Chapter 1: You Are Here.

Chapter 1

You are here.

 "What would you see when you're dead?"

 That was a question all mortals wondered.

 The term 'Death' is usually, in the English dictionaries, defined as the loss of life by natural causes, murder, suicide, or things of that sort. The way in which people die was very, very broad, and some ways included reaching a certain age, getting caught up in criminal behaviour, gang violence, being terminally ill, hanging, shooting themselves in the head, executed by fatal poisons by the authorities, subjected to human experimentation, and the list goes on and on. 

 'Death' in a way, some describe it as beautiful. Some describe it as something they never wish to experience. Some religions back on his world, describe 'death' as a gift from God to bring them back home to Heaven. 

 So what exactly is the phenomenon called 'death'?

 Death can be described in a variety of ways, the most common being the loss of life of a 'human' being. But there are also some people who just 'feel' like they're dead despite being completely alive. Their minds are narrowed, their vision feeling like its behind some sort of screen. They're in control of their body, yet in their eyes, its like someone else is controlling them. So they go on about their days feeling numb, void of any life. Then there are people who are… 'brain dead.' 

 And after that, people can also experience a near-death scenario and feel like they're dead even after surviving. And those who wish that they were dead along with the survivors of a disastrous incident, for example, a mass shooting at a mall, a school shooting in which all their friends and the family (if they had any) attending the school were shot and killed right before their eyes.

 They'd be traumatised for life.

 In some cases, those who witness such horrendous events end up craving death so much that they commit suicide. Or in some lighter cases, end up in the way mentioned above, a phenomenon called 'Derealisation,' 'Depersonalisation' or even both.

 'Death,' in a way, can also be comforting.

 Should Edith have died at the end of the battle? Should he have restarted his journey after seeing his wife, his friends, his younger sister, his classmates, and even people he grew close to in that lifetime die so horribly? What about his mental state? Will he end up committing suicide like those victims of the shootings?

 That, my dear reader, will be entirely up to him.

 *** 

Ω

 Those who have fallen will be resurrected.

 Those who have toiled away at their lives will be reversed.

 Those who have wronged you will be in your memories.

 All the sins of the world will be..."forgotten."

 His eyes suddenly bulged out of their sockets as they violently shot open. All he saw was white. Was he in Heaven? No. The coldness of the floor and the abrupt shock he experienced was all too human. He gasped for air. His face twisting up in horror as his mind went blank. Where was he? He was in a crawling position while staring long and hard at the untouched tiles beneath him. He comprehended that he was no longer falling from the Heavens. He mentally "knew" that his body was younger. His skin was no longer cut up and bloodied. The clothes he wore were made from a material unknown to this world. He was in his high school uniform, which was a white shirt, grey tie and black jeans. His hair was just about the same, and so was his size.

 Four years in the past. Where was he?

 He couldn't bare to look up just yet. From his memories, he was supposed to be in the Holy Church's worship chambers. So...

 He looked up. The first thing he noticed was a massive mural. The mural stretched for about ten metres in both directions, depicting a Godly being with Heavenly white hair, shining white eyes and a neatly trimmed lengthy white beard. As he had a muscular build, the being was obviously masculine. Above the head was a golden halo. Behind him showed green pastures, a clean, fresh lake and rainbows running across the blue sky. Edith felt an immeasurable amount of boiling rage fill inside of him as he stared, along with an intense feeling of fear keeping from from moving.

 As he anxiously examined the rest of his surroundings, he quickly realised that he was in a vast chamber. The entire room was constructed from marble, most likely. Giant pillars with sculptures carved into them rose up to the towering dome ceiling. The room reminded him of a grand cathedral he'd see on religious channels on television.

 Edith and the others were all laying on a wide open marble flooring, and there were others he wasn't supposed to recognise standing on an elevated platform a ways away from them-right in front of the mural. They were all clad in white robes and wore jewellery around their arms and necks. Most had white skin, but there was one with a shade of brown skin. He, along with another, stood behind one which appeared to be the most important one. That one had blue eyes, a golden tooth and wrinkled white skin. He held a golden snake-headed staff in his right hand and had a golden ring on his left. The three had two soldiers fully clad in steel armour, wielding swords and shields, at their sides. 

 He knew all of them. Especially the one in the middle.

 He continued scanning the room in an effort not to look suspicious. It seemed like everyone of his thirty classmates were there. Including someone Edith knew had died in the future.

