The First Outsider, Joe Jones

Behind our world concealed a land of myths, protected by a mystical barrier that prevented anyone from discovering it, but there were instances of people able to break through them and learn of this other world's existence. To these natives of this alien land, they referred to us as outsiders. One prominent outsider went by the name of Joe Jones, born with great intellect and vigor. Praised by his family and friends alike, Joe strived for a career overseas.

Free from the ground, airborne and one with the clouds, it was a fascinating view to be above from the whole world that it hardly felt like they were flying. Joined by his fellow companions, excitement brimmed them with wondrous possibilities of their new future. There were light conversations from time to time, but otherwise, the flight journey was tranquil in silence.

"Your brother didn't annoy you like always, Joe?" questioned the lady in front of him.

"Actually, he was glad I was gone!" the two chuckled. "He could finally have all the room to himself now that I'm gone."

"Aw, I'm sure he misses you. He probably didn't want to admit it," the lady added. Though it seemed everything was going great for the young man's life, all joy must come to an end. The windows were covered in smoke, black as the night. Voices of concern among the passengers slowly rose within the flight trip.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we ask that you remain calm," assured the attendant. Her voice failed to reach their catharsis, only further making the situation worse. "Ladies and gentle—"

The entire room shook like an earthquake, causing the majority of the passengers to panic. One of the flight attendants entered the cockpit only to return hazy news to the passengers. "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems like we have taken a detour. We are unsure where we are, but we can confirm that we've landed safely."

Joe's companion stared at him with doubt, much like the same looks as the other passengers. Though the attendants relieved the passengers with uncertainty, Joe placed all trust in the windows. Groups of large beetles almost the size of an average toddler swarmed in circles, sometimes hitting the windows by accident. Due to their unbelievable size, the glass managed to be dented.

Instantly, the crowd began reacting with all sorts of grumpy emotions. One man grabbed one of the attendants, and he demanded answers from her; she had no answer. Outraged families gathered together as a group, prepared for anything outside of the plane.

"Joe, what do we do now?"

"Don't worry, Sheren! Everything will be alright." Suddenly, the ceiling began peeling right off. Groups of humanoid birds surrounded the torn aircraft as they looked down on the puny crowd. One of these bird people dropped a human body in the aircraft, revealing it to be the pilot, and the passengers began panicking in fear.

"Outsiders! Welcome to the world of Legends! Every one of you will become a meal for the Daitengu Estate; however, the remaining two will live in order to breed more outsiders so that we may consume them in the future."

"Why are you doing this to us?" asked one of the mothers.

"Why, you ask? Outside meat is tastier than the humans in this world. And when you unleash your powers, your meat is the tastiest." Out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning struck the leader. The other birds took flight in groups as they scanned for the attacker. Even the leader was strong enough to endure such a powerful attack. "Who dares to attack me!"

"I did," Joe widened his eyes to meet a cloaked man casually sitting in one of the seats. "I thought I ordered you to search for Daiki's reincarnation, not make a feast."

The leader and his crew kneeled on the torn aircraft. "Please understand, master! None of them had the reiki energy that originally belonged to Daiki, so that was why I sought to feed them to the tengu family!"

"To think I had the Daitengu Estate on my side. All you tengus care about feeding your families which is very noble I must say, but not quite the kind of people I'm looking for." He snapped his fingers, and the majority of the scared passengers began deteriorating into a pool of crimson flesh. Joe watched in horror as the woman of his life joined the passengers' fate, but he remained the only one to live. "Oh? It looks like I found someone immune to my toxin."

"Toxin?"

"Yes, I send very small particles of toxins out of my body that usually are deadly to mammals. It seems to me that you've been sick many times as a child, so your body has adapted to many immune systems. I must say, you're almost the perfect soldier that I've been looking for."

A closer look under the ebony cloak, Joe caught a glimpse of a mask bearing a crescent moon emblem. "If you can survive this forest, there'll be someone who'll arrive for about an hour. Train under him as your master, gather as much intel as his disciple, and return to me. That is your first mission."

Before Joe could gain the chance to speak, the cloaked man had more to add. "I will not take no for an answer. Now scram," and Joe removed himself from the torn airborne, chased by groups of the bird people and numerous alien creatures. He encountered many of the following: horned bats flew in swarms, titanic arachnids passing by, hairless cats screeched across the deadly forest, and all types of disgusting insects. Receiving bruises through this desperate escape, Joe reached his hand over to the light where he eventually found himself in the field of a bladed grass.

Panting in exhaustion, he caught a glimpse of a woman with hair as bright as the sun under a pink parasol. Their eyes interlocked into each other, and Joe couldn't stop looking at those violet eyes. She closed her parasol, and she inspected the unfamiliar man.

Pressing her hand under her chin, she pondered his appearance. "What era are you from? Definitely not the Thirteeners. Perhaps, you're from the Millennials."

His eyes widened, astonished upon hearing the voice. Her voice or his voice hardly suited the feminine appearance. "You're a man?"

"Why does everyone start with that when they meet me?" wondered the man. "Of course I am. By the way, I'm Yuuki Nohara. You may know me as the Gap Yokai, or the Boundary Legend. And yours?"

"Joe Jones,"

"Oh, judging by your name, you're not from here at all. Welcome to Densetsu, the world of the Legends, created by the Legends." He repeated after Yuuki with curiosity, and Yuuki gladly explained the history of Densetsu to the new face. Soon, Joe unknowingly befriended one of the Legends of Densetsu where he later gained the status as the Sylvan Supreme; he led the people with great hopes and inspiration. However, the leader the people once knew was no more—and he must be stopped.