is really freaking cool. Suddenly, a deep and gentlemanly voice bellowed as an azure flame burst from bellow Akira and slowly began changing his outfit, "Vow to meˇ­ I am thouˇ­ thou art Iˇ­ thou who would accept blasphemy for the sake of thine own justiceˇ­ call upon my name, and release thy rageˇ­ show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine ownˇ­ though thou be chained to hell itself!!!" Akira''s eyes snapped open as he yelled, "COMEˇ­ ARSENE!!!" The blue flames that covered Akira slowly started to materialise behind him until it took the form of an angel. However, what appeared was anything but one. The flames exploded, exposing a large angel with black wings that was wearing a suave red suit. It''s head seems to be a black helmet with horns while it''s facial features were made with a red flame that emanated from within the helm. Akira''s demeanour suddenly changed as his face showed a cocky smile. In a showboaty manner, Akira dramatically waved his hands. The dark angel behind him then mimicked his actions and unfurled his wings, send a large gust that sent the guards and Kamoshida flying while simultaneously freeing Ryuji and Axel. Before anyone could react, Akira grabbed Ryuji and Axel before taking off further into the dungeon. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. After a couple minutes, Akira stopped as be began panting. Ryuji wasn''t much better as he held his leg while cringing. Axel, on the other hand, was complete fine and decided to be a temporary look out until the pair recovered. Ryuji suddenly muttered, "ˇ­What the hell was that?" Akira seemed to have relatively recovered as he replied, "Iˇ­ honestly don''t know. The only thing I do know is that it''s called a persona." Ryuji seemed unsatisfied with that answer but understood that this was all likely new to Akira as well. As the pair finally recovered, Axel gave them a small smile as he said, "Thanks for the save." A huge smile suddenly appeared on Ryuji''s face as he gave a strong slapped to Akira''s shoulder and said, "Yeah man. I totally would''ve been a goner if it wasn''t for you." Akira was about to reply when he suddenly stopped. Confused, Ryuji was about to ask of everything was alright when Akira said, "Do you guys hear that?" "Hear what?" Asked Ryuji, completely clueless as he couldn''t hear anything. Axel ignored Ryuji''s question as he could clearly hear the voice that seemed to be calling out to them from a couple cells away. He released a small smile as he knew just what was trying to get their attention. "I hear something too. I think it''s coming from further down. Let''s check it out." Said Axel as he began walking further into the dungeon with the two boys in tow. 42 Morgana Axel slowly strolled through the dungeon like he was strolling around a park, silently taking in the sights. Akira had somehow lost his persona formed and calmly walked next to Axel. Ryuji walked next to Akira as he grumbled about something. "Help! Anyone there? Please help me! I''m locked in a cell." Suddenly, Axel came to a halt and caused Akira and Ryuji to crash into his back. Akira straightened his glasses while Ryuji glared at Axel and said, "Hey! What''s the big idea!?! Don''t just suddenly stop!" Axel just glanced towards Akira, ignoring the pissed off Ryuji and asked, "Did you hear that?" "Yeah, I did. I think it''s coming from the last cell." Akira confidently walked to the last cell. Seeing him suddenly freeze, Axel shook his head before walking over with Ryuji in tow. "Hey! Can you guys get me out? The switch is just over there!" Inside the cell was a predominantly black cat with blue eyes and a white muzzle, paws and tail tip who wore a yellow collar. Unlike a normal cat though, this one had a more human look as it stood on two legs while a black bandana covered it''s face. Akira and Ryuji both stared at each other for a second before immediately snapping to Axel. "What do you think this thing is?" Axel promptly ignored the idiot duo and continued to stare at the cat . The cat seemed uncomfortable under his gaze and quietly said, "W-what? Why are you staring at me like that?" Pointing towards the lever, Axel said, "All I have to do is pull that to open your cell right?" Lights lit up in the cats eyes as he happily said, "Yeah!" Before Axel could pull the switch, Ryuji suddenly asked, "Do you know they way out of here, monster cat?" "Yup, I know how to leave this place. And I''m not a cat!" A crafty look appeared on Akira''s face as he showed a neutral expression and said, "Let''s make a deal. You show us the way out and we''ll let you out of the cage." Morgana slowly mulled over Akira''s words before nodding. Akira gave a small smile before pulling the lever that opens the cell door. Before Morgana could enjoy his freedom, 5 walking suits of armour surrounded them. Axel''s brows slightly frowned as he quietly thought, ''These guys feel different from the last groupsˇ­'' A violent burst of aura that was a mix of black and red exploded from the shadows as they changed into five floating pumpkins wearing a mates robe. "Appraisal." Axel quietly muttered. [Name: Jack-o-lantern Level: 5 Persona type: Magician.] Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. [Name: Jack-o-lantern Level: 5 Persona type: Magician.] [Name: Jack-o-lantern Level: 5 Persona type: Magician.] [Name: Jack-o-lantern Level: 5 Persona type: Magician.] [Name: Jack-o-lantern Level: 5 Persona type: Magician.] Just as Axel was about to charge, Morgana''s voice echoed and he yelled, "Get back! You won''t be able to harm them!" A smiled appeared on Axel''s face as he lightly said, "Just watch me." Axel closed the gap between himself and the closest enemy. Pumping some mana into his arms, Axel clasped his hands together and fiercely struck the floating pumpkin from above, smashing it''s face into the ground. With a small chuckle, Axel dusted his shirt off and said, "Hmmm... You were saying?" Morgana didn''t answer as his mouth had fallen to the ground. Everyone else, enemy or not, we''re also stunned. Suddenly, a flame burst from underneath Axel. Luckily, Axel managed to dodge with only minor scorches on his uniform. Shaking his head, Morgana finally processed what happened before jumping infront of Axel and the boys. He gave a quick glance to Axel as he said, "I''ll count on you for some assistance then. The other two, get behind me." "What''s a cat gonna-" Before Ryuji could finish, a huge torrent of blue flames burs from Morgana as he smirked and screamed, "Come! Zorro!" As the flames grew, they slowly took on the appearance of a man wearing a black suit and bandana. In his hands was a rapier. The next second, the rapier became a blur and before anyone realised, two of the Jack-o-lanterns collapsed to the ground before turning into black smoke. Acting smug because he got to show off, Morgana didn''t even see that one of the Jack-o-lanterns were launching a huge fireball directly at him. In a moment, Akira was already infront of Morgana as he stretched one hand towards the incoming attack. With a confident smile, Akira slowly muttered, "Comeˇ­ Arseneˇ­" In a flash of blue flames, the dark angel from before appeared. Right before the fireball made contact, Arsene reached out and crushed it into it''s palm. Morgana was stunned as he yelled, "You''re a persona user too!?!" Akira didn''t even reply as he lightly said, "Go." Arsene spread his wings and took off. It smashed it''s claw-like down, leaving a nasty scar on the face of one of the Jack-o-lanterns. Then it grabbed the scarred pumpkin and smashed it''s head into the ground until it became smoke. Seeing only two pumpkins left, Morgana looked towards Akira and Axel and excitedly yelled, "Hey rookies! You ready to end this with a bang?" Akira just grinned while Axel cracked his knuckles and said, "Ready when you guys are." As Morgana lept forward, Axel and Akira quickly followed behind. The trio laid a flurry of attacks on the last two pumpkins. A couple seconds had passed before everyone stopped attacking. Akira slowly walked away before straightening his gloves with a wide smirk. As if that was a trigger, all the wounds on the pumpkins all burst at once, ejecting some sort of black liquid before collapsing into smoke. Axel had to physically resist the urge to smack that smirk off Akira''s face as he sighed, releasing the tension that built up from battle. Morgana quickly dashed to Akira as he yelled, "Where did you learn to fight?" Axel merely said, "My girlfriend taught me." Both Akira and Ryuji twitched as the same thought appeared in their minds, ''He has a girlfriend!?!'' Both Akira and Ryuji wanted to complain that he''s just leading the other girls on but decided against it as they could tell that Axel was surprisingly dense and that it''s impossible for him to lead them on. Both guys silently prayed for the girls before following behind Morgana, who became slightly dejected when he saw no one was listening to him explaining about why he''s here. Along the way, Morgana explained about where they are. A palace. A dimension born from a person''s twisted desires. Morgana began to explain that their desire twists this reality into how they view it. Ryuji seemed to click as the king(Kamoshida) viewed the school as his own personal castle for him to rule. Along the way, they found a group of students. They all wore the Shujin volleyball uniform and were being subjected to extremely cruel punishment. Axel frowned as he found the torture even more extreme than it was in the anime. There were even causalities falling to the floor, bloody and wounded. However, after a small amount of time, the students slowly stood back up and continued with there training like nothing happened. Ryuji became enraged as he glared at the volleyball team and yelled, "The hell!?! What''s with this torture chamber!!! I know Kamoshida is a tyrant who only cares about his standing but this trumps anything I thought he was capable of!!!" "I think your mistaken, Ryuji." Suddenly, all eyes became focused on Axel. Slowly, he gazed at the students and said, "Look at their facesˇ­" Everyone turned towards the students with confusion in their eyes. However, the moment they saw the students expression, all the questions they had disappeared. Each and every student had a fire in their eyes while a small smile was on their face, as if they were mocking the grueling training. 43 Boys Seeing no point in gather names and details as the students seemed to be fighting in their own way, the small group continued forward. Because they just wanted to leave, they spent most of the time avoiding the shadows. Ryuji, being Ryuji, once again stopped and started cursing at Kamoshida for putting these students through this kinda of torture. This seemed to be the last straw for Morgana as he said, "Urgh, can you listen for once! These guys aren''t real people! They''re just the cognition of how Kamoshida sees the students! And from how the students seem to mock him at every available moment, you can clearly see that the students in reality are rebelling against him!" Ryuji didn''t seem to understand but it was a different story with Akira and Axel. Akira fell into deep thought as he was still trying to understand everything while Axel only smiled as he said, "Morgana is basically saying these projections are created and act how Kamoshida sees them. That''s to say that in reality, Kamoshida gives the volleyball team hard practice and training yet everyone would band together to complete the training with a smile. Kamoshida would in turn feel that the students are quietly mocking him for resorting to intense training just because he''s shown his true petty nature." If Ryuji didn''t understand before, his eyes were now spinning as he couldn''t keep up. Akira, however, had a light of understanding in his eyes as he nodded. Morgana actually smiled with a friendly light in his eyes as he happily said, "You understand!?!" Axel merely smiled yet this was enough as Morgana seemed satisfied. Morgana gave Ryuji a glance as he sighed and said, "When Axel explained it so accurately, how can you not understand?" Ryuji wanted to defend himself but he also understood that what Axel said must have made sense yet no matter how he wrapped his head around it, it just didn''t stick. Axel saw that Ryuji started feeling glum so he decided to help out. "Morgana, you shouldn''t be so hard on Ryuji. To be able to understand something like this, you''d need prior knowledge on the subject. And it''s understandable that Ryuji, as a highschool student, doesn''t fully understand." "But you understand!" "That''s because I have knowledge about cognition and how it works." Ryuji actually shot Axel a look of appreciation. Akira remained silent as he seemed to understand at least 50% of the conversation. Morgana scoffed as he suddenly said, "And where would you learn about that kind of stuff? Don''t even think about saying that you learnt it at school because if you did, why do those two look like they barely understand?" Axel remained calm as he replied, "My hobby is reading fantasy novels and stuff. When you read as many fantasy stories as I have, you pick up a thing or two." Everyone gave Axel an exasperated look yet couldn''t really say anything in retort. Everyone''s had moments where something they''ve read from stories or learned through video games and anime actually helps them to understand something. Axel even remembers when he read a short article online back in his old world where a class that was lost on a school trip in Italy actually managed to find their way back when one of the students took the lead. When asked how he knew the way to the church where they were supposed to meet the other classes, the boy replied, "I''ve played Assassin''s creed 2 before. The area started to resemble the game so I just followed what I remembered from the game and BAM!, we made it." Morgana smiled wryly and had no choice but to accept his explanation. The group continued forward yet there was a sudtle change. Akira and Ryuji seemed more friendly than before while Morgana actually seemed to have fun with the small group. As they continued sneaking around, Axel and the group noticed the layout begin to change. The dungeon like layout, at some point, had changed and become a gaudy looking room. The group continued down a long hall until they came across a weird door. The door seemed to switch between a gaudy white door and a grey school door. Before Akira and Ryuji could ask, Morgana said, "That right there, is a safe room." "A safe room? What''s that?" Clearing his throat, Morgana smugly said, "A safe room is a room where the distortion is at its weakest. Because of this, the armoured suits, or the shadows, can''t get in." Ryuji just became even more confused as he asked, "What''s a shadow?" "A Shadow is the true self that is suppressedˇŞa side of one''s personality they don''t want to see. They manifest and occupy an open palace." It was a vague answer but managed to get the point across. Inside the room, the fancy room changed and became a classroom on the first floor. Just as they sat down to rest, Axel suddnly blurted out, "Won''t we be able to get outside if we climb out that vent?" His words seemed to have lit a fire under Akira and Ryuji as they quickly sprung into action. Axel just sat back and watched as the two boys slowly started removing the vent. "Why are you so calm?" Axel was quickly taken out of his thoughts as Morgana asked him a question. He seriously mulled over it for a second before saying, "I don''t know. I guess after everything I''ve been through, something like this is justˇ­ meh." Axel was obviously only talking about the sudden change in hiw everyday life. From a loving home and family to surviving in a monster infested forest, not many things could surprise him anymore. Morgana saw the melancholy on Axel''s face and became quiet, thinking he brought something up that Axel didn''t like talking about. Luckily, Axel reassured him everything was alright as he smiled and said, "But, not all things were bad. I may have lost the only home I knew but I gained a very lovable girlfriend and a great comrade." Both Axel and Morgana were brought out of their conversation with a loud bang, accompanied by Ryuji''s voice as he cheered, "Hell yeah! We can finally leave!" In a couple minutes, everyone was outside. Ryuji, being who he is, cheered with a huge smile on his face like a man who just escaped prison. Akira was relatively calm with a relieved smile plastered to his face. Morgana began talking about going back in before waving goodbye to Axel and the boys, much to Axel''s confusion. In the game, Morgana was supposed to ask them for there help only to be rejected by Ryuji and Akira before they left for school. However, Axel didn''t really mind as he will definitely be back for the experi- *cough* I mean, to help Akira and Ryuji. Putting all here thoughts to the back of his head, Axel decided to tackle the current problem that they faced. "Akira, Ryuji. We need to talk." Seeing Axel''s serious look, the boys silently waited for Axel to continue. "We''re late for school." Just as the boys were about to berate him for bringing up such a topic now, Axel frowned as he said, "Remember, Akira is on house-arrest. What do you think the court will think with him missing the first period?" Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Akira suddenly paled as he muttered, "Oh noˇ­" Ryuji finally realised how serious of an issue this is and panicked. Lucky for them, Axel had a plan. With a mischievous look on his face, Axel slowly explained his plan while suppressing his laughter. At the end, both Akira and Ryuji also adapted mischievous looks as they praised Axel for his genius. Now, all thay had to do was implement the planˇ­ --- Outside the gate stood an irritated Kamoshida and a yawning Kawakami. He guessed that Kamoshida was most likely the teacher on duty while Kawakami was waiting for the new student, Akira. Looking back, he recieved a nod from Akira and Ryuji as they supported themselves on Akira''s shoulder. Walking towards the gate with heavy steps, the first person to notice them was Kamoshida. Before he could even get a word out, he choked as he looked at the mess before him. The boys were covered in dust and dirt while small traces of blood could be seen. After they got to the gate, Axel explained that some idiot pushed them down a flight of stairs. Kamoshida suppressed the smile threating to burst on his face while Kawakami actually lost her usual laziness. With worry present in her eyes she actually excused the boys from the next period of class and forced them to rest in the infirmary. When they passed the teachers, Axel, Akira and Ryuji all had victorious smiles on their faces. 44 Lets raid the palace! It''s been a couple days since Axel, Akira and Ryuji were trapped in the palace. For some reason, Axel had a growing feeling that something bad was going to happen soon but he didn''t know what. Because he dealt with Kamoshida already, Ann hasn''t been harassed and is still her bright and happy self while Shiho has been embracing her freedom. Yet no matter how he reassured himself, there was a small nagging feeling that something wasn''t right, so he asked Stella to watch over Shiho. The two idiots, Akira and Ryuji had become good friends with Axel, adding to the small group of bros. Heck, Axel somehow even managed to convince Sojiro to let Akira stay out after curfew on the condition that Axel accompanied him. Needless to say, the first thing that happened was a bros night where they just jammed games all night and almost missed school. The only bad thing to note would be that Axel didn''t actually acquire the metaverse app, meaning he couldn''t actually visit Kamoshida''s palace. He thought that just visiting a palace would grant him access yet he was wrong. Releasing a sigh, Axel rubbed his tired eyes and muttered, "Let''s see my stats before going to bed. Status." As soon as he finished his sentence, a familiar screen that he hasn''t seen in awhile appeared. [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 11 LVP: 40% HC: Healthy MP: 3000/3000 STR: 22 (+3) AGI: 18 STA: 33 INT: 30 DEX: 19 MEN: 33 LUC: 10 CHA: 20 Status Points: 20 System Points: 28,310.] Axel frowned at the miniscule experience he gained but understood it was because he only managed to defeat the five elite pumpkins. Noticing the spare status points, Axel added them, changing the stats on the status screen. [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 11 LVP: 40% HC: Healthy MP: 3500/3500 STR: 30 (+8) AGI: 20 (+2) STA: 35 (+2) INT: 35 (+5) DEX: 20 (+1) MEN: 35 (+2) LUC: 10 CHA: 20 Status Points: 0 System Points: 28,310.] With a tired yawn, Axel smiled as he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep. --- The next morning, Axel woke up still feeling the abrupt boost in status. Feeling the power flowing through him, Axel couldn''t help but smile. Because Stella is stealthy guarding Shiho, Axel didn''t have to wait for her lazy butt and quickly left for school after washing up and having breakfast. His first stop was at LeBlanc. Opening the door, Axel smiled as he imitated a childish voice and said, "Akira, ready for school?" Followed by loud footsteps, Akira quickly appeared downstairs in his uniform which looked hastily put on just so he could roll his eyes at Axel. Sojiro chuckled from behind the bar as he laid two coffees down. After Axel and Akira finished their coffees, they quickly left for school. However, half way there, they both got a text from Ryuji that said, "We need to talk." Once Axel and Akira reached the school gate, the pair were dragged into an alley by Ryuji. Ignoring the glare coming from the two, Ryuji smiled and said, "I think we should go back to the castle." All the anger Axel felt vanished as this is the moment he has been waiting for. Suppressing his smile, he agreed and turned towards Akira, waiting for his response. Seeing the expectant gazes focused on him, Akira sighed as he said, "OK, I''m in." School passed by uneventfully besides the fact that during lunch, Stella would tease him by reporting about when Shiho took showers or when she was getting changed, causing Axel to turn bright red. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. After school, Axel quickly ran to the roof to wait for Ryuji and Akira. Luckily, he didn''t have to wait for long as Ryuji and Akira appeared a minute or so later. Ryuji wasted no time as he brought out his phone and smugly said, "Behold!" Akira just stared at him while Axel decided to tease him as he pulled out his phone and said, "Mines a better model." Ryuji rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "I''m not talking about my phone. I''m talking about this app. Don''t you remember? Just before we arrived at that castle, we heard a series of beeps? I think that the freaky app that Akira was talking about is responsible for bringing us there and now, I have it too." Both Axel and Akira stood rooted to the spot with surprise glued to their faces. Axel suddenly checked his phone before looking west. His actions seemed to have confused Ryuji as he asked, "Umˇ­ Axel? What''re you doing?" "I''m checking to see if the sun rose from the west this morning." "Hey! Screw you!" Said Ryuji as he glared at Axel. "Well, putting jokes aside. Why do you want to go back?" Ryuji suddenly smiled as he said, "Well, after we left, I''ve been thinking over what you and Morgana said about cognition. I was thinking that we might be able to find enough evidence there to get Kamoshida fired." Silence. No one said a word as Akira and Axel stared at Ryuji with wide eyes. Ryuji knew what they were thinking as he growled and said, "What? I''m not an idiot! I can use my brain when I want to!" Suddenly, Akira coughed to gather their attention as he said, "So I take it we''ll be going back again? I kinda want to get used to that power." Ryuji nodded before turning to stare at Axel. Both Akira and Ryuji knew that while Akira had his power, Axel was physically stronger and faster than they were. Hell, he even managed to send the shadows flying with his own brute strength. Not to mention that he was smart enough to understand what Morgana was talking about. Having him come along would be a major boon for them. Both boys didn''t have to wait long as Axel smiled, pumped his fist into the sky and yelled, "Let''s raid the palace!" "Hell yeah!" Exclaimed Ryuji and Akira as they happily raised there fists. 45 Gathering Evidence "*Whistle* Wowˇ­ still as grand and gaudy as last timeˇ­" It turns out Ryuji was right. The freaky app that appeared on Akira''s and Ryuji''s phone was the key to enter the palace. They massive castle looked the same as before. However, just as Ryuji was about to open the door, Axel grabbed his hand and stopped him. "What gives Axel?" Releasing a sign, Axel said nothing and pointed towards the window. Confused, the two boys looked through the window and became pale. There were at least 10 suits of armour guarding the stair case infront of the door as well as two gold suits of armour with a dark red aura surrounding them. Wiping off the cold sweat on his forehead, Ryuji softly said, "The vent?" "The vent." Said Axel as he removed the vent cover before making his way inside. Once everyone was inside the safe room, Akira suddenly said, "Wait. Before we continue, I want to try and use that power again." Axel didn''t allow him as he explained, "Akira, waiting until we get into battle. You don''t know if using your power will tire you out or not." Akira wanted to say something but ultimately kept quiet. He knew Axel was right and using his powers might just exhaust him, making him nothing more than a burden. Suddenly, Axel smiled as he said, "Don''t think too much, Akira. With all the guards walking around in this place, you''ll be able to test your power sooner rather than later." Akira showed a bitter smiled while he muttered, "ˇ­I don''t know if I should be happy about that or not." The group chuckled before slowly making their way forward. Ryuji actually had a thoroughly thought out plan. They would stop by the students whose training seemed more violent then the others and remember their face so they could ask about it in reality. Other than that, Akira and Ryuji would ask some of the students some questions, to which they were more than happy to answer. It seems that Axel''s actions had brought about a change in how Kamoshida viewed his students. Instead of being too afraid to reach out for help, the students seemed more than willing to spill the beans on anything ''unethical'' Kamoshida has done. The boys were informed of multiple cases of Kamoshida''s petty personality ruining the careers of raising sports stars. However, the thing that caused rage to boil inside all of them was the fact that Kamoshida had actually forced multiple girls on the female sports teams to send him dirty photos or even their used clothes and underwear. Since the girls in the sports teams weren''t found on this level, they couldn''t get their side of the story. When Ryuji suggested asking some members from the female sports teams in reality about Kamoshida''s harassment, a small pressure leaked from Axel as he spoke with a chilling smile, "Ryuji, don''t bring this up to the female sports teams. Kamoshida''s harassment is most likely a black stain in their lives that they wish nothing more than to erase the memory altogether. I would rather we tried harder in procuring evidence than bringing up bad memories for those girls." The boys audibly gulped as they could feel how pissed he was. It wasn''t like a volcano erupting but a small breeze carrying a chilling wrath. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. They could feel a cold hand caress on back of their necks as Axel continued to stand there, smiling. Akira was confused because he only ever saw the calm and composed Axel while Ryuji was downright scared. He knew that Axel, Ann and Shiho are really close to each other. The students also mentioned about how Kamoshida would sometimes beat and berate Shiho just because he could while he had harassed Ann to tears on more than one occasion. Clenching his fist, Axel stared at his clutched hand as he thought, ''I''ve never been this angry beforeˇ­ It feels disgustingˇ­'' His mind was focused to the extreme while the impulse to just beat the shit out of Kamoshida invaded his mind. However, Axel controlled himself because the world he''s in has laws and rules he has to follow. Not only that but there''s a chance that his actions will completely ruin the path the story is supposed to follow, creating even more problems. He knew that some of his actions have changed the story, like how he exposed Kamoshida''s true character and forced the man to reign himself in. Due to exposing Kamoshida earlier than the world intended, he''s noticed how Kamoshida has become mentally unstable. It''s not to the point of him killing people but whenever Axel and Kamoshida pass each other, he''s noticed a glint of pure malice in Kamoshida''s eyes directed towards him. Sometimes, his malicious stare is even directed to Axel''s friends. Taking a couple deep breaths, Axel composed himself before saying, "Sorry for that. I''m good now." "You sure? We can take a break for awhile. I mean, we aren''t that far front the safe room." Ryuji was genuinely concerned for Axel. He could see that Axel was a little shaken up from learning about the things Kamoshida did to his friends. The fact that he was still unleashing a slight pressure was more than enough for Ryuji to see he needed time to relax. It took a couple minutes but the boys made it to the safe room. Inside, the boys were chatting and relaxing, allowing Axel to finally compose himself as the pressure he was unconsciously releasing stopped. Suddenly, the door flung open as a black blur shot inside. As the figure slammed the door, it collapsed against the door as it started panting hard. Axel stared at the figure, dumbfounded, as he blankly muttered, "ˇ­Morgana?" Wryly looking up, Morgana''s eyes widened as he screamed in surprise, "Whaˇ­ Axel!?! And the other two as well!?! Why the hell are you guys here!?!" A tick mark appeared on Ryuji''s head as he glared at Morgana and yelled, "The hell!?! What do you mean, ''And the other two''!?! Akira and I have names, you monster cat!!!" Taken back, Morgana suddenly gained a burst of strength as he lept to his feet and yelled, "I''m not a cat, you freaking fake delinquent!!!" Seeing the two about to jump into a full on brawl, Axel sighed as he gave both a swift chop to the back of the head and said, "Calm down you idiots." Both Ryuji and Morgana gained small bumps on their heads. Axel had alot of control over his strength, so the hit, while not strong enough to actually hurt them, was enough to give them a lot of pain. The pair seemed to have calmed down while they both glared at Axel angrily. Axel rolled his eyes at the pair as he plainly said, "I''m not gonna apologise. You both wanna act like idiots? Then I''ll treat you like idiots." Turning towards Akira and Ryuji, Axel glared at them as he said in a harsh tone, "Remember, we are here to get evidence on Kamoshida. We all need to be focused or else we might die here." Speaking up to here, Axel managed to get the point across as Ryuji shuddered. Ryuji had a flashback of what happened when they first arrived here. How he almost died if not for the timely assurance of Akira. Morgana went silent as he knew that Axel was right. Just before he came to the data room, Morgana had been trying to look around inside the palace but every turn he took would just lead to a squadron of armoured guards. If he didn''t focus on escaping, he just might''ve ended up back in that jail cell. Ryuji and Morgana looked at each other for a second before turning towards Axel. The pair surprised him as they both bowed their heads as they both said, "I''m sorry. I''ll stay focused from now on." Axel nodded his head as he smiled and said, "Great! Now let''s get this show on the road!" 46 An Important Lesson Be warned that the following chapter may contain a visual description of events that may be unsuitable for an audience of younger readers. Reader discretion is advised. --- --- --- An awkward silence lingered in the safe room after Axel spoke. Akira, Ryuji and Morgana were stunned with how quick Axel could change his mood. However, Axel ignored their stunned gaze as he smiled and said, "First things first, Morgana!" Axel''s loud call shook Morgana from his daze as he stumble abit and said, "Y-yes?" "What were you doing before we got here?" "A-ah, well, I was searching for treasure." Axel smiled inside his mind while Akira and Ryuji had confusion written across their faces. "Treasure?" Morgana suddenly perked up as he excitedly said, "Yeah, Treasure! Inside every palace is something called a treasure. In reality, it''s more like the core of a palace." As Morgana explained the ins and outs of the palace to Akira and the confused Ryuji, Axel was silently scanning the room. He watched in amazement as the room flickered between a small room with a couple tables and chairs and a small classroom. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Axel turned towards Ryuji and asked, "What''s up?" Ryuji gave him a weird look as he said, "Are you not gonna listen to Morgana''s explanation of this place? He sounds like he knows his stuff." Axel softly shook his head and replied, "I might not look it but I have very little patience. I honestly just wanna leave the room and explo- *cough*, I mean, gather evidence." A cheeky smile appeared on Ryuji''s face as he wrapped his shoulder around Axel''s and happily said, "Bro!" With a wry smile, Axel said nothing and allowed his lie to set in. While it''s been awhile since he saw the anime, he remembered the basic concept of the treasure inside the palace. The treasure was the core of the palace that allowed it to take shape. The ruler of the palace, the shadow of someone''s heart, created the treasure to form a palace, a place where they could become ''king''. As the shadow continued to fall into depravity, the feelings that the shadows indulged in would be shared to the true body. The treasure was the key to defeating the shadows that dwelled inside the palace. However, Axel couldn''t remember the specifics to steal the treasure and the system wouldn''t even give him the tiniest hint. Wait, no. That''s wrong. The system did give him one hint. [Wait for the story to naturally arrive at that point.] Sighing, Axel mentally cursed his system for being stingy with answers. Suddenly, Axel froze as his ears twitched slightly. Then, under the bewildered gazes of everyone in the safe room, Axel seemingly disappeared as the door was flung open in a gust of wind. Behind him, Axel could hear the screams of Akira and Ryuji, calling him to come back but he ignored it. He zipped down corridor after corridor before coming to the main entrance. Seeing the sight before him, Axel stood rooted in place as he trembled, not in fear but in anger. The reason he left the safe room was because his ears caught the loud and sensual scream of someone familiar. "ˇ­Ann." In the room, King Kamoshida had a crazed expression on his face as he brutally whipped Ann, who wore nothing more than a tiger print bikini. Her face was stained in tears yet a crazed smile floated on her face. Seeing one more person appeared in the room, King Kamoshida stopped whipping Ann as he smiled and said, "Finally stopped hiding?" As he spoke, rows and rows of walking armour uniformly entered the room. However, none of this caught Axel''s eye as he stayed focused on Kamoshida. His stared seemed to even scare Kamoshida as he slightly trembled. Raising his trembling hand to his eyes, Kamoshida became wide-eyed as he softly muttered, "I''mˇ­ trembling?'' Suddenly, unbridled fury appeared on his face as he screamed in hatred, "GUARDS!!! KILL THIS INTRUDER!!! Axel didn''t even flinch while facing the army of living armour as the temperature in the room began to fluctuate. Frost quickly covered the right side of the room while flames started to engulf the other. Plainly opening his mouth, Axel''s hoarse voice muttered, "Frozen Hellˇ­" A wave of fatigue, followed by a large headache assaulted him. Yet, Axel didn''t care. All he wanted to do was erase the shadow of Kamoshida and kill Kamoshida. The image of Ann''s battered and bruised body continued to play in his mind, over and over, tormenting him. In his mind, he couldn''t even retain any form of composure as rage clouded his mind. Howeverˇ­ Even though he launched that attack with all the mana he could muster, he only managed to clear out three quarters of the enemies in front of him. Once the flames and ice died down, the suits of armour still standing collapsed into a pool of malice as they became two different forms. "Jack-frosts and Jack-o-laternsˇ­" Axel could only sigh. Jack-frost gained health from ice type attacks that target them while Jack-o-lantern does the same but with fire. Even though the other element Axel used did critical damage, they managed to heal themselves, allowing them to survive. Axel regretted charging in on his own and silently waited for death. Tears streamed down his face as he silently thought to himself, ''I''m sorry Olivia, I don''t think I''ll be able to come back to you. Makoto, Ann and Shiho, I''m sorry that I won''t be able to stop Kamoshida. Hopefully, Akira can stop him, just like he did in anime.'' Just as a Jack-Frost was about to reach him, a roar of extreme anger bellowed from behind him as a familiar voice yelled, "COME! ARSENE!" Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Blue flames burst in front of Axel as Akira''s persona appeared and slashed at the Jack-frost, destroying it instantly. Hope ignited in Axel''s heart as he turned towards the approaching figures and yelled, "Akira! Guys!" However, what welcomed Axel was a fist to the face. Akira had lost all semblance of the calm and collected young man he was as fury painted his face. "YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!! WHO WAS THE ONE THAT STOPPED RYUUJI FROM CHARGING INTO A DEATH TRAP WHEN WE FIRST ARRIVED HERE!?! WHY THE HELL DID YOU DECIDE TO JUST THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY!?!" Facing Akira''s anger, Axel wanted to explain but Akira seemed to become even angrier as he continued, "I DON''T WANNA HEAR YOUR EXCUSES!!! YOU MAY BE STRONG AXEL BUT YOU CAN''T BECOME ARROGANT JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE POWER!!! REMEMBER MY WORDS!!!" Arsene suddenly flickered as he quickly tore apart the rest of the shadows around them. Black and red flames danced around Arsene like leaves in the wind as Akira plainly said, "No matter how strong we may be, there will always be someone more powerful." Axel was surprised as he quietly committed Akira''s words to heart. Maybe because he was growing fast when he reincarnated, he let his strength go to his head. Luckily, he was reminded by Akira before his arrogance got worse. Because he had to admit, he honestly thought be could take on the shadows and Kamoshida all on his own, if he wanted to. Slowly, Axel stood up and retreated to where Ryuji and Morgana were. As he stood side by side with his friends, Axel felt warm inside his heart as he said, "I''m really sorry for the trouble I''ve caused guys. What do we do now?" Akira showed a wry smile as he sarcastically said, "What do we do? Do you honestly think we can get away? We can only stand our ground and fight." 47 Skull Surrounded on all sides by shadows, Akira was the first to react. He dashed towards the closest shadow with Arsene following closely behind. Morgana, Axel and Ryuji didn''t lag too far behind as they quickly chased after him. The shadow didn''t even get the time to speak as it was met by claws, a sword, a fist and a metal bat. The boys continued to rush the shadows but no matter how many they defeated, there always seemed to be more. It was as if they were endless. 15 minutes into the fight, Akira and Ryuji were sweating and panting while Morgana appeared better off as his breathing was only slightly sped up. Axel mentally thanked Olivia for training him into what he is today as he was barely tired. However, even though he was better off than the other 3, the situation started to worsen. The attacks from Arsene and Zorro started to weaken as the fatigue from constantly fighting started to pile up. Ryuji was aimlessly swinging his bat around while Akira and Morgana staggered as they tried to keep standing. Axel knew that the boys were reaching their limits and decided to push himself. Axel leapt high into the sky as flames started to appear around him. Everyone stopped and stared at Axel, stunned at the sight of Magna''s magic. Even Kamoshida stalled as his mind couldn''t process what was happening. Everyone knew that Magna was a street magician but they didn''t think he could use REAL magic, they thought they were nothing more than tricks and slight of hand. The fire surrounding Axel slowly started to condense into 5 fiery spear. With a fierce glare, Magna focused on the 5 shadows infront and roared, "FIRE SPEAR!" Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. The spears launched towards the shadows and exploded in a fiery vortex of flames. Seeing his friends standing still in shock, Axel yelled, "What are you waiting for? Fight!" His words managed to bring them back as Akira and Arsene glared towards a giant shadow that looked like a knight on a horse. The small flames that burned inside Arsene''s helmet roared in wrath as Akira yelled, "Arsene!" A creepy chuckled leaked from Arsene as he snapped his fingers. The giant shadow suddenly became engulfed in a black and red flame. It slowly collapsed as it twitched in pain before it disipitated in shards of light. Morgana was stunned seeing Axel and Akira but he didn''t stay still for long as he grinned and shouted, "Don''t think you can out do me, rookies!" Taking a deep breath, Morgana swiftly dodged the incoming fist of a Jack-o-lantern as he nimbly landed on the floor and said, "Come! Zorro!" Blue flames burst out from the floor as the figure of a man appeared from within the flames. Zorro slashed the flames apart with a lightning quick flurry of slashes from his rapier. The slashes sent out a strong gust of wind that slammed into the unsuspecting Jack-o-lantern, sending it flying into a wall. Ryuji was slightly pale as he panted in exhaustion but he still raised his bat and swung it at the shadow, knocking it backwards. Axel nodded in surprise at how well they''re holding their own in a fight. He honestly didn''t expect them to actually fight this well. Grinning widely, Axel laughed happily as he smashed his fist coated in ice magic against the face of a demon, sending it flying a small bit away before it burst into fragments of light and ice. Even though his mana was low, Axel didn''t care as he continued to launch magic-coated attacks. Small explosions of fire and ice trailed behind Axel as he continued forward. Suddenly, Axel notice that something seemed odd. Just a couple seconds ago, he had his sights locked onto Kamoshida just in case. However, he seems to have just disappeared. As if on cue, Ryuji let loose a violent scream of pain. The fight came to a complete stop as Akira, Axel and Morgana turned towards Ryuji and froze in horror. Kamoshida was pressing the heel of his foot down against Ryuji''s head as he drove a sword through Ryuji''s arm. Ryuji had tears in his eyes as he tried to struggle but his effort was for nothing as Kamoshida just increased the force he was using to step on him. Rage built up inside Axel but he didn''t let it cloud his judgement as he glared at Kamoshida and kept his distance. He wanted to rush over and help Ryuji but he knew from the look in Kamoshidas eyes that if he moved towards them, the sword in Ryuji''s arm might just end up in his chest. Kamoshida''s hand harshly grabbed Ryuji''s hair as he dragged his head off the ground. Ryuji tried to struggle but Kamoshida stopped him as his free hand wrapped itself around his neck and started to choke him. "What''s wrong, Sakamoto? Not feeling so well? GOOD!" A glint of madness shimmered in Kamoshida''s eyes as he arrogantly added, "I always hated you and the track teamˇ­" Ryuji''s face became distorted, not from pain but from anger as Kamoshida started ranting on about all the things he did to make sure the track and field team would disappeared. Once Kamoshida finished speaking, Ryuji had veins puffing up around his body as he boiled in anger and hatred. Even Morgana was shaking in anger as he learned how Ryuji lost his ability to run thanks to Kamoshida breaking his leg in the name of ''self-defence''. Don''t even speak about how Akira and Axel were fairing at the moment. It took everything they had to hold themselves back from rushing at Kamoshida. Kamoshida seemed to derive pleasure from the anger of everyone as his face became flushed as his face adopted an expression of pure ecstasy. His mouth curved into a demonic smirk as said, "Before I kill you, I might as well torture you." With a wave of his hand, the shadows dropped their defence and dashed towards Axel and his friends. They only managed to destroy a couple before they found themselves pinned to the ground. Morgana and Akira were being malicious stomped on as they attempted to stand up and fight. Axel, on the other hand, was surrounded as every shadow that tried to get close was met with his fist in their face. Axel stared over at Ryuji as he noticed something odd. Tears endlessly poured out of his eyes as confusion and sorrow painted his face. Turning towards Akira, Axel hoped he could help awaken Ryuji''s persona but the shadows didn''t give him even a second of free time. Left with no other choice, Axel decided to try and help Ryuji. He dashed towards the shadows and jumped. Using it''s face as a platform, Axel put as much strength as he could into his legs and launched himself towards Ryuji. Sadly, he didn''t get close enough to free him from Kamoshida''s grasp but this was far enough. Taking in a deep breath, Axel turned towards Ryuji and roared, "RYUJI!!! ARE YOU JUST GONNA LET THAT SCUMBAG DICTATE YOUR LIFE!!! MAN UP AND RESIST!!! FIGHT UNTIL YOU CAN''T FIGHT ANYMORE!!!" Axel''s roar echoed through the room, causing everyone, shadow or not, to cover their ears to shield them from the sound. Clearly enraged by Axel''s speech, Kamoshida smirked maliciously as he glared at Ryuji and said, "This is why you will always be trash. Because you hang around with MORE TRASH!!!" Like pouring oil into a fire, Ryuji''s eyes burned with anger as he pointed at Kamoshida, stared him dead in the eyes and yelled, "Stop lookin down on me with that stupid smile on your face!" Suddenly, Ryuji collapsed to the floor while clutching his head. Axel showed a small smile as he noticed the changes happening to Ryuji, or more specifically, his bright yellow eyes. "You made me wait quite a while. You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact." Said a rough and roguish voice. Flames started to manifest around the struggling Ryuji as the roguish voice continued, "Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc...? The "other you" who exists within desires it thus... I am thou, thou art I... There is no turning back... The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!" Once the voice finished speaking, Ryuji slowly stood up from the ground. Then, without the slightest hesitation, Ryuji kept his bloodshot eyes locked onto Kamoshida as he tore the black skull mask from his face. A pillar of blue flames exploded upwards, accompanied by Ryuji''s roars of pain. Kamoshida absent-mindedly gazed at Ryuji, then turned towards Akira. His gaze didn''t linger on the two for too long as he maliciously ordered, "Kill them all!" Before the shadows could even move, bolts of lightning flew out from the vortex of fire and struck them. The shadows collapsed to the floor before shattering into bits of light. Ryuji slowly walked out from the fire vortex, his clothing completely different from when they entered the palace as he wore a black jacket, matching pants with knee pads, a red ascot, combat boots, a pair of yellow gloves, and a skull mask. A confident smirk on his face, Ryuji ignored the surprised looks he was getting as he said, "Right on... Wassup, Persona... This effin'' rocks! Now that I got this power, it''s time for payback... Yo, I''m ready... Bring it! Blast him away... Captain Kidd!" The tornado of flames burst apart, revealing a skeleton pirate standing on a miniature ship. The flames inside it''s eye-socket burn brightly as bolts of lightning flew around its body. 48 Break Through!!! Ryuji stood straight with his arms folded infront of him. With a confident grin on his face, he looked at the shadows holding down Akira and Morgana and roared, "BLAST EM AWAY! CAPTAIN KIDD!" The skeleton pirate behind him slowly raised its hand as the fire in its eyes flared. Before anyone could realise, bolts of lightning flew down and struck the shadows. The bolts were just too fast, even Axel couldn''t keep track of them. With a hearty laugh, Ryuji dashed forward as he swung his metal bat, destroying the paralysed shadows. Seeing him make a break towards the other, Axel didn''t fall behind either. Using the shadows as platforms, Axel jumped from shadow to shadow, easily reaching Akira and Morgana just at the same time as Ryuji. The group stood strong with their backs against the wall. Shadows swarmed down the stairs and cornered them. Even as the situation started becoming grim, Axel and the boys refused to give up. Suddenly, Akira tapped Axel''s shoulder and said, "I have a plan but we need your help." Axel''s brows raised slightly as he grinned and replied, "Whatcha need?" "I need at least 5 seconds. Try and buy us some time." A fierce light appeared an Axel''s as he confidently said, "5 seconds? Alright." As soon as he finished speaking, mana began to swirl around his left arm. Soon, frost slowly crept up his arm the temperature sharply dropped. Everyone watching was stunned. Even though they saw his power early, the power behind this attack was at least double the last time. Actually, the reason for this was pretty simple. When he used ''Frozen hell'', it was a combination of fire and ice, 2 opposing natures forcefully combined. Now, he was fully investing the rest of his mana into an ice attack. While both his ice and fire magic aren''t that high, level wise, the power naturally rises the more mana he supplies. With a wide smirk, Axel slammed his hands onto the ground and roared, "Ice Rink!" With the exception of a 10 metre radius around him, the floor became covered in a layer of ice. The shadows charging at them fell to the floor while the ones in the back stopped before cautiously walking forward. At this time, Akira wasn''t idle. He turned towards the huge chandelier hanging from the roof as he said, "This is better than expected. Go! Arsene!" In a burst of flames, Arsene soared to the sky before reaching the chains that connected the chandelier to the roof. Reaching towards the chains, Arsene clutched the chains as a crimson black aura started flowing out from him. *clang* Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Hearing that sound, Axel couldn''t help but look up as his eyes widened. The chandelier. Akira actually planned to drop the chandelier on the shadows! And Axel was sure it was going to work. Because the shadows were all clumped up together, slipping on the icy floor. *BANG* The chandelier crashed straight into the group of shadows, causing them to burst into shards of light. Axel wasted no time, he pointed towards the safe room and yelled, "GO!" The group turned into streams as the sped through the hall toward the hallway door. However, was Kamoshida just going to let them go? He stood up with bloodshot eyes as he roared, "GUARDS! WHAT ARE YO-" Before he could finish, Ryuji suddenly turned towards him as he fiercely yelled, "Captain Kidd!" The skeleton pirate burst into existence as it aimed it''s cannon at Kamoshida and fired a massive bolt of lightning. Kamoshida couldn''t dodged the lightning bolt and was struck. The attack only lasted a couple seconds due to Ryuji being low on stamina but it was enough. Shadow Kamoshida was literally shocked silly as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Everyone couldn''t help but burst into laughter as they continued to escape. It really was too funny. His bushy hair and eyebrows were frizzed up and made him look like a troll. Naturally, Axel couldn''t help but take out his phone and grabbed a couple pictures, earning him a couple eye rolls from both Akira and Ryuji. Once they entered the safe room, the group didn''t hesitate as the continued to escape through the vent. After a few minutes, everyone was back in reality. Akira and Ryuji directly collapsed to the floor, shortly followed by Axel and Morgana. Axel had his eyes closed as he panted, "Is everyoneˇ­ ok?" "Tired but still aliveˇ­" "Dudeˇ­" "ˇ­I need a catnap." Axel''s eye twitched at the last answer but ignored it as he thought, ''If Morgana can still joke around that means he''s fine.'' Suddenly, while Axel was resting, Ryuji''s voice boomed as he yelled, "Woah! Morgana''s a cat!" Axel proper himself up as he watched on with a smile. Akira and Ryuji were really fascinated with Morgana''s cat-form. Morgana, on the other hand, seemed to access some secondary power source as he energetically leapt off the ground and started arguing with Ryuji. In return, Ryuji also lost his fatigue as he got up in Morgana''s face and started arguing back. Axel gave Akira a wry smile as the pair decided not to get involved as they were way too tired. --- After a short rest, everyone started to stand up and leave. The place they were heading to was the cafe where Akira lives, LeBlanc. When everyone was rested and relaxed, both Akira and Ryuji started scolding Axel for just charging forward without a plan. Since Axel already realised how stupid his actions were, he silently embraced their scolding as he really didn''t want a repeat of this to happen in the future. When the scolding was finished, Axel offered to by them both dinner, to which they shamelessly accepted. Arriving at LeBlanc, the first thing Akira and Ryuji did after greeting Sojiro was order a ton of food. Both order 5 plates of curry, 5 cups of premium coffee and a slice of cake each. Axel could only sigh at his choice of friends as he footed the entire bill. Similarly, he ordered himself the exact same as Akira and Ryuji before sitting down next to Ryuji. Sojiro was speechless at there order. 15 plates of curry! 15 cups of premium coffee! 3 slices of cake! He could only shake his head and bitterly mutter, "Youthˇ­" 49 Damsel in Distress The next day, the beginning of the weekends, Axel was painfully lying on his bed. Maybe due to the atmosphere, Axel, Akira and Ryuji all ate until they were about to burst. He could still remember the look of absolute horror on Sojiro''s face when the boys all order 2 more plated of curry. Sojiro even advised them not to eat that much as it was unhealthy. However, they were truly hungry. The ate like starving wolves, devouring all the food infront of them with no break. By the end of their feast, all the boys felt bloated and were about to pass out in a food coma. But the satisfaction they felt made it all worth it. Slowly, Axel hobbled out of bed. With a long yawn, Axel paused as he saw that he recieved a message on his phone. "Hey Axel! It''s Ann. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today?" Seeing her message caused a smile to appear on his face. Honestly, him and Ann haven''t hung out much lately. He''s mostly been hanging with the boys, jamming video games while chowing down on curry. "Sure. When do you wanna meet up?" A couple seconds after he sent the message, he received Ann''s reply. "Great! Let''s meet up at the big bang burger by the station at 3pm. See ya soon~" Axel''s smile grew when he saw her messages. Doing a couple light stretches, he quickly tidied himself up. He had about 2 hours until it was 3pm so he wanted to quickly get ready and head over. After showering and cleaning himself up, Axel wore some stylish clothing before head out. He had about an hour left and it would take at least 30 minutes for the trains to reach the main station, considering it had to stop at every other station along the way. --- As Axel slowly made his way through town, he frowned as he heard a muffled cry. The voice sounded familiar so he decided to track where it was coming from. However, when he finally reached the source of the sound, Axel almost snapped. A bunch of men with big muscles surrounded a beautiful young lady. The beauty was dressed in a tomboyish style with the only exception being the pair of short shorts that emphasised her rather plentiful booty. If it was just a stranger, at most, Axel would just be mad before helping her out but the beauty being harassed by the thugs was the person who invited him out. Axel fiercely stomped towards the thugs and roared, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING!?!" His furious roar startled all the thugs while hope appeared in Ann''s eyes. Obviously, Ann must have experienced a rough time as her clothes were slightly dirty and her arms had dark hand prints all over them. The biggest thug sarcastically smirk as he said, "Check it out, boys. A little brat who wants to play hero. Why don''t we show him what happens to hero''s." Malicious laughter could be heard from the thugs as the slowly made their way over to Axel, cornering him. Worry appeared on Ann''s face but Axel seemingly didn''t carry about being surrounded. He glared at the large man that seemed to be the leader and said, "Before I beat the shit out of you guys, I gotta know. Did you all act on impulse or did someone ask you to harass her?" Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. A wicked smile spread on the leaders face as he replied, "You don''t need to know. ''A dead man tells no tales'', after all. GET HIM!!!" Suddenly, a fierce expression sneaked onto Axel''s face as he sarcastically said, "Your right. A dead man tells no tales." The instant Axel finished speaking, he swiftly dodged the incoming punch before delivering a barrage of attacks. The thugs could only last half a minute before being beaten so bad that even their parents would be unable to recognise them. Walking infront of Ann, Axel gave her a bright grin as he said, "Did you wait long?" After a couple seconds of not receiving a reply, Axel noticed something odd. Her gaze seemed to be fixed on Axel, making him feel odd as besides the initial surprise that she showed, he gaze now contained a strange heat the made Axel''s body feel comfortable yet uncomfortable at the same time. Before Axel could ask what''s wrong, Ann smiled as she said, "Thanks for the help, Axel. Let''s forget about those thugs and enjoy ourselves." "Alright, just give me a minute." Axel didn''t want this to be used against him so he called the police to come pick up the thugs. It didn''t take long before a patrol car came around but someone he didn''t expect came out of the car. "Axel?" "Sae?" The new arrival was Sae. It seems that the police are really short staffed. They asked all able hands with the proper qualifications to assist with minor crimes and criminals. Before she gained her qualification as a prosecutor, Sae had trained in the police academy in hopes of being an officer. However, her ambition of being a cop changed when she graduated. This was something she once told him when he was staying over. The only thing she didn''t talk about was why she suddenly decided not to continue on with being an officer. And Axel respected her silence and never asked. Seeing Axel know this beautiful female prosecutor, Ann frowned. She tugged on Axel''s sleeve and asked, "Can we go now?" Sae''s lips twitched when Ann grabbed Axel''s sleeve but paid no heed to the annoyance growing inside her as she told them that they need to record a statement before being allowed to leave. The statement only took a couple minutes before being done. However, when Sae scanned the bodies of the thugs, she frowned as all their wounds seemed heavy-handed. Their faces were beaten until they were purple, large bruises and bumps appeared on their arms and legs and some were even missing teeth. She turned towards Axel and said, "You might be brought to the police station later if the wounds you inflicted are more than simple self-defence." He knew Sae was currently on work-mode and had no desire to fight against her words. That didn''t mean he didn''t have a couple tricks up his sleeves. While the police were question Ann, he silently sneaked over. When he was infront of the group of unconscious thugs, he silently accessed his inventory and pulled out a small glass bottle containing a transparent red liquid. "Appraisal." [Minor Healing Potion. Effect: When consumed or applied onto the wounded area, will speed up natural healing.] Axel didn''t bother feeding them the Potion as he popped the lid off before splashing the entire content on the thugs. Their wounds receded but they still appeared unrecognisable. This was what Axel wanted. While the thugs will still appear heavily injured, their bodies will show only light injuries. The best part was the fact that they will still feel as if they were heavily wounded due to phantom pains. With a bright smile, Axel walked over to Ann so they can finally be on their way, not caring for the thugs at all. 50 Telling Ann the truth Following behind Ann, Axel couldn''t help but be entranced by the show from behind. Due to her tight short shorts, they empathised her rather plump rump. She seemed to curve in and out in all the right places. He might not have noticed when she wore a uniform but she was quite big when it came to her womanly assets. He tried to pry his gaze away from her swaying hips but ultimately failed. Suddenly, Ann stopped, causing Axel to bump head first into her. Ann gave him a chuckle and said, "Might wanna watch where your going, Axel. You might bump into someone." Axel''s heart sped up as there was something about how Ann spoke that gave him a hot feeling. Scratching the side of his face, Axel said, "Why''d you stop?" Pointing towards the shopping mall infront of them, Ann laughed as she happily said, "We''re here." Seeing the shopping mall, Axel paled as he had a bad premonition. When Ann saw Axel''s face become pale, she gave him a sly smile as she said, "That''s right. I brought you here to go shopping! Let''s go!" Before Axel could escape, Ann grabbed his hands in a vice grip and forcefully dragged him into the shopping mall. Honestly, Axel was far stronger than Ann and could easily break out of her grasp but he didn''t. He could see how excited she was and didn''t mind to suffer for a day if it meant seeing her happy. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. The images of shadow Ann being tortured by shadow Kamoshida were still fresh in his mind. He really just wanted to see her happy and if the price for that was being a baggage boy for the day, so be it. --- Shopping with Ann wasn''t actually that bad. Because she knew the latest fashion do''s and don''t''s, she actually didn''t spend that long looking for clothes. Plus, most of her attention was on picking clothes for him. She dressed him up in multiple different types of clothes, each time gazing at him with a fiery look before ultimately asking which one he liked. In his original world, Axel wasn''t one for buying the latest clothes or keeping up with the latest fashion. He mostly spent his time on buying the latest games and consoles. So, with the assistant of fashion master Ann, Axel promptly bought all the sets of clothes she picked out for him. In any case, he was rich. After who knows how long, Axel and Ann ended up in a small family restaurant. About 7 bags worth of clothes sat next to a wry Axel as he slowly drank his latte. Ann, on the other hand, had an ice cream soda and a smile of pure bliss. She looked over at Axel with glittering eyes and asked, "Do you have any plans after this?" Axel looked at her, then to the 7 bags of clothes and said, "Besides dropping off my new clothes, I''m totally free. Why? Did youˇ­ wanna do more shopping?" Seeing Axel shiver when he finished speaking, Ann gave a dry chuckle as she said, "No, you don''t have to worry about that. I was just wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner." Before he could answer, Axel''s stomach made itself known as it growled loudly. Axel gave Ann a sheepish laugh as he said, "If you don''t mind, I''d like that dinner please." Ann giggled at Axel''s embarrassment as she nodded. --- It took the pair quite awhile to get to Ann''s home as the trains were running late and because Axel need to drop off the clothes. "Come in~ You can use the black pair of slippers, they''re next to the shoe rack. Don''t worry, they''re a new pair." When Axel entered her house, he was slightly dazed as a sweet aroma drifted through the house. As he walked into the lounge, Axel couldn''t help but feel a different type of hunger. Ann had somehow changed outfits. Her hair was let down as she wore a soft looking beige sweater that looked a little too big for her. She still wore the same short shorts but Axel didn''t care as she really looked beautiful. Breaking him out of his daze, Ann giggled as she said, "What''s wrong Axel? I thought you were hungry? Stop zoning out and come have dinner~." Axel could only nod as he unconsciously gulped at the sight before him. There were a couple western dishes on the table that made Axel salivate, especially since Axel''s been eating mostly eastern dishes since he arrived in this world. Well, besides the occasional big bang burger. Dinner was amazing. The food was delicious and the company was superb. Ann seemed to come to life while talking to Axel and the same could be said about him. He joked around while eating, making him recieve more than one playful glare from Ann. While they were tidying up the dishes, Ann suddenly said, "Do you maybeˇ­ want to watch a movie with me?" Axel didn''t think much about his answer as he smiled and said, "Sure, what movie?" Ann didn''t answer him as she immediately stopped doing the dishes and left the room. He was confused but also stopped and tired to follow her but she turned towards him with a fiery blush and said, "You can go wait in the lounge Axel, I''ll be out in a minute. Just pick a movie off Netflix and we''ll watch it when I come back, okay?" Even though he was confused, he still listened to her and went to the lounge. After a couple minutes, Ann walked in with a flushed face. Axel picked a rom-com because he wasn''t sure what type of genre Ann likes. When he started the movie, Ann sat right next to him and leaned against him. His cheeks turned red as he felt Ann''s soft body cling to him. Her face was completely red as well but she seemed determined to cling to him. "Uhhhh... Ann?" "Y-yes?" "What''re you doing?" Ann didn''t answer him as she took a deep breath before jumping onto Axel, pushing him down against the couch. Before he could react, Ann put his hand on her chest as she leaned down and kissed him. If Axel was clueless before, he knew now what Ann wanted. She wanted to Netflix and chill! Before she could go any further, Axel grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away. Ann stared at him with wide eyes for a couple seconds before tears started to pour down from her eyes. Axel''s heart hurt from seeing her cry so he pulled her into a hug as he said, "Ann, calm down. It''s not that I don''t want to be with you, I just need to explain some things to you first before you come to a decision." Ann''s sobbing quieted down as she snuggled up to him and asked, "What do you mean?" With a soft sigh, Axel started explaining who he was. He told her that he was from another world and how he has a girlfriend already. Unsurprisingly, Ann didn''t believe him and started to hit him as she cried. However, Axel wanted her to believe him so he showed her proof. He opened his inventory and took out a flower seed. Then, under the bewildered gaze of Ann, he used his nature magic and forced the flower to bloom. He gave the stunned Ann a bright smile and fixed the flower into her hair. "You look beautiful Ann." Axel gently kissed her face, cleaning away her tears. She blushed as she pouted and softly hit him. Now that she knew who he truly was, Ann didn''t know what to think. She knew that she still liked him but she also didn''t know how to go about her feelings. This was all new to her. Even the concept of ''Netflix and Chill'' was new to her. She had to search up on the internet on ways to get closer to boys just because she''s never felt this way before. Axel did explain about how his girlfriend doesn''t mind him having other girls but Ann can''t say she feels the same. She took a deep breath before trying to stand up. However, her body was exhausted from pushing herself to jump Axel and the crying she did so she fell back into Axel, dropping something infront of them. Time seemed to freeze as Ann and Axel both turned bright red while staring at the thing Ann just dropped. Lying on the ground before them was a small pile of different sized condoms. 