 His little sister, Elzia, laid face down on the flooring. There were no visible injuries, but as soon as he recognised her body, he froze up. 

 "El...zia…" He muttered to himself. His body grew stiff as tears rapidly formed in his eye sockets, "...But...you...died…" He completely forgot that he was in the past. His mind immediately went blank as one specific memory rose up.

 A memory of in the back of the Holy Church. Night. The sky was void of any stars, the only thing which illuminated this dreadful night were the exact same three moons Edith viewed while he fell from Heaven.

 Elzia was laid on the ground, her body riddled with holes cutting through her flesh. Blood. There was nothing but blood around her. Even her head was broken into and her brain was nothing but a disgusting soup. He couldn't save her from HIM… 

 The life of his little fourteen year old sister was taken right in front of him. And he was forced to watch has THEY turned her into a lifeless puppet. The pain, the anguish, the terror, the fury, the scent of her blood filling the already grim atmosphere which filled him to the core that day all came flooding back at once. 

 But then he came back to reality. 

 There she was. Elzia Myars. Laying face down. Right. In. Front. Of. Him. 

 His skin grew even paler as he couldn't even bring himself to move forward, too frightened to accept this as reality.

 But then, snapping him out of the fear-ridden trance, three female classmates darted over to that fourteen year old girl. They rapidly shook her until she started moving, shouting out their concerns,

 "Elzia, Elzia! Wake up!"

 "Elzia! Open your eyes!"

 "Elziaaaa!!" One of the girls threw a dirty glare in Edith's direction, basically belittling him for just staring in shock. But he just couldn't bring himself to do anything. 

 Just then, a voice from above rang out throughout the room.

 "Welcome to Ixtal, brave heroes. I am the Pope of the Holy Church, Brother Ornild. It is an honour to make your acquaintances." He spoke in a good-natured manner, not meaning frighten any of the kids he, or perhaps, God, summoned. Seeing their shock and horror written on their faces, he threw his arms forward toward the class and lend them as joyful of a smile as he could muster, "You all must be baffled as to why you are here. Come with me, I will explain everything."

 Everyone, including Elzia, who had just woken up, just nodded and stood to their feet. He then led the confused students to another room with a dining table and furniture.

 The room they were led to was just as lavishly built as the other. The exemplary craftsmanship of the furniture and the tapestries hanging on the walls was evident even to the student's untrained eyes. The layout of this room implied that it was used for a grand feast or banquets. The teacher, Irune and Julieaus's group all claimed seats at the head of their respective tables, and everyone else arranged themselves around them. Elzia was seated beside her brother, Edith. Elzia's group of three female friends, Nina and Nana who were twins and Holly, sat to her right.

 The reason no one made much of a fuss as to their sudden transportation was because they were all too thunderstruck to utter a word, too busy trying to process what had happened. Many of them still felt like they were in a dream, including Edith, funny enough. Julieaus, with his max-level charisma, managed to calm them all somewhat and Irene, as their teacher, tried looking out for the ones who were frightened, which was her job.

 The moment they all took their seats, a row of carts had entered the room, pushed along by a group of maids. Actual, real life maids who looked exactly like the ones from those fantasy T-V shows back on Earth. All were dressed in a classic black maid dress with a white apron covering their front. Even in such dire circumstances, their insatiable curiosity and libido drove most of the boys to gaze hungrily, longingly at all those female beauties, who threw sharp glares their direction. When the girls saw how they melted over the maids, they glared at the boys in a manner cold enough to freeze hell itself.

 Edith didn't care enough to pay heed to any of them. Instead, he was looking for the 'one' from his past life. Surely, seeing her would help to calm his nerves. 

 Soon, one came to pour him a drink. Without saying a word, she handed him a shiny crystal cup and lifted a jug of water from her cart. 

 "Here. Drink up. You must be thirsty, right?" She, in a cute, feminine, high pitched voice, said to him. Edith looked at her, distraught.

 "U-Um…" 'L...Lily?' He thought. The maid looked and sounded identically as to how he remembered. Her glimmering big blue eyes, her long silky dark brown hair and her soft, well-cared for white skin immediately caught his attention. He of course tried not to seem like he was ogling her…so he kept his gaze locked onto her little oval face.

 "Don't worry, you don't have to say anything." She muttered before pulling the jug away. She looked to be no older than his age, fifteen, "Well, I'll see you later, Hero."

 "W-wait…" He tried to say, but his voice came out too hushed.

