(1) Welcome to Remnant

—————————————————

<ᴋɪʏᴏᴛᴀᴋᴀ ᴀʏᴀɴᴏᴋᴏᴜᴊɪ ᴘᴏᴠ>

—————————————————

It was another day of school, to be specific, it's a Tuesday. You would hope for the school to give you more time to rest after getting back from the island exam, but sadly things don't always go your way.

Dealing with Nagumo, Amasawa and Tsukihiro had taken a lot out of me. I wonder who's next, Kushida? One of the first year? Or will the hidden White room student show himself?

Only time will tell.

After putting on my blazer, I get up and make my way towards the door. Putting on my shoes, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. Looking behind me and seeing no one, I shake off these thoughts and open the door.

However, as soon as I do, I feel myself becoming weak and immediately drop to the ground. I could the hear muffled sounds of someone calling out to me, but I couldn't bring myself to respond.

Darkness swirling into my vision was the last thing I remember before falling unconscious.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Feeling the cold breeze of the wind against my body, I slowly sit up before looking around. Seeing trees everywhere I look, I'm presumably in a forest. Getting on my feet, I start walking aimlessly, lost and confused as to where I am and how I got here.

All I remember is falling unconscious in front of my door and then waking up, finding myself in the middle of a forest. Is this possibly another exam? I had cooked my own breakfast. No unknown toxins entered my body. Anaesthesia? No, I wasn't injected with any kind of sedative.

My mind started forming many theories and possibilities as to why I'm here and how. Looking through my pockets, I couldn't find my ID on me. The only thing in my inside blazer pocket were a few pens, an envelope and some weird looking cards that had the number 500 on each of them.

Are they supposed to signify something?

I pocketed the cards and looked at the envelope. Flipping it around, I tried to look for a name or anything on it before deciding to open it up. As I was about to tear it open, I immediately halted and pocketed it as I felt someone's eyes on me.

Without warning, the person approached me at high speed. Turning around to face them, the figure launched at a downward kick, which I blocked with both my arms over my head. Just as I was about to slap away their leg and move to grab the assailant by the collar and restrain them, I glanced to get at their face and couldn't help but sigh. They merely chuckled in response and moved their leg away while I lowered both my arms.

"Impressive as always, Ayanokouji."

"I'm not impressed with how you greeted me, Ryuen." I responded.

Ryuen merely smirked in response as he spoke. "So you're here as well. Any idea what's going on?"

"No, I was hoping you would. I remember blacking out, that's it."

"Same here, I was leaving my dorm when it happened." He said as we both began walking.

What happened to me also happened to Ryuen. Thinking back, I remember glancing at my clock before leaving, the time displaying 8:13. Looking to Ryuen, I asked;

"Hey, do you perhaps remember the time you left your dorm?"

"The time?" He turned to me with an eyebrow raised. "I don't know. I always make sure to leave around 8:10, why?"

"Is that so?"

"What are you gonna do with that information? Knowing the time won't help our current situation, unless you can guess the time right now just by looking at the sun." Ryuen said with a mix of sarcasm and curiosity.

He's not wrong however. Knowing the time we both left won't help, but every little thing helps. And I could probably give a rough estimate as to what the time is just by looking at the sun. But to be safe, let's just say it's the afternoon right now.

Which means we've been unconscious for more than 4 hours.

"Hey! Anyone there!" Ryuen shouts as we both continue to walk around endlessly. "Whoever's messing with us, just know you're dead!" Ryuen threatens with a grin.

As all hope seemed to be lost, we could hear someone shouting back at Ryuen.

"Hello! Did you mysteriously find yourself here too?" The voice said.

Just from their mischievous tone, I couldn't help but feel like I know them from somewhere. And the voice was clearly feminine. Me and Ryuen immediately started walking in the direction of where the voice came and as the both of us appeared from behind a bush, we noticed two people.

Amasawa and Albert.

"Yo, Albert. So you're here as well." Ryuen waved to him as he approached them while I sighed.

"Boss." Albert said with a nod.

"Senpai!~"

Tearing my eyes away from Ryuen and Albert, I look to see Amasawa running towards me in slow motion with a smile. Maybe if I pretend I didn't see her, she'll leave me alone?

No, that won't work. I've already made eye contact with her. Sighing once more, I prepare myself as Amasawa stops in front of me.

"Senpai~ So you're here! It must be fate." Amasawa nods her head up and down confidently with her arms crossed and eyes closed in thought. "Yes, we were just meant to be."

