Prologue: The Herald of Alter

The Ruined Capital of Crestfall.

A once-lively city devoured by the war, its buildings now stand stagnant and dead; there are no other signs of life other than the lush greenery and a certain someone.

Surrounding said city was an incredibly dense forest of towering Fell trees. Not in the sense that the trees have been cut, it is merely the trees' given name for a certain reason.

Meditating within Crestfall was a certain lone man whose hair has grown so long, who also looks to be in his teens. The hair easily reached behind his knees, its brilliant pitch black color giving him a slightly mysterious aura. He was sitting on a literally felled tree, a thick layer of moss blanketing it in addition to the other fungi and plant life that proliferated from the tree's rotting remains.

The man took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

Before him was, well, the same destroyed buildings. For centuries these yellow-stained terracotta buildings have been perverted by virulent poisons that emerged from the ground ages ago. The poisons have long since gone, but the effects never left. The corruption may not seem effective on the outside, but if the buildings ever crumble, the dust they emit could easily cause a pandemic with no cure.

It was this man that grew every plant life within the Ruined Capital, as well as the forest that hides it. He also strategically placed tree saplings to support every single building, be it crumbling or intact, once they grew. A worldwide apocalypse cannot be undone a second time; not when the lone man was guarding the place all by himself.

No one else is present. It was too dangerous to stay in the least. Not for the man though. His body is naturally immune to any disease, new or old.

He is the Herald of Alter, going by the name Zachary. A male humanoid being created by the gods to maintain peace within the world.

In addition to his duty, the gods have also calibrated his fate; all Otherworlders that arrive in Alter are to be sent to him, or near his location. He is tasked with orienting them with Alter's current state and train them to get used to their newfound Abilities.

Each world has their own Heralds. They can also come in different shapes and sizes. Zachary just so happened to be humanoid. They are also Immortal; not even the gods know how it happens, but once they create Heralds, they are somehow bestowed with a unique kind of immortality. As a result, Heralds are believed to be urban legends by the common folk; extremely powerful beings that only appear when a worldwide threat shows itself.

Zachary stood up and wandered around. He had already memorized the entire area; getting lost was impossible for him. Every nook and cranny, every secret passageway and treasure, he has seen everything Crestfall has hidden from the rest of the world.

Judging by his memorization of the entire area, and the sheer number of plant growth in the area, one could say that he has been there for a very long time.

"I've shut myself off from the outside world for hundreds of years. I wonder how the mortals are faring by this age."

He walked towards the main gate and entered the forest of towering Fell trees. These trees are easily more than a hundred years old, and Zachary has not even nurtured them; he just planted them in random places and they just started growing rapidly after a little water. How greatly they have grown is something he has been wondering ever since finishing his five hundred fifty-third year guarding the place.

The Fell trees have literally reached the clouds. How did they grow so large?

"The gods have been silent ever since I secluded myself. I wonder if the effects of the apocalypse died out?" he said to himself, walking at a fast pace away from the Capital.

"…No, I shouldn't be jinxing it. I just have to trust the gods when the time comes."

He thought out loud and continued for more than an hour. It's one of the various ways to keep him sane, aside from trying to climb the tallest Fell tree and befriending the local wildlife.

However, constantly being on the verge of insanity has proved disadvantageous to Zachary.

"…?!"

He found himself standing in front of a vast sea of green where little to no trees are present, the sun graciously blanketing the lush grass swaying towards the direction of the wind.

At that very moment, Zachary made a fatal mistake. No, rather, a stupid mistake. A mistake that would displease all of his ancestors if he had them.

He stepped one too many out of the forest. He exited the boundary of the territory he was defending.

"The Point of No Return". Before he started guarding the Ruined Capital of Crestfall, he had set up a bounded field where anyone who exits will lose a random selection of their memories, to protect it's secrets if he is ever gone or could not protect the area wholly.

However, all memories that relate to Crestfall are erased automatically. The random set of memories erased is merely a side effect.

Zachary stood by and stared blankly into the distance.

"…What was I doing again?"

Few of his finest memories have been erased. Not to mention his age, purpose, and his mastery of his many Abilities, have all been permanently removed from his mind.

Unfortunately, he also forgot about his Immortality. Currently, he thinks that he is a normal human being with a strange case of memory gap.

Anyhow, Abilities are completely unique to each individual. There may be similarities, but most have their own unique functions.

These Abilities are given to all intelligent lifeforms in Alter; Humans, Elves, Beastmen, and so on. So long as they are capable of speech and rational thought, they will develop Abilities of their own, even if they are beasts.