51 A Fiery Nigh Be warned that the following chapter may contain a visual description of events that may be unsuitable for an audience of younger readers. Reader discretion is advised. --- --- --- To say it was awkward right now is a massive understatement. Ann refused to meet Axel''s eyes while Axel was slowly losing his mind. He had a thousand questions he wanted to ask her but he could see that she didn''t feel like talking. Axel took a deep breath before releasing a long sigh as he quickly picked up all the condoms on the ground. Deciding to use a joke to ease the tension, he grabbed the biggest one and said, "This one is more my size." He instantly regretted making said joke as soon as it left his lips. Ann practically became a tomato at this point while Axel suddenly found himself wanting to hide in a hole and die. His head drooped down as he quietly said, "Sorryˇ­ I shouldn''t have made that jokeˇ­" Both of them sat in silence for a couple minutes until Ann opened her mouth and said, "ˇ­I''m not an easy girl, okay Axel?" Axel became pale as he quickly said, "No! That''s not what I meant!" Seeing him so flustered caused Ann to giggle as she gently booped his nose and said, "I know." She finally allowed her body to relax as she stretched across the couch, resting her head on Axel''s lap and saying, "I only brought those just in case something DID happen tonight. I would''ve agreed if things developed that way but that''s only because I got to know you." Ann turned so she could stare into Axel''s eyes as she continued, "Your the first boy to make me feel like this, you know? Your kind, sweet and gentle. You make me laugh, you comfort me when I''m sad, you just make me feelˇ­ loved. The only other person who''s made me feel that, is Shiho." Her hand softly caressed the side of Axel''s face, allowing him to feel how she was shivering, clearly a little fearful about expressing herself. Axel gently held her hand as he said, "You don''t have to-" Before he could finish, Ann cut him off as she pressed a finger to his lips and smiled, "I know I don''t. But I want to." She held his hand as she told him about herself. She told him how her parents were basically never home, leaving her all to herself. She cried about all the things she''s heard the other students say about her behind her back. She raged about the unfair treatment she gets from her modelling job. By the end of the night, Ann had unleashed every ounce of emotion she usually kept back onto Axel. And throughout the entire time, Axel never once thought different of her. When she cried, he gently rubbed her back as he lent her his shoulder. When she raged, he silently hugged her as he repeatedly whispered to her that everything was going to be alright. When she became depressed, Axel did his best to get her to laugh. As the clock chimed, Axel saw that it was midnight and sighed. ''Guess I won''t be going home tonight.'' Axel''s sigh caught Ann''s attention so she looked at the clock before falling into thought. "You could stay the nightˇ­ if you want." Said Ann. She was turning away from Axel as he saw her bright red cheeks and could feel her heavily breathing against his thighs. "Ann, I don''t think that''s-" He was cut off once again as Ann zoomed off his lap and gave him a awkward yet fiery kiss. She tried to act sexily but ended up looking rather funny, causing Axel to almost burst into laughter. Of course, she saw his reaction and frowned. She pouted as she bit his lip and said, "What''s so funny?" Axel secretly pinched his thigh as his lips twitched, "N-nothing." Seeing him twitching, Ann thought to herself that maybe her bite was a little too rough so she straddled his lap as she slowly started kissing his face. As she continued to kissing him, she unconsciously started to rub her crotch against his lap as she could feel something long, hard and hot hitting her from below. She was still unclear on how she felt about everything she learned but she decided to just go with the flow. At the very least, she knew she wouldn''t regret anything that happened tonight. Axel, however, was hesitant. To him, it felt like he was taking advantage of her while she was vulnerable. She had just spilled her guts about everything that was hurting her, leaving her weak and open. He fiercely reigned back the urge to ravage her as he shakily said, "A-Ann, could you stop rubbing against me please?" Ann ignored him as she increased her pace, no longer just rubbing against him as she was full-on humping his thigh. He could feel how wet she was as liquid dripped down his thigh, creating a small wet patch on the couch. She gazed into Axel''s eyes with a glazed look as she said, "Fineˇ­ we won''t go all the way. But we both know that we won''t calm down any time soon so I have a proposal." Axel felt a shiver shoot up his spine as Ann''s warm hands slithered into his pants, grabbing hold of his towering erection. "I''ll take care of you and you''ll take care of me. Deal?" Ann whispered seductively into Axel''s ear. Shakily nodding his head, Axel''s hands found themselves wrapped around Ann''s waist as she sloppily kissed his neck. Axel knew he wouldn''t be able to hold on if he continued to do nothing so he quickly lowered his hands and gave her plump ass a heavy squeeze, resulting in a fiery moan from Ann as she practically tore his pants off. His dick in all its 8 inches of glory whipped out from under his pants. Axel couldn''t even speak as Ann instantly devoured the head and vigorously started bobbing up and down. An almost animalistic urge came over Axel as he flipped their position, laying Ann against the couch. He fiercely tore her pants off and became stunned. She wasn''t even wearing panties! This means, she was either not wearing any the entire time, or, she took them off when they were about to watch a movie. However, this thought quickly left his mind as he was enchanted by the glistening mound of slightly puffy flesh before him. He kissed her clit, sucking it and rolling it around with his tongue while his hands started kneading her ass. It wasn''t long before Ann gave a piercing scream as she clamped Axel''s head between her soft thighs. The smell wafting from her palpitating pussy drove him mad. He wanted nothing more than to pierce her with his flag pole and claim this land in the name of Axel, but he held back. Ann, however, finally snapped. She knew she couldn''t flip him off her so she did the next best thing. She caused the couch to flip over, causing both of them to tumble to the ground. She pinned his arms back as she hoarsely said, "I might have said not to go all the way but I really can''t hold myself back." "You get two choices Axel. You either pop my cherry and fuck me so hard I can''t walk tomorrow orˇ­" Leaning in close to Axel''s ear, she seductively whispered, "You can fuck me in the ass~." Axel''s heart almosted stopped. He finally lost the last shred of reason holding him back as he almost instantly broke free from her hold and flipped their positions. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. He rubbed his gland against the sopping wet folds of Ann''s pussy before aligning his dick with her quivering asshole. He knew it was going to be a bitˇ­ no, very painful for her so he slowly eased his way in. Surprisingly, Ann didn''t seemed to be in pain as her eyes rolled back slightly and weird smile appeared on her face. While mid-orgasm, Ann absent-mindedly said, "B-before the movieˇ­ I used a couple enemas and stretched out my ass just in case you wanted to try anal." Axel was surprised. He grit his teeth as he felt the intense pleasure wash over him and he asked, "W-why were you so prepared for us having sex?" His question seemed to embarass Ann as she turned as red as a strawberry and shyly said, "It''s what the manual online said." "Manual?" Question Axel. Nodding, Ann said with a smile, "''How to bag a boy for dummies. Volume 1''." 52 Meeting Anns Mother Rays of sunlight pierced through a gap in the curtain, shining directly into Axel''s eyes, stirring him away. He groaned as he couldn''t help but feel a little groggy. Last night, Axel and Ann went crazy. They had sex in basically every room in the house minus her parents room and they did everything but vaginal sex. At one point, Ann''s stomach had actually become bloated due to the amount of cum Axel pumped into her. Remembering the wild night he just had, Axel couldn''t help but blush as he turned towards the sleeping beauty lying next to him. Ann seemed to be deep asleep as she curled in Axel''s chest with an ever-present blissful smile. He softly moved her hair from her face and gave her forehead a quick peck. He slowly got out of bed a left the room. Yet the moment he stepped out the door, Axel frowned as he stared at the disaster before him. There were patches of cum all over the floor, some of the furniture was knocked over and clothing was strung everywhere. Sighing, Axel coated the floor in a thin sheet of ice before quickly melting it. With the floor clean, Axel sped around the house and in just 15 minutes, no one would ever be able to tell that he and Ann had super crazy sex inside this house. He checked his phone and saw that he had a couple texts from Ryuji but he ignored it as he had something far more important to do. --- Ann lay quietly on her bed, fully in the nude as she clung tightly to her pillow. She was dreaming peacefully when the sweet aroma of maple syrup drifted to her nose. As she slowly opened her eyes, she was immediately greeted by Axel''s warm smile as he said, "Morning, sleeping beauty. I present to you, Axel''s special breakfast in bed." She could only stare in a daze as she focused on the sight before her. Pancakes, stacked into a tiny tower with a generous dollop of whip cream and doused in maple syrup, a glass of milk and a side of scrambled eggs on toast. Ann stared at the food on a silver plater for a bit then turned to Axel as tears started to gather in her eyes. Axel started freaking out as he didn''t know what he did wrong but Ann easily washed away his worries as she grabbed his face and gave him a warming and loving kiss. Time seemed to freeze for the pair as they could feel something akin to fireworks going off in their heads. After almost a minute, Ann released him as they both panted for air. As she stared into his eyes that showed nothing but warmth and care, Ann felt a switch flick on in her mind. This was the one. She wanted to be with him. She wanted him to love her. Ann knew that a man like this will only appear once in a lifetime, so she made her decision. So what if he''s not from this world? So what if he has a girlfriend? Ann didn''t care! She only knew that she wanted to be with him. Slowly, she caressed his face gently as she smiled and said, "I love you." Dumbfounded, Axel paused for a second before returning a loving smile as he kissed her forehead and said, "I love you too. Now, hurry up and eat. You must be starving." Axel was right. Ann quickly devoured the food with a huge smile on her face. After she finished the food, she fell back into the bed as she sighed in content. What she didn''t account for was that she let go of the blanket when she fell back, revealing her curvy body to Axel. He swallowed loudly at the sight of her big breasts as they heaved up and down. Axel couldn''t help but stand at attention as he felt rearing to go. As if to make the situation worse, Ann rolled around the bed and completely exposed her body. Axel began to feel an itch inside his heart as his throat became dry. She was definitely tempting him now! She was face down on a pillow as she slightly raised her ass and gave it a slowly and inviting shake. What really sealed the deal was when Ann turned back and gave him a sexy stare as she sensually whispered, "Wanna have one more round?~" Needless to say, Axel became a beast as he claimed that ass in his name. --- After a couple hours, Axel with Ann on his back embarrassingly left the room. Once again, he became carried away. Ann was way too tired and sore to even move at this point but she didn''t care as she lovingly cuddled Axel from behind. Leaning towards Axel''s face, she gave him a couple sloppy kisses before whispering, "I can see why your girlfriend doesn''t mind you having other girls. Your way too much for a single girl~." Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Axel gave a dry chuckle as he couldn''t retort. She was right. When he and Olivia had sex, she wasn''t able to walk properly the next day and now, it''s the exact same with Ann. The only difference would be that he and Ann only did it in the butt. He slowly lowered Ann onto the couch as she stared around the round in a daze. "You cleaned up?" "Yeah, I did. You probably didn''t want your house smelling like pancakes and sex when you came out so I quickly cleaned up. Plus, on the off chance that your parents come home, I''d probably be dead if they saw that mess." Ann frowned as she lightly jabbed his arm and said, "Don''t jinx us Axelˇ­" Before Axel could react, they both heard the sound of the door opening as a feminine voice echoed, "Ann~ Mommy''s home~" Axel became pale while Ann glared at him and angrily whispered, "I told you! You jinxed us! Luckily, it''s only mom. Go introduce yourself, she shouldn''t give you any trouble." He stiffly walked to the door, leaving behind a chuckling Ann. When he got to the door, he heard a quiet ''Ara~'' as he bowed his head and said, "Good Morning! My name is Axel and I''mˇ­ your daughters boyfriend. It''s a pleasure to meet you." The hallway was silently. Axel started sweating as he waited for Ann''s mother to speak. Suddenly, he felt a soft hand land on his shoulder as Ann''s mother said, "Stand up straight, young man. Let me get a good look at who managed to snag my little Ann-chan." Raising his head, Axel became stunned as Anns mother looked almost exactly like her. The only noticeable difference between the two was that Ann''s mother was quite a bitˇ­ bigger in some areas. As Axel stared at her, Ann''s mother grabbed his face with her hands as she happily smiled, "Oh my! Such a handsome young man! If I wasn''t married, I''d like to try a bite of you too! As expected of my daughter!" His face lit up in a bright shade of red as he stuttered, "O-Ohˇ­ thank you for the praise?" Her smile seemed to become a tad bit mischievous as she pulled his head into her chest and squished him into a pillow hug. "Don''t worry about it young man~" Needless to say, Axel was guilty of enjoying such a soft and fragrant hug. However, he was brought back to reality as he felt someone pinch his waist. Turning around, Axel shuddered as he saw Ann standing right behind him with shaking legs and a crooked smile. She yanked Axel out of her mother''s embrace, earning a small yelp from her as Ann angrily said, "Momˇ­ this is MY boyfriend! Go and hug dad when he comes back! And Axel! Why didn''t you try and push her away!?!" Ann''s mother watched the pair bicker on like an old married couple with a gentle and happy smile on her face. 53 World Trial It was now Monday. Axel was walking to school with a smile on his face as he remembered the things that happened during the weekends. But then he remembered the message he recieved from Ryuji and frowned. Ryuji wanted to go back into the palace after school but Axel was kinda against the idea. With the palace being a reflection of the owners heart, he''s noticed that Kamoshida''s heart is starting to become borderline psychotic. The most notable change was how shadow Kamoshida didn''t show any lust towards shadow Ann as he just started whipping and beating her. This drew red flags inside Axel''s mind as he started worrying for Ann''s and Shiho''s safety. What was most startling though, was the fact that Stella reported to him that Kamoshida has been coming over to Shiho''s house when she was out to discuss something with her parents. When he asked her what they were talking about, Stella told him that she didn''t know as they were being way too cautious and secretive about it. She only managed to see them together before they left to somewhere. Rubbing the side of his head, Axel sighed as he had a headache over the situation. Suddenly, the world turned grey as everything froze. Axel started freaking out when the system started beeping in his head. [WARNING! THE WORLD HAS CHANGED ITS RECOGNITION OF THE HOST FROM NEUTRAL TO HOSTILE! WORLD TRIAL HAS BEEN ACTIVATED!] Before he could freak out, a screen appeared infront of him. [World Trial: Persona 4 Objective: Survive until the end of Kamoshida''s palace. The host must aid ''Akira Kurusu'', ''Ryuji Sakamoto'', ''Ann Takamaki'' and ''Morgana'' in their conquest of Shadow Kamoshida''s Palace. Restriction(s): All abilities that do not originate from the ''Persona 4'' world will be sealed. Host will be unable to use the system to gather information. The system will not be able to talk to the host unless the host initiates the conversation. Boon(s): All ''Persona 4'' abilities will be available for use. Host may purchase Shadows and Personas from the system. Host may store an unlimited amount of Shadows and Personas inside the systems inventory. However, the host may only have 10 Personas on his person at a time. Current summon limit: 1. All Personas and Shadows that have ever existed will be available inside the system store for purchase. Reward(s): Gains the title ''Unhindered: Persona 4'', (System Point(s): 444, 444), (Multiverse Gacha Ticket(s): ???), ???, ???, ???, ???. Failure: Death, All changes caused by the host will be erased.] Axel eyes popped out of his skull as he screamed, "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!!! SYSTEM!!! EXPLAIN THIS BULLSHIT!!!" [ˇ­The world trial is a rite a world traveler has to undergo when he has directly changed the fate of the world. Due to the host interfering with the fate of this world too much, the world has determined you to be a hostile element.] Veins pulsed on Axel''s forehead as he growled, "So your telling meˇ­ that if I change the ''fate'' of a world too much, said world will force this type of death quest on me!?!" [Correct.] "And it didn''t cross your mind toˇ­ oh, I don''t know, TELL ME ABOUT THIS BEFORE I FUCKING START THE DAMN QUEST!!!" [Sadly, I am unable to inform you of things like this. I too am bound by certain laws. I''mˇ­ really sorry I couldn''t tell you about this, Axel.] Taking a couple deep breaths, Axel tried hard to calm down. After hearing what the system said, he knew that it wasn''t it''s fault that the system didn''t inform him and he didn''t want to just get angry at it for nothing. When he was finally calm, Axel noticed that the world around him started to move again. He didn''t need to ask the system what changes he made since he had a pretty good idea on what he did. "I guess dating Ann was the thing that pushed the world over its limit." Muttered Axel with a sigh. He took out with phone and messaged Ryuji and Akira that he was okay with going back to the castle. A couple seconds later, Ryuji sent a smiling emoji to the chat as he said, "Let''s grab some ramen before we head there!" Shaking his head, Axel continued on his way to school. --- School was relatively normal, minus the shock everyone experienced when Ann broke the news about her dating Axel. Mishima and the boys congratulated him while also expressing their jealously of still being single. At one point, Axel saw Ann drag off Makoto and Shiho for a private talk but paid it no mind as he knew that they were friends. Once school finished, Ryuji invited Akira and Axel for ramen. As the trio entered the shop, a sigh escaped Axel''s lips. Ryuji had already warned him that they were going to be asking him about his powers. They could see that they were completely different to Akira''s powers and were quite curious on what they were. The trio sat in a private booth as Ryuji quietly said, "Soˇ­ what was all that back at the palace? You know, the fire and ice powers. It''s definitely different from Akira''s power." Axel sighed as he decided to come clean. There wasn''t that big of a problem if they knew the truth. Of course, there were some things he decided to keep secret like the fact that there world was a form of entertainment back on his earth and the fact that he had a system. After a long explanation, twisting the details ever so slightly that it sounded like its was all his powers and not the systems, both Akira and Ryuji were stunned. It took a couple seconds for them to regain themselves as Ryuji shakily said, "Soˇ­ what your telling meˇ­ is that you come from a different world?" "Yeeeaapˇ­" Said Axel, adding a small pop as he emphasised the ''P''. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "And you travel the multiverse to gain power?" "Right againˇ­" Akira and Ryuji stared at each other for a couple seconds before Ryuji slowly opened his mouth, "Dudeˇ­ that''s soˇ­ AWESOME!!!" By this point, both Akira and Ryuji''s eyes were glowing. Feeling a headache coming on, Axel massaged the sides of his head as he sighed, "Guys, calm down. It''s really not that big of a deal." "Not a big deal? NOT A BIG DEAL!?! DUDE, YOUR A-" Before he could finish speaking, Akira had closed his mouth shut as he gave Ryuji a hard glare. Realising what he was just about to do, Ryuji gave a nervous chuckle as he said, "Sorry dudeˇ­ my bad." As the day passed by, the boys ended up deciding to cancel today''s palace raid. Ryuji kept saying he was too excited to fight as he continued to fire question after question at Axel. They instead, decided to hit the arcade. Once they arrived, Ryuji suddenly became a child as he left Akira and Axel behind. Axel shook his head and was about to enter when Akira grabbed his shoulder. He motion Axel to follow him as he quickly ran over to the alley behind the arcade. Confused, Axel followed behind him and asked, "What''s up Akira? Your beingˇ­ quieter than usual." Akira rolled his eyes as he replied, "I just wanted to ask ifˇ­ you can take people with you. You know, when you travel world''s." Axel''s eyes widened for a second before they returned to normal. He sighed and said, "Sadly, I don''t possess that capability yet. My powers are a bitˇ­ tricky to use. Why do you even want to know that?" A small sigh escaped Akira''s mouth, "This damn world... is so unfair. I tried to be the hero but look where that got me. Stuck under a court ordered curfew and my parents don''t even want me anymore." Axel stared at his friend in concern as he continued, "But if I travelled with youˇ­ I could finally be free! No one watching me with one eye open just because of my stupid record. Just the thrill of adventure as I teamed up with my best friend across the multiverse. Tell me that doesn''t sound even the slightest bit cool." He hated to admit it but the thought of travelling with someone who had his back sound pretty awesome. Axel smiled as extended his hand out and happily said, "You know what? Akira, once I''m able to bring people with me through the multiverse, you wanna cause some multidimensional mayhem with me?" A grin appeared on Akira''s face yet the moment he was about to shake Axel''s hand, another took its place as both boys heard a third voice as it said, "Dudes! Don''t forget about me! We''ll be known as the troublesome trio! With me, their handsome leader." Akira and Axel both laughed as Axel said, "Screw you Ryuji! If anyone''s gonna be the leader, it''s me!" Akira felt happy as he smirked, "If Axel''s the leader, I guess the second in command will have to do be me. Ryuji can have the honourable title of ''Lackey 1''." Both Akira and Axel burst into laughter while Ryuji''s eyes twitched as he yelled, "Screw you guys!" 54 Axels Prowess Waking up early the next morning, Axel released a small sigh as he slowly got out of bed. Last night, after hanging with the boys, Ann wanted to stay over the night. However, Axel didn''t think that was such a good idea as Stella still remained by his side. Turns out that because she was summoned before the world trial began, she wasn''t affected by the restrictions. The down side though was that Axel became unable to unsummon her until he completed the trial. The problem was that Stella absolutely detested the idea of other females staying with Axel. It didn''t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Stella had a thing for Axel but due to the fact that she was constrained to the body of a snake, she couldn''t act on her desires. So instead of being mad, she decided that Axel was banned from bring any females over to their home. He tried to argue that this was technically his house but she completely ignored him by silently staring him down. Obviously, Ann was disappointed but she didn''t mind as she knew that she was jumping the gun a little. It''s only been a couple days since they jumped into their relationship, with them having sex before anything else. Exhaling a long sigh, Axel rubbed his eyes as he slowly started to get ready for school. Just as he finished making breakfast, the sound of someone knocking on his door startled him. Swinging open the door, Axel was welcomed by the beautiful sight of Ann, Makoto and Shiho all standing outside his door with wide smiles painted across their faces. Ann jumped onto him, nuzzling into his chest with a light blush as she cooed, "Morning babe, I missed you~" As Axel returned the hug, Ann giggled as she softly kissed his cheek. With a smile now on his face, Axel turned towards the two strawberries standing to the side as he warmly said, "Morning Makoto. Morning Shiho." Makoto became flustered as she hastily said, "M-Morning Axel." Shiho, on the other hand, blushed as she gave him a quick nod and shyly muttered, "Good morningˇ­" Allowing the girls inside, Axel leaned towards Ann''s ear and whispered, "You didn''t tell them, did you?" A guilty expression appeared on her face as her cheeks went red, "Iˇ­ may have told them a little." Rubbing his forehead, Axel fought the urge to sigh as he quickly asked, "How much?" "All I told them was that you have a harem andˇ­ that your a beast in bedˇ­" Axel''s face became dark red as he silently screamed, "Why would you tell them that!?!" Ann shook her head as she replied, "I don''t know. We were talking and having a good time. Then, before I realised it, I was tell them about how good it felt when you-" Putting his finger on her lips, Axel sighed as he realised the Makoto and Shiho know about them having sex, even though it was only anal. As embarrassing as it was, the past had passed so there was no use crying over spilt milk. That didn''t mean Axel was just going to forgive and forget as he roughly grabbed Ann''s ass, earning him a muffled moan as he whispered in a low, sensual tone, "I''ll deal with your ass laterˇ­" Ann didn''t expect Axel to be so assertive as she started heavily breathing through her nose. She gave him a small nod as she looked away with a dark red blush. Thankfully, they had about an hour until school and Axel lived about 20 minutes away so they could take their time. The pair finally entered the lounge as they saw both Makoto and Shiho sprawled out on the couches, treating the place as if it was there own home. Giving Makoto a soft smile, Axel asked, "What are you guys doing here anyway?" "Wellˇ­ Ann wanted to see you and practically dragged us over with her." Shiho reaffirmed her words as she added, "Ann was acting like a like girl experiencing her first love as she felt too embarrassed to visit you on her own." Ann''s face turned as red as a strawberry as she screamed, "Makoto! Shiho!" Both girls giggled at her as they gave a small apology with their tongues just poking out of their mouths. Deciding to be a good host, Axel laughed a bit before saying, "Hey, does anyone want something to eat before we go to school? I just finished making breakfast. Though, I''ll have to cook up a bit more to feed this many mouths." Makoto practically shot up from her chair before speeding towards the bathroom, something which intrigued Shiho and Ann as they slowly followed. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A couple minutes later, a red faced Makoto slowly came to the the table as Shiho and Ann followed behind her while trying not to laugh. Axel gave them a confused looked as he said, "What happened?" Makoto tried to stop the pair from speaking but failed as Ann replied, "She was in to much of a hurry and turned the tap on too high. The water blasted her and soaked her shirt. She just lucky that Shiho doesn''t wear her shirt or else she''d need to head back home to grab a new one." Axel secretly pinched his cheeks as he looked towards Makoto. Her cheeks were red and she fidgeted in place while holding her skirt. Now that he had a closer look, he could see that the shirt she was wearing was different to the one she normal wore. It was much b- Axels thoughts were cut off by a mighty death glare as Makoto threateningly said, "Your not thinking something rude, are you Axel?" The look she was giving him was enough to send hardened criminals crying back to their mothers as he gulped, "N-no..." Crossing her arms, Makoto snorted at him before plotting down at her seat. Everyone else awkwardly followed after her and slowly enjoyed Axel''s hard work. After they all finished, Shiho now knew why Makoto dashed off to clean up. The food Axel cooked was extraordinary. Ann was just as surprised. She had already tasted his cooking and knew how good it was but she honestly thought it was a fluke. Now, she knew that her boyfriend was actually an amazing chef. She practically leapt out of her chair and into his arms as she glomped onto him. Nuzzling into his chest and neck, Ann purred, "That was absolutely amazing Axel~ˇ­" Axel had a hard time controlling himself as Ann probably didn''t know how seductive she looked right know. Her lips and cheeks lightly glistened as she stared up into his eyes, whispering sweet words as her chest heaved up and down. Heck, her shirt was even a little unbuttoned, revealing a deep crevice that Axel wanted to explore. Suddenly, a loud cough brought the pair back to reality as Makoto angrily glared at them, "I don''t mind if you guys want to be all ''lovey-dovey'' but can you please do it when I''m not hereˇ­" Then, she silently whispered so low not even Axel could hear it, "Or at least do it with me tooˇ­" Shiho nodded her head as she agreed with Makoto. Axel awkwardly coughed as he slowly backed away, earning him a rather hot sigh from Ann as she too backed away. Deciding to change the subject, Axel pulled out his phone and said, "We''ve got about 30 minutes left till school starts. Wanna head off?" 55 Twisted Palace After such a hectic morning, Axel actually enjoyed the his boring school life. Luckily, he wasn''t mentally ill as school quickly got too boring as he easily finished his work. It was after school when his problems began. Ann asked him if he wanted to watch a movie, something he was actually looking forward to. However, because of the stupid world trial, he was forced to reject her offer as he had to raid the palace with Akira and Ryuji. To say she was sad was an understatement as Axel actually feared she was going to cry. If she did, Axel probably would have went with her, world trial be damned. It was only one time anyway. Luckily, she didn''t make things hard for him as she gave him a small nod before leaving. Exhaling a long sigh, Axel found himself in a bad mood as he made his way to the roof. Once he arrived, he greeted Akira and Ryuji with a short nod. Akira seemed worried as he cautiously asked, "You alright Axel?" Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Axel said, "Yeah, I''m fine. Ann just wanted to hang out but I had to turn her down." Ryuji''s eyes widened as he yelled, "Dude! Why''d you turn her down? You should have just went with her!" "It''s not that simple. Remember how I told you I''m not from this world? Now the world views me as a hostile element and has put a bunch of restrictions on me. My abilities are sealed and the only way to unlock them is to help you two take down Kamoshida''s palace." Ryuji and Akira both looked shocked by Axel''s revelation. And who wouldn''t be? Basically, he just told them that the world is literally against him until he can prove himself. Ryuji''s face became serious, unlike anything Axel''s ever seen before as he solemnly said, "Don''t worry Axel. Akira and I have your back. From now on, we take this seriously." Axel was surprised by Ryuji''s seriousness as he felt a gentle warmth appeared in his chest. Akira''s face was equally as serious as he said, "Okay then, now that we''re doing this seriously, we need to plan ahead." Akira softly put his bag infront of them and quickly unzipped it. Then, under the surprise of both Axel and Ryuji, a small black and white cat emerged. "MORGANA!?!" "MONSTER CAT!?! I MEAN, MORGANA!?!" Morgana softly pawed at his ears as he said, "Hey guys, good to see you again. And Ryuji! I''m not a cat, you blonde haired delinquent!" Seeing the pair butt heads right off the bat, Axel sighed as he started feeling worried about the future. Akira shared his sentiment as he sighed as well. It took a couple minutes for Ryuji and Morgana to stop. The pair turned towards Axel and Akira, only to be stunned as they were leaning against a wall, watching something on Axel''s phone. Curious on what they were watching, Ryuji slowly came closer as he asked, "Whatcha guys watching? Can I have a look?" Akira and Axel both looked at each other before silently passing him the phone. Taking the phone, Ryuji watched the video for a couple seconds and became stunned. Axel had silently recorded his fight with Morgana. This should have been fine, if not for the fact that Morgana actually sounded like a cat in the video, making him look crazy. Ryuji hastily tried to delete the video but Axel quickly snatched back his phone as he smirked, "Nope, the video stays Ryuji." "Dude! What the hell!?! You know what? Fine, keep the video. But don''t send it to anyone!" Before Axel could reply, a small beep came from Akira''s pocket as he pulled out his phone and grinned. A groan escaped Ryuji''s lips as he looked towards Axel and muttered, "Really?" Axel shrugged his shoulders as their small group decided to finally focus on the matter at hand. --- After a short briefing about their mission, the group of misfits made their way to the palace. However, when they arrived in the metaverse, everyone froze in place as they stared at the new appearance of the palace. The school was partially destroyed with smoke and flames everywhere. Littering the ground outside were blacked out silhouettes that wore clothes way to similar to their school uniform. Axel looked through a hole in the wall and saw even more silhouettes on the ground. Some of them weren''t even silhouettes but we''re shadows. Majority of them were rather weak shadows, like the pixie, but there were also some rather large and strong shadows as well. He glanced towards Akira and whispered, "Do we continue forward or should we wait until we can make sense of the situation." Akira became quiet for a couple seconds before saying, "We should investigate what exactly happened. Like the last time we were here, let''s talk to some of the shadows and students to try and get some answers. However, under no circumstances are we to spilt up." Just as he finished speaking, he turned and glared at Axel as he continued, "You got that Axel?" Axel''s lips twitched as he rolled his eyes and said, "Yes momˇ­" Axel slowly entered the vent, followed by Akira, Ryuji and finally, Morgana. However, they didn''t even make it halfway through the vent when the entire thing collapsed. All of them screamed like little girls as the vent fell for almost a minute before it crashed on the floor, hard. Slowly, Axel exited the vent as he coughed, "Is everyoneˇ­ *cough* alright?" "Still aliveˇ­" "Dudeˇ­ that freaking hurt!" Not receiving a reply from Morgana, Axel painfully sat up and yelled, "Morgana!" Suddenly, a small figure flipped down from where they fell and landed in from of Axel. Morgana smirked as he said, "I''m fine, I''ve always landed on my feet!" Ryuji seemed to really want to retort but held himself back as he was currently experience varying levels of pain. After a few minutes, everyone got their bearings. Axel scanned the surroundings and noticed that they were back in the underground dungeon. Akira seemed to realise this as well as he looked towards Axel and said, "Should we continue down or head up to the safe room." Since their goal was to clear Kamoshida''s palace, he didn''t hesitate as he said, "We continue downwards. Morgana, while we make or way down, I need you to fill us in on how to clear the palace. Let''s move people." Akira and Ryuji nodded to each other as they quickly followed behind Axel. Morgana easily kept up with the pair as he explained how to ''clear'' the dungeon. To erase the palace, they needed to steal Kamoshida''s ''treasure''. The treasure represents there dark and twisted desires, so stealing away the targets desires changes them on a mental level. He also explained that the target has to ''realise'' in reality that they were coming to steal the treasure. Obviously, once they become aware of what''s happening, the palace becomes even more dangerous. However, it''s necessary because their knowledge of the theft enables the treasure to become physical. After he gave them a basic explanation, Morgana suggested that they map out the entire palace so they can easily get to the treasure room after they inform the target. Axel and Akira both agreed but Ryuji was kind of confused as he asked, "Wait! Can someone please explain what he just said?" Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Akira nodded and said, "Basically, once we plot out the route to the treasure room, we can send him an anonymous note telling him someone is trying to steal his treasure. Once he knows we''re coming, the treasure will become real, allowing us to steal it." Lights went on in Ryuji''s head as stars appeared in his eyes, "Dude! You guys gotta let me write the note!" Giving Ryuji a weird look, Axel and Akira glance to each other and sighed. "Sure thing Ryuji. We''ll be counting on you." Said Axel, looking towards the overenthusiastic teen. Seeing the wide smile on Ryuji''s face, Axel shook his head before continuing deeper into the dungeon. 56 Shadow of Lus The dungeon was far more changed than Axel hoped. A low hanging fog was constantly wafting through out the dungeon, hiding the floor from sight. What was mostly worrying was the fact that a pungent odour persisted everywhere they went. Ryuji had already complained about a hundred time about the smell while even Akira couldn''t help but complain. As they walked through the dark and damp halls of the dungeon, the sound of splashing quickly alerted them. Axel and the others instant took refuge in the shadows as Axel peeked around the corner. His eyes widened in horror as he stared at the phallic-shaped shadows as they surrounded a pair of crying fairies. The first fairy had scrapes of cloth covering her body as she tearfully yelled, "Leave us alone! We''re all shadows here so shouldn''t we be working together?" A sadistic smile appeared on what seemed to be the phallic shadow''s face as a lustful voice said, "But the king doesn''t pay us for our services. When we asked him for payment, guess what he said?" Another phallic shadow laughed grotesquely as it said, "Take whatever you want as payment, just do you job and keep trespassers out!" A third phallic shadow grabbed the crying fairy with its tentacles as it said, "So we''re taking you girls as payment. Don''t worry, it''ll only hurt at first. Then you''ll be experiencing pleasure you didn''t even know existed." Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. All three of the shadows burst into a bout of perverted laughter as they pinned down the two fairies. Tears spilled down their faces as they slowly closed their eyes, hoping that something would save them. And their wish would come true. Even though Axel was lacking his usual powers, he was still leagues away from normal people when it came to his physical prowess. Before the came here, Ryuji handed him a pair of brass knuckles. Giving Akira and Ryuji a signal to attack, Akira, Ryuji and Morgana summoned their personas as Axel dashed forward and struck. The shadow he hit was sent flying off the ground and ended up landing in the drainage system in the dungeon, whisking it away. The other two phallic shadows seemed to realise that they were being attack and instantly choose to release the fairies and back away. The three persona users glared at the phallic shadows as Ryuji said, "Hey! You ugly creeps are about to get the beating of a lifetime!" The fairies, sitting in the middle of the conflict, looked at everything in confusion. Suddenly, the one that seemed to be the leader of the phallic-shaped shadows glared at the fairies as he roared, "What are you waiting for!?! Hurry up and help us!!!" The fairies cowered in fear when a large shadow covered them. Axel gave the pair a gentle look as said, "Don''t worry, we''ll definitely help you two. Say what you want to say, there''s nothing they can do to you while I''m here." Both fairies eyes locked onto Axel''s smiling face before coming to a decision. The second fairy glared at the two shadows before them as she screamed, "I hope you get your shit kicked in, you fucking assholes!" Akira, Axel, Ryuji and Morgana all turned to the gentle looking fairy that just yelled like a sailor. The fairy seemed slightly embarrassed by their stares but made no effort to take back her words. The phallic shadows shook in anger as the leader roared, "Fine! After we finish with these trespassers, you''ll be begging us to kill you as well." The fairies cutely screamed, "Meep!" As they flew to Axel and hid behind his back. The shadows charged towards Axel as they wanted to show the fairies that no one could protect them. At the exact same time, Akira and Ryuji ordered their personas to attack. However, something intriguing happened. Arsene''s curse and Captain Kidd''s lightning fused together as a huge ray of crimson lightning struck the shadows. Not expecting such an attack, both shadows were sent flying. Stunned, both persona users looked at each other in shock. That shock quickly disappeared as a childish smile appeared on both their faces. Axel, on the other hand, was stunned as well. He knew damn well that their wasn''t any sort of fusion attack in persona 5. He would have at least remembered that since it was so badass. Deciding to ask his system, Axel mentally said, ''System, why did there attacks fuse?'' Luckily, the system could answer that question as it said, [That would be due to you, host. The wildcard possess an infinite amount of abilities, however, it is up to the holder of the ability to unlock an ability.] [What you just saw was one of the abilities you unlocked due to the world trial, ''Combo-Attack''. Whenever two or more persona users attack, the attacks will combine together and form a more powerful attack.] Now knowing what had happened, Axel turned towards Akira, Ryuji and Morgana and yelled, "Guys! Use your attacks together! I''m the reason they combined together!" The three boys nodded as they adopted wicked grins. "Go! Arsene!" "Blow them away! Captain Kidd! "Wipe them out, Zorro!" Unlike when their attack became a crimson lightning bolt, a crimson tornado formed as blue and yellow bolts of lightning flew out from the tornado, striking the shadows. Just they were about to celebrate, a large tentacle swung towards Axel from the drainage system. Stunned, Axel knew he couldn''t dodge as he quickly put up his hands to dodge. Inches away from being hit, Axel suddenly felt some push him out of the way. With wide eyes, Axel could only watch in horror as the first fairy gave him and the other fairy a light smile. The tentacle heavily smashed against the fairy''s small back, sending her crashing into the ground. The tentacle didn''t stop there though. It seemed hell bent on making them suffer as it slammed down on the fairy once more, creating a small cloud of dust. With bloodshot eyes, Axel roared as he dashed towards the tentacle. The ''head'' of the shadow finally showed itself from the drainage system as it glared at Axel and attacked. However, who was Axel? His physical capabilities were far higher than the average human as he skillfully zipped in and out of the shadows attacks. Dodging one last time, Axel gently picked up the injured fairy before quickly making some distance from the shadow. Once they were far enough, the other fairy swiftly flew from behind his back as she circled the injured fairy and tearfully whispered, "Is she gonna be okay?" Axel looked at the injured fairy, a sour feeling filling his chest as he softly muttered, "ˇ­I don''t know." Being saved by the little fairy, Axel felt indebted to her. Deciding to ask the system for help, Axel mentally said, ''System! Is there any way I can save the fairy!'' [ˇ­A shadow is only a physical construct in a metaphysical world. They are only given a form that suits what they represent. There is-] ''I DIDN''T ASK FOR A LESSON! I ASKED IF THERE WAS A WAY TO SAVE HER!!!'' [Apologies. There are two ways to save this shadow. One, you leave her and hope that she can heal on her own, considering any type of medical aid would be unable to effect her.] ''DENIED! NEXT OPTION!'' [Option two, make a pact with her and the other fairy. Take the pair in as your persona.] 57 Gem and Ini Dodging yet another attack from the shadows tentacles, Axel knew he couldn''t keep this up. He was without his usual powers and he was carrying extra weight. He turned towards Ryuji and Akira and yelled, "Guys! Buy me a couple minutes!" Akira nodded while Ryuji continued to fight with a wide smirk on his face. Axel gave the pair a thankful nod before he quickly exited the battlegrounds. Now that he had time to relax, he softly laid the fairy on the ground. Seeing her struggling to even breath pained Axel, so he wasted no time as he said, "I have a way to heal you butˇ­ you need to become my persona." The uninjured fairy grabbed his cheeks and pulled as hard she could while her face became red, in both anger and overexertion. It was plain as day she didn''t like the idea of her friend becoming his persona. Heck, even the injured fairy seemed reluctant. Of course it would end up like this. When a shadow becomes a persona, they lose their freedom. They can''t explore the world, they can''t do the things they want to do. Unlike naturally made personas, when a shadow became a persona, it was like becoming a mindless slave. Sure, Akira made it look easy in the game but the shadows had thoughts and dreams as well. They were literally the physical manifestation of the dreams and desires of humanity. The little fairy''s infront of him only desired two things, to explore the world and each other. However, no matter how bad he felt, it was the only way Axel could use to help them. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Suddenly, a thought popped up in his head. The fairies gave him a weird look when his eyes lit up but he ignored them as he mentally said, ''System, is there anyway I can leave them their freewill when I take them in?'' Not even a second passed as the system replied, [Yes, there is host. The wildcard is fueled by the users ''desire'' and grants you a form of power. However, be warned host. The wildcard is as it''s name suggest, a wildcard. It is completely unpredictable and the system cannot guarantee it''s assistance.] Seeing the small fairy cough up blood, Axel''s eyes hardened as he muttered, "It''ll have to do..." He lowered his body until he was staring into the fairies eyes as he said, "Please, let me take you two in as personas. I know your afraid of losing your freedom but I need you to trust meˇ­ which is kinda weird, considering we just met." By the end of his sentence, Axel was blushing as he ruffled his hair embarrassment. However, this was what the girls wanted to see. They didn''t want any sweet words or empty promises, they just wanted the truth. And the truth of the matter was, Axel really was thinking of their wellbeing. The fairies glanced at each other before the uninjured one looked towards Axel and, surprisingly, bowed her head and sincerely requested, "Please, help my older sister. Please take care of the two of us from now on, Master." Axel was surprised but quickly collected himself as he smiled, "Sure!" Suddenly, a gentle ray of light enveloped the two fairies. The pair glanced at each other and stared at each other. As a few seconds passed by, a small smile appeared on both their faces as they turned towards Axel and curtseyed. Worry painted Axel''s face as he could see the injured fairy forcing herself to bow. But he didn''t interrupt them because he could feel their determination to do things properly. Suddenly, the fairies underwent a huge change. Their red and scruffy hair became a very light blue. It grew longer and longer until it just reached the end of their tails bones as it took on a rather smooth and silk look. Their monotone grey eyes also changed, becoming an illuminescent bright gold. The fairies gazed into Magna''s eyes with trust as they said in sync, "We are Geminiˇ­ the shadow that represents dualityˇ­ we offer you our power. In exchange, we only ask to be cared forˇ­" The fairies burst into motes of light. The motes of light then quickly gathered together, forming a mask. It was relatively simple eye mask with a tiny angel''s wing motif on the corner of each side. Before Axel could react, the masked quickly dashed into his face, bursting into motes of light once again before being absorbed into into his body. Suddenly, a torrent of unruly flames swallowed Axel whole. Unlike when Akira and Ryuji transformed, Axel''s flames were so big that they created a beacon of sorts. Akira and Ryuji actually noticed his transformation and they were quite a bit away from him. The flames slowly started to get smaller as they seemed drawn to something within. Once the flames were completely gone, what stood in its place was a king. Wearing a simple yet elegant suit of dark silver armour, Axel studied his new look in shock. A golden crown rested atop his head as blood red rubies adorned it. Axel glanced at his hands, studying the armour for a few more seconds before breaking into a smile. His persona form looked exactly like a dark silver version of Saber from the fate series, only male. Just as he was about to start fan-boying, an unexpected voice joyfully echoed in his head, "Wowˇ­ it''s actually really nice in here~. Don''t you think so too?" A second voice appeared as it replied in a dull tone, "I have to agree with you. This place is so spacious and inviting, I kind of never want to leave." Axel scratched the side of his forehead as he mentally muttered, ''Uhˇ­ is that you Gemini?'' A small gasp rang out in his head as the joyful voice yelled, "Is that you master? Where are you? You need to see this place! It''s so beautiful!" Axel heard a small sigh in his mind as the dull voice said, "Gem, this world is master''s mind. I don''t think he''ll ever be able to come here. But, as my sisters says, this place is truly beautiful master. It''s a shame you''ll never be able to visit." "Ini, why so you gotta be such a downer~. We should be celebrating! Not only are you fully healed but we managed to evolve as well!" Listening to the two chatter on, a smile appeared on his face as he said, ''It''s good to hear that your doing well Ini. Oh, I mean, if it''s alright for me to call you that. It went silent for a few seconds before a quiet voice muttered, "Thank youˇ­ it''s fine master." Axel was about to reply when a shocked gasp echoed in his head as Gem screamed, "Oh my god! Ini! Your blushing!" He could practically hear the panic in her voice as she screamed back, "I-I am not! Don''t start making things up Gem!" Before they could start arguing, Axel interrupted them as he said, ''Alright girls, that''s enough. I don''t want you fighting inside my head. I feel like you''ll give me a headache if you do.'' The duo gave a curt, "Fine~." In reply before falling silent. Axel thanked the girls before turning towards the battlefield. A wide grin appeared on his face as he lightly said, "Who wants revenge?" He could practically feel the grins on their faces as they slowly said, "I do~." 58 Geminis Strength With a wide grin on his face, Axel broke into a full-on sprint as he quickly entered the battlefield. Pushing off the ground, Axel took to the air as he roared, "Come! Gemini!" In a burst of flames, two beautiful goddesses appeared from within. Matching the height of an average person, the two goddesses slowly floated towards Axel, hand in hand. Everyone froze as they watched the two goddess, fully captivated by the pairs beauty. A smile formed on their faces as they slowly opened up their eyes and said in sync, "Masterˇ­" Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The pair bowed in greeting towards Axel before turning their attention towards the enemy. The goddess on the left suddenly smiled as she said in an overly joyful tone, "Look sis! There''s the trash that managed to injury you~." Even though her tone was happy, her words were anything but. Through their link, Axel could feel the hate Gem put into those words. She was just masking her true emotions in a joyful facade. Ini didn''t seemed to care but the darkness in her eyes told otherwise. She didn''t even speak as she quickly raised her arm, shooting a bolt of pure black lightning at the shadow. The dick-shaped shadow hastily raised its tentacles to block when the lightning did the most curious thing. It stopped. As if it saw there was an obstacle, the lightning bolt stopped for a few seconds before easily navigating around the tentacles. Once the bolt hit the shadow, there was no explosion or sound. The shadow couldn''t even make a sound as it was forced to bare the pain of being stabbed a thousand times. Gem pouted as she said, "Don''t take all the fun, sis." A bolt of white lightning danced between her fingers as an ever present happy smile adorned her face. Her lightning bolt gave of a divine and holy feeling, something which scared the phallic-shaped shadow immensely. Before he could even speak, the bolt shot from her hand, transforming into a spear of light that easily impaled the shadow. From beginning to the end, the shadow was still trying to beg for its life, completely unaware that it was already dead. As they shadow became nothing but ash and dust, Ini suddenly smacked Gem over the head as she screamed, "Gem! What the hell!?! I was supposed to be the one that kills him!!!" Gem''s smile broke a bit as she scratched the side of her head and sincerely said, "I didn''t know that was gonna happen. I guess we''re stronger than before." Ini face palmed hard as she groaned, "Of course we areˇ­ we literally just evolved!!!" Before the pair could continue their argument, Axel butted in as he dismissively said, "Alright girls, calm down. You defeated the shadow, that''s all that really matters." Both girls turned towards Axel, about to yell at him for interrupting them when they found themselves unable to speak. Axel tilted his head at them as he waved his hand infront of their faces and said, "Hello? Gem? Ini? Anyone home? Hellooo~ˇ­" Suddenly, Ini blushed as she hastily turned away while Gem ran up to Axel with stars in her eyes as she yelled, "Is that you Master? When did you get so hot!!! I mean, you were hot before but now your like MEGA HOT!!!" A small blush appeared on Axel''s face as he scratched his cheek and awkwardly muttered, "Thanksˇ­ I guess." "Yo! Dude! We saw the flames! Did you get a persona tw-" Hearing a loud and obnoxious voice from behind, Axel quickly turned around only to be met with silence. Both Akira and Ryuji were frozen in place with a look of pure shock on their faces. Just as Axel was about to ask if they were alright, Ryuji suddenly collapsed to his knees as he cried, "It''s just not fair... he was already good lookingˇ­ why did his persona form make him look even more amazing! IT''S JUST NOT FAIR!!!" Beside him, Akira was also on the ground as he gently patted Ryuji''s shoulder. He turned towards Axel and sighed as he listlessly muttered, "Lifeˇ­ why are you so cruel?" Axel rolled his eyes as walked over and slapped the pair on the head, "Alright, stop being stupid boys. We have a dungeon to explore and evidence to collect. By the way, where the hell is Morgana?" "Morgana was checking out this room we came across. And before you start, he''s fine. The room was empty minus the large table in the middle of the room." Said Ryuji, rubbing the small bump on his head. A frowned appeared on Axel''s face as he said, "We should go check on him." Both boys shrugged their shoulders before leading the way. Like they said, the room only had a big table in the middle with no shadows in sight. However, what they didn''t account for was big metal cage that surrounded the table. Ryuji literally fell to the floor laughing as he pointed at the embarrassed Morgana that sadly sat behind the cage. Akira gave Ryuji a heavy punch to the head before dragging him off. Axel glanced at the stacks of paper next to Morgana as he said, "What''s all that Morgana?" Seeing Axel not laughing at him, Morgana gave him a thankful smile and said, "Well, one of them is a map. Sadly, it only covers half the dungeon and the ground floor. The other thoughˇ­" Morgana easily slipped the papers between the bars as he motioned for Axel to take them. Taking the papers from his hand, Axel quickly read over them before coming to a stop. Suddenly, an immense aura of anger and hatred burst out from within Axel''s body. Gritting his teeth, Axel savagely teared the papers apart in attempt to calm his anger. However, all that managed to do was anger him further. Axel let loose a violent roar as he grabbed the bars and pulled. Morgana was about to tell him to stop when the words became stuck in his throat. Slowly, the sound of creaking metal could be heard as the bars slowly started to bend. The girls were just as stunned as Morgana as Gem sensually whistle at Axel while Ini softly bit her lip and muttered, "Look at those musclesˇ­ mmm~." Once a hole big enough for Morgana appeared, the cat wasted no time as he quickly jumped through the hole. Morgana seemed on edge as he stood up straight while occasionally glancing at Axel. Anyone with a brain could figure out that what was on the papers managed to majorly piss Axel off. Both Gem and Ini turned to look at the scraps of paper on the ground, finding one small piece of paper that said ''Pet Project'' and another with a picture of a black haired, cardigan wearing beauty. 59 One Lucky Man To the side, Akira and Ryuji walked towards them with wide smiles on their faces as Akira said, "Axel, we found a way to op-" Once he was close enough, all the words he wanted to say became scarce as he stared at Axel in shock. A violent aura surrounded Axel as he made hole after hole in the cage, tearing the bars apart with his hands. Next to him was a frozen Morgana that did his best to become one with the air. Sweat dripped down Ryuji''s head as he looked towards Morgana and whispered, "Yo, Morgana. What pissed Axel off?" Morgana visibly shuddered as he shakily pointed towards the torn papers on the ground. Akira sneakily walked over and scanned the papers before coming to a stop. He picked up a picture off the ground and showed it to Ryuji. A gasp escaped Ryuji''s lips as he yelled, "Shiho!?!" Axel''s hands suddenly stopped, causing everyone in the room to flinch subconsciously. He slowly turned towards Ryuji as he hoarsely said, "That''s right. Kamoshida is planning to legally ''own'' Shiho. Apparently, he''s already talked to her parents about ''taking her to the championships'' and they aren''t that against the idea." Walking over to the frozen trio, Axel took a deep breath as he calmed down, "After we get what we need, I''ll be heading over to Ann''s house. I''ll inform her of what''s going on and we''ll try and get Shiho out of there." Everyone''s expression was grave but none more so than Axel''s. Shiho was a very good friend to both Ann and himself. If he let anything happen to her when he could have done something, he knows that he would regret not helping her. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he turned towards Morgana and said, "Now that we have a map, what''s our next plan of attack?" Morgana''s eyes widened as he stuttered, "A-Are you talking to me?" "Obviously. You seem to know about these palaces more than anyone so it makes sense to ask you for our next step." Said Axel, staring at Morgana with a weird look. Taking a breath, Morgana met Axel''s gaze as he said, "I meant, your the leader. Your supposed to tell us what to do." "Morgana, get rid of that type of thinking. There''s one thing you need to remember. A leader is only as good as his team. We each specialize in different things and together, we make a force to be reckoned with. So, when I need some help, I''ll be sure to ask you guys. That also goes for all of you. If you need help, be sure to ask me as well as the team." Axel''s little speech seemed to ignite something inside everyone as they stared at him with a fiery look. Morgana grinned as he lay the map on the ground, "So, while I wasˇ­ waiting for you guys, I noticed something odd. There''s a room with three different symbols on it, a king, a queen and a slave." Ryuji gave Morgana a confused look as he said, "And the symbols are important because?.." "That I don''t know. However, look at this." Taking a book out from god knows where, Morgana opened it and on the first page was the symbol for Slave. "My guess is that whatever is in that room needs the books that represent ''King'' and ''Queen''." Axel and Akira both agreed with Morgana''s guess while Ryuji was still a little confused. After spending a few minutes resting in the room and discussing their next plan of attack, the group quickly left the room and continued forward. They had a map now so navigating the dungeon was a breeze. Obviously, they did run into the occasionally shadow but Axel and Gemini took care of them quickly. As the group moved through the dungeon, Axel suddenly stopped as he said, "Akira, what time is it?" Akira took out his phone, only to turn pale as he yelled, "Guys! I need to go home quick!" A surprised expression appeared on Ryuji''s and Morgana''s face as the stared at Axel. The young man in question only shrugged. His internal clock was forced by Olivia to be on time. He shivered when he rembered the punishment she gave him when he was late to wake up. Looking over the tired faces of his friends, Axel smiled gently as he said, "Alright men, it''s time to go home. Actually, let''s go to Le Blanc. I feel like having some curry." "Oh hell yeah! I could definitely go for some food." "Sorry Axel. Let''s come back later." "Wait! I can''t eat curry! Can''t we go for sushi?" Axel and the boys all laughed before stealthily moving towards the safe room. Luckily, they had a map now so it made navigating the dungeon even easier. However, just as they reached the safe roomˇ­ "HELP!!! PLEASE!!!" Axel froze as he heard the scream of someone very dear to him. Then, he cursed as he realised what was happening. This is the part where Ann joins the Phantom theives. Instead of running on ahead, Axel turned to his group as he said, "Guys! We''re moving to the entrance!" Akira and Ryuji quickly nodded as they heard the scream as well. Morgana grinned as he said, "I guess it''s time we save a damsel in distress." As Axel lead he way, Akira tapped Morgana''s shoulder as he whispered, "Morgana, I wouldn''t try anything with the girl we''re about to meet. She''s Axel''s girlfriend." Morgana went wide eyed before bursting into tears in a cartoonish way. "Why is life so unfairˇ­" Akira and Ryuji shed a single tear as they clasped Morgana''s shoulder in understanding. Axel, being only a couple feet ahead of them, sighed as he wondered when they were gonna drop this joke. I mean, it''s technically not even a joke. --- Sneaking into the entrance room, Axel almost fainted as he saw Ann, crucified on a metal spire. Her clothes were torn, tears fell from her eyes and worst of all, that bastard Shadow Kamoshida was groping around her chest. With a righteous fury, Axel broke into a sprint and ran at him full force. Luckily, this was a part of the plan that Akira came up with. Kamoshida turned and glared at Axel, ordering the nearby shadows to attack. As he focused on Axel, he missed the stealthy black cat that snuck closer to Ann. Morgana quickly untied the bindings holding Ann as he gently said, "It''s fine now, you''re alright." She stared at Morgana in both sadness and shock as she slowly muttered, "What... who are you guys?" An awkward smile appeared on Morgana''s face as he said, "Well, I''m Morgana. They one in a skull mask is skull but you know him as Ryuji. The one with the red gloves is Joker, real name: Akira. And finally, the one currently beating the shit out of the shadows bare handed is your boyfriend, codename: King." She turned her shocked gaze towards Axel as she exclaimed, "What!?!" Watching her boyfriend beat the literally shit out of monstersˇ­ to be honest, kinda turned her on. However, she knew that now wasn''t the time to be getting hot and heated. Straightening the remnants of her clothes, she turned towards Morgana as she said, "Okay thenˇ­ Morgana. What should I do now? Do I hide or something?" An awkward look appeared on Morgana''s face as he scratched his head, "Uhˇ­ wellˇ­ that''s..." Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "What?" "Weˇ­ didn''t plan that far. We basically only got to ''distract Kamoshida, save Ann''." Ann had to fight the urge to roll her eyes as she sighed, "Boysˇ­" Suddenly, Axel, Akira and Ryuji were sent flying towards Ann and Morgana. Without caring about herself, Ann unconsciously moved into Axel''s path as she tried to catch him. As he crashed into her arms, she cried in pain as the force sent her flying into a wall. However, she didn''t drop him as she smiled, "You alright Axel?" Axel opened his mouth yet no words came out. Seeing the care in her eyes, Axel felt he was truly lucky as he passionately kissed her. After a few minutes of sucking face, Axel turned towards Kamoshida with a wide smirk on his face as he roared, "Prepare to get your shit kicked in!" 60 Twisted Plo Axel''s smirk was the only thing Kamoshida could see as flames danced around him. Gemini appeared as both girls grasped each others hand and launched a bolt of black and white lightning. Seeing the incoming bolt, Kamoshida only chuckled as he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, three huge shadows riding on top of horses appeared as they easily destroyed the bolt. "Guards. Would you mind taking out the trash? Just make sure you leave the girl. She seems useful for a good time." Axel merely sneered at Kamoshida as he roared, "Gem! Boost our speed!" Gem giggled as she hastily gave a cute salute, "Aye aye captain!" With a snap of her dainty little fingers, an aura surrounded all the boys. Suddenly, the world seemed to be moving much slower to them. Unlike normal personas, Gemini was born through the system. Not only did Gem and Ini have separate abilities but they also had combo attacks that they could do together. Gem had the ability to buff the entire team with a single perk while Ini could massive debuff a single aspect of the enemy. Axel glanced towards Ini as he bowed in a gentlemanly manner, "Ini, if you would." Ini nodded to him with a smile as she snapped her fingers. A dark and gloomy aura surrounded the enemy as they started moving at a snails pace. Looking over at his shocked companions, Axel rolled his eyes as he said, "Well?" Akira was the first to gather his thoughts as he smiled, "Come! Arsene!" Arsene leaped out of the flames with madness burning in his eyes. His claws moved so fast that Axel could only see glimpses of his hands. Then, the shadow simply fell to the ground and burst into motes of light. Akira was stunned for a few seconds before he burst into a bout of laughter. It seems that Gem''s buff and Ini''s debuff simple took away the chance for a counter attack. Ryuji started hoping like an excited child as he quickly said, "My turn! Let''s do this! Captain Kidd!" Flames quickly surrounded the floor as Captain Kidd''s ship burst out onto the flames. It sailed across the floor as the flame in its socket burned bright. Aiming it''s cannon towards what seemed to be the leader, a bolt of lightning came flying out as it moved in for the kill. Howeverˇ­ *ting* A mirror-like object appeared as it cancelled Captain Kidd''s lightning. Ryuji became embarrassed but Captain Kidd was livid. The sound of teeth grinding rang out through the room as the ship he was sailing on charged at the leader. Without warning, Captain Kidd leapt off his ship as he latched onto the shoulders of the leader. Before he could even think of throwing Kidd off, the skull raised his head up high before bring into back down as fast as lightning. Since lightning did next to nothing, Kidd continued to bash his skull against the leaders helmet. After a few headbutts, the helmet suddenly split apart. Kidd''s flaming eyes suddenly became larger and more violent as it forced it''s hands into the crack of the helm and pried the helm apart. With its face exposed, Kidd''s skeleton face visibly turned into a smile as it headbutted the leader one last time. Needless to say, the leader burst into motes of light. Ryuji was stunned with his mouth wide open. He honestly didn''t expect Kidd to suddenly go ape shit, but boy was he glad he did. Ann, however, could help but chuckle as she said, "Wowˇ­ the skeleton is just like it''s master. When tactics don''t work, just keep hitting it till it does." Ryuji glared at her as he yelled, "Hey! At least it worked!" Morgana couldn''t help but roll his eyes at Ryuji as he walked forward, "Amateur. Just sit back and watch how a pro does it." With no fancy moves, Morgana smirked as he yelled, "Zorro!" Almost as soon as the flames appeared, an explosion of wind burst through the room. Right behind the shadow stood Zorro, with his back facing the shadow. Ryuji became worried as he shouted, "Morgana! Tell your persona to turn around!" Morgana simply smiled as he said, "No need." Suddenly, 20 different holes appeared on the shadows body as it fell to the ground, bursting into motes of light right before it hit the ground. Axel whistled as he happily said, "Wow Morganaˇ­ that was actually pretty smoothˇ­" Everyone could see the pride on Morgana''s face as he replied, "I know, I knowˇ­" However, their happiness didn''t last long as 6 more shadows appeared. Just as they were about to react, Gem''s buff ran out as the four persona users were tackled to the ground. The shadows quickly covered their mouths as Kamoshida said, "Did you honestly think it was going to be that easy? Seriously?" He slowly swaggered over to Ann as she fell to the floor while crawling back. Anger painted Axel''s face as he struggled fiercely but Kamoshida didn''t care as he grabbed Ann''s hair. He stroked her platinum blonde locks before slowly lifting them to his nose, taking a long and hard wiff. A tent suddenly appeared in his pants as he wore a demonic smile, "I''m going to enjoy ravishing you." Ann cried, in both fear and anger. She struggled as he pushed her down but she couldnt over power him. When all hope seemed lost, a single voice called to her. "ANN!!!" A powerful wave of flames burst out from Axel, sending both shadows flying. He broke off into a dead sprint as he brutally smashed his fist into Kamoshida''s face. Axel quickly helped her up and hugged her close. He could feel her trembling in his arms as he held her tight and whispered, "Shhhhh... it''s alright Ann, I''m here." Suddenly, an eerie chuckle escaped Kamoshida''s mouth as he grinned, "Ahhhˇ­ that punch really hurt, you know? Almost as much as what the real me is going to do to Shiho." Ann''s eyes widened as she screamed, "What do you mean by that, you freaky perv king?" "Oh, that''s right, little Annie wasn''t there. Well, to bring you up to speed. By tomorrow evening, Shiho will be ''cumming'' with me~." A sickening grin appeared on Kamoshida''s face as he frantically started thrusting his hips. Ann went pale as she cried, "Don''t you dare touch Shiho!" Kamoshida trembled as he clutched his sides, cackling like an insane man as he roared, "Ah~ That face! That expression! It''s too good!" Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Before Kamoshida could continue cackling, Axel glared at him with a fiery anger as he roared, "You won''t get away with it! We will stop you!" A sickening smile that stretched from side to side appeared on Kamoshida''s face as his yellow eyes glowed with madness, "I already haveˇ­" Suddenly, Kamoshida vanished. The guards around them also vanish, seeing no point in holding them back any longer. Ann cried into Axel''s chest, "Axel please! Shiho is my best friendˇ­ you have to save her!" Holding the crying girl close, Axel softly rubbed her back as he said, "Don''t worry Ann. I swear I''ll save Shiho, even if I have to turn that school upside down." What everyone failed to notice was the fact that Axel''s eyes glowed a dim yellow for a second before returning to normal. 61 You Got a Friend in Me With Ann by there side, the boys knew better than to continue through the palace. They quickly gathered their bearings before moving to leaving the palace. Along the way, Ann was like a machine gun, shooting question after question at them. And, since she was going out with Axel, the other three numbskulls decided to push all her questions onto him. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Needless to say, Axel glared at them as he answered her to the best of his ability. He didn''t know everything about ''Persona 5'', so some of her questions ended up being skipped or only partially answered. After a few minutes, the group finally came to the boarder between the cognitive world and reality. Axel, however, was the only person who noticed Akira silently walk off. He also noticed a small, blonde loli wearing what seemed to be a warden''s uniform standing next to aˇ­ floating door. She suddenly threw the door open as she jumped behind Akira and booted him into the door. Axel''s lips twitched as he tried not to burst into laughter. However, he also noticed that Akira seemed to come flying back out right after he entered. Ignoring the smile on his face, Axel clapped his hands together and said, "Alrighty people, huddle up!" Once everyone was gathered and focused on him, Axel turned serious as he said, "Tomorrow, Ann and I will try and talk to Shiho. We''ll try and gather something from her." Pointing at Akira and Ryuji, he continued, "You two, can I count on you to gather statements from other students? Ryuji, you learned the faces of those shadow students in the dungeon, right?" Ryuji nodded. "Excellent! Remember, beˇ­ gentle when you bring it up. Kamoshida is a thorough scumbag so expect resistance when your questioning them. Morgana!" Axel said. Looking towards the tense cat, Axel smiled as he said, "Your gonna have to be our trainer. After school, we''ll meet on the roof and reenter the palace. Your job is to teach mainly Akira, Ryuji and any new recruits the ins and outs of infiltration. Can you do it?" Morgana visibly relaxed as he confidently replied, "Of course!" Axel nodded, "That''s good. Is there anything I missed?" Seeing no reply, Axel was about to dismiss them when Ann suddenly raised her hand. Axel raised an eyebrow as he signal her to take the stage. "After talking to Shihoˇ­ what will I do? I mean, I can''t really fight but I really want to helpˇ­" Said Ann, her voice becoming a whisper at the end of her sentence. Now, Axel was slightly torn on what to do. On one hand, he wanted her to stay as far away from Kamoshida''s palace as possible. That place was disgusting and Axel didn''t want his girlfriend getting hurt. Or worse. However, on the other hand, he knew she would only grow if she accompanied them. It was only a matter of time before she unlocked her persona, enabling her to live up to her destiny. After a few silent minutes of debating in his head, Axel suddenly sighed as he said, "You can come with us as well. However, you need to be by my side at all times, are we clear?" Before she could reply, Axel''s face hardened as he said, "I mean it Ann. If you are to come with us, the only way you''ll be able to safely explore by yourself is if you can use a persona. Even then, exploring by yourself is the fastest way to get yourself thrown in a cell. Just ask Morgana." A look of exasperation appeared on Morgana''s face as he said, "You get caught once and suddenly your the example of what ''not'' to do." Everyone chuckled as Ann nodded, adopting a serious expression as she said, "Yes sir!" "Good. Everyone! Get alot of rest tonight because we have a long day tomorrow." Said Axle. At almost the same time he finished speaking, the group walked into the gap between worlds. It wasn''t long before they appeared in the alley near the school. The group broke up and headed home. They knew that tomorrow was going to be a hectic day. --- *Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!* Early in the morning, an alarm blared as Axel groggily woke up. Stella was still summoned due to him being unable to cancel or use his skills but she was currently watching over Shiho. Sadly, due to his skills being locked until he completes ''Kamoshida''s Palace'', Axel couldn''t sense where she was and he lost the ability to communicate telepathically with her. Since her parents were out of town on a business trip, Ann ended up staying overnight. They didn''t get up to any ''hanky panky'' last night but that''s not to say Ann didn''t try to tempt him. Ann wanted to take her mind off her worries if only for a second but Axel was just too worry to be in the mood. The pair quickly got changed before heading off the school, even going so far as to forgo breakfast. Once they arrived, the pair saw Akira and Ryuji, as well as a small black cat in Akira''s bag. They were already scurrying around, gathering as much evidence as they could. Ann decided that it would be best if they split up to look for Shiho, leaving Axel all on his lonesome. Just as he was about to begin his search, a small blur latched onto his arm. He was about to greet Stella when she cut him off as she frantically screamed, "Axel! It''s Shihoˇ­ she''s about to jump off the roof!" Axel froze as his blood went cold. Without even asking where she was, Axel bulldozed straight through the students entering the school and run to the courtyard. Suddenly, a sharp gasp caught his attention as he saw a shocked female student looking at the sky. He turned towards what she was looking at and paled. Shiho was standing right on the ledge of the roof, her eyes empty as she stared over the edge. ''No no no no noˇ­'' Axel repeatedly screamed in his mind. He knew he wouldn''t make it if he tried to get to the roof so the best he could do wasˇ­ At the moment she jumped, Axel was already on the move. He put gold medalist to shame as he dashed across the courtyard, shoving everyone out of the way. As he became face to face with the school building, instead of slowing down, Axel sped up and jumped. Using the windowsills as platforms, Axel pushed his body to it''s limits as he quickly scaled the building. All anyone could see was a blur run through the courtyard before climbing halfway up the school building. With little to no choice, Axel grit his teeth as he pushed himself off the wall, wrapping Shiho in his arms as he fiercely roared, "I FUCKING GOT THIS!!!" The pair plummeted to the ground, hard. Axel winced as he made contact with the ground. Two storeys was not a pleasant height to fall from. However, he managed to absorb most of the impact. Shiho, at first, was stunned silent as she stared at Magna with wide eyes. Then, without her noticing, tears slowly streamed down her face as she shakily muttered, "Y-youˇ­ you saved me?" Even though he was in pain, Axel still managed to shoot her a bright smile as he said, "Of course I didˇ­ that''s what friends are forˇ­ right?" With the adrenaline fading from her body, the shock from both her attempted suicide and failing moments later, Shiho''s mind collapsed. As the world around her slowly dimmed, the last thing in her mind was Axel''s smile. 62 A Brief Briefing Outside of the school, Axel watched silently as the paramedics slowly left. Shiho was in a coma. The shock from both her attempt and it''s consequential failure caused her already strained mind to crash. They needed to run some tests at the hospital but the paramedics assured the school that she would be fine. The principal cancelled school for the day, stating that tension was far too high for anyone to study. However, Axel could see that he just wanted time to figure out how to deal with the media. Axel was thankful for this though. Ann was a mess, tears streaming down her face as she watched the ambulance leave. He wrapped her in his arms and whispered words of comfort into her ear. She was mostly unresponsive for a few minutes. Then, she hugged him back as she cried into his chest. Akira and Ryuji stood next to the pair, a dark shadow covering their eyes. Clenching his fist, Ryuji trembled as he squeezed out the words, venom laced in his tone, "That bastardˇ­" It was clear that something must have happened between Shiho and Kamoshida, considering what shadow Kamoshida was going on about last night. Axel just hoped it wasn''t as bad as he thought. It was never specified in the anime or game, but it was insinuated that Kamoshidaˇ­ raped Shiho. He had trouble remembering the plot, sure, but some events were too shocking to forget. Akira stayed silent, looking as calm as usual. However, Axel could feel the cold rage coming off him. Unlike the burning rage Ryuji was giving off, Akira''s anger made him cold and calculating. There was a sharp gleam in his eyes as he watched the departing back of the scumbag king. Suddenly, Axel''s hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him back to reality. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. By now, Ann had cried herself to sleep. He knew she wanted to go with Shiho but the paramedics refused. Shiho wasn''t badly hurt, only unconscious from shock. They were told that she was going to be tested and the paramedics didn''t want any distractions. --- After half an hour, Ann stirred from her slumber, sniffling as she slowly opened her red and puffy eyed. Axel, being the gentleman he is, carried her to a local cafe as he and the boys ate and chatted. Seeing the concern on Axel''s face as he glanced down towards her, Ann felt her heartbeat quicken as she blushed. That was when she noticed. She was laying in his lap. He smiled when her cheeks became red, stroking her hair in a soothing manner as he said, "How''re you feeling, sleeping beauty?" Ann stayed silent for a few seconds, clutching Axel''s shirt as he hands trembled. Even the embarrassment she was feeling ended up being pushed back by her sorrow. Seeing her like this, Axel felt a sharp pain in his chest as he hugged her close. A few minutes passed as the couple sat in silence. Suddenly, Ann let his shirt go as she slowly climb his body and planted a long and loving kiss on Axel''s lips. "Thanks for being there for meˇ­" Whispered Ann. Axel only smiled as he kissed her forehead, "Anytime Ann." Now that Ann was awake, Axel and the boys decided to get down to business. What happened today was unforgivable. Axel restrained the burning inferno of rage building inside him as he muttered, "Alright boys, I need ideas. How are we gonna do this?" A dark smirked appeared on Akira''s face as he lightly pushed his glasses up, "Last night, I had a very long and informative talk with Morgana about the metaverse. If we want to ''save'' Kamoshida and make him repent for his actions, all we need to do is steal the core of the palace." "You see, according to Morgana, the core of the palace literally holds the palace together. However, that''s not all. The core also serves as a container for the palace ruler''s negative emotions." Akira smiled as he continued, "If we managed to steal the core, in theory, all the crimes Kamoshida has committed will all come back to bite him, guilt tripping him into being a better person." Suddenly, the zip to Akira''s bag lowered itself as Morgana popped out and said, "Your forgetting one important detail, Akira. Make sure you tell them." Rolling his eyes, Akira muttered, "I was getting to that partˇ­" "Oneˇ­ tiny little thing I should mentionˇ­ Don''t kill the palace ruler." Everyone stopped for a second before turning to Axel. He tilted his head slightly as he muttered, "What?" Axel knew exactly why everyone was looking at him but he decided to act confused instead. He didn''t plan to kill the shadow Kamoshida but he did plan to kick his ass until not even his mother could recognise. Sighing, Akira rubbed his forehead and said, "The core, the ruler, and their real life counterpart are connected. If you kill the ruler, the counterpart dies as well." The group froze. Akira was fine, considering he learned this the other night but the others? Ryuji was a bit shaken up. He hated Kamoshida, sure. But he didn''t want to kill the guy. Maybe just kick him in the nuts a couple hundred times then everything would be water under the bridge. Annˇ­ She was a difficult one. Her face, stained with tears, wore a mask of icy indifference. She didn''t seem to care at all if Kamoshida died or not. Axel wanted nothing more than to tear Kamoshida a new one. However, this world was based off his original world. The laws here were strict and Axel didn''t wish to spend his life in prison, even if there was no way to prove they did it. After a few minutes of silence, Axel sighed as he said, "Fine. From now on, we work under a ''No Killing People'' rule. Shadows? Go to town. Just don''t hurt the palace ruler''s." Akira and Ryuji sighed in relief hearing his answer. However, not evem a second later, Axel smiled as he said, "However, anything else is fair game." This time, Ann smiled but not out of happiness. Her smile was chilling, making the boys, Axel included, drawback from her a bit. She said nothing as she looked over at the boys. Still smiling, she slowly raised her hand into the air. A touch of savagery suddenly appeared in her smile as she opened her palm before viciously clutching it shut. The three boys (and cat) paled as they subconsciously crossed their legs, hissing in imaginary pain. Ann rolled her eyes and giggled as she cutely squirmed her way into Axel''s arms. She ignored the fact that he flinched when she touched him as she said, "I''m not gonna hurt you Axel~. I like you, remember?" Once she was wrapped up in his arms, Ann sighed in content and smiled. Axel quietly sighed in relief as he hugged Ann by her waist. Hearing the muffled giggles coming from Ann, the momentary fear for his future children disappeared as he lightly kissed her neck. Watching the pair disappear into their own little world, Akira, Ryuji and Morgana all seemed to share the exact same thought. ''Riajuuˇ­ Go Explode!'' 63 Traitor! Outside the metaverse version of the school, Axel and the others all stood by as they checked their gear. Akira and Ryuji went and bought alot of items like bandaids and drinks. There were a couple weird items that Ryuji bought but no one paid them any mind as anything might be useful in the metaverse. Morgana explained that the metaverse was different from reality. What might be useless in real life might be the key to surviving a harsh situation in the metaverse. It was weird but that was how it worked. Not everything was as it seemed in the metaverse. Even though he didn''t want her to, Ann insisted on following them into the palace. No matter how he felt, Axel knew he would just be a hypocrite if he didn''t let Ann follow them when he allowed Ryuji to. Axel knew he would feel much better if Ann unlocked her persona but it was hard to say when that would happen. Since he''s made quite a few small changes, he doesn''t know how badly he''s messed up the timeline. Sighing, Axel turned to Ann one last time as he said, "Make absolutely sure that you follow behind me. If a shadow attacks you, get behind either one of us." Ann giggled as she light nudged Axel and said, "Come on, Axel. I''m not a damsel in distress, I can handle a little action." Axel''s hands softly trembled as he squeezed her gently and whispered, "I knowˇ­ I knowˇ­ I''m just a little worriedˇ­ Ann, promise me that if things get too heated, you''ll run back to the safe room." Feeling the worry in Axel''s trembling body, Ann sighed as she hugged him tightly, "Fine. I promise that of things get hairy, I''ll get myself out of there." No matter what anyone said, Axel was terrified for Ann''s safety. He and his friends have almost died multiple times while exploring the palace, even with their personas. Ann without a persona doesn''t have the ability to fight against most shadows, let alone the scumbag king. Axel could see by the fierce light in her eyes that Ann had something planned for the scumbag king. Shaking his head, Axel sighed as he put on a serious expression and said, "Alright boysˇ­ and girl, let''s get a move on. Remember, we only need to find a fast and efficient way to get to where the treasure is being held." Everyone nodded at Axel''s words as they silently entered the palace. After entering the palace a couple times, Akira and Ryuji realised that stealth was crucial. Whenever they came across a shadow, Akira and Ryuji became ruthless assassins. Under the cover of darkness, they would silently rush up behind a shadow before proceeding to repeatedly stab it from behind. Obviously, some of the shadows tried to call for help but that was when Axel ran over and put the shadow into a choke hold. If that wasn''t enough, Morgana always aimed for the vitals. The eyes, the throat, the groin, as long as it made the shadow die faster, Morgana always attacked them without hesitation. Ann could only watch in speechless awe. The boys seemed far too proficient in the art of assassination. What she didn''t know was that, when the boys gathered together after school, Axel would secretly teach them how to fight. How to handle a dagger, how to properly string and use a bow, he taught them all he could. Akira seemed to be born to wield a dagger. He took to the Apollo clan''s dagger arts like a fish to water. Ryuji, on the other hand, was adept at the art of stealth. Even though he was the loudest person Axel has ever known, the boy was able to move while being completely silent. Traversing the palace after they actually learnt some techniques made life alot easier. Obviously, the group randomly encountered traps and puzzles but they were so stupidly easy that Ryuji solved them all on his own. The thing that held them up though, was when they discovered the "library". Axel curiously gave one of the books a short glance and almost exploded in rage. Each book represented one of Kamoshida''s conquests. Young, hopeful boys who''s dreams were cruelly crushed. Beautiful maidens who''s innocence Kamoshida sadistically tainted. Detailed reports of Kamoshida''s many "exploits". The more Axel read, the more he considered saying ''SCREW IT!''. He felt his rage build until ''something'' started tugging in his mind. He could feel it. It wanted to be free. IT WANTED TO DESTROY! However, Axel quickly calmed down when he saw the worry in Ann''s eyes. A gentle warmth spread through his chest as he took a deep breath and calmed down. The group easily solved the rooms puzzle and acquired the final piece of the map. Afterwards, some shadows tried to jump them but the current Akira and Ryuji were a force to be reckoned with. Currently, the group was tracking down the last piece of the second puzzle, a crystal eye. The first one was held by a very dangerous shadow so everyone assumed that the last piece would also be in the hands of another shadow. The puzzled required them to find two crystal eyes and insert them into the sockets of a laughing Kamoshida statue. Ryuji wanted to try, in his own words, ''smash the stupid statue''s stupid grin off its stupid face'' but Axel quickly calmed him down. After a few minutes, the group finally came across a huge shadow. Ryuji and Akira nodded to each other as they moved through the shadows like a pair of phantoms. Ryuji wasted no time and yanked the shadow''s mask right off, exposing the shadow within. Once it fully formed, Akira used the hilt of the blade and smashed it against the shadows chin. The shadow, however, seemed to be a single succubus. Axel had to admit the succubus was rather beautiful, in a demonic and bewitching sort of way. Akira and Ryuji moved in tandem, using each other to confuse the shadow as Morgana sneakily appeared behind her. She couldn''t even react as Morgana pulled out an oversized slingshot and shot 10 pellets at her back. The succubus cried in pain as she collapsed to the ground. Axel actually felt bad for the shadow as she cried, "W-wait!" Axel was surprised that the shadow asked them to stop but he didn''t mind as he signalled them to wait. The succubus sniffled softly as she gave Axel a thankful nod. Suddenly, a small frown appeared on Axel''s face as he finally saw the succubus''s face. She had a black eye and some serious bruising on her cheeks and neck. Her arms had dark bruises on them as she hugged her body close. She wasˇ­ scared. Not of them but of something else. Axel''s expression softened as he gently smiled, "It''s alright, we won''t hurt you. We just need the crystal eye." A bitter signed escaped the succubus''s lips as she gave Axel a helpless smile, "I would give it to you if I could butˇ­ the other shadows will beat me again if I doˇ­" Axel took in a deep breath as he calmed his growing anger. Even some of the shadows in Kamoshida''s palace were scumbags. Suddenly, a light went off in his head as he said, "What if you come with us?" The succubus was surprised but her expression quickly morphed back into fear as she stuttered, "N-noˇ­ Iˇ­ I don''t want to be a slaveˇ­" Before Axel could speak up, Akira step forward. He stared at Axel as he silently asked if he could handle this. Axel said no as he smiled. Akira happily started talking to the shadow. Sharing his likes and dislikes, his experiences. He was attempting to bond with the shadow. Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. And it was working. In the beginning, the succubus was reluctant to talk with him. But as time went by, the succubus suddenly found herself immersed in their conversation. Without warning, the succubus ended up interrupting Akira as she smiled and said, "My name is Succubus. Should you ever need me, call my name and I shall appear to aid you." She bowed slightly before walking over to Akira and, to the shock of everyone, kissed his cheek as she burst into motes of light. The specks of light quickly gathered together and transformed into a white and black mask. Akira was too stunned to react as the mask slammed into his face, sending the young Phantom theif reeling backwards. Before he could questioned what happen, Ryuji and Morgana hugged each other as they screamed, "Akira! You traitor!" Akira and Axel could only sigh at their teammates while Ann was still trying to piece together what actually happened. 64 Awakening Part 1 Since the shadow decided to accompany Akira, the crystal eye was left behind as it wasn''t truly apart of the shadow. Ryuji, being who he was, leaned down to pick up the crystal eye and said, \"Well, that was easy.\" Ann rolled her eyes at him, \"Yeah, spending a couple minutes to convince her to join us was just sooooo easy.\" Everyone chuckled when Ryuji seemed to take a hit from Ann''s words. He ended up sulking for a while but Axel quickly got everyone back on track as they run to the statue. The moment Ryuji slammed the crystal eye into the statues socket, a loud cranking sound rang out as some sort of mechanism came to a stop. A relieved sigh came from Axel''s mouth as he looked forward. A normal path way now stood before them. However, it was only a normal pathway if you ignored the 10 giant guillotines that now rested on either side. Halfway through the pathway was a chest. Axel wasn''t very interested in it but everyone else? Ryuji and Morgana dashed towards the chest, pushing each other out of the way while arguing like cats and dogs. Akira seemed to want to open the chest as well while Ann was just confused. She tapped Axel''s shoulder a couple times and whispered, \"Hey Axel? Why is there a chest over there?\" \"Iˇ­ honestly don''t know. I''d say it was laid out by Kamoshida butˇ­ he''s a douche so don''t count on it.\" Axel replied. After the chest fiasco, the group continued forward. However, the moment they entered the room, everyone stalled as Ryuji roared, \"The hell is this!?\" Though they didn''t vocalize it, the rest of the group agreed with Ryuji''s exclamation. The room infront of the was lit up by a dim pink light as statues ofˇ­ female bodies wearing bloomers littered the room. What really shocked them was how many there were. Everywhere you looked, there would be at least one statue just sitting there. Ann visibly recoiled at the sight. Before they enetered the palace, Axel and Morgana had given her a quick rundown on what a palace was. That meant she knew that the palace reflected what was going on inside Kamoshida''s mind, and it seemed to be filled with perverted thoughts. Axel moved forward and gently hugged Ann. She jumped a little when Axel hugged her but she could feel the warmth from his touch and quickly moved closer as a feeling of safety washed over her. It''s funny how safe she felt just by sitting in Axel''s arm, like nothing in the world could hurt her as long as he was there. Once the group regained their barrings, they slowly made their way forward. This time, however, everyone noticed a very obvious difference between this area and the others. There were no shadows. Everywhere they looked appeared to be shadow free. This didn''t mean that the group would lower their guard. Instead, the chose to be even more cautious. Akira, Ryuji and Morgana scouted forward together, reasoning that the area was way to quiet and peaceful for it to be actually safe. And it was lucky they did. Almost as soon as they returned from scouting, a drastic change happened as the atmosphere became chaotic. Shadows fell from the roof in what seemed to be a semi-liquid state before reforming into slime-like creatures. \"An ambushˇ­\" Muttered Axel. He quickly summoned Gemini while simultaneously moving to defend Ann. Once the battle started, Axel stayed back and buffed the others while Akira, Ryuji and Morgana went to town. It actually impressed him with how quickly Akira and Ryuji learned to fight. Akira''s fighting style made him seemed like he was dancing, weaving through the shadows alongside Arsene. Wherever the pair went, a few shadows fell behind them. Ryuji, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Akira. While Akira seemed like he was dancing, Ryuji fought in a rough yet effective way. Brutal hits, attacking from the shadow''s blindspots, Ryuji did whatever it took to win. Hell, even Captain Kidd fought dirty. Morgana, the only member that didn''t need training, fought like the embodiment of the saying, ''Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.'' He used his small size and agility to his advantage, dodging strike after strike while simultaneously having Zorro impale the shadows. A feeling of pride welled up inside Axel''s chest as he watched the group fight. He easily deflected the shadows that came to attack him when he felt a sudden push from behind, followed by the sound of something heavily smashing against the floor. Axel quickly regained balance as he snapped backwards and froze. A giant suit of living armour stood by as it''s sword impaled the ground where Axel stood. However, that''s not what made Axel freeze. In it''s arms lay Ann, crying as blood ran down her forehead. An unholy roar of anger bellowed out from Axel''s mouth as shot forward. Without thinking, Axel wailed against the helm of the living armour. Ignoring the pain and blood coming from his hands, Axel continued to throw punch after punch. After a few punches, the living armour finally responded as it grabbed Axel and slammed him against the floor. The marble floors cracked as it slammed Axel against the ground, over and over again. Ann was forced to watch his face contort in pain yet the fire in his eyes only seemed to grow. Suddenly, a voice appeared in Ann''s voice as it muttered in a sultry voice, \"Is that it? Will you just stand by and watch? Crying like a little girl?\" Ann trembled as she said, \"W-who''s there!?\" The voice seemed to ignore her question as it continued, \"And what about Shiho? Did you not follow them so you could avenge her? Was your resolve soˇ­ weak?\" As Ann processed what the voice said, her trembling came to a stop as a new emotion enveloped her. A feeling calledˇ­ Rage. \"What do you know!? I WILL avenge Shiho! That scumbag Kamoshida will pay for what he''s done! Trying to buy Shiho, treating her like a slave! I''ll personally see to it that he rots in hell for everything he''s done!?!\" Roared Ann. A bout of sensual laughter rang out as the voice screamed in ecstasy, \"Yes~! This is what I wanted! What I''ve been waiting for! And oh, how I''ve waited!\" Suddenly, a pain like nothing she''s ever felt before assaulted Ann as the voice playful said, \"Myˇ­ It''s taken far too long~.\" Ann screamed in pain as the voice continued, \"Tell meˇ­ Who is going to avenge her if you don''t?\" \"Forgiving him was never the option!\" Sweat poured down Ann forehead as small, blue flames started flickering around her. \"Such is the scream of the other you that dwells withinˇ­\" \"I am thou, thou art Iˇ­\" \"We can finally forge a contract~ˇ­\" In a burst of blue flames, the living armour was forced to release her as a red, cat-like mask now adorned her face. She gently rubbed the rim of her mask and smiled, \"I hear youˇ­ Carmen.\" \"Your right! No more holding back..!\" Ann yelled as flames started flickering on her body. \"There you go~ Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself.\" \"If you understand, then I''ll gladly lend you my strength~.\" Lightly gripping her mask, Ann smirked as she forcefully tore the mask from her face, igniting into a pillar of blue flames. Once the flames died down, Axel and the boys all stared at Ann with wide eyes. Gone was her school uniform. In it''s place was a ratherˇ­ skimpy, red leather suit that seemed to emulate the features of a cat. Axel couldn''t help but feel hot and bothered while the others blushed. Behind Ann stood a rather promiscuous feminine figure that both confused and scared the boys. The figure stared down at them as she smile. Now, it would have been a nice moment but the figure was currently standing on what seemed to be a person wearing a heart-shaped box on his head. In her hand was a chain that was linked to another person wearing a heart-shaped box. Without warning, Ann turned to the living armour and smirked. She dashed forward and ripped it''s sword from it''s grasp before easily cutting it down with it''s own blade. Dropping the sword, Ann looked to the roof and roared, \"You know what? I''m not some cheap girl you can toy withˇ­ You scumbag!\" \"You forced Shiho into trying to commit suicideˇ­ You tried to own herˇ­ Now, I''ll make you pay..!\" Behind her, Carmen smirked as an unknown emotion flickered in her eyes. 65 Awakening Part 2 Not much surprised Axel anymore. He''s fought against a giant snake after waking up in the body of a dead prince. Then, he made love with a girl from a famous family after only knowing her for a couple days. To say that nothing surprised him was a fair assessment. However, what was currently happening infront of him was something he would have to add to the list of things that shock him. Ann was literally dancing around the shadows as Carmen tore them to shreds. She was doing it so efficiently that she was actually gaining ground on the ever-spawning waves of slimes and phallic shaped shadows. Axel and the boys could only watch in awe as Ann finished off the last shadow. She turned to target Kamoshida, who had just appeared with more shadows, but suddenly fell to her knees as she reverted back to normal. Seeing she was back in her normal form, Axel''s eyes widened as he took off towards her. Sadly, Kamoshida was closer to her and he noticed the fatigued state Ann was in. With a chilling smile, Kamoshida tore the sword out her arms and kicked her in the face, forcing her to the ground. Dazed, Ann held back her tears as she tried to stand. But Kamoshida wasn''t just going to let her recover. Giving Axel a taunting smile, Kamoshida placed his foot on her stomach, making her unable to move. Then, under the horrified gaze of Axel and the boys, Kamoshida plunged his sword into Ann''s shoulder. She cried out in pain. With tears streaming down her eyes, Ann fell into a panic as the pain slowly grew stronger. To make matters worse, Kamoshida twisted the sword as he seemed to derive pleasure from Ann''s howls of pain. Axel felt his blood boil as he growled. This was the first time he''s ever seen someone he cared for be hurt this badly. The pure anger he felt at this moment actually made him dizzy. Suddenly, Axel froze in place as a massive headache assaulted him. \"Howˇ­ pathetic.