 She sent him a friendly smile before walking away. 

 'Lily…' There was no doubt about it. The girl who just served him water was indeed the maid he was given when he first came to this world. 

 Ornild finally started speaking once again when everyone was served their refreshments.

 "Now, I am certain you all must be terribly confused. I shall explain everything to you from the beginning. All I ask is for all of you to hear me out in the end." The words were exactly as Edith remembered-generic, something straight out of a fantasy novel.

 In short, this was what he said--- First, this world was called Ixtal. Within Ixtal lived seven different species; humans, demons, beastmen, spirits, celestials, demi-humans and monsters. Humans resided in the nothern continent of the world, demons at the southern continent, spirits at the far, far east, demi-humans and beastmen at the west, and celestials at the very top of this world, a mountain called 'Divine Mountain.' Celestials were devout followers of the Lord Amaterasu and are said to be the strongest beings in existence. They are greatly revered and feared by the humans. 

 Humans and Demons had a strained relationship, having been at war for hundreds of years. Though demons lacked in sheer numbers compared to the humans they are said to be capable of manipulating mana directly, and each one had the strength of one hundred human soldiers, effectively evening out any upper-hands the humans possessed. Both sides were currently locked in a stalemate, and a major battle hadn't been undergone in decades. Although, as of late, rumours about the Demons discovering the ancient magic to manipulate and control monsters had been spreading throughout the capital, and Ixtal in general.

 Monsters were supposedly wild animals that had underwent a magical mutation after having mana poured into them. Though as of present times, humans had yet to comprehend the biology of such beings, so none of them were sure. They were apparently very powerful, and the majority of them were capable of utilising the magical arts, each species of monster specialising in a single element.

 Up until that point, nearly no one had been able to tame such ferocious beasts. And those who did could only control 2 or 3 at a time. However, the situation changed. The only advantage humans had against the demons, numbers, was annihilated. As such, the humans were now staring the extinction of their race straight in the face.

 "The one who summoned you here was the great lord, Amaterasu. He is the guardian deity of us humans, and the one true God of this world and the Holy Church. The supreme ruler who created the universe itself. I suspect Lord Amaterasu grew aware of our plight. He realised humanity was doomed to extinction, so he summoned you here in order to prevent such a devastating happenstance. You all have arrived from a world far greater than our own, and thus you all must possess the strength which will save our race and exterminate the foul demons."

 Ornild paused for a brief moment before hesitantly continuing, "Or at least, that was what was shown to be in a divine revelation."

 "Regardless, I beg of you, to do as the Lord Amaterasu commanded. Please, kill the demons and save humanity."

 "..."

 Ornild, as confident as he was, appeared to be in a transe-like state as he said this. The words of this priest echoed in the depths of Edith's fragile, hell-bent mind.

 'Kill the demons, save humanity.'

 'Kill the demons, save humanity.' 

 'Kill the demons, save humanity.' 

 Repeating over and over and over in his mind, a massive headache erupted inside of him. Those were the exact words spoken to him on the first day he entered this world. Though during that time, he was much healthier.

 Panicked, he frantically gaped around to the other classmates. His little sister sat beside him. The look on her face displayed her discomfort and confusion. Julieaus appeared to be lost in thought. And the others seemed the same.

 Him and Elzia locked eyes for a second. Seeing his frantic expression, she gave him a forced, positive smile and squeezed his hand in hers.

 "What's that look for? Aren't you supposed to be the more mature one?"

 "…" 

 "Hahaha. I was just teasing." She softened her gaze, "Don't worry. We'll be fine as long as we have each other, right?"

 "Y-Yeah…" He still couldn't believe that he was speaking to her. Images of her death continually clouded his mind.

 "Calm down already, silly. you look like you've seen a ghost."

 "…"

 He wanted to reach out to her. Wanted to stroke her cheeks with his hands like he always did when she was alive. But she is alive. She's sitting literally inches away from the boy. He unconsciously had tears pouring down his cheeks, making Elzia watch him with even bigger of a concern. 

 But before either of them could utter a single word, an immense female voice sprang out from the dining room,

 "You can't possibly be serious! You're telling literal children to go fight in a freaking war?! That's absolutely, absolutely absurd! As their teacher, I cannot condone such a farce! Send us back home this instant! These children have families, their loved ones, who must be worried sick! You can't just freaking kidnap them like this!"

