Midgard

The Land of Midgard is one of the deadliest places in the world. However, it wasn't always like that. From year 1 with the Birth of Jesus Christ until year 856, Midgard was a land of humans known as Europe with knights and kingdoms at war with each other.

Until the year 856 when a giant earthquake occurred in the Iberian Peninsula, bringing a mysterious city out of nowhere in one night. Other beings came along with the city like elves, goblins, trolls, minotaurs, and dragons.

Various disasters occurred in the period of nine years, dragons destroyed the Western Roman Empire, the Frankish Kingdom monarchy fell apart, and Europe lost all concept of nation and became Midgard.

Amid the chaos, nobles and intellectuals fled the ancient kingdoms and settled in the city that emerged on the night of the earthquake.

They named it Cathedral City thanks to the great building localized in its center. They also created the Pythagoras Institute dedicated to studying the Great Cataclysm and the anomalies that arose around the world.

For the first time in ten years, the gates of Cathedral City opened to the commoners, and the population of the city grew.

This only increased the power of the Pythagoras Institute, creating an oppressive government thanks to knowing how to use magic and this government lasted to this day.

-Year 993, Midgard-

Fool's March vibrated with life, people poured in and out of its gates, travelers and merchants were everywhere, blacksmiths made swords and armor for the knights, and the baker baked morning bread.

Women walked through the markets buying food, wondering what to cook for their families while merchants exhibited dresses and jewelry from various parts of the world, men worked in the fields, and in the church, and the priest preached the words of God.

However, the focus isn't on this city but on the forest in the distance.

A person lies on the ground amidst trees and bushes. This person wore strange clothes, a strange bag and metal staff stood beside him on the ground, and a strange black book floated in front of him.

-Forest-

"My Lord, please wake up; this isn't the place for you to sleep. If my lord wants to rest, let's find a place worthy of your stature."

Why is everything so dark? Who turned off the light? Where are Nier and Yonah? Moreover, why does my head hurt so much? What happened after the fight? All I remember was hearing a song and then...

"My lord."

Then...

"My lord."

Then...

"My lord."

"WHAT!"

I screamed, opening my eyes and getting up abruptly. What I saw surprised me, the black book floating and talking to me.

"AAAHHH!" I shouted surprised, picking up my baseball bat and swinging it towards the book.

"My Lord, wait!" The book exclaimed, moving out of the way.

However, I didn't stop, I tried to hit the book repeatedly, but it always floated away. Meanwhile, the book spoke nervously, asking me to calm down! As if I'm going to do it after what happened!

"How did I get here?!? I was in the town a few moments ago! What happened?!? Was it you who brought me here?!? Where are Nier and Yonah?!?" I demanded, trying to hit the book.

"I'm sorry to irritate you, My Lord; this servant humbly begs your forgiveness and will accept whatever punishment you see fit. Nevertheless, to answer your questions, you fainted after the fight due to your injuries. No, this humble servant didn't bring you here. I woke up a little before you. And I don't know who these Nier and Yonah are, so I apologize for my incompetence." The book said, bowing down.

I lowered my bat, thinking about what it said. I don't know why the book was so respectful to me, but it didn't seem to want to hurt me.

Leaving it behind I took my inventory, which wasn't much. My clothes, bat, cell phone, and backpack with water, snacks, and the red book inside it. How did it get here?

Well, there's no use staying here, I need to find someone or something. Maybe a city or any sign of civilization.

So I walked in the direction I thought was north, but looking back, I frowned upon seeing the book following me.

"You are coming with me?" I asked the book, trying to hide the distrust in my voice.

"Yes, wherever My Lord wishes to go, I'll follow." The book answered respectfully.

"By the way, what's your name? Do you have a name or should I call you book?" I asked, annoyed with the previous answer.

"This humble servant is called Grimoire Noir, My Lord." Noir said bowing down.

"It's nice to meet you, Noir! Please stop calling me Lord, call me Alan." I replied, still disturbed by the situation.

"I'll call you as you wish, Lord Alan." Noir answered.

I sighed. There's no point in arguing with it, so I just moved on.

I walked through the forest for quite some time with Noir behind me in complete silence; it made me uncomfortable so I started a conversation.

"Noir, what are you?" I asked curiously, analyzing the book closely.

"I am a Grimoire, a book made to serve those deemed compatible with MASO and worthy of becoming the Original Gestalt, Lord Alan." Noir replied respectfully and with pride in its voice.

"And what is the Original Gestalt?"