No.

It wasn't fate.

"Ah Albert-san!" Amasawa says, looking at the two approaching us. "So this must be your boss that you were talking about." She says in English.

Albert merely nods in response as he stands behind Ryuen. Ryuen looks between me and Amasawa with a look of suspicion, before initiating a conversation with her;

"So what's your name?"

"Me! Well I'm Amasawa Ichika!" Amasawa responds as she poses. "So you're Ryuen Kakeru right? I heard you went up against Ayanokouji-senpai and obviously lost, right~" She says, trying to rile him.

But fortunately it doesn't affect Ryuen in anyway as he responds;

"Oh, for a Kouhai, you know a lot. Which means you know what the monsters capable of?" Ryuen says with a grin.

"A monster?" Amasawa asks with a confused expression. "Well I don't know about that, but what I do know is that no one can beat Senpai."

"Not for long, no one can't."

"Enough about me." I cut in, wanting to change the topic of this conversation. "Does anyone know what's going on and how we got here?"

"Nope, just woke up here and found Albert-san, then you guys." Amasawa says as Albert nods in agreement with her words. "However, I did notice a city nearby, which looks nothing like Tokyo. I don't even think it looks like any of the cities in Japan." Amasawa continues with a thoughtful expression.

A city that looks nothing like Tokyo, huh? Or Japan for that matter. But if that's true and the possibility of us not being in Japan anymore, wouldn't this mean we've been unconscious for more than a day?

"Is that so? Well I found some weird cards and an envelope in my blazer. But in the envelope, there's no words on the paper inside." Ryuen says as he takes out his one. "I don't remember carrying these before blacking out."

We all do the same as we bring out our envelopes and opening them up, we see nothing written on the sheet inside as well.

"Oh! Maybe it's invisible ink?" Amasawa asks.

Closing my eyes in thought for a few seconds, the paper in my hand started glowing, causing me to open my eyes. The same was happening for everyone else as we stared in awe as words started to appear. Once the glow disappeared, I started to read out loud the words that had mysteriously appeared.

"Dear Travelers,

I have sent you to this world on a quest. Right now all four of you should have found each other. And yes, when I mean this world, I mean an entirely different one that I have transported you to. The world of Remnant. I have also adjusted your body to meet this worlds needs and purpose. I want you four to show me what your capable of. For the next year, you can do as you wish, but if I were you, I would search for the secrets hidden in this world and gain as much information as you can to survive. Maybe visit a library? Oh! Also training is important as well. Anyway, after 1 year, it is important you enroll in Beacon Academy. This will be fun! Show me what you're capable of travelers, if you don't do as I say, you will be punished for all eternity. That's all from me, have fun!

Au Revoir!

P.S. watch out for Grimm."

We all stood there in silence, confused and unsure of what to think.

So we've been brought to another world, our bodies have changed somehow and we must do what this unknown says or we will be punished.

"What the fuck?" Ryuen says as he scratches his head in irritation. "Forget this shit, if you think I'm gonna do what you say, then you can go to hell. You hear me! Send me back to my worl—"

His words came to a stop, as the atmosphere turned to one of dread. Everything seemed frozen, the leaves weren't swaying because of the wind, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't move. Seeing the expressions of everyone else, I could only assume the same was for them. I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out as we all stood frozen.

Looking down with my eyes, I could see 4 hands appearing out of the ground and phased through each one of our chest. My eyes widened as I could feel the immense pain of someone grabbing my heart and squeezing at it, about to pop.

Feeling my heart burst inside me, I drop to the ground on one knee, breathing heavily. Realising that I could finally move, I placed my hand on my chest to see if I could still feel my heartbeat.

It was still there.

But I felt it burst inside of me.

Those hands that entered our chests, are they the punishment from the unknown writer?

Dispersing these thoughts, I focused on controlling my breathing. Looking around, I noticed the same had happened to everyone else as they are also on the ground.

Amasawa was gasping as she was on her knees, Ryuen was on all fours, cursing and Albert had his hand on the bridge of his nose with his glasses off, all three of them trying their best to calm down.

It's only natural for humans and even I to feel this way. Having our hearts burst inside of us isn't what one would call a normal experience. After about 10 minutes of everyone finally calming themselves down, we were all sitting on the floor, deep in thought as no one spoke, until I decided to break it;

"I guess that's what happens if we go against this person."