 Each one of her words dripped with evident anger. Irene, the mid-twenties social sciences teacher, was very popular with the kids. She stood only one hundred and thirty-seven centimetres tall with a child-like figure and dark brown hair kept in a single high pony tail. Her childlike appearance and tendency to run around doing everything she could for her students, though most efforts were for naught, eventually gave her a cute reputation among her class. Most of them ended up seeing her like one of their fellow classmates and many tended to call her by a nickname, Iry. 

 Since she was aiming to conquer that supposed childishness which flourished in pretty much everything she did, she disliked being called by that name. 

 This was one of the many times she flared up for them, at Ornild, to protest the unreasonable forced summoning in order to even remotely resemble a proper teacher. 

 The students, amused and somewhat comforted by her behaviour, smiled faintly in her direction with a sense of partial renewed vigour. 

 But it all came crashing down the next second.

 "I understand your reasoning, however...I am unable to return you to your world at the present."

 Silence filled the atmosphere. The oppressive feeling which prevailed in the beginning was even heavier. They all stared at Ornild blankly, unable to process what was just stated.

 "As I stated earlier, Lord Amaterasu is who summoned you here. The only reason we were in that room in the first place was to greet you heroes, and to offer our thanks and Prayers to Lord Amaterasu. Us humans do not possess the power necessary to interfere with the other worlds, so whether or not you are permitted to return rests entirely upon His will."

 "N-no way…"

 Irene slumped back into her chair, her strength drained and body shaking with fear. The other students all started yelling and screaming at the priests, shouting out things such as,

 "What the fuck? You have to be joking!"

 "Return us to our world right now!"

 "You seriously can't be doing this to us!"

 "A war?! I-I've got my finals approaching! I can't fight in a war!"

 The entire class fell into a panic. Edith remained unaffected, Elzia stared in horror. They exchanged glances once again, and her, with her striking, tear-filled blue eyes, white skin, oval face and a troubled frown, squeezed Edith's hands once more without saying a word.

 Elzia's clothing consisted of a neatly ironed white buttoned school shirt and black cotton short skirt. She wore a black long sleeved jacket over her shirt and had a tiny flower shaped hairpin decorating the side of her head. Her striking big blue eyes alone were enough to immediately catch your attention. Not only that, but her etheral beauty was dangerously capable of capturing the hearts of boys and girls alike. She was in complete contrast to her elder brother, who always spent his time studying or reading in the library, and who was an otaku nerd. 

 She had many friends and little enemies, and always stood up for Edith, who due to his habits, was subjected to severe bullying from a multitude of his fellow classmates. The only ones who actually liked him were Elzia's friends. Although secretly, he felt that they secretly hated him as well, for being quote, "such a massive burden" to his little sister.

 But regardless of how many times Edith said it to her, Elzia just wouldn't leave him alone. Her never-ending loyalty to him was one of the only reasons why he hadn't dropped out as yet...or become a shut in NEET like most of the other otakus in his community.

 She continued staring at his still frightful face. She wanted to say something in an attempt to comfort them both, but no words came to her mouth. Instead, Edith, putting aside his fear, managed to speak to her,

 "U-um...w-we'll b-be-"

 "I know what you're going to say, Edith." She sternly replied, "And thank you. But saying that with such a terrified look in your eyes is not helping."

 "…" 'Right…' He thought to himself. His past self would have laughed it off, but his present self wanted to stick a knife through his own throat for relying on her again. 

 Ornild said nothing to the students' protest, and only looked at them with contempt in his eyes, as if saying to their pitiful souls, 'How dare you all...You were chosen by God, why are you not rejoicing?' 

 Julieaus stood amidst the hysterical group of students and slammed his fist down onto the table with a bang. That managed to grab the attention of most of the kids. Once he had confirmed everyone's eyes were on him, Julieaus began speaking,

 "Everyone, there's no point in complaining about this to Ornild. There's absolutely nothing he can do about it now. And...hearing the human's plight in this world...I...I have decided to stand and fight against the demons. These people are going to be annihilated. Knowing that, how can I possibly leave them to such a tragic fate? And besides, if we've been summoned here to save humanity, it's possible we'll be allowed to return once everything is settled. Well, Ornild? Do you think that's possible?"

 "It is as you say. Lord Amaterasu is not so unkind that he would ignore a request from his Heroes."

 "Well that settles it then. I will stay and fight. And besides, haven't we all gotten some amazing powers and stuff? Ever since I arrived here, I feel like I've gotten stronger."

