Act I Chapter II

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Ulvala, Utopia Athenaeum Library, Time: 9:48 AM

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Fifteen years had gone by, and the quiet, harmonious nature of Ulvala remained undisturbed. In the peaceful Utopia Athenaeum Library.

James found himself surrounded by towering stacks of books, forming a fortress of knowledge. He had fallen asleep among the books, and as he dreamt, a peculiar vision unfolded before him.

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???, Time: Unknown

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James opened his eyes, the sky was darkened black, and he couldn't see the sun or even the clouds. 

"Where am I?" James looked around as his head was a bit heavier than expected. Suddenly he started wincing out of nowhere, he was about to get up but his body wouldn't allow him.

"Ow! I feel like I bit- Oh!" James looked at his body, it was a thorn to shred with wounds from multiple weapons. 

"What's the matter? Still reflecting on how you came this far?" 

A voice called out for him. James started to look at where the source of the voice came from. There stood a man; he couldn't get a good glimpse of him. He seems to wear glowing white cloth while holding something in his hand, but the most significant detail is his godly-like wings. 

"I thought you'd have more to say about how you'd end me in many ways, yet nothing has come out of your mouth since we started this fight," said the man. "Especially with what I have in my hands right now." 

James finally gets a good glimpse of what he's holding: a nun's hat. 

James was very confused by this dream he was having. He presumed it was a dream but he felt like he should known about this before.

"It's a shame that this fight will be over soon. I feel like both of us could have worked out something together with no one standing in our way, especially that woman you swore you would protect with all your life," the man snickers at the last remark. 

James noticed the man's hand was glowing as he tried to grab his halberd only met a sudden sharp pain on his shoulder.

The man threw a spear at his shoulder, it was way bigger. Almost overkill for its size. James fell to the ground, he was coughing out blood.

James was trying to recover before the man stomped his head, "Don't feel bad that you didn't get your revenge, but don't worry, you can go brag to the people above that you fought The First Leviathan himself," the man says as he leans toward his face. 

James started blacking out. "Wait! What's going...on..." His hand was melting, his body felt like it was about to crumble to dust.

 "Sleep well, may you find eternal peace."

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Ulvala, Utopia Athenaeum Library, Time: 9:48 AM

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"M... J..."

"Mr. Ja..."

"MR. JAMES!"

"Waaahah!!" 

James was awoken by the loud booming voice. Books flew everywhere as he was startled, and he almost fell out of the librarian's chair. But he quickly got the chair right back up before falling. As he started to rub his eyes and opened his emerald-like eyes, he began to process what transpired. 

'Wow, that was a weird dream...' James thought to himself before looking around to see the mess he was in

A mountain of books was on the floor, seeming like mostly around a hundred of them. He looked up to see the person who woke him up: the orange hair with yellow line brunette, the head of the librarian, Julian.

"You are in so much trouble, little mister! Not only did you grab almost every one of the books from the aisle, but you also slept inside my library overnight!" Julian said in an annoyed tone of voice. 

'Wow, guess I went a little overboard,' he thought as he grabbed one of the book labels, which read "Survival Guide: Adventure with Friends!"

"Sorry about this, Julian. Guess I went a bit too far, huh?" he said while letting out a little laugh and rubbing the back of his head. 

"Well, if you're done talking, I highly suggest you help me clean all of these up, and maybe you can go apply to form an adventurer squad with your friend today," she said in a scolding tone.

"Alright, alright, I'll help out," he said, accepting the task of putting all the books back in their order - Wait a minute, what did she say? "Wait, Julian. What did you just say?" he asked her. 

"If you help clean-" She cut him off before she could finish, "No, no, the other one," he said to her. 

"Form an adventurer squad with your friend?" she replied. Wait, isn't today the day for-"

"HOLY SHIT!" 

He screamed, startling Julian too. "SORRY ABOUT THIS, JULIAN, BUT I NEED TO GO, ASAP! I CAN'T MISS TODAY! I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND! OK, BYE!" James said while rushing to gather his belongings and bolted out of the window, and in the process, he ran towards the door.

"But!..." She screamed in frustration, knowing she had to put all the survival tip books back in their aisle, "I'm gonna miss them when they are gone..."

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Ulvala, Order of the Stars Church, Time: 10:01

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The church bell rang throughout the church as many people were doing their regular prayers for The Order of the Stars. Among the crowd was Mianne with light pink hair, dressed in nun attire, diligently performing her daily prayers.

"Oh, Lord of the stars who reach the heavens from above, please give me your blessings on this fine day of living, as a notable reward for living through this very day. Thank you, my God," she finished her prayers and finally opened her eyes, looking up to see the knight of the stars—the person who helped rid the world of evilness.

"Well, that finishes all of my daily routines for today," she stated as she got up to rub the dust off her robe. 

"Now, what should I do today? Maybe I should go hang out with my friend Jamie!" She started gushing about Jamie, planning how she would spend time with him. Perhaps she might take him to a bakery today or even arrange a picnic.

"MIANEEE!!!" Suddenly, the man she had been dreaming of appeared right before her—what timing! 

"Jamie, you don't have to scream that loud, I'm right here, you know?" she laughed, feeling very happy that Jamie was there.

"MIANNE, WE NEED TO GO FORM A TEAM OF ADVENTURERS! MAYBE WE COULD GET EZRA AND ACE TO JOIN US," Jamie stated very excitedly, before being interrupted by Mianne, who placed a finger on his mouth.

"Now, now, I can't understand you if you don't take a deep breath and tell me again," Mianne said calmly. 

"Oh, right, sorry..." James stated in his embarrassed tone, and Mianne let out a little laugh. 

"It's alright, Jame. Now that you've calmed down, you can tell me what you want to say," Mianne said encouragingly.

"We need to go form an adventurer squad right now, so we will have a squad of four going places everywhere! Me, you, Ezra, and Ace!" he stated excitedly as if he might explode at any moment.

"Alright, alright, James! Let's head to the town tavern, shall we?" she said, and just as James was about to leave the church, a familiar voice interrupted.

"Alright, what are ya doing now, young lady?" It was her father, with slick black hair, chubby cheeks, and circular white glasses, wearing a priest's suit. 

He caught them before they could leave, "If you're leaving with him, just give me the hats before you go. Don't want any trouble for the church." Her father gestured, and Mianne decided to hand them over.

 "Alright, you can go. Just send us a letter once in a while, alright?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a quick hug. 

"Thanks, Dad."

Mianne then had a brilliant idea, "But, Jamieee. My leg is kinda hurt, and the tavern is so far awayyyy. Will you help carry me there instead?" she pleaded with puppy eyes, pretending to be injured.

James bought into it completely, "Fret not, Miannie. I, James, will carry you to the tavern as fast as possible," he declared, lifting Mianne in a bridal style. 

"Onward we go!" he exclaimed before sprinting to the tavern, with Mianne happily smiling in his arms.

Watching them leave, her father remarked, "Do you think lying is considered a sin?" He asked a woman who had similar styled hair to Mianne but with heavy eye bags. 

She was Mianne's mom "Don't know, dear, but I know she's going to be the death of him." 

Mianne's father gasped, "Synda! You should be praying for our child's safety!" Synda could only scoff and look in the same direction. 

"Have you considered giving him your blessing yet, Brad?" Synda asked. Curious if their entire family gonna depend on James.

Brad tilted his head for a bit, "Maybe, one day."

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