\" A cold and calculating voice whispered inside Axel''s head as all he could hear was the sound of his heartbeat and the voice. \"To think my new liege would be someone like thisˇ­ how aggravating. Then again, I guess this is what I deserve.\" Flames far darker than everyone else''s circled Axel''s body as he roared, \"WHO THE FUCK GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO CALL ME PATHETIC!?!\" The voice scoffed in disdain, \"The right? I don''t need to be giving ''the right'' to call someone pathetic! Look at how your acting and tell me I''m wrong.\" With an aggrieved expression, Axel clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood and growled, \"Then how should I act, hmm? My girlfriend is being stabbed right infront of me and instead of saving her, I''m arguing with some stupid voice in mind head!\" The voice seemed to find his words amusing as it lightly chuckled, \"I suppose your right. You do realise WHAT I am, don''t you?\" Axel snorted, \"Obviously your some form of Persona. However, I really don''t need an annoying persona.\" \"Then your in luck since I''m not like the others. Unlike Gemini, I live for the battlefield! Summon me! Call my name! Shout it to the world and let my legend live once more!\" The dark flames surrounding him stabilised as Axel''s eyes colour changed to yellow. The flames grew larger and larger, forcing everyone to stop and brace themselves. Luckily, Morgana took the chance to retrieve Ann when Kamoshida stumbled back from the force of Axel''s flames. After giving Ann a concerned look, Akira turned to Morgana and hastily yelled, \"Morgana! What the hell is going on!?!\" Morgana was visibly panicked by both Ann and Axel as he screamed, \"I-I don''t know!\" From within the torrent of flames, Axel''s amber eyes glared at Kamoshida as the voice slowly uttered, \"As a disgraced knight, I take up my tainted blade once moreˇ­\" \"I am thou, thou art I... I shall become the blade that reaps the foes that stand before you.\" \"As the knight of betrayal, I swear my loyalty once moreˇ­ Speak my name and let my sword quench it''s thirst!\" Suddenly, the world went silent as Axel roared, \"COME TO ME! MORDRED!\" The flames surrounding him expanded outwards and exploded, forcing everyone to take a few steps back. Stand in his persona form, Axel finally caught a glimpse of his new persona. Overall, Mordred''s body was sleek, covered from head to toe in dark grey armour. On its arms and legs were glowing red veins while a short, tattered blood red cape hung on its back. It''s weapon, a jagged sword far bigger than its body, lay in one hand as the knight kneeled before him. As if on instinct, Axel raised his hand as he said in a chilling tone, \"Lay waste to them all.\" Mordred said nothing as the dark red flames within its helm burned brighter. Taking a single step forward, Mordred seemingly teleported infront of the incoming knight commander. Raising it''s sword, the knight commander didn''t even have the time to react as Mordred''s sword easily pierced through its chest. However, Mordred was far from finished. Red veins spread out from the wound like a wildfire, fully enveloping the knight commander in a matter of seconds. Then, under the shocked gaze of everyone in the room, the knight commander dropped to one knee and pledged itself to Mordred. This was Mordred''s special ability, the legion of betrayal. Those stabbed by Mordred''s sword forget where their loyalty lies and pledge themselves to Mordred and Axel. Sadly, there were restrictions to this ability. First of all, it can be resisted. If someone manages to resist his sway, they gain a slight resistance which makes them even harder to convert. Second, Mordred can only turn a maximum of 10 people. If he wants to turn someone else, Mordred needs to either release someone from the legion or kill them. Last but not least, the more people Mordred converts, the weaker he becomes. Currently, Mordred was level 1 and had 10 slots. He could easily outrun any shadow in Kamoshida''s palace but if he was to convert 5 shadows, his stats would be halved. Even though that was quite a glaring weakness, numbers helped make up for it. Even though Mordred lost 1/10 of it''s combat power, the knight commander alone was strong enough to take on numerous shadows on it''s own. Mordred and the knight commander ran through the shadows like a typhoon. Everywhere they went, only carnage and rumble remained. Axel was a little sad that Mordred had no spells or buff abilities but it easily made up for it with its sword skills. Even though Mordred''s sword looked like it weighed a ton, Mordred swung the blade with ease, creating violent gusts with each swing. While Mordred took care of the shadows, Axel ran over to Morgana. His steps felt heavy as he gently fell to Ann''s side. Her cheerful face was pale as blood seeped into her clothes. She tried to give Axel a reassuring smile but ended up grimacing in pain. Axel silently grasped her good hand as he tried, and failed, to heal her using magic. Gritting his teeth, Axel''s hatred of the world trial grew out of control when the system spoke in a silently and glitchy voice. [I-I-InVeN-ToRy! H-Ha-S HhHeALiNg P-oTi0n!!@$!,#] Axel''s eyes widened into saucers as he quickly opened his inventory. He scanned through the items inside as fast as he could and felt a childlike joy spread through his chest when he came across what he needed. Pulling out the large glass bottle filled with a red liquid, Axel pulled the cork out with his teeth and said, \"Akira! Ryuji! Get over here and hold Ann up for me! Morgana! Stand guard!\" No one showed a hint of concern or doubt at Axel''s orders as they quickly moved. Even though Ann felt a terrible pain from being moved, Axel could only apologies to her later as he put the bottle to her lips and said, \"Ann, you need to drink this!\" However, he underestimated the damage she took. She only managed to slightly open her lips before falling unconscious. Axel couldn''t help but swear as he drank a mouthful of the potion before transferring it to her via mouth-to-mouth. It took awhile, but Axel didn''t care as her wound closed at a visible rate. However, she wasn''t out of the woods yet. Sweat poured down Ann''s forehead as Axel felt her temperature skyrocket. Opting to carry her on his back, Axel glanced at the others and roared, \"Time to retreat! Ann''s wounds are healed but she has a fever! We needed to leave!\" Akira expression suddenly brightened as he said, \"Axel! There''s a private doctor close to LeBlanc! Let''s take her there!\" Finally receiving some good news, Axel smiled as he and the others rapidly dashed through the palace, easily avoiding the patrolling shadows. Kamoshida could only curse them as they easily escaped. 66 Confidant: Death Leaving the palace became easier with each run. And with Ann in desperate need for medical attention, Axel seemingly turned into a whirlwind as he charged towards the exit. Morgana barely managed to run alongside him as he screamed, \"Take her to the safe room! I''ll stabilize her condition using ''Dia'' and ''Patra''!\" Axel nodded to Morgana as he shot forward. Shadows of all shapes and sizes came out to stop them but Axel and Mordred made quick work of them, gathering a small army of obedient and expendable soldiers. Everytime Mordred converted a shadow, Axel immediately sent it out to clear the path. The shadows had absolutely loyalty towards Axel so they charged into the largest groups of shadows and sacrificed themselves to clear out as many enemies as they could. By the time Axel and the others made it to the safe room, Mordred only had 5 soldiers left. The knight commander, two succubuses, a jack-o-lantern and a jack frost. However, the remaining shadows were far stronger than normal. They all fought with everything they had against an absurd amount of enemies. Even Mordred level up a couple times. Taking a deep breath, Axel lay Ann down on the table as he looked towards Morgana. Obviously, Morgana didn''t need to be told what to do so he quickly started healing her. Now that they were out of trouble, Akira and Ryuji collapsed onto the floor. The pair panted as Ryuji said, \"Manˇ­ that was pretty intense.\" Akira sighed at the way Ryuji phrased it but didn''t disagree. The battle as well as their retreat was quite intense. One of them even got hurt. While everyone was busy, Axel muffled a groan as he mentally muttered, ''Status.'' When the battle started, Axel was getting so many notifications that he silently muted the notification function. As the screen appeared in front of him, Axel''s eyes widened slightly as he noted the amount of points he had. [Name: Axel Age: 15 Gender: Male LVL: 11 LVP: 79% HC: Healthy MP: 3500/3500 STR: 31 (+1) AGI: 23 (+3) STA: 38 (+3) INT: 35 DEX: 21 (+1) MEN: 35 LUC: 10 CHA: 28 (+8) Status Points: 0 System Points: 37,010.] Seeing the rather large jump in points, Axel wondered what could have giving him such an amount. He knew that defeating enemies gave him a certain amount due to the repeatable quests he had but the amount was miniscule. Plus, he didn''t even defeat that many of them nor did he do so on his own. Confused, Axel asked the system how he got the points. However, the system didn''t reply to him as a series of screens appeared. Apparently, Axel managed to complete a series of quests that revolved around acquiring a persona. The rest of his points came from the huge amount of shadows he demolished. Plus, he hasn''t checked his status in awhile so it was understandable that his stats and points had grown. Anyway, even though Ann''s wounds were healed and Morgana was treating her to make sure, Axel still wanted her to get checked by a doctor. Sadly, if he took her to an actual doctor, they would be inclined to not only ask questions but to contact her parents as well. And Axel didn''t know if she could lie to her parents about the metaverse. Ann made it clear when he stayed over that while they were barely ever home, Ann absolutely loved her parents to death. Axel still remembered when Ann visibly lit up when she and her mother argued about what to have for lunch. Shaking his head, Axel turned towards Akira, who had rested enough to stop panting, and said, \"Akira, would that doctor be available tonight?\" Akira yawned tiredly as he nodded, \"She closes around 10 but she usually lets me come in after hours.\" The room suddenly went silent. Akira, finally realising just how his words sounded, panicked as he opened his mouth to explain. However, he was too late. Axel grinned at Akira (Even though he knew nothing was happening between him and the doctorˇ­ yet.) while Ryuji gave Akira the most betrayed look in existence. Even though he was healing Ann, Morgana''s hands twitched as he cried in an exaggerated manner. Axel chuckled at Akira as his expressions rapidly changed until it settled on annoyed. --- With the night just beginning, Axel followed after Akira while supporting Ann. Her face was pale, worrying Axel so much that knots appeared in his stomach. Morgana had repeatedly told Axel that she was stable but that didn''t stop him from worrying. Akira had already informed the doctor that he had someone that needed to be seen. He also made up a small lie about why she needed to be seen. Even though he didn''t like lying, Akira knew that most people wouldn''t believe him if he talked about the metaverse. Heck, he didn''t even believe it and he''s been there. Once the group arrived at the doctors, Akira went to knock on the door when it abruptly opened. Staying in the doorway was a woman with short dark blue hair. She wore a white doctor''s robe and had a very annoyed expression on her face. Scanning the group for a couple seconds, her eyes ended up on Akira once more as she walked back inside. \"Hurry up and get in. I want to get something to eat and Leblanc closes soon.\" Heading the doctors words, Axel slowly helped Ann walk inside while the rest opted to stay outside. Akira explained that this was better for everyone considering that her actual office was quite small. As soon as he stepped foot inside her office, Axel lay Ann down on the bed when a subtle click rang through the room. Axel turned and raised an eyebrow at the doctor but all she did was roll her eyes at him as she proceeded to ignore him. For 10 minutes, the doctor ignored his existence, only acknowledging him when she asked about Ann''s condition and how she came to be like this. Obviously, Axel fed her the same lie Akira did but somehow, Axel had the slightest feeling that she didn''t believe. However, that didn''t stop her from finishing her job. Ann saw all this and tried time and time again to back Axel up but the doctor took her words with a grain of salt. Suddenly, the doctor stood up as she sighed, \"Alright you two. You can be quiet now. I know that you won''t talk about the real reason she''s here so stop lying to me.\" Glaring at the pair, she continued, \"Just this once. I''m willing to overlook this just this once. But! If you come back here injured, I expect nothing but the truth, got it!!!\" Ann was hesitant to reply but Axel nonchalantly accepted. He didn''t mind having an able doctor as an ally and by the time they actually needed to come back here, Axel''s magic should be unsealed, giving him proof to actually convince her. Axel actually planned to recruit alot of people, mostly confidants from the game, to help with the Phantom thieves operations. He was also going to explain the significance behind the metaverse and the Phantom thieves. Obviously he wasn''t going to tell them how he knew this or who the main villain. That could potentially put Akira and his other friends in danger when they interact with ****** in the future. Anyway, with that out of the way, the doctor began explaining to the pair about Ann''s condition. Besides a couple scratches and a rather hidden case of malnutrition (Ann shyly explained that she was on a diet), she was technically fine. The doctor also noted that she seemed a bit pale and recommended a hearty dinner and lots of rest. Finally hearing from a doctor that she was ok, Axel released a long sigh as he relaxed into his chair. Ann smiled at Axel as she hobbled off the bed and plopped herself down on his lap, grasping his hand as she lovingly kissed his cheek. The doctor was both happy and jealous of the pair as she swung her arm, \"Alright you love birds. Can you please leave? I still need to lock up before I can leave and I don''t want to miss out on Sojiro-san''s curry. I swear, the man''s a god in the kitchen.\" Axel chuckled as he said, \"I''ll ask Sojiro to save you a plate.\" The doctor looked at Axel with her eye raised. She silently scanned him for a few seconds before holding out her hand, \"Thanksˇ­ The names Tae, by the way. Tae Takemi. I just opened my office so I can''t offer alot in terms of services but I pride myself on quality.\" Taking her hand, Axel shook her hand and smiled as he said, \"Nice to meet you, doc. I''m Axel and that''s Ann, my girlfriend.\" 67 Confidant: Priestess and Judgemen As light poured in Axel''s room, he thanked whoever said that there was no school on weekends. After walking Ann home, he ended up getting back pretty late, forgoing a shower as he collapsed onto his bed. Last night was rather interesting, to say the least. When the doctor finally showed up at LeBlanc, she was surprised to find that Axel really did reserve a plate for her. Axel accepted her thanks with a smile as he attended to Ann, feeding her curry while she relaxed in his lap. However, the doctor easily caught his attention when she started eating as he pushed the loose strands of hair behind her ears, revealing the earrings and studs she wore. Akira collapsed to the ground with blood dripping down his nose while Ryuji complimented her on her style. Chuckling to himself, Axel shook his head as he put on some clothes and headed into the lounge. Feeling a bit peckish, Axel turned the TV on as he quickly got to work in the kitchen. He wasn''t expecting anyone as Akira was finalizing the plan with Morgana while Ryuji was creating the letter to materialise the treasure. While absent-mindedly whipping up breakfast, Axel''s phone beeped as the screen lit, showing he recieved a message. Turning off the stove, Axel opened the message and froze as he read what the message said. \"Hey... Do you mind if my sister and I come over for a bit? Today''s a special day for us andˇ­ we don''t really want to be alone right now. Please text me back when you get this.\" It only took a few seconds for Axel to come to a decision as he quickly pulled up Makoto''s number. After the first beep, the call connected as a slightly hoarse voice came through the speaker, \"ˇ­Hello?\" From her voice alone, Axel could tell that she seemed to be sad as he spoke in a gentle tone, \"Hey Makoto, I got your text. You and your sister are absolutely welcome to come over.\" Makoto was silent for a few seconds before she muttered in a slightly happier tone, \"ˇ­Thanks Axel. I''ll tell sis that you said yes. I hope you don''t mind but we''ll be over in a few.\" Axel and Makoto spent a few more minutes just talking to each other about anything. He tried his hardest to raise Makoto''s mood but every attempt seemed to barely do anything. With Sae''s voice calling for Makoto to get off the phone and get in the car, Axel couldn''t help but say, \"Uh, Makoto? If you dont mind me asking, why is today a special day?\" Makoto''s voice fell silent once more. Once the silence became slightly unbearable for Axel, Makoto''s sigh was heard over the phone as she said, \"It''s the anniversary of my father''s death.\" Stunned, Axel didn''t even realise that Makoto had hung up. While lost in thought, Axel sniffed the air and panicked as he quickly took his breakfast off the stove. Sadly, it was too late as the bacon and eggs he was cooking ended up burnt. Sighing, Axel put the food aside for Stella as he quickly started on a much larger portion of food, \"Might as well make alot since Makoto and Sae are coming overˇ­\" --- After a few minutes, Axel just finished plating up a large helping of breakfast when the doorbell rang throughout the house. Axel quickly removed his apron as he yelled, \"Coming!\" Opening the door, Axel saw the two niijima sisters. Makoto greeted him with a small smile while Sae seemed oddly quiet. She simply greeted him with a nod before thanking him for allowing them to visit. As she quietly made her way past Axel, Makoto tug at his sleeve and whispered, \"Dad''s death hit her the hardest. Every year, she gets like this so please forgive my sister for her behavior.\" Axel quickly waved away her worries as he smiled, \"What type of insensitive bastard do you take me for? Don''t worry Makoto, I won''t blame her OR you for anything today.\" Without warning, Axel gave the future Phantom theif a strong hug as he whispered into her ear, \"So if you need me for anything, all you have to do is ask.\" If he was to be honest, Axel had no clue on what he should actually be doing to comfort Makoto and her sister. Having never comforted someone about this type of thing, the best Axel thought he could do was to be there for her. Makoto took a deep breath as she pulled Axel closer. The warmth she felt from Axel was slightly addicting as she stayed silent for a few seconds, just enjoying his embrace. Once she finished hugging him, Axel grabbed her hand and said, \"Are you hungry, Makoto? I just finished making breakfas-\" Before he could finish saying the word ''Breakfast'', Makoto suddenly sprinted passed him, leaving him alone in the hallway with his hand awkwardly raised. Shaking his head, Axel quickly followed behind her. As he walked into the living room, Axel had to pinch his side to keep himself from bursting into a fit of laughter. Like children, both Makoto and Sae were sitting down at the table. The sisters wore a giddy expression on their faces. Makoto was even kicking her legs back and forth as she waved for Axel and said, \"Come on Axel! Hurry up and take a seat!\" Axel chuckled at her actions as he sat down next to her sister, Sae. The eldest of the niijima sisters looked at him with a small smile. She offered Axel a quiet apology as she realised that he had prepared enough for all of them, even though it''s been a few minutes since the call. Axel waved her off with a smile as he said, \"No need to apologise. It doesn''t take much effort to cook a couple extra portions, after all.\" The trio ate breakfast in relative silence. After a few minutes, a soft sobbing resounded from Sae. Axel turned to Sae in concern as he lightly wiped away the tears pouring from her face. Suddenly, Makoto started sobbing as well, leaving Axel both worried and stressed. He was starting to panic when Sae softly grabbed his hand. Axel turned and was about to ask what''s wrong when Sae cut him off as she smiled through her tears and said, \"Don''t worry about us. Your cookingˇ­ just reminds me of my father.\" She leaned over the table with a loving smile as she gently wiped away Makoto''s tears with her sleeve, \"It''s funny, really. Your food is so much better than anything my father could make yetˇ­ every bite I eat reminds me of him.\" Makoto nodded as she silently started eat her food again, tears still pouring down her face. Axel, now knowing that they weren''t really sad, collapsed into his chair as his panicked heart started to calm down. Sae smiled softly at Axel as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, starling him as he jumped in his chair. She chuckled as she whispered, \"That was just a small ''thank you'', Axel.\" \"Ever since my father passed away, I began bottling up my emotions. Makoto was still young then and our mother was too shocked at our fathers passing to function. Someone needed to step up and take care of our family.\" Sae turned and watched Makoto eat with a loving smile on her face as she continued, \"So that''s what I did. I buried my sadness and grit my teeth as I did what I could to raise my sister.\" With a worried look on his face, Axel gently held Sae''s hands, surprising her slightly, as he asked in concern, \"Are you alright?\" Sae wanted to say she was fine. She wanted to be strong, for both herself and Makoto. But for some reason, she couldn''t bring herself keep her mask on as her eyes slowly watered. Her breathing hitched in her chest as she softly choked out, \"I-I''mˇ­ really not alright. With work always taking up my time, I barely ever get to do anything for myself. Iˇ­ I just want sometime to grieve, since I didn''t do it when he passed.\" Axel nodded to her, \"Well, you could always do it now. Your sister is right there and you don''t have work so what better time then the present! I''ll just step out for a-\" Makoto suddenly cut him off as she grabbed his hand and yelled, \"No! You don''t need to leave! I''m fine with you being here while we talk! And I''m sure sis doesn''t mind, right sis?\" Just as he was about argue that he would just be intruding on the sisters personal business, Sae looked at him smiled gently as she replied, \"She''s right, Axel. I don''t mind you being here when we talk.\" \"Actually, you being here helps me. For some odd reason, I find it much easier to open up about my feelings when your around.\" Said Sae as she looked at Axel with an unnoticeable blush. Makoto smiled as she excitedly said, \"Same here! Opening up just feels easier with Axel around.\" Both girls seemed to have spoken telepathically to each other as they nodded and turned towards Axel. Sae''s unnoticeable blush became visible as she and Makoto launched a girl''s most dreaded weapon at Axel. The puppy dog eyes. Dumbfounded, Axel found himself unable to leave the room. Both girls looked up at him with watery eyes and pouted lip, making Axel feel that it would be cruel to reject them. Especially since Sae was pushing herself to appear cute. However, instead of appearing ''cute'', Sae ended up looking very sexy. Her posture seemed to emphasize her curves while she looked up at Axel in an almost sensual manner. Ignoring the heat gathering in his cheeks, Axel silently gulped and nodded. Both girls faces seemed to brighten as they started talking. For hours, the sisters reminisced about their father, laughing and crying as they released all their pent up emotions. Neither Makoto nor Sae realised that, at some point, the pair were tightly holding Axel''s hands. 68 Good Wife Releasing a sigh of content, Axel stretched his arms and legs while relaxing in his bathtub. By midday, Axel felt more than a little awkward as Makoto and Sae reminisced about their childhood. They talked about all sorts of memories they had with their father, memories Axel didnt feel he had the right to know. Luckily for him, both girls were too into their conversation to notice him exit the room. Afterwards, Axel drew himself a bath in an attempt to relax. While relaxing, Axel began to think over the plan he and the other Phantom thieves came up with. With a school assembly coming up this Friday, Axel and the others planned to ''attack'' Kamoshida on Wednesday. His hope for this was that Kamoshida would have enough time to sort himself out and would confess during the assembly. Obviously, there were hundreds of ways for the school to cover this up and for once, Axel actually wanted them to. He wanted to draw attention to the Phantom thieves but at the same time, he needed to make sure that they didn''t draw too much attention or risk speeding up the natural timeline. Sighing in frustration, Axel slipped further into his bath as he attempted, and failed, to use magic. Not being able to use magic was far worse than he remembered. After spending weeks in the forest, fighting off monsters of all shapes and sizes, Axel found his inability to use magic concerning. Was this how it was going to be in every world? Losing all his abilities, while only being able to use abilities from that world? Abilities he''d have to either buy or learn? What if he ended up in the ''DragonBall Z'' universe? Without his magical abilities, Axel would be nothing more than a slightly stronger human. He''d be completely helpless in a world were people(saiyans) could blow up the planet. Sighing once more, Axel pushed these concerning thoughts to the back of his mind. ''Man, it''s so easy to just get lost in thought when your having a bathˇ­'' Mused Axel as another content sigh left his mouth. After a few more minutes of doing nothing, Axel decided he was done relaxing. He scrubbed himself down before slowly getting out if the tub. He shivered slightly when he left the water but continued nonetheless. However, right as he got out of the bathtub, the bathroom door swung open as, not just one but two people entered the room. Axel froze, as naked as the day he was born. Makoto, bless her heart, didn''t scream. She blankly stared at a certain area for a few seconds before taking a long, deep breath. After a couple seconds, her face exploded into a deep red blush as she stumbled out of the bathroom. Sae, on the other hand, let her eyes roam free across Axel''s body as she silently cursed every few seconds. Obviously, her face was slowly turning red but that didn''t really matter as she still kept her poker face. Once she was done ''inspecting'' him, Sae calmly stared at Axel''s face and said, "I''m going out to grab a few things. Is there anything you wanted me to grab for you?" Axel finally had enough motor control back to slowly shake his head. Sae smiled and said, "Okay, I''ll be back soon." Before making her way to the door. However, just as she was halfway through the door, Sae paused. Then, she turned back and greedily let her eyes drink in the sight of Axel''s body once more. In an attempt to hide what little he had left of his modesty, Axel cupped his hands over his crotch. Sadly, Axel could only curse his oversized member as he found it impossible to cover up. With a gleam in her eyes, Sae continued out the door with a sway in her hips as she seductively muttered, "Thanks for the show, ''Big boy''~." A peal of soft, sensual laughter rang out through the hallway as Axel turned into a bright red mess. --- After the whole ''bathroom'' debacle, Axel hastily dressed himself before making his way to the lounge. Taking a deep breath, Axel steeled himself before pushing forward. As he expected, the moment he entered the room, Makoto''s face turned as red as a strawberry, her eyes frantically looking around the room in an attempt to stop herself from focusing on his crotch. She stuttered all over the place, biting her tongue a couple times before she finally managed to squeeze out the words, "ˇ­I''m sorry." Axel coughed, trying to erase the awkward feeling in his heart as he said, "Oh, ahˇ­ It''s fine, Makoto. I should''ve locked the door. I''m just so used to living by myself that I forgot to lock it. I''m just sorry you had to see myˇ­ *cough* *cough*." "No! It''s fine, really. Plus, I actually enjoyed the viewˇ­" Replied Makoto, whispering the last part so low that not even Axel could hear her. With an awkward air drifting between the pair, Axel softly sighed before flashing Makoto a bright smile as he said, "So, how about a snack?" A shy nod from Makoto was all Axel needed as he took off into the kitchen. Since Sae was due to return, Axel decided to make her a share as well. He wasn''t looking to make anything overly fancy, just some sandwiches and juice. Axel quickly got out the ingredients and was about to start when he felt someone tug his shirt. What greeted him was a flushed Makoto. Her cheeks were bright red, almost matching the shade of her eyes as she gave Axel an upturned looked and asked, "Would it be alright if I helped you, Axel?" Axel had to mentally hold himself back from hugging the adorable cinnamon roll in front of him as he opted to give her a smile and a nod. Makoto''s eyes lit up as she quickly washed her hands before coming back. The pair spent the next half hour, making sandwiches and messing around. At one point, Axel caught Makoto secretly nibbling on a sandwich. Axel didn''t try to stop her as he silently moved next to her and took a big bite out of the sandwich. Makoto''s face when she realised what happened was priceless. First, she glared angrily at him and pouted. Then, she gave the crumbs on her fingers a sad look. Finally, her face lit up like a Christmas tree as she realised that they just shared an indirect kiss. Axel chuckled at her rapid fire expressions and apologized for eating her sandwich. He explained to her that since she was nibbling on it, the sandwich must have been good so he wanted to give it a try. Anyone could see that Axel was just trying to tease her by acting innocent. Even though Makoto knew this, she acted like she believed him and nodded. She would''ve gotten away with it, if not for the growing blush on her face. Anyway, after all the teasing and sandwich making, the awkward air between them had disappeared, being replaced by a happy mood. Makoto smiled as she helped lay the dishes they made out onto the table. Axel, putting the finishing touches on the last batch of sandwiches, glanced at Makoto and blurted out, "You''d make a good wife, Makoto." Makoto froze as the cutlery in her hands dropped to the floor. Axel quickly realised what he just said and said, "Sorry, I didn''t mean to-" However, before he could finish apologizing, the words he wanted to say became stuck in his throat as Makoto turned to face him. There was something both seductive and chaste about her blushing face that made him gulp. She twirled her bangs between her finger as she muttered, "D-Do you really think so?" Axel felt a small fire light up inside him as he nodded, "Y-Yeah. I think you''d be a great wife and that you''ll make someone very happy in the future." After Axel said his piece, an awkward silence pervaded the room as both teens refused to look at each other. Suddenly, the door swung open as Sae burst into the room, a wide smile on her face as she happily said, "I''m back~ You two didn''t getˇ­ into anyˇ­ trouble, did you?" Sae could practically taste the awkwardness in the air as she gave a dry chuckle, "Didˇ­ something actually happen while I was gone?" 69 Saes Confession Axel, Makoto and Sae all sat at the table and silently ate their snacks. Sae glanced at the pair in confusion as she said, "Is anybody going to tell me what happened while I was gone?" However, all she got was silence. She groaned before angrily shoving her sandwich into her mouth. Suddenly, she noticed both Axel and Makoto looking at her in shock. All they got in return though was an eye roll as Sae silently continued to eat her sandwiches. A soft sigh came from Axel''s mouth as he spoke, "Sorry Sae, I promise nothing bad happened. It''s justˇ­ a little awkward to talk about." Sae paused for a second before turning towards Makoto with an eyebrow raised, "Did you go back and look at Axel''s naked body again?" Makoto choked on the sandwich she was eating while Axel gave Sae an incredulous look. With a darken blush on her face, Makoto screamed, "I didn''t try and peek on him, OK!?! We were just talking about something and I got embarrass!" Sae tilted her head as she said, "Were you talking about his body? I, myself, am quite intrigued on how he trained to get such an absurd body. I''m also quite curious on how he managed to get those scars, especially the one near his heart." Axel winced slightly when she mention the scar near his heart. He knew that Sae was probably only concerned about him but the subject of his scary was something Axel didn''t want to talk about. Obviously, Makoto managed to see Axel''s wince and kicked her sister in the shin. Sae hissed in pained and glared at her sister, only for Makoto to glare back at her as she mouthed, ''Stop talkingˇ­'' Her anger turned into confusion as Sae raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Why?" Makoto said nothing in return as she motioned towards Axel with her eyes. Sae glanced towards Axel and saw how his smiled seemed slightly forced. His eyes, however, held a pain so deep that Sae flinched when he met her gaze. Panic took over Sae as she blurted out, "I think your hot!" Everyone at the table froze as Sae''s confession set in. Makoto gave her sister an appalled look while Sae paled as she realized what she just said. Axel, however, paused for a few seconds before bursting into a fit of laughter. Once he stopped laughing, Axel stared into Sae''s eyes and sensually purred in a deep tone, "Your not so bad yourself, you know?" Sae''s face turned a deep red while Makoto stared at Axel with wide eyes. Heck, even Axel was a little surprised on how that came out. All he wanted to do was tease the poor girl, not seduce her. Though, if he was going to be honest, the thought of seducing Sae popped up more times than he''d like to admit. I mean, could you blame him? She was a ten out of ten in his eyes. Mentally berating himself for thinking with his other head, Axel was about to apologize when Sae leaned across the table and, to the shock of both Axel and Makoto, softly kissed his cheek. It was a short, chaste kiss but that didn''t stop Axel from blushing as he absent-mindedly touched the spot she kissed and stuttered, "Y-youˇ­ kissed me?" Sae suddenly became like a meek little girl as she shrunk into a ball and nodded. Makoto, having finally gotten over her initial shock, jumped to her feet as she slammed her hands onto the table, "That''s not fair, onee-chan!!!" Before anyone could react, Makoto stormed out of the lounge and locked herself inside Axel''s bedroom. The table became quiet once more as both Axel and Sae just stared at each other. After a few minutes, Sae coughed into her hand as she slowly unraveled herself. With her blush mostly receded, Sae softly sighed as she said, "I should''ve never kissed youˇ­" Axel opened his mouth to disagree when Sae gently placed her fingers against his lips as she continued with a soft smile on her face, "Axel, I''m much older than you." Sae seemed to take damage when she mentioned her age, "I also work for the police, so there''s a chance that, just like my father, I too will die in the line of duty." "But your just a prosecutor!" Replied Axel. A sad smile appeared on her face as she softly ruffled his hair, "I know. But, I''ve made some rather... bad decisions and shady calls." "What I''m trying to say isˇ­ I''m not a good person, Axel. And I''ve made alot of enemies and I wouldn''t put it past them to try and hurt me." Explained Sae. Stunned, Axel didn''t know what to do or say, so he did the one thing that came to his mind. He hugged her. He felt her flinch in his arms but he proceed to hug her as he softly whispered words of comfort I into her ear. It didn''t take long for Sae to relax into Axel''s embrace. There was something magically about how Axel held her. In his arms, she felt safe, something she hasn''t felt in awhile because the only other person who made her feel this way was her father. Once Axel thought she had finally calmed down, he went to let her go, only to find her clinging to him. A small fire lit up inside him as he whispered, "Uh, Sae? You can let go now." Instead of letting go, Sae pressed her chest into him as her hands started to roam around her back. Axel felt his body start to heat up as he swallowed, "S-Sae, you have to stop. Otherwiseˇ­" Sae shifted her body slightly as she gave Axel a sultry look and purred, "Otherwiseˇ­ what?