 "Yes. That is correct. It would be safe to assume that you all have the strength of a few to a few dozen regular men."

 "Alright. Then that should be fine. If we save everyone, then we can go home. So just you watch, I'm going to save everyone, including us!"

 Everyone watched as Julieaus pumped his fist in the air and proclaimed his 'heroic' intentions, flashing an almost sickeningly dazzling smile at the end. 

 At the same time, as usual, his max-level charisma started taking effect. Students who were despairing mere moments ago began to regain their sense of composure. They all eyed Julieaus with wonder, as if they were staring at home itself. Most of the female students had adoration mixed into their gaze as well.

 "Heh...knew you'd say that. I'd be worried letting you go off on your own, so I'm coming with." 

 "Alex…"

 "Looks like that's the only option we've got. It pisses me off that I'm forced to do this...but I might as well."

 "Violet…"

 "I-If Violet's fighting, then I'm fighting to!"

 "Sue…"

 The usual group of friends all chimed in their support for the boy. Swept along with the flow, the other students all proclaimed their support for the fight. Irene was in tears, still shouting out her arguments while crying out in protest for her students' safety. However, she was powerless in this situation and once again slumped back into her chair.

 Edith felt both a sense of nostalgia and sorrow at these sights. The satisfied grin that old priest had on his face pissed him off.

 'Ornild must be thinking that he won...that fucker…' He knew that Ornild was taking his own notes, likely realising that Julieaus was the one who held the most influence in this class. Was he planning on using him for his own purposes? That was something Edith couldn't pass off. He hadn't been in the church for a long time in his past life, so he had no way of knowing what happens between these two...knuckleheads.

 After all this was done, Ornild motioned for the students to follow him again. This time, leading them to the church's front gate, they were about to start making progress to the kingdom below. The kingdom had close ties to the Holy Church, as did most of the human territories within the northern continent. 

 As they walked through the grand triumphal arcs that comprised the main gate of the temple, they were met with a sea of clouds. Since no one suffered from the fear of heights of altitude sickness, none of them noticed how high up they were. Magic was the cause of this, as Edith recalled. Using the memories from his past life, he sensed little blue beads magic particles flowing all through the atmosphere which were supposed to be invisible to the regular human eyes.

 They were taken to a stone pathway within the sea of clouds. Ornild looked on proudly as everyone (excluding Edith) gawked at the beauty of the surroundings. Then without a word, they continued on. Soon coming across a massive white circular pedestal that was surrounded by a fense, they walked through a lavish hallway made of the same marble as the cathedral and stepped up onto the pedestal. 

 Engraved within the stone was a magic circle. Ornild walked up to it and held out his arms, as if deep in prayer.

 "Faith is the key that opens the roads to Heaven-Celestial Path."

 The magic circle began emitting a bright white glow which caused each of the students to immediately look away.

 Then as quickly as it came, it disappeared. When they opened their eyes again, they were standing upon a massive floating transparent platform floating in the sky. Directly below them was a huge city, one bustling with human life. A huge castle that looked like it was jutting out of a mountain side lay at its center, with the remainder of the city sprawling outward in a circle. The capital city of Aznos. The magical circle seemed to be directly above thousands-if not, tens of thousands of people, whom were all chanting the name of Lord Amaterasu while gazing at them with admiration, hope and love. 

 Everyone, including Ornild, watched on proudly, excitedly and fearfully. Julieaus clenched his fists so tightly and yelled out in happiness, believing fully that he had made the right choice. Irene was too stunned to speak. Violet, Sue and Alex all had mixed reactions-Violet just amazed by the sheer volume of humans just standing there, Sue bashfully, uncomfortable stared and Alex only gazed on, longing for action.

 In an odd way, the entire scene was something straight out of a fantasy novel Edith read back on Earth. Heroes being summoned to another world, the population cheering them on and depending on them and God to save their asses. Most people who loved anime or fantasy had only ever dreamed of such an outcome. 

 Elzia, too, felt a similar way. Seeing the population of this kingdom cheering them on with hopeful, dependant smiles gave her a warm, comforting feeling in the pit of her tummy.

 But after seeing Edith's depressed, devastated look, that cheery grin turned into an irritated frown. She came up beside him and took his hand in hers.

 "You'll be fighting too, right?"

 No response.

 "How hard can it be? This is basically like a fantasy novel, right? So we've all definitely got cheat-level abilities. We'll be back home in America before we even know it."