"I beg your pardon Lord Alan, but I don't have this information. I was created to serve the original Gestalt until the end of Project Gestalt; my creators saw no need to give me all the knowledge because of the fear of information leakage if the Original Gestalt didn't collaborate with the project." Noir said ashamed, lowering its head sadly.

"I see, now tell me, what do you know about this?" I said, taking the red book out of my backpack.

"Lord Alan, if I may ask. Where did you get this Grimoire?" Noir asked surprised; I think.

It was hard to tell, as the face on its cover couldn't change expression.

"I found it in a pile of the same books that were about to be burned, I saved this one." I answered.

"If I may say, you made a wonderful choice, this book is called Grimoire Rubrum, and they were considered flaws for not having great magic power. They couldn't be used in direct combat, just for support, but with it on our side, Lord Alan will be even safer." Noir said happily.

"Wait, magic exists?!?" I asked, jumping back in surprise.

This book must be kidding me!

"Of course, Lord Alan, I'm capable of using magic in direct combat, but I'm sorry to say that my powers are severely limited, I can only assist you with simple magic." Noir said sadly.

I stopped the conversation right there, too much information to process. Monsters, waking up in the middle of a forest, talking books, and the existence of magic, and of course, whatever the hell MASO, Original Gestalt, and Project Gestalt are.

What do those soldiers in the shelter want with us? What do they have to do with it? Is this part of some greater plan? I need to find Nier and Yonah before something happens again.

-XXXXXX-

Finally, we left the forest; I must have walked for what seemed like hours. There was a dirt road in front of me with wheel marks on the ground, it looked like people passed by there recently.

Looking around, I saw a city in the distance. Finally, some sign of life! Without thinking twice, I ran towards the city smiling at the sight of something familiar.

However, frowned upon seeing the silhouette of four people in the distance. I quickly stopped my run and turned to the book beside me.

"Noir get in my backpack!" I demanded.

"But Lord Alan, how can I protect you if I'm not by your side?!?" Noir said nervously.

"I believe that talking, and flying books aren't normal around here and I prefer not to draw attention, so get in the backpack!" I said, gritting my teeth.

"As you wish Lord Alan." Noir replied disappointed, entering my backpack.

Adjusting my clothes and smiling friendly, I walked calmly until I saw those four silhouettes up close.

Four men covered in dirty, poorly dressed and holding knives and clubs.

Great, I barely got there and I already encountered problems. Before I could speak something, one of them stepped forward and spoke to me.

"What do we have here? Listen here traveler, if you want to enter the city unharmed, you will have to pay us for it. Otherwise... Well... Let's just say your travel will be more difficult with broken legs." The man laughed while the other three behind him laughed too.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I've nothing of value with me. So would you be so kind as to let me pass?" I asked hopefully.

Maybe being polite would work.

"Don't play with us, those clothes of yours are too good for someone with nothing of value, you must be some nobleman's son! I bet your parents will pay good money for your rescue!" The man replied angrily, pointing at me with his club.

Well, my education didn't work, time to use ignorance.

He ran towards me with his club raised above his head. Without a second thought, I swung my bat towards his head.

You know, I wasn't an athletic person, but I wasn't a total slacker either. Surviving in the city gave me a little bit of muscle.

Therefore, I expected to hit the bandit with considerable strength, what I didn't expect were my arms moving at an absurd speed for a normal human being, what I also didn't expect was the bandit's head exploding in a shower of blood with his eyes and brain flying down the road my blow.

I stood still in surprise and fear, I couldn't believe what happened. I killed a person! Not only did I kill him, but also did it brutally! There wasn't a face left to recognize the corpse!

"Boss!"

I didn't have time to think because the second thug came at me with his knife aimed at my neck.

Strangely, he moved too slowly for a person trying to kill me, I saw every detail of his face as the knife approached in a predictable trajectory. Maybe he's not the one moving slowly.

I'll leave that for later, I ducked, quickly dodging the knife, and punched the thief's chest when I stood up.

CRACK!

His bones broke when my punch connected with his body. The thief vomited blood and fell to the ground motionless while the remaining ones looked at me scared.

I think it's the perfect time to ask some questions.

"Do you want to be next?!?" I yelled, pointing at them with my bat.

They both jumped in fear, quickly dropping their weapons and kneeling on the ground.

"Please have mercy; if you spare our lives we promise never to steal again, we'll live an honest life, I swear!" One of the thieves spoke, while both bowed down.

"I'll spare your lives if you answer my questions." I said menacingly.

"We promise to answer your questions!" The thief replied hopefully.

"Where am I? What is today's date? What is the name of the city just ahead?"