~" Axel shivered at the tone of her voice but held himself back as he shakily said, "P-Pleaseˇ­ I would love to do this but-" "But your seeing someone, right?" Said Sae as she lightly kissed Axel''s cheek. "H-how did you-" "Makoto told me." Stunned, Axel dumbly muttered, "Then why are youˇ­" Rolling her eyes, Sae softly pushed Axel onto the ground as she slowly undid the buttons on her jacket, "She also told me that you were already seeing someone. Someone other than the girl named Ann." "Apparently, you were given permission or something by your girlfriend to seek out other girls for your harem. My only question isˇ­ am I allowed in?" Before he knew it, she had already removed his t-shirt and was lightly laying kisses all over his body, "Just so you know, I''m still a bit iffy about joining your harem. But I also know that I have feelings for you. Feelings that continue to grow." Sae reached towards Axel''s hand and placed it on top of her left breath, her face turning bright red as a sensual moan leaked from her lips, "Can you feel it?" Axel swallowed as he gave the little bump a light pinch and said, "I can definitely feel something." A playful glare from Sae was all it took for Axel to kiss her of his own accord. After a few minutes of passionately sucking face, Axel tried to catch his breath as he muttered, "Are you sure you want to do this though?" Sae rolled her eyes at him once more and scoffed, "Axel, I''m wearing nothing but a business shirt and underwear, and I stripped you down to nothing but your briefs. I think I want to do this." "But what about your sister? She''s just in the other room! What if she-" Said Axel before being cut off by Sae as she kissed him. "If I''m being honest, it''s only a matter of time before Makoto ends up in your grasp. I don''t like it but it is what it is." Muttered Sae, a small frown on her face. Axel blanked for a second before dumbly saying, "S-she likes me?" For a split second, Sae pouted cutely only for it to disappear as she angrily said, "Yes, she does. Now, can we please get back to what we were doing? I''m still waiting for you to pop my cherry." "Sorry, Sae. Lets- Wait! Pop your cherry? You mean your still a virgin!?!" Screamed Axel. Sae blushed as she hastily put a hand over Axel''s mouth and angrily whispered, "Yes! I''m still a virgin! Is something wrong with that!?" Axel quickly shook his head as he felt her other hand squeeze his little brother. Her hand, which was squeezing his dick, slowly eased up. Once she fully released it though, her hand snaked it''s way inside of his underwear and latched onto his pole. Axel grunted at the contact as his teenage hormones went into overdrive. In an instant, Axel flipped her over while simultaneously stripping her of all the clothing on her body. Before Sae could even yelp, Axel stared deep into her eyes as he growled, "Be prepared, Sae. Because tonight, I won''t let you get any sleep." 70 Kamoshidas Palace Raid Part 1 It''s been a couple days since Axel''s tussle with Sae and he was still over the moon about it. Even though she was virgin, Sae turned out to have a very high libido. Every night since then, Sae would show up at his house for dinner before very clearly hinting at what she wanted. The only bad thing that came from this was that she and Ann ended up meeting. Axel would never forget the slight hurt expression both girls made, though they quickly hid it with a smile. Both girls knew that he had other girls but that didn''t stop it from hurting. Well, at least until it became midnight, where they learned the hard way that they needed other girls if they wanted to survive. I mean, they literally passed out halfway through the night when Axel decided to get slightly serious. However, this situation also got Axel thinking. As he silently sat at his desk while watching Kawakami teacher the class, Axel gently prodded the snake in his sleeves and whispered, "Hey, Stella. Do you think I''m a manwhore?" "Yup. You not only slept with Olivia but you also bedded Ann and that prosecutor lady. Hell, it hasn''t even been that long since we arrived in this world yet you already got two girls. And that''s not even counting Makoto and Shiho." Replied Stella. Axel groaned at himself. Maybe he should slowly down a bit? At least take the girls on a proper date before doing anything else. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He stealthily pulled it out and opened the lock screen as a small chat bubble popped up. "Ryuji: Hey guys! I have the note, photocopied and ready to spread. Should we do this or should we do this?\u001a" "Ann: I can''t wait to punch that prick in the face for what he''s done to Shiho!" "Akira: Agreed. That man has been ruining the lives of others for too long. He needs to repent for what he''s done." "Ryuji: Woah. Things just got serious! But I got your back, partner!" "Axel: Okay people! Once we start, there''s no going back! Ryuji, we''re counting on you to post the note everywhere. He needs to see it for the treasure to be tangible." "Ryuji: I''ve already done it." Once the bell rang and people flooded into the halls, everyone became slack jawed as the halls were filled with red posters. Ann light pulled a poster off the wall and didn''t know whether to laugh or cry as she slowly read the poster. [Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust. We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can''t fight back. That''s why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.] Everyone turned and stared at the smug look Ryuji was giving them as he said, "Pretty good, right?" Ann facepalmed. So did Akira. And Axel. Even Morgana. Hell, even Stella facepalmed, and she didn''t even have hands. Ann sighed through her hands and said, "He''s an idiot. A big, stupid, idiot. Ryuji, there are literally thousands of different words you could have used and all you could do wasˇ­ this!" Ryuji seemed to take an invisible arrow to the chest as he growled, "Hey! If it works then there''s no problem, right!" No one stood by what he said, causing Ryuji to slouch down to the ground as a dark cloud formed above his head. Axel sighed, "Guys, Ryuji''sˇ­ ''poster'' may be a bit rough around the edges but it gets the job done. Remember, tomorrow after school is when we strike so prepare everything you need before hand." Everyone nodded with a burning determination in their eyes. Axel knew that everyone single person here had a different reason for going through with tomorrow''s raid but he was sure of one thing. Tomorrow, Kamoshida was going to pay for everything he''s ever done, and then some. --- It was now later at night. Axel was comfortably laying in bed as he contemplated tomorrow. He was heavily prepared for the raid, with his inventory stuffed with medicine, food and drinks. However, he was still a bit worried. The palace and it''s shadows were still too strong for Ann and Ryuji. Akira, on the other hand, was like a fish in water when it came to combat. Even though his persona wasn''t that strong, he took advantage of the gaps Arsene made to either make distance for pop shots or close the distance for a lethal blow. And then there was Morgana. It could easily be seen that Morgana had way more combat experience than anyone. Obviously, Axel had more combat experience when it came to the real world and monsters but Morgana easily dispatched any shadow that dared bare it''s fangs at him or anyone of the Phantom Thieves. Luckily, Morgana liked to teach the others how to properly fight in the metaverse so they were slowly but steadily working towards being better Phantom Thieves. Sighing, Axel glanced over at the snake that was currently trying to stuff an entire burger in it''s mouth before her next match started. He chuckled softly when she accidentally fell off the coffee table, her muffled cries ringing out as the next match started. Axel quickly ran over and put her back on the couch as he spoke with an amused grin, "It''s better if you eat slower, you know? Then things like ''that'' wouldn''t happen." Stella rolled her eyes at him before refocusing on her game, her cheeks stuffed with her burger. Shaking his head, Axel watched her quickly get a double kill as he said, "You coming with me tomorrow? We haven''t actually seen what happens when you enter the metaverse." Stella didn''t speak or take her eyes off the screen as she nodded. Axel wasn''t the only one curious about what would happen to her when she entered the metaverse. A soft chuckle escaped Axel''s mouth as he stood up and headed towards his bedroom. Just as he came up to the door, he stopped and turned back as he said, "Turn it off soon, Stella. We have a big day tomorrow." "Yes dad!~" Replied Stella in a teasing tone. Axel missed a step and stumbled abit before luckily catching himself with the wall. He gave the cheeky snake an exasperated look before quickly heading to bed, ignoring the bout of playful laughter coming from behind him. --- With the ringing of the bell telling everyone that school was over for the day, Axel and the others all met up on top of the roof. Everyone had a bag on their back that seemed to be chock-full of items. Axel nodded appreciatively at the group for coming prepared as they quickly entered the metaverse. However, as the group stood before the palace, Axel panicked as he felt Stella''s weight disappear from around his arm. Just as he was about to leave the metaverse to look for her, someone grabbed his shoulder as a familiar and sensual voice whispered into his ear, "What''s wrong, Axel? Did you lose something? Or maybeˇ­ someone?" Turning around, Axel stared at the familiar form of his familiar and smiled as he quickly gave her a hug, "Stella! I thought something bad happened to you! I''m glad you''re fine." Out of all the things she was expecting him to do, that wasn''t one of them. She blushed heavily as she felt a very addictive warmth envelope her body. Her face got even redder when she saw that everyone was looking at them. In her embarrassment, Stella quickly pried Axel off her and hid behind him. Axel was about to tease her when a chill travelled up his spine. A slim hand suddenly landed on his shoulder and, unlike Stella''s playful grasp, gripped his shoulder so hard he winced. "Axelˇ­ WHO is that!" Screamed Ann as she glared at the woman behind him. "Uhˇ­ I can explained." Replied Axel, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. 71 Kamoshida Palace Raid Part 2 After a few minutes of getting berated, Axel was finally able to explain who Stella was. Needless to say, Ann got embarrassed very quickly when she learned that Stella was a familiar. Though, her embarrassment turned to anger when Stella seductively said she was aiming for Axel''s heart. Akira and Ryuji just decided to become one with the air at that point while Morgana was trying to wrap his head around Stella having a human appearance while he looks like a cat mascot. I mean, he really looked depressed as he absent-mindedly muttered about the world being unfair. Ignoring everyone else, Stella waltz over to Axel and silently sat on his lap. Axel twitched, feeling her hands run over his body as she whispered, "Messing with people is so fun~." Muffling a groan, Axel rolled his eyes and sighed, "Stellaˇ­ please don''t joke around like this. It''s... kind of uncomfortable." Suddenly, Stella''s eyes turned serious as she leaned back. Her hands grabbed hold of Axel''s face, forcing him to look her in the eyes as she said, "I might be messing with them but I''m completely serious about my claim." Chuckling at Axel''s shocked look, Stella continued, "I literally can''t have anyone else for a partner but you. I am a familiar, your familiar. And we share a connection far deeper than you realise." "But-" Axel tried to speak, but Stella cut him off as she placed a finger against his lips and smiled, "I was fully prepared for what becoming a familiar entrailed. When we return ''home'', try asking Olivia about the basics of having a familiar." He could only nod as Stella smiled and pecked him on the cheek. Her smile only grew when Axel blushed. Sadly, the moment was destined to be ruined as Ann growled and yanked the two apart. "I don''t mind you two having a relationshipˇ­ just not now. I still need time to process this and I''d like it if we just focused on the palace. It''s bad enough that you slept with Sae-san." Growled Ann, glaring at Axel. Stella hissed in annoyance, her eyes becoming slits while Axel sheepishly nodded. Her glared softened slightly as she huffed, "You''re lucky your cute, Axel." A small yelp escaped Axel''s mouth as Ann roughly smacked his behind before walking over to the scaffolding next to the door. The guys all turned to each other and blinked before following behind her like baby ducks. Thankfully, Morgana and Akira had mapped out a quick and easy way to get to the treasure room. It took alot, and I mean ALOT of preparation just to open up the way. Akira, along with Axel and Ryuji, had to manually move some obstacles as well as lower the chandeliers in the main entrance. It took hours of working inside the metaverse as well as in reality. But it was all worth it. The shortcut literally cut 20 minutes off of their original time, which boarder on 50 minutes. After a few minutes and an impressive display of pakour skills, the Phantom Thieves made it to the the last obstacle in their way. The rooftop. The rooftops always seemed to be crawling with extremely hard enemies. Heck, the first time the made it to the roof, Akira almost ended up getting killed. Luckily, Ryuji had managed to find away to spilt all the enemies up. Axel signalled Ryuji with his hand and nodded. The blonde smirked under his mask as he stealthily hid into the shadows, the others slowly following behind him. Contrary to those who know him, Ryuji was actually quite observant, even though his mouth spat out words before his brain could even think. He had noticed that the shadows would sometimes box themselves into a small corner, completely out of view of the other shadows. From there, it was relatively simple. *RIIIP!!!* All they had to do was gang up on the unsuspecting shadow and beat the shit out of him before moving onto the next. "Arsene!" "Captain Kidd!" "Zorro!" "Mordred!" Before the shadow could make a sound, a barrage of attacks landed on the shadows before finally converting it to one of Mordred''s knights. Axel couldn''t help but chuckle to himself when it came to Mordred''s ability. He discovered that Mordred''s ability worked kind of like the pok¨¦mon system. The less health a shadow had, the higher chance he had to convert them. Shaking his head, Axel noticed that everyone was waiting for his orders. Instead of moving forward, Axel quickly pulled out a few cans of soda and handed one to each member. Akira and Morgana quietly thanked Axel and slowly drank their drink while Ryuji straight up chugged the whole can. Suddenly, a soft rumbling could be heard as Axel and everyone else began to pale and move towards Ryuji. Before anyone could stop it, Ryuji let loose a mighty belch, shaking the very ground beneath them. Ann quickly moved back, disgust written across her faces while Akira slapped his forehead and angrily whispered, "Ryuji! Do you know what you''ve done!?!" Ryuji couldn''t even speak a single word as a sword quickly cleaved through the spot he was just sitting in. Luckily, Axel managed to pull him out of the way before it was too late. Blushing in shame and embarrassment, Ryuji shakily said, "I-I''m so sorry, guys. I didn''t mean to alert the guards, I was just thirsty!" "It''s fine, Ryuji! This actually saves us alot of time! Mordred! You know what to do!" Screamed Axel as blue flames flared into existence. Mordred creepily eyed the incoming shadows, it''s eyes flashing a menacing red as it solemnly spoke, "Yes, my liegeˇ­ Knights!" A small legion of corrupted shadows suddenly appeared from Axel''s shadow, charging straight into the incoming guards. Knights clashed with knights while the pixies provided back-up. With majority of the guards occupied, Akira and Ryuji grew more confident as they attacked together, syncing their lighting and curse element together, blasting a guard away with crimson lightning. Ann blushed lightly as she felt her leather suit dig into her body while she leapt around like a cat, taking advantage of both her small frame and boosted reflexes. Her whip, though weak, managed to harass and offset the enemies, leaving them open to a counter attack. Something Axel took full advantage of. Though he wasn''t as flashy as Akira and Ryuji, Axel jumped up and smashed his knee into the shadow''s face. As it staggered back, Mordred appeared as Axel pushed off it''s shoulder, narrowly dodging the black and red greatsword. Landing next to Ann, Axel smirked as he roared, "CROSS SLASH!!!" Mid-slash, Mordred''s blade became engulfed in a crimson light as it vanished, leaving nothing but a thin line in space. However, the attack wasn''t over yet as Mordred quickly pulled back its arm before slashing downwards, causing the battered shadow to burst into motes of light. Giving the dissipating light one last glance, Mordred hefted it''s blade over it''s shoulder as it roughly muttered, "A pityˇ­" Suddenly, Morgana shouted, "WATCH OUT!!!" As a shadow appeared behind them, primed to strike. Without warning, Axel hastily pushed Ann out of the way and prepared himself to take a hit whenˇ­ "ORA!~" Axel''s eyes opened wide as the usually dull and bored voice of his twin Persona, Ini, was filled with anger and rage. Dumbfounded, Axel could only watch as Ini continued to stomp the life out of the shadow, all while swearing her head off. Gem suddenly materialized next to Axel, hiding behind him instantly as she shuddered, "Ini is scary when she''s madˇ­" Nodding, Axel quickly ignored the fact that Ini was stomping the motes of light into the ground and aimed his arm at Morgana as he said, "Gem! Heat Riser!" Twirling in the air, Gem had a playful smile on her face as she happily said, "Hai~!" A red flame-like aura appeared around Zorro as Morgana grinned, "Zorro! Show these rookies how it''s done!" Zorro blurred as shadows collapsed to the floor one by one, a single Z etched into their bodies. Once the last of the shadows collapsed to the floor, everyone else fell as well, slightly exhausted from the battle. Panting, Akira looked over at Ryuji as he said in mock anger, "Come over hereˇ­ so I can hit youˇ­ Ryuji!" Ryuji just lay on the ground as he replied, "Nah dude... too tired to moveˇ­ just come over here and hit meˇ­" Morgana rolled his eyes at the pair while Axel was nursing Ann. She didn''t get hurt that much but she still took a few hits. Luckily, Akira was able to buy some medicine from the doctor, Tae. Throwing a couple a few bandages at Morgana, Axel lightly said, "Could you patch those idiots up while I do Ann? We''ll continue forward after resting for a bit." Nodding, Morgana smirked as he darkly chuckled while walking towards Akira and Ryuji, his arms spread wide open as he said, "Heheheˇ­ the doctor is in, boys!" Axel rolled his eyes as he ignored the pain cries of his idiotic friends. Instead, he slowly wrapped up Ann''s arms and legs, staring in wonder as the bandages disappeared, taking the wounds and pain with it. Though, once the wounds were gone, Axel continued to look at Ann''s beautiful legs, entranced. Obviously, Ann noticed Axel''s stare as she giggled happily and muttered, "Perv~ˇ­" 72 Kamoshida Palace Raid Part 3 While the group slowly recovered, Akira looked traced his finger over his mask and said, "Axel, I hope you don''t mind me asking but how did you summon multiple personas? I want to try and fight with Arsene and Succubus." This question stumped Axel as he truly didn''t know. Maybe it was a power from [The Wildcard]? Maybe it was due to the system? He honestly didn''t know. And to make matters worse, he didn''t feel like asking the system while it was acting weird. He''s tried for days to get the system back to normal but all he was met with was a text box. It was weird because it made the system feel more machine-like than before. At least it was trying to act human in the past. Now it was all cold, hard facts and direct answers. And it bugged him. It bugged him alot. Axel fell into thought for a few seconds before shaking his head as he said, "I''m sorry Akira but I really don''t know how it happened. Hell, it''s more than likely that Gem and Ini just summoned themselves." As if on cue, Gem burst to life in a flash of flames as she happily screamed, "Daz right!~", giving everyone a fright and causing Morgana to leap high into the air while hissing. After getting over his fright, Ryuji turned to Morgana and burst into laughter, pointing his finger at the scaredy cat while rolling around on the floor. Pulling the two idiots apart, Axel gave Gem a curious glance as she puffed out her chest and boasted, "Ini was the one who found a way out! She accidentally summoned a door that lead outside! Now I can do it too!" Before Axel could process this new bit of info, Mordred''s rough voice spoke from within his mind, "I can summon the doorway as well, my liege. However, I wish to only be summoned during battle since I loathe anything else." Silence reigned in Axel''s mind as he mentally nodded. He didn''t want to risk wasting Mordred''s energy for insignificant matters since he was Axel''s heavy hitter. Suddenly, Axel noticed everyone was looking at him with a weird expression. They looked to be caught between bursting into laughter and trying not to laugh at all. Akira was they only one who seemed to be capable of controlling his expression as he said, "Your persona has been making faces while floating behind you." Turning back, Axel was slightly startled as Ini floated right infront of his face. Seeing his shock, Ini giggled before gently pressing his nose down as she smiled mischievously, "Beep beep!" "Pft!" That seemed to be the last straw as Stella burst into laughter, collapsing to the ground as she clutched her stomach. Like dominos, everyone slowly fell to the floor while laughing. Heck, Axel couldn''t help but chuckle as well. Looking over to the mischievous Persona, Axel mouthed to her, "Thank you." As he knew that they needed a good laugh. Though he wasn''t able to sense emotions like Olivia, Axel could see that they were tense. The fight earlier did no one any favours as it just put them more on edge. And honestly, Axel didn''t blame them. This raid had to much riding on it, especially for Ann. Once everyone got it out of there system, Ini bowed and was about to disappear when her sister, Gem, appeared and latched onto her cheeks. Then, with strength Axel didn''t know she had, she stretched Ini''s cheeks out wide while berating her. Before Gem could force Ini to kneel on the ground and lecture her, Axel quickly stepped forward and pulled the pair apart as he gently smiled, "Gem, I''m sorry to do this but we need to move and can''t risk waiting for you to finish lecturing your sister." Gem instantly returned to her bored appearance as she nodded, dragging her sister back into the depths of Axel''s mind. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Axel turned towards the rest of the group and said, "Now then, who''s ready to steal from a corrupt king?" Needless to say, everyone nodded towards him as they all showed a wide smile, filled with mischief. --- Opening the door to the vault, everyone stopped in their tracks, awe and shock on their faces as Ryuji''s reaction summed up how everyone was currently feeling. "W-What the hell!?! How are we supposed to steal that!" Screamed Ryuji, pointing at the giant golden crown that completely dwarfed every single person present. Axel quickly shook off his shock and walked forward just in time to restrain Morgana, the cat''s eyes shining like diamonds as he focused on the glimmering treasure before him. Throwing the greedy little cat to Akira, Axel moved forward and placed his hand on the treasure. Not seeing any reaction, he sighed and mentally stored the crown inside his inventory. In an instant, the crown disappeared, shocking everyone once again and snapping Morgana out of his trance as he quickly scanned the room and said, "What happened? Where''s the treasure?" Before anyone could answer, a force pulled them out of the vault and tossed them in front of the throne. Axel nimbly landed before swiftly catching Ann and Morgana. The boysˇ­ weren''t as lucky as they landed right on top of each other. Ryuji groaned while Akira just shoved him off before standing up, helping Ryuji up as he kept his eyes focused on the throne. Above them sat shadow Kamoshida, his red cape now much more ragged then before as a borderline insane smile adorned his face. His smile quickly disappeared when he realized that he couldn''t see nor feel his treasure. Enraged, the barely clothed man pointed at Ann and roared, "WHERE THE FUCK IS MY TREASURE, YOU SLUT!" Axel''s eyes narrowed slightly while Ann huffed in anger. Without hesitation, Ann spun on her heels as she yelled, "Carmen!" A beautiful and busty persona burst to life, pulling it''s whip taut before launching a huge ball of fire at the scumbag king. Suddenly, Axel''s back appeared infront of her as the sound of steel colliding against steel rang out, followed by a muffled groan as Ann''s fireball collided with his back. Ann stared at Axel with wide eyes, covering her mouth with her hand as she realised that she had just attacked her boyfriend. "Ann!" Screamed Axel, pulling the blonde out of her self-deprecating as he continued, "I''m fine so fall back! I can''t hold him for much longer!" Hearing her quickly run back, Axel grit his teeth as his arms trembled. He had underestimated shadow Kamoshida. He thought that because S.Kamoshida got tricked by them that he wasn''t the strong but he was very wrong. It took all Axel had to keep the sword from continuing forward. Seeing Axel struggle, S.Kamoshida smirked as he batted him away. Suddenly, S.Kamoshida madly cackled as his body became submerged in a torrent of crimson flames. Once the flames died down, everyone gulped as a huge, demon stood in place of S.Kamoshida. The demon had a crown on it''s huge head with twisted horns atop it''s small frame, four arms that each carried a different weapon and a goblet filled with living mannequins that appeared to be the lower half of a female. It''s eyes scanned the room randomly, seemingly unable to focus on one thing as it screeched. "GET BACK!" Screamed Axel as the demon tossed a golden ball into the air before spiking it down at the group. Luckily, everyone managed to dodge thanks to Axel''s warning. However, it wasn''t the end of the demons attack as it roared in a distorted voice, "CHARGE!" A legion of munchkins charged out from behind the demon and attack, fling a volley of volleyballs. Axel easily dodged the straight forward attack but everyone wasn''t so lucky. Hearing the groans coming from behind him, Axel grit his teeth before launching himself backwards. While gliding backward, Axel quickly appraised the demon. [Name: The Demon of Lust, Asmodeus. Level: 20 Persona Type: Non-applicable] 73 Kamoshida Palace Raid Part 4 Following his command, Ann and Morgana leapt towards the door, only to be caught off guard by a barrage of volleyballs. Akira and Ryuji were just as unlucky as a platoon of volleyball pygmies swarmed them. Gritting his teeth, Axel burst into a blaze of blue flames and roared, "MORDRED!" Unlike usual, Mordred burst out from the flames, the flames behind his helmet faceplate twisted into a sadistic grin as he roared with insane laughter. He literally flew across the ground, arriving infront of the pygmies within the blink of an eye as he brutally struck them down. One by one, they fell but Asmodeus seemed to just create more. Luckily, Ryuji managed to grab Akira as he huffed, "Captain Kidd! Take us to the door!" The skeleton pirate burst to life as he quickly sailed past Akira and his summoner, hoisting them up onto the mast as he zoomed by. Seeing them make a getaway, Asmodeus screeched as another platoon of pygmies charged after them. Just as Axel was about to provide them some cover, two voices echoed from the back of the room. "Carmen!" "Zorro" A bolt of fire and a gust of wind came barreling towards the boys, only to barely zip by them as the two attacks became one. The wind pushed the fire to become even deadlier as the red flames turned blue. Unlike the groups persona flames though, this flame turned the charging pygmies into ashes. Asmodeus suddenly screamed out in pain, tipping Axel off to a weak points as he yelled, "Target his weapons!" Obviously, no one missed the pained scream Asmodeus made. Instead, they all gain a feral grin as Akira lead the charge, summoning Arsene and launching a barrage of curses. Before the attacks could land, a mirror-like shield appeared and nullified the damage from the curses. Stunned, Akira soon found himself face to face with a metal volleyball that would have crushed him if not for a timely rescue from Ryuji. "Thanks Ryuji." Said Akira, a cold sweat dripping down his forehead with how close he came to death. "No problem, dude." Replied Ryuji, shooting a thumbs up to Akira. Asmodeus grinned while eyeing the pair with his chameleon-like eyes. Roaring, Asmodeus pushed itself off the ground while tossing another golden volleyball into the air as it screeched, "GOLDEN SERVE!" The golden ball came hurtling at the pair, igniting into flames as it hissed through the air. Suddenly, Axel landed infront of them. The two boys stared with wide eyes, screaming at him to run away when he turned back and gave them a confident smirk. Their shock quick became awe as the ball slowly stopped in the air. Ryuji and Akira, being the closest to the ball, stared at Axel with wide eyes as he stood tall, his shirt destroyed as his muscles visibly trembled in exertion. Even though his Persona form was damaged, the clothing and armour he wore slowly healed itself as he grunted before tossing the ball to the side. Asmodeus glared at Axel and angrily roared, "How''s that possible!?! A stupid, insignificant human like you should''ve been turned into paste!!! How could you possibly withstand my attack!?!" Letting his screaming muscles relax, Axel sighed and blankly said, "Maybe it''s cause your weak as shit?" A red aura, filled with malice burst out from Asmodeus as it pushed it''s body of the ground and leapt towards Axel. "Akira!" Screamed Axel as he hastily dodged the berserk demon. Realising that Axel was distracting the demon, Akira quickly pulled Ryuji off the ground and towards the rest of the group. "While Axel''s buying us some time, we need to deal with the demon''s toys. Strike fast and be sure to destroy it!" Said Akira. The group nodded and dispersed. Asmodeus quickly noticed the disappearance of the Phantom Theives but instead of being suspicious, it grinned as it mockingly said, "Would you look at that. You''ve been abandoned." Axel gained a solemnly look as he back himself into a corner and said, "So it appearsˇ­" "Any last words, you pitiful little insect?" Said Asmodeus as he smirked victoriously. Axel nodded as his solemn look quickly morphed into a fox-like grin, "Yup. Now!" Figures quickly sprung up from the shadows, surrounding the demon from all sides as they each unleashed every ounce of power they had. One by one, Asmodeus''s toys broke like glass, shattering into motes of blackish light. A pained groans escaped Asmodeus''s lips as it looked around with wide eyes and roared, "HOW!?! I SAW YOU INSECTS RUN!!! I EVEN FELT YOUR PRESENCES LEAVE THE ROOM!!!" Akira sneered at the demon as he said, "What you felt leave was our personas. Since they are like a beacon that screams ''here I am'', all we had to do was make you think we left while we set up an ambush." Turning to Axel, Akira smirked as he continued, "Luckily, our leader is smart. While he distracted you, you never even realised that he was kiting you into an ambush!" "Iˇ­ WILL NOT BE MOCKED BY A GROUP OF INSECTS! I AM THE GREAT DEMON OF LUST, ASMODE-" "SHUT UP!" Suddenly, Ann was infront of the demon, smashing it''s face back and forth as she roared, "YOU THINK YOUR SO GREAT!?! YOUR NOTHING MORE THAN A BIG ASSHOLE!!!" "WHAT DID SHIHO DO TO DESERVE WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!!! WHY DID YOU TURN HER PARENTS AGAINST HER!!! WHY DID YOU BEAT HER WHEN SHE COULDN''T FINISH HER TRAINING!!! WHY DID YOU PUSH HER INTO TRYING TO TAKE HER OWN LIFE!!!" Asmodeus roared as it tried to strike Ann with its hand. Luckily, Axel quickly pulled her out of the way, kicking Asmodeus