 No response.

 "Edith…" Irritated, she was about to slap the boy. Just before she did, he, without even batting an eye, drooped his gaze and muttered someone's name, someone all too familiar to both him and her future self.

 "Airi…" 

 He looked at the rings on his left hand. There were five, and two more in his right. The one on his wedding finger was the one Airi herself placed there. The Ring of Time, which allowed him to use Rewind.

 "None of this is right…" he uttered. Elzia didn't hear his hushed words, but sympathised with him all the same, "...Please...I need you…"

 He looked down. His face crumbling in silent tears

 The fate of the world, his comrades, and even their chances of returning home all rested in the palms of God's hands. As more and more time passed, Edith felt an inexplicable sense of unease welling up inside him. He couldn't shake them off. More than anything he wished to see Airi, Veil and Elzia again. And despite succeeding in revoking the unjust killings of his comrades, his wife, his younger sister and everything else he held dear in this cruel, alternate world, he continually felt as if he were stuck in a void. 

 The deaths of his loved ones played over and over again in his head. The blood, the stakes plunging straight through Airi's chest, Veil's decapitation. The sheer volume of his thoughts drowned out all the cheering from the crowds.

 He didn't want to be here. He wanted to leave and head straight for The Unholy Tombs, where he'll encounter Airi on the one hundred and fiftith floor. But since he no longer possessed the majority of the strength he once had, he wouldn't even stand a chance on floor one. None of them would…

 He still knew how to fight, knew how to cast all seven of the ancient magics and still had the buffs from the seven rings he possessed, which were the Ring of Creation, Ring of Gravity, Ring of Time, Ring of Destruction, Ring of Darkness, Ring of the Mage and the Ring of Enlightenment. Though none of the abilities he gained from them would really work until he got stronger, as his mana levels were currently too low to even cast a simple time spell. This was his second and final opportunity to correct his mistakes, so he cannot mess this up.

 The gravity of the situation was too much for him to bear, and he began crying out for Airi in his mind, hoping that at least his telepathy would reach her.

 Elzia noticed those rings and stared at them peculiarly, rummaging through her memories of any of those being in his possession prior to the teleportation.

 "Wait...where did you get those rings?" All of them were black with different symbols, ones which resembled those from religions from their original world.

 "…"

 "Edith, speak to me. Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" She was starting to get really worrisome. But Edith ignored her, his thoughts all too focused on Airi and getting a hold of her. 

 Just then, a neon blue magic circle shone brilliantly beneath their feet-and in an instant, they all disappeared.

***

Ω

 They stood directly before the throne. Ornild left the students and stood beside the king. He then professed his hand to the king, who brushed his lips against them with the slightest kiss. It seemed like the priest was more important than him-meaning that religion and God really did rule over the northern continent. Edith watched them and scowled inwardly.

 A flurry of self introductions followed after that. The king was named Athelard F. S. Aznos, and his wife, the Queen, was named Beatrice. The little brown haired boy was called Enheim, and the blonde little girl, the princess, was called Aalis. 

 Then came the knight commander, the prime minister, and other important dignitaries. As an aside, the prince's eyes were glued onto Elzia, who remained oblivious, for the whole time, which made it cleared that her charm worked on those from this world as well.

 Once introductions were concluded, a huge feast was laid out and the students were finally treated to a meal. Though it wasn't very different from the food from Earth. The only differences was that the meat was rougher and juicier. The pink drink they brought out for them tasted similarly to soft drink. 

 After the meal was over, everyone was led to their individual rooms. The priests informed the Heroes that the maids which served them would attend to them as their personal servants, and be arriving at their doors later that night. 

 The rooms were so luxurious that most of them were absolutely dumbstruck. There was a huge king sized bed in Edith's room with a giant well-made wardrobe in the counter, a bedside table and chair with an already lit white candle waiting for him. Further into the room, a glass door leading to what appeared to be a marble balcony which gave the students an amazing view of the entire kingdom and sky.

 He sat down upon his bed and stayed there, thinking about the day.

 'What a day…' He thought to himself. The squishiness of the mattress coupled with the sleepiness and exhaustion from the past and the present weighed heavy on his eyelids. He laid down, immediately sinking into the comfort of his bed. It brought him back to the past, when he was naively optimistic about it all.

 Everything was the same as he remembered. The only difference was his worldview. He wanted to make it out of here as soon as possible. To find Airi, and secure the lives of those he cared about. But with knowing what lies ahead...he was terrified.