"You guess? If we don't do as they say, we're gonna be feeling that over and over again." Ryuen says with venom. "Basically trapped in hell for eternity, unless we listen to them."

It was clear he was angry as to what situation we've all been put in. We're basically being treated as prisoners, transported to a new world, something none of us had signed up for.

"What do we do now?" Amasawa asks, but no one responds. "Well I have an idea. The mysterious person says to go to a library, maybe we could try checking out that city I mentioned." She said pointing to her left.

"Then I guess that's where we're going first." Ryuen says getting up.

The rest of us got up as well and as we were about to begin walking, our attention was dragged to the sound of growling. Snapping our heads to it, we see a creature of black, with a shell of white armor and red menacing eyes appear.

"What the hell is that supposed to be?" Ryuen asked.

"Possibly the Grimm we were warned about." I responded

The creature that I guessed to be the Grimm, growled once more before charging at us at an alarming speed. It's body and shape appeared to be one of a wolf, but its species was of another. We all glanced at each other before making a run for it, jumping over the bushes and hid behind it and the trees.

Ryuen glanced above the bush as he clicked his tongue.

"So we're being hunted now. Great. Hey, Ayanokoji, you got a plan?"

Ryuen asking me to come up with a plan in this situation against something foreign and unknown was troublesome. But that didn't mean I didn't have one. Glancing over to a branch lying on the ground 10 feet away from us, I looked back at everyone and

told them what I came up with, and what they need to do.

Once they all nodded in understanding of the plan, I gave Ryuen 2 pens that I was carrying, while Amasawa went out of hiding and called out to the Grimm;

"Hey, doggy! Come and get me!~" She yelled.

It immediately turned its attention to her and growled as Amasawa took off her blazer and held it to her side, waving it slightly. Whilst she distracted it, Albert started going around them, to get behind the Grimm. I left Ryuen and immediately ran for the branch I spotted earlier.

Picking it up, I looked back to see the Grimm charging at Amasawa, more notably, her blazer. Moving it away at the last second and jumping away to gain some distance, the Grimm couldn't stop at the speed it was going at as it crashed into a tree.

Albert immediately jumped on the creature and grabbed it with an iron grip. It growled as it tried to break free and as it was about to bite Albert's arm, Ryuen appeared in front of it and stabbed the monster in the eyes with the pens I gave him earlier.

It roared out in pain, as it tried to remove the pens with its paw. Whilst this happened, I snapped one end of the branch, creating a quick spear. Charging in, I ran at the Grimm and told Albert and Ryuen to move. Once they did, I pulled back my arm and stabbed the makeshift spear down onto an exposed part of the Grimm with all my strength.

The Grimm howled in pain once more before flopping down and dissipated into black molts. Getting up, I dropped the branch and looked at everyone as they approached.

"That was a little scary~" Amasawa said.

"It took all four of us to take down one. If they come in a group, the only thing we can do is run." Ryuen says with a frown.

"I think there's more to it. There's a possibility of us getting some sort of superpower." I shared my thoughts.

"A superpower?" Amasawa asks.

"The person that transported us here stated they changed something with our body."

And because our situation reminds me of the few books I read with Hiyori.

"So what? We got some hidden power deep inside us and we've got to somehow bring it out." Ryuen says, to which I nod. "Then the best way to do that is a near death situation, am I right?"

"You're not wrong... but let's hold off on that now. It's best if we go into the city Amasawa said she saw to be safe and gather information before our next move."

They all nodded in agreement as we began walking again. After a few minutes, we seemed to be getting closer to the city as we could hear the sound of cars and boats. Civilisation. Appearing out of the forest, we were on a cliff, and looking down, we could see the entire city from here.

We stared at it with various expressions, except for me, as mine remained the same. While I had never been out of the White room much to see the world, I can easily tell that this world is nothing like ours. The buildings, cars, while it may seem like a city, it looks too small to be one.

We all stood side by side as we gazed down at the city.

"So this is Remnant." Ryuen said with an evil grin on his face.

"Seems like it." I responded.

I'm not sure how I feel...

Should I be feeling glad?

Happy?

...Free?

There is a weird sensation running through me...

I'm no longer in that man's grasp.

But what if I've just been thrown into a bigger prison.

Maybe for the next year I can do what I wish.

But what about after that?

An audible sigh left my mouth.

I guess I'll have to deal with it when the time comes.

For now, let's see how I can use this new world to my advantage.