in the face as he hugged her into his chest. "Annˇ­ calm down. Kamoshida will get what''s coming to him. Trust me. But we can''t kill Asmodeus. If we do, Kamoshida will die and even though he deserves it, he needs to face judgment and suffer for his crimes. Deathˇ­ would just be an easy escape for him." Axel whispered into her ear as he softly stroked her back. Ann slowly calmed down as she hugged Axel back. However, when Axel was about to release hid hold on her, Ann suddenly pulled him close to her and whispered in his ear, "Pleaseˇ­ come with me to visit Shiho after all this is over." Softly smiling, Axel nodded before turning back to Asmodeus. The ''great demon'' from before was no where to be found. Now, he was just a sack of shit, filled with anger. Axel slowly walked forward, grabbing the demon by it''s hair as he stared into it''s eyes and growled, "Now listen here you piece of shit. Me and my friends are gonna leave now so you best go back to your shitty little hole you call a body and change the piece of shit from the inside out." Asmodeus sneered, "What makes you think I''ll do that?" Just as Asmodeus finished talking, Axel reeled back his arm and thrust it into Asmodeus''s eye socket. The demon screamed and thrashed about but Axel ignored it''s struggles as he clawed the eyeball and tore it out. The group flinched at Axel''s brutality as Ryuji kneeled over and dry heaved while the only ones watching without reacting too badly were Morgana, Akira and surprisingly, Ann. Heck, Ann didn''t even flinch as she stared at the demon with a cruel smile. Asmodeus slowly began to shrank until it returned to its human form. With his eye bleeding, Kamoshida wailed as he stumbled away from Axel, fear etched on his face as a dark stain appeared on his underwear. Axel glared at the shadow and spat on the ground as he said, "Make Kamoshida turn himself in or else." Turning around, Axel slowly moved towards the door as S.Kamoshida disappeared into motes of light, fear etched into his very being as he stared at the back of the one he feared. However, Axel and the group just made it to the door when the palace started to shake. "This place is coming down! With no core of shadow to keep it stable, the palace is destroying itself to fuse back with the metaverse!" Just as Axel was about to make a plan of escape, a familiar voice spoke for the first time in a while as it said, [World Trial: Persona 5 has been completed. Objective: Survive until the end of Kamoshida''s palace. The host must aid ''Akira Kurusu'', ''Ryuji Sakamoto'', ''Ann Takamaki'' and ''Morgana'' in their conquest of Shadow Kamoshida''s Palace. Complete Reward(s): Gains the title ''Unhindered: Persona 5'', System Points: 250,000, Multiverse Gacha Ticket(s), ??? (Please receive to identify). All restrictions placed on the host shall now be lifted.] Feeling the familiar sensation travel through his body, Axel grinned happily as he turned to the group and said, "Change of plans. Follow behind me!" Without warning, Axel took off towards the large, stained glass window of the tower, the group quickly trailing behind him. "Mordred! Open the path for me!" "Yes, my liege!" Mordred burst to life as he heaved his sword off the ground and slashed the glass window, shattering it to pieces. Axel quickly opened his inventory and pulled out a hand full of seeds as he jumped out the window and roared, "Rip-off style! Budget forest emerges!" A deep green glow covered Axel''s arms as threw the seeds forward. The moment they left his hand, the seeds burst apart as thick tree branches burst forward, intertwining with one another to form a wooden bridge. Akira and Ryuji quickly followed behind Axel, only slightly surprised as they had seen him set fire and freeze a room before. Ann and Morgana, however, froze as their jaws fell to the ground in shock. Ann knew he could use magic but she didn''t know it was to this scale. Luckily, Axel leapt back into the room once he finished making the bridge as he grabbed the two and yelled, "Questions can come later. We need to leave. NOW!" The pair quickly nodded to Axel and jumped out the window, quietly admiring the lengthy bridge Axel made. Sadly, the area connecting onto the palace collapsed as the bridge trembled. Axel''s breath hitched in his throat as Ann fell off. Just as he was about to launch himself at Ann, Morgana called out Zorro. The masked persona launched towards her in a burst of wind and gently tossed Ann towards Axel. Easily catching her in his arms, Axel shot Morgana a thankful glance only to blink when he saw a black, cat motif truck standing where Morgana once stood. "Questions later. GET IN!" The doors flew open as Axel quickly jumped into the drivers seat. With a hefty growl, the trucks engine roared to life as it took off down the slowly collapsing bridge. As they came to Akira and Ryuji, the wheel suddenly turned on its own as the back seat door swung open. In a swift motion, the truck dipped slightly and swept both Phantom Theives off their feet and into the back seat before straightening up and shooting down the bridge. Everyone just looked at each other in shock, non more so than the boys as Axel became respectfully and said, "Holy hell, Morgana. You just saved them ''fast and furious'' style." Sadly, that movie franchise didn''t exist in this world as Morgana said, "Uhˇ­ what style?" Axel bitterly smiled as he held the steering wheel and said, "Nevermindˇ­" 74 Kamoshidas Palace End Suddenly, a ripple appeared in space as four teens and a cat came barreling out. The first teens had a head of messy black hair and a pair of black glasses. The black haired teen stumble forward for a few steps before spinning into a fabulous pose, narrowly dodging the second teen as he continued to barrel forwards. The second teen had dirty blonde hair and a face that seemed to fit the stereotypical ''punk'' look. He, unfortunately, crashed face first into a wall as a black and white cat crashed into his back. The third teen flipped forward to stabilise himself before catching the last teen, a girl with platinum blonde hair, in his arms. His dark blue eyes peered through the jet black hair that covered his face as he asked in concern, "You alright, Ann?" The girl, Ann, blushed as she snuggled closer into the boy''s chest and quietly murmured, "I''m fine, Axel. Thanks for catching meˇ­" Axel smiled brightly at the girl in his arms, her cute expressions filling his heart with warmth. After cuddling Ann for a bit, Axel turned to the other teens and said, "How are you guys feeling? Any wounds or injures?" "I''m fine," Smirked the black haired boy, "But Ryuji and Morgana are probably gonna need a minute." Ryuji lay collapsed on the ground, the black and white cat sprawled out on his back, as he groaned, "Yeahˇ­ Akira''s right, Axel. I-I''m gonna need a minute dude." Axel chuckled as he gently put Ann down, much to her silent disappointment. He quickly walked over to the pair and easily picked them up off the ground, holding them like a suitcase. Ryuji and Morgana both groaned in protest, causing Axel to roll his eyes as he said, "I''ll drop you two off at Akira''s. Ryuji, you''ll need to call your mother and find out if she could either pick you up or if you could stay the night. Ann-" Turning his attention to Ann, he saw that she was on her phone, smiling while a light blush adorned her cheeks. After a few seconds, she dropped the call as she beamed a bright smile at Axel and said, "My mum said I could stay the night~." Axel blushed and awkwardly coughed, trying to hide his face from the three pairs of eyes glaring into his back. Luckily, Akira, Ryuji and Morgana dropped it as they knew that Ann and Axel were going out. Though that didn''t stop them from playfully jabbing at him as they collectively muttered, "Die riajuuˇ­" Axel quickly took off towards the station as he said, "Alright guys, get a move on. The stations will close soon and Ann and I still need to get to my place." The group chuckled as they quickly followed behind him. Though Akira was slightly jealous of Ryuji and Morgana since Axel was carrying them. He might not have said it, but he was just as exhausted as everyone else. In exasperation, Axel gave Morgana over to Ann and hoisted the other boy over his shoulder. Though he was embarrassed, Akira was thankful that Axel carried him the rest of the way. --- After dropping off the two dead tired boys and a sleeping cat, Axel and Ann quickly took off towards the station, barely catching the last train. Stella silently slept around Axel''s neck, camouflaging herself as an exotic scarf while Ann gently rested her head against Axel''s shoulder. After a few seconds of silence, Ann tiredly muttered, "Are you sure that what we did in the palace really did anything out here?" Axel stayed silent for a second before replying, "I''m sure it did. Morgana explained it, didn''t he? Even if it didn''t, that just means we''d have to expose him with evidence." Ann looked up at him and said, "How would you even-" "Stella." Said Axel, cutting Ann off, "I''d have her gather up evidence. Maybe get her to record some of Kamoshida''s dirty dealings. I know he physically abuses the sports teams he leads. The only reason why no one comes out about it is because they don''t have irrefutable evidence. Stella can get me that and more." Ann stayed quiet for a few seconds before sighing, a wide smile blooming on her face as she snuggled into Axel and said, "Then I guess I have nothing to worry about." The rest of the trip was filled with a calming silence. The pair loving walking towards Axel''s apartment. Once they made it inside, Ann pulled Axel into a heated kiss, causing the pair to stumble into the apartment. Stella woke up due to the harsh movements and hissed when she saw Axel and Ann making out. She knew she was jealous, she wasn''t going to deny it. But at the same time, she didn''t really have the right to stop them. She liked Axel, but he didn''t know that yet. Instead of going off at him, she sighed before slithering off, not noticing her eyes flashing a menacing amber. Once the bumbling pair managed to make their way to Axel''s bedroom, knocking over almost everything in the way, Axel was thrown onto the bed in a surprising show of strength from Ann. When he looked up at her in shock, he ended up swallowing hard as Ann had somehow stripped down to her underwear. Before he could even speak a single word, Ann lustfully grinned as she dove at him. The last thing Axel saw was Ann''s platinum blonde hair. Then, everything faded away into blissful pleasure. --- Groaning, Axel slowly awoke from his peaceful slumber. His body was covered in sweat, causing him to feel slightly uncomfortable. As he slowly escaped the warmth of his blanket, a feminine groan caused him to stop. He looked over at the sleeping form of his girlfriend and smiled as he gently kissed her forehead. Last night was wild. He and Ann went at it like rabbits. Heck, Ann actually lost her virginity last night. It seemed like the adrenalin from the heist left Ann feeling a little horny. They only stopped doing the bump and grind around 4 in the morning, and that''s only because Ann collapsed in satisfied bliss. Shaking his head, Axel decided to have a shower before getting breakfast ready. However, he didn''t even make it halfway to the bathroom when he came to an abrupt halt. Lying down on the couch was a naked girl with a head of white hair. Her chest gently heaved up and down, mesmerising Axel as he softly stuttered, "S-Stella?" The girl groaned as she slowly awoke. Even though Axel''s voice was low, Stella was a dragon in human form. She quickly stumbled off the couch and stared at Axel, not realising she was staring at him and not staring up at him. Stella stretched her limbs, still not realising she actually had limbs and yawned, "Good morning, Axel. I''m still a little tired since I didn''t manage to fall asleep until after 4." Axel had the decency to blush as he coughed, "Sorry but Stella, haven''t you realised somethings different?" The white haired beauty rubbed her eyes as she yawned once more, "Uhˇ­ it''s 4 in the afternoon? You and your girlfriend missed school, you know." "No, that''s not- WHAT!?!" Screamed Axel. He quickly ran back to his room and grabbed his phone. Axel quickly opened it and called Akira. After three tones, the call connected as Akira''s voice calmly spoke. "Hey Axel, I knew that you''d call me sooner or later. Schools closed for a few days. Something about a business opportunity." Axel almost instantly calmed down as he sighed in relief and said, "Thanks Akira. Could you do me a favor and tell Ryuji and Morgana that I want to celebrate the raid?" They already planned around people listening to their calls, and decided to make it seem like they were talking about a video game. Ryuji thought that they were being paranoid but Akira and Ann were all for it. "Yeah, that''s fine. Ryuji actually ended up staying the night and Morgana''s just chilling in the sunlight just outside." "Cool. Do want to eat out or should I make us some food?" Never before has Axel heard such emotion in Akira''s voice as he instantly yelled, "YOUR FOOD!!!" Axel chuckled while the sound of running could be heard over the phone. Once the running sound stopped, Akira was apparently away from the phone as his voice faintly came through the receiver. "Ryuji! Axel said he wants to celebrate the raid with a feast!" "That''s awesome! Where are we going?" "Where not ''going'' anywhere. Axel said that he''d cook!" The phone fell silent for a few seconds beforeˇ­ "DUDE! HELL YES!" Axel shook his head and ended the call. He sent them a text, telling them to come over around 6. Once that was finished, Axel stretched out his arms and yawned. Just as he turned towards the bathroom to shower, his eyes widened as he remembered that he currently had a naked, white haired beauty in his house. *click* And to make it worse, Ann just stepped into the room. "Axel~, where did you-" Seeing her eyes instantly lock onto the naked form of his familiar, Axel suddenly felt like running away. 75 Kanpai!! Time was tight if he wanted to cook the food and prepare his apartment for the night. Luckily, Ann and a newly clothed Stella stayed home to help him prepare. After last night, Axel''s apartment was a mess and reeked of sex. Axel and Ann actually ended up breaking some things when they stumbled across the lounge and into Axel''s room. As he rounded the corner to his apartment, Axel thought back the secondary objective he had for the part. When everyone arrived, Axel planned to prove to them that he was, in fact, from another world. With his magic back, Axel had more definitive proof than just his word. Bolting to the front door, Axel hastily grabbed his keys and opened the door. He stumbled about while taking his shoes off as he gently shut the door. "I''m back!" Yelled Axel. Two sets of footsteps registered in Axel''s mind as Stella and Ann rounded the corner, their beauty enhanced by the wide smiles on their faces. "Welcome back, Master~." Said Stella in a sensual and teasing tone. Ann''s eyebrow twitched slightly but she composed herself rather quickly as she hugged Axel and whispered, "Welcome home, Axel." Axel felt his heart speed up as moisture built up around his eyes. Quickly stopping himself from crying due to the love he felt from her words, Axel lovingly hugged her back and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Ann." Before the platinum blonde could react, Axel retreated to the kitchen to get ready for the party. Ann, on the other hand, was a panting and blushing mess. She pouted as she grumbled, "You can''t just leave a girl all hot and bothered like that, Axelˇ­" Stella just watched over everything with an amused and slightly envious smile. She wanted to talk to Axel, find out if they were more than just master and familiar but she could wait. The two were bound together by their souls after all. She had all the time in the world to ask him. --- Looking at the clock, Axel sighed as he had just made it. The food has been prepared and cooked, he showered, cleaned and aired out the house and dressed the naked familiar that gained her human form. Sighing, Axel humming to himself as he mused, ''I should have a few minutes to just sit back and-'' His thoughts were quickly cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing. "Of course..." Sighed Axel, "Alright! I''m coming! I''m coming!" However, before he could get off the couch, Ann walked over and gently pushed him back as she smiled, "Just sit back and relax for a bit, Axel. You''ve been busy ever since you woke up. You deserve a break. Just let Stella and I greet the guest and set the table." Ann went off to welcome the guests in while Stella went off to set the table. Axel was slightly worried about Stella, wondering if she could do it properly. His worries would prove to be unnecessary as he glanced over to the table any saw her properly setting the food and plates down. He actually felt proud of his familiar as she quickly arranged the table and food. "AXEL!" The unexpected volume of Ryuji''s voice caused Axel to jump. He quickly turned to glare at Ryuji only to stall as Ann smack him over the head so hard he fell and kissed the ground. "You don''t need to yell, you idiot! He was literally just sitting there! You could''ve just, oh I don''t know, walked over and said, "Hey Axel, how are you?", you know!?!" Axel opened his mouth to try and calm Ann down but a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned and saw Stella, shaking her head as she mouthed, ''That''s a bad idea.'' Suddenly, a gasp pulled his focus back to Ryuji and the others as Ryuji pointed to Stella and said, "Dude! Isn''t she the one from the palace! The one you told us was your pet snake?" Stella hissed as her eyes became slits. Before Ryuji could so much as utter an ''eep'', Stella appeared infront of him with a knife hand poised to strike his neck. The only reason she didn''t strike him was because of Axel. He had somehow moved between them and grabbed her wrist in an attempt to stop her. However, his arm shook as he strained himself to hold her back. This reminded Axel that while Stella was his familiar, she was still currently stronger than him. Turning towards Ryuji with an unamused look, he said, "Ryuji, Stella isn''t my pet. She''s my familiar. Please don''t call her that again as I don''t know if I''ll be able to stop her." Ryuji swallowed as he shakily replied, "Y-yeah, sure thing dude. Thanks for saving me. And I''m sorry miss, I didn''t know that you didn''t like being called a pet." Everyone paused as they stared at Ryuji with wide eyes. "H-heˇ­ actually spoke a sentence without doing or saying something stupidˇ­" Murmured Ann. Akira took his glasses off and wiped them before putting them back on. He stared at the scene before once again pulling his glasses off and cleaning them. Axel rolled his eyes as he sighed, "Alright, break it up. Let''s just get this party started. And Ryuji?" Said Blonde turned towards Axel, "Thank you for apologizing. Now, let''s eat!" After an hour of partying and eating, Axel stood up. Gently tapping a spoon against a glass, Axel waited for everyone to turn towards him before he spoke. "*Ahem* So, before we continue, I''d like to get a couple things off my chest. You seeˇ­" Everyone sat in silence as Axel fully explained who he was (minus their world being an anime) and why he was here. Obviously, no one reacted badly since Axel has already explained this stuff before. However, when Axel went to show them proof, Ryuji quickly waved him off and smiled. "Dude, there''s no need for proof. I already believe you!" Ann walked over and kissed, "Same here, Axel. I already believed you since the day you told me." Looking over at Akira, the young Phantom theif smirked as he said, "I believe you, Axel. You''ve already proven it anyway." Dumbfounded, Axel muttered, "W-when?" "Back in the palace, you not only use a fusion of fire and ice to destroy a ton of shadows, but you literally created a giant tree bridge that we used to escape the crumbling palace." Replied Akira. Axel was shocked as he fell into his chair and said, "H-howˇ­ in the hell did I forget about that!?!" Akira shrugged his shoulders as he quickly stuffed a sandwich into his mouth. Ryuji and Ann just laughed and continued partying while Axel was quietly trying to figure out how he forgot about those instances. "Kanpai!" 76 The Days Before Judgemen Ryuji, however, was a mess. As the days counted down, the adrenalin from the heist faded and all that was left was worry and skepticism. I mean, now that he had time to think about it, there was no guarantee that the heist would work they wanted. Heck, there was even a chance that it didn''t work at all. Ann wasˇ­ difficult to read. Whenever she and Axel were going out, she seemed relaxed and maybe even a little horny, like she didn''t have anything worry about. She actually dragged Axel along with her to visit Shiho, who had just woken up. Regarding Shiho, both Axel and Ann felt sorry for the girl. Shiho adamantly refuses to meet her parents, stating that she was in this state because of them. Her mother was genuinely heartbroken over Shiho''s exclamation while her father didn''t seem to care. Due to this, Axel secretly had Stella follow the man in an attempt to find some dirt. With her magic back, Stella was practically invisible. It only took her half a day to find out that Shiho''s father planned to sell her to a former-yakuza-turned-loanshark. All so he could pay off his gambling debt. Obviously, when Axel informed Shiho and Ann of this, both girls broke down, though for different reasons. Ann was crying for her friend, hugging her in an attempt to make sure she didn''t feel like doing something stupid. Shiho was crying because, unlike when her parents tried to give her to Kamoshida, her father was actually preparing to sell her. Anyway, after they cried their hearts out, Axel decided to do something stupid. He cornered Shiho''s father into an alley andˇ­ --- (PERSONA! Comeˇ­ Flashback!) "Hey, kid! What''s the big ide-" *SMASH!!!* Any and all complaints that Shiho''s father had, died in his throat as his eyes widened. Axel''s casual kick had somehow caused a dumpster to cave into itself. To make sure it wasn''t a trick, Shiho''s father shakily walked over and gave the dumpster a kick, hissing when pain surged through his leg from the kick. "H-how did youˇ­ that''s a steel dumpster!?!" *BANG* Suddenly, Shiho''s father found himself pinned to the wall by Axel''s hand. Shiho''s father tried and failed to move under Axel''s hand as he finally spoke, "Honestlyˇ­ How someone like you could contribute to the birth of someone like Shiho, I''ll never know." Shiho''s father glared at Axel as he continued, "Look, I''m a busy guy so I''ll make this quick. I heard that you were going to sell Shiho to some loanshark, right? I''ll give you a million yen for her." Axel gave the panting man a blank stare as he nodded, "Okˇ­ I hear you. Now, counter offerˇ­" Snapping his fingers, a dark blue fire tornado exploded out from Axel, his eyes glowing an eerie yellow as a large, armoured figure leaned towards the now terrified man and glared at him. "You take my million yen and you get to keep your life. You have 5 seconds to decided." Seeing him break out into a cold sweat, Axel gave him a sadistic grin as he raised his hand and quickly said, "5432-" "WAIT! OK! FINE! I''LL TAKE THE MILLION! J-JUST DON''T HURT ME!!!" Mordred snorted, "Cowardˇ­" And disappeared in a flurry of flames. Clicking his tongue, Axel reached into his inventory and withdrew a bag containing stacks of yen as he said, "Pleasure doing business with you. Now, let''s go make this official." --- After that, Axel dragged the terrified man across Tokyo. Once he had signed Shiho over to him, Axel wasted no more time on the man and left. He ran over to the hospital and explained the situation to both girls. Shiho ended up crying once again, though these tears were different as she had a wide smile on her face as she spoke through her tears, "Thank youˇ­" Anyway, since Axel was now responsible for Shiho, he sold some more gems through Iwai and used that money to move Shiho to a private ward. He also paid for her medical fees, since her family no longer needed to pay for them. Even though Axel managed to save her from getting hurt, the hospital wanted to keep her for a few more days just to make sure she was fine. The doctors also talked with Axel, her legal guardian, about getting Shiho to see a therapist. Honestly, Axel felt that, even though he was her legal guardian, he had no choice in the matter. So he did what he thought was right and told Shiho that it was up to her whether she goes to a therapist or not. Shiho spent the better half of the day thinking about it and, in the end, agreed to see a therapist on the condition that Ann and Axel come with her. Obviously, Ann and Axel quickly agreed. The pair could easily see that while she seemed fine, Shiho was still quite fragile and needed the emotional support. Shiho now started shaking when talking to men other than Axel, everything Kamoshida said and did to her finally taking it''s toll. She was also far more reserved around people she didn''t know, though that didn''t stop her kind heart from showing in the form of a smile. Anyway, today was the day that Shiho was released from the hospital and Ryuji wanted to come and congratulate her for a speedy recovery. However, after Ann explained Shiho''s situation, he surprisingly acted mature and relented while asking Axel to pass along his wishes. Akira asked him to do the same, while also giving him a large plate of mild curry as he said, and I quote, "Hospital food is the worst." As Shiho walked out through the hospital doors, Ann walked over and gave her a strong hug while Axel smiled and said, "Congratulations for a speedy recovery, Shiho. Ryuji and Akira wanted to be here to congratulate you as well butˇ­" Shiho nodded in gratitude, her lips curving into a gentle smile. "Oh!" Said Magna, "Akira did, however, prepare a gift for you. It''s in the car." Behind him was grey five-seater. It wasn''t a hard choice when it came to getting the car since he needed to drive Shiho to and from therapy. The car actually didn''t cost that much and the fake drivers license cost him even less. What did cost alot was, surprisingly, the level-less skill, [Driving]. The reason the cost was so high was because this allowed him to drive any land based vehicle. Heck, he could even drive a tank if he had one. Taking a peek at his points, Axel internally cried as he sawˇ­ [System Points: 37,010.] Now, this wouldn''t be a problem if it wasn''t for the fact that he literally spent 250,000 points to buy a skill that only covers land vehicles. [Riding], the ability to ride any sort of animal, costed 250,000 as well while [Piloting], the ability to pilot any aircraft or ship, costed a whooping 500,000. Though Axel felt some pain in his heart while looking at his skills, he knew that this skill was a good purchase since the system told him that it allowed him to drive ANY land based vehicle like an expert. Funnily enough, this also included things like bicycles, skateboards and snowboards. That''s not even mentioning the fact that he''d be able to pilot a Jaeger on his own if he ended up in Pacific Rim or how he''d be able to pilot a titan from titan fall. Anyway, Axel walked over to Shiho to help her with her bags, only to be pulled into a warm embrace. Shiho squeezed Axel, tears dripping down her face as she softly whispered, "Thank you so very very much, Axel. For saving me and for freeing meˇ­" Axel was about to reply when he froze as Shiho gently placed her lips against Axel''s cheek. After kissing his cheek, Shiho blushed and giggled as she retreated into the car, his keys having been snatched from his hand. Ann actually didn''t feel any jealousy seeing Shiho kiss Axel, even if it was just on the cheek. Instead, she laughed at Axel and followed Shiho to his car, choosing to sit in the back seat instead of the front. Axel quickly shook off his shock and hopped into the car. Turning towards the girls, Axel had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing as Shiho stuffed her mouth with curry. Seeing that Axel was staring at her, Shiho quickly swallowed her mouthful before flashing a wide smile. That set Axel off as he burst into laughter, his hand moving towards her face as he plucked a few grains of rice off her face before popping them into his mouth. Shiho''s face turned bright red as Axel smiled and said, "Akira''s getting better at making curry." Before turning around and starting up the car. 77 Kamoshidas Confession Axel rubbed his face and yawned, "Morning Shihoˇ­ Why are you waking me up?" "Well," Said Shiho, "If I let you sleep any longer, you''d be late to school." Taking a second to register what she said, Axel jumped out of his bed, earning a quiet ''eep!'' from shiho as he looked at his phone and yelled, "I''m gonna be late!?!" Axel ignored the red faced Shiho as he quickly threw on his uniform. While he was washing up, Shiho knocked on the door and said, "I made some toast for breakfast. Make sure you eat before you leave, okay? Also, I put your wallet on the counter." Coming out of the bathroom, Axel smiled as he said, "Thanks Shiho. You gonna be alright staying here on your own? I can leave Stella here if you want?" You see, Axel didn''t see the point to keeping Shiho in the dark about who he was. He explained that he was from another world and showed her his magic as proof. However, what really surprised her was how Stella turned into a person. At first, Shiho was a little scared of Stella but it only took an afternoon of online gaming to learn that the two really got along. Heck, the duo were taking the gaming scene by storm, especially since Stella now had hands. What really made Axel laugh was how Shiho seemed to forget how to be kind when gaming and became a very sarcastic gamer girl. It actually made Axel and Ann happy since it meant that she was beginning to be more open around them. Ann even cried since Shiho always acted like the meek girl they knew her as. Anyway, Axel quickly ate his toast before shooting out the door, barely grabbing his wallet as he yelled, "See you guys after school!" "Bye Axel!" "Shiho!!! We''re getting pushed by two teams!!!" "SHIT!!!" --- Axel barely managed to make it to school on time. And what awaited him was a normal, albeit boring day. However, at the end of the school day, Kamoshida called for an emergency assembly. As Axel and his class made there way to the hall, Ryuji nervously stumbled over and whispered, "H-heyˇ­ aren''t you nervous?" Axel shrugged, "Not reallyˇ­ I trust that Morgana was telling the truth. What about you, Akira?" "Well..." Said Akira, pushing his glasses back a bit, "I''m not that worried. I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t nervous but something tells me that we aren''t in trouble." "How so?" Asked Axel. Akira flashed a small smile as he said, "Tell me. Did either of you see Kamoshida this morning?" Axel shook his head while Ryuji groaned, "Why would that bastard''s ugly mug be the first thing I want to see in the morning?" Once the bustling students settled, Kamoshida slowly walked to the front of the crowd. His face seemed pale and his eyes were bloodshot. In fact, Kamoshida''s body seemed to be trying to collapse into itself with how withdrawn he was. That set off alarms on Axel''s mind since Kamoshida was no where near as bad as this in the anime. The man pulled a microphone out from his back pocket as he lightly coughed and said, "I-I''m sorry for this unexpected Assembly but there is something that I need to get off my chest." The students and faculty started murmuring as Kamoshida continued, "For years now, I have been sabotaging every sport team this school has expect the volleyball." Kamoshida''s eyes scanned the room for moment before looking Ryuji, "ˇ­I also sent students to the hospital in the name of self-defense." Gasps rang out through the crowd while Ryuji silently clenched his fist. Akira and Axel both comforted the young man, patting Ryuji on the shoulder to show that they were here for him. "But worst of all..." Kamoshida paused as he took a long, nervous breath in, "Iˇ­ I''ve been t-taking liberties with some of the female students." Surprise quickly turned to anger as some of the boy stood up to attack the man. The girls on the other hand, were quietly forming groups as some students here and there started crying. All this served to do was add fuel to the fire. Just as the male students started their charge, Kamoshida suddenly drew a knife. Everyone halted in place as Kamoshida''s voice echoed in the quiet hall. "I know that I don''t deserve forgiveness for what I''ve doneˇ­ so I''ve decided that I''m better off dying for my crimes." In one fluid motion, Kamoshida flipped the knife in his hand so that it was pointing towards him. Just as Kamoshida went to thrust the knife towards his own throat, Axel quickly appeared behind him and grabbed his arm as Ann angrily screamed, "STOP!!!" With Kamoshida in his grasp, Axel watched Ann power through the sea of students. Once she was standing infront of Kamoshida, Ann reeled her arm back and slapped him so hard that she forced Axel back a few steps. Ignoring the look she was getting from Axel, Ann glared at Kamoshida and growled, "That''s a cowards way out and you know it!" Before Kamoshida could reply, Ann continued, "You don''t get to take the easy way out, Kamoshida! Not after what you''ve doneˇ­ You deserve to rot in jail for the rest of your life, asshole." Having gotten that off her chest, Ann turned on the heel of her foot and walked out of the hall, leaving behind thousands of dumbfounded students. In an instant, Axel disarmed Kamoshida and shoved him to the ground before taking off after Ann. --- It took him a few minutes but Axel managed to find Ann hanging around the alley that connected to the metaverse. "Heyˇ­ How''re you feeling Ann?" Said Axel. Without saying a word, Ann turned towards Axel and buried herself into his chest. Her body shook as she quietly sobbed. Axel gently embraced her, whispering soothing words into her ear while occasionally kissing her head. After a few minutes, Ann''s arms tightened around Axel as she muttered, "Axelˇ­" "Yes, Ann?" "ˇ­Can I stay over at your place for a few days?" Axel smiled, "Sure thing Ann." Ann''s fingers lightly danced across his back as she gave him an upturned look, "ˇ­Can you make me breakfast in the morning?" Receiving a nod, Ann bit her lip as her cheeks turned bright red, "C-can we make-out on your bed when we get back to your place?" Instead of receiving an answer, Ann suddenly found herself being hoisted off her feet as Axel carried her in his arms while sprinting towards his car. Seeing her normally serious boyfriend acting so silly, Ann couldn''t stop herself from bursting into a fit of laughter, her bell like voice echoing through the street.