 His classmates were not to be trusted, not even for a second. Everyone in the church, other than his little sister, was an enemy he couldn't kill. Not yet…

 And the constant feeling of terror that washed over his fragile mind, the amount of pressure God had put upon him…

 His party was wiped out in an instant. 

 'Airi…' His eyes teared up. Airi was gone. Nobody was there to aid him with the burden he carried.

 Then suddenly…

 Knock, Knock.

 "Um, is this Edith Myars's room?"

 "!" 'That voice…' That was the voice of comfort. The voice of someone he held near and dear to his heart. His blood ran cold, face turned pale as the door to his room slowly creaked open, revealing the girl he'd been hoping to see.

 Her name was Lily. She was a young, short fifteen year old girl with sparkling blue eyes, a bright and cheery smile, smooth glowing white skin, beautiful long dark brown hair, a slender gorgeous feminine frame and an oval face who worked for the Holy Church as a servant. The priests assigned each hero with their own personal servant to attend to their needs. Not all were beautiful girls, some were handsome men and beautiful women varying in ages.

 He was one of the lucky ones to get such a pretty little girl all to himself, most people would think.

 She wore a classic maid outfit, one which was seen commonly in Japanese animes from his homeworld. Most boys would instantly become aroused and ogle at her, and she was afraid of that, but when she saw Edith's shocked, totally-not-aroused face, she smiled.

 "Looks like we meet again." She said. She brought a tray of cookies and a glass of water to the boy and rested it on his bedside table before facing him with a small bow, "My name is Lily Aznos. I shall be in your care from now on. Come to me if you have any problems or concerns and I shall do everything in my power to address them." She said. She had a dignified aura about her, despite being so physically young. In a way, she was even more mature than he was. It was this side of her which he remembered the most.

 He still didn't say anything. His heart pounded aggressively against his chest, ready to burst. Just saying a word would've been impossible. He opened his mouth to speak, but everything came out in a hushed stammer. When Lily saw this, she gave him a sympathetic smile.

 "Still shocked from the transition, huh? Don't worry, I won't judge. Here, I figured you'd be like this so I brought you some refreshments." She reached over to the tray and reached out for a cookie and the glass, then gave it to Edith. Edith, fidgity and unbelieving of his eyes, nearly dropped it as he hesitantly sipped and bit into the sweet. Thankfully, he didn't choke as it all flowed uncomfortably down his throat.

 "Better now?" She asked, still smiling.

 "U-Um...th-thank y-y-you…." He painfully stated, "S-sorry…"

 "Don't apologise, dummy. It's fine." She spoke casually with him. He eyed her nervously before reaching for another cookie.

 He continually ate until it was all gone. As time went by, his body began to calm itself, satisfied by the sweet taste of the chocolate chip goodness and the clean water. Lily put the tray back onto his bedside table and looked at him again.

 He couldn't meet her gaze. Just the sight of her reminded him of his final meeting with the girl his previous life, where they had to say goodbye to each other, unknowing if either of them would be live to see the other again. It was like a tragic romance story where the Hero says farewell to his lover, only to die gruesomely in the end without even a single way for her to know of his fate.

 But this was the past. Everything, thanks to the 'Rewind' magic, has been reversed. He can fix this. He can bring her with him this time. He can build another close and joyful relationship with Lily. This time...they won't ever have to say farewell to each other again. Or so he hoped…

 "Um…well, c-come to me if you have any concerns, okay?" Lily, finally breaking the tense and awkward silence, spoke to him, "I'll be here tomorrow at sunrise to wake you. Once you've calmed a little, I'd...like to get to know you a bit."

 He glanced at her with focused eyes. Speaking was still an issue, but he managed to at least give the girl a small nod. Satisfied, she threw a happy expression his way.

 "Get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow."

 She reached for the tray and glass. Before she departed from his room, they both shared one last peep at the other.

 Edith was left all alone, with only a small candle serving as a light source.

 "…"

 'Lily…' He still couldn't believe that they saw each other again. 

 He was absolutely crushed that she couldn't remember him, except he wasn't surprised. This was the past, and he came from the future. But just the fact that they were reunited...was enough for him to be overcome with happiness and tears.

 "Nnrng...Lily…" He started sobbing silently, his shoulders shaking with each whimper. 'I'm so glad...we got to meet again...Lily......' 

 It's safe to say that he didn't get much sleep that night.