"You are in the land of Midgard, the year is 993 and the name of the city is Fool's March!" The thief answered, sweating nervously.

I stared at them for a few seconds before replying.

"All right you two can go." I said emotionlessly.

They wasted no time and ran past me, disappearing in the distance soon after.

Midgard? Year 993? Where the hell am I?

I threw up on the ground when the adrenaline wore off. I killed two people! They tried to rob me, but their deaths weren't necessary.

"Lord Alan, are you all right? Please calm down." Noir spoke, his voice coming from inside my backpack.

"You shouldn't worry about the death of these pathetic creatures. They were the ones who dared to attack you. But if I may say, we shouldn't stay here, the bodies will draw attention."

As much as I hated to admit it, Noir was right. They attacked me and I had no choice but to defend myself.

Without wasting time, I dragged both bodies into the bushes beside the road while trying not to vomit again; it wasn't hard thanks to my newfound strength.

After that, I headed towards the city with Noir still in my pack, stopping to glance one last time at where I hid the corpses, hoping that no one would discover what I did.

I finally arrived at Fool's March entrance; to say I was confused was an understatement.

What a medieval town is doing here? How the hell is this possible?

Horse-drawn carts, the clothes that the people wore, the way they talked, the architecture of the buildings. It was all medieval!

I thought about my situation. Where is Midgard located? What did the thief mean by year 993? Could it be that I'm in some isolated part of the world trapped in the medieval era?

I breathed deeply, calming myself down, I can't panic, and this isn't the place.

I passed through the gates, mingling with the people coming in and out, and explored the city. Let me tell you, the city is more beautiful on the outside than it is on the inside.

I saw many homeless people inside alleys and beggars asking for alms on the edges of the street, but as I approached the center of the city, the appearance of the streets, buildings, and people got better.

The difference between the rich and the poor was obvious. Sometimes I got weird looks from people around me, probably because of my clothes and the bat tied to my backpack but no one stopped me so far.

I walked until I entered a square with a fountain in the center, I sat on its edge and removed my coat, it was hot here compared to the Japan that I lived in. This place was full of life compared to my home.

"Noir, where do you think we are?" I asked before taking a water bottle out of my backpack and drinking it.

"Forgive me Lord Alan, but I don't know. This place is completely new to me." Noir answered from inside my backpack.

"This is exactly what I thought." I sighed.

Well, there's no use staying here all day, better keep exploring.

I passed by tailors, merchants, blacksmiths, and taverns, confirming that I was in a medieval city for sure. Did I go back in time?

While walking, I passed through shadier parts of the city. Some prostitutes offered me their services, people lay down on the streets, probably dead, and thieves walked through the alleys.

At some point, I passed in front of a brothel and I saw a girl there. She couldn't have been more than thirteen years old and she stood in a place like this.

Our eyes met as I walked down the street. She had a strange appearance, pale skin, white hair, and most notably, pink eyes.

We didn't say anything to each other, I walked past her, but I felt her gaze on my back.

I don't know why I looked back, but I saw another girl next to the pink-eyed one, a little older than her with the most distinguishing feature being her indigo eyes.

I quickly looked away without saying a word, leaving the two of them behind.

-XXXXXX-

It got dark and I faced my biggest problem until now, I didn't have money. I wasn't hungry because I ate my snacks, but I had nowhere to sleep.

Until I saw a bridge leading out of town with an arch big enough under it for me to fit, much better than nothing I guess.

I went under the bridge and lay down using my coat as a pillow, but before I slept, Noir spoke angrily.

"Lord Alan you shouldn't sleep in a dirty place like that. The people of this town should be kneeling before your presence; you are worthy to receive the title of Original Gestalt. If you allow me, I'll personally guarantee the best housing for you, even if I've to tear whoever is living there apart."

I sweated nervously. Who would have thought that the well-educated Grimoire could be so aggressive? I need to calm him down before he takes any rash action.

"No need for that Noir, I'm fine the way I am. Let's sleep and tomorrow we'll figure out what to do."

"As you wish Lord Alan." Noir replied before going silent.

I closed my eyes and slept, or at least I would, if it weren't for the noises of a horse across the bridge. If the damn horse wasn't enough, there were also people running across the bridge too.

Can't I sleep under a bridge in peace? My attention shifted as I heard the two people talking on top of the bridge.

"Indigo, who is this man? I thought we were going to run away together." A girl spoke.

"I lied; I just needed your help to carry more gold. It's nothing personal, but now I'm going to kill you." Another girl replied happily.

All the sleep left my body upon hearing the word "kill". What should I do? I don't want trouble, but on the other hand, a person will be killed. I don't want to witness another murder.

Readying myself, I picked up my bat and left the bridge, walking towards the part facing the city. Therefore, I stood behind the girls, and looking ahead, I saw a man on top of a horse.

Breathing deeply, I screamed from the top of my lungs.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? CAN'T I SLEEP IN PEACE UNDER THE BRIDGE? I HAD A TERRIBLE DAY AND NOW YOU SHOW UP WITH THIS TALK OF GOLD AND KILL! ALL I WANT IS A LITTLE BIT OF SILENCE! SO COULD YOU SHUT UP PLEASE?!"

They all jumped surprised upon hearing my voice and quickly turned towards me.

"Who are you the fuck are you?" An indigo-eye girl demanded, pointing a dagger at me.

This surprised me; they were the girls I saw in the brothel.

The indigo-eyed girl screamed insult after insult while the pink-eyed girl looked at me scared.

Before I said anything, three men came from the city and shouted at us.

"There you are! Did you think you could get away with our money?" One of the men yelled at the girls.

"And you're working with them, aren't you? You're the one who told them to steal the gold, aren't you?" A second one yelled, pointing at me.

I thought for a minute. These two girls stole the gold from these people, the indigo-eyed girl wants to kill the pink-eyed girl, and the person on the horse across the bridge must be her accomplice.

What have I gotten myself into?

Before I answered his question, the second man advanced and punched my face; amazingly, it didn't hurt at all. It wasn't just my strength that increased.

Controlling my strength, I quickly punched the man in the jaw. His head shot backward with his jaw breaking audibly and teeth flying everywhere.

The man fell to the ground motionless but alive. The other two came soon after, one from my left and one from my right.

The one from my left tried to punch me in the face, but I ducked down and kicked him in the knee, his knee broke loudly and he fell to the ground screaming in pain.

The other one kicked me in the stomach, but it just pushed me back a little, I took advantage of the moment he regained his balance and I punched him in the nos. The man fell to the ground unconscious and with a bleeding nose.

If I had been more attentive I would have noticed the indigo-eyed girl running towards me with her dagger raised, but the weapon stopped a few centimeters from me thanks to a red barrier forming in its way.

Soon the dagger broke with a red flash and the indigo-eyed flew away. Seeing no other option, the girl ran towards the man mounted on the horse and the two fled into the night.

Now it was just the pink-eyed girl and me.

She looked at me with wide eyes and trembling fearfully as I approached.

"Are you okay?" I asked hesitantly, worried about her reaction.

However, she didn't answer me; it looked like she was shocked, so I put my hand on her shoulder, making her wince, and asked again.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes." She replied quietly.

I took my hand off her shoulder and she quickly ran away from me towards the bags full of gold coins on the floor. There were four of them, she took two of them and walked away.

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"I'm going to a place far away from here." She replied seriously.

I looked towards the mess I made here; I couldn't stay in the city anymore.

"I'll go with you." I said to the girl.

"No, I'd rather travel alone." She replied, looking at me suspiciously.

"Come on, I won't hurt you! What if you meet bandits along the way? You can't defend yourself. If anything happens I can protect you, you've seen what I'm capable of." I smiled friendlily while pointing at the unconscious men on the floor.

She seemed to think for a moment and said before answering.

"Fine, but if you betray me you will regret it." She replied menacingly.

"Ok, give me a minute." I answered, ignoring her menace.

I went under the bridge and picked up my coat and backpack. I saw the red book glowing inside it. The book must have been the one who stopped the dagger.

"Lord Alan, are you ok?" Noir asked worriedly from inside the backpack.

"Yes Noir, I'm fine. Good news, we're leaving town, and we have a traveling companion with us, so please stay hidden."

"As you wish Lord Alan." Noir replied.

I returned to the girl and saw her watching the bags of gold on the ground. I passed the girl and put the bags inside my backpack, making the girl look at me angrily.

I shrugged, putting on my coat, and walking away from the city with the girl beside me, still trying to pierce my head with her glare.

Well, at least I solved my money problem.

"Since we'll be traveling together, I think we'd better introduce ourselves. My name is Alan, and you?" I asked the girl, offering a smile.

"Rose." She replied emotionlessly without looking at me.

How rude!

"Nice to meet you, Rose." I answered friendly, but she didn't answer.

Therefore, we headed towards the nearest town, loaded with money and with no idea about what the future had in store for us.

If I only knew how true, those words were.

END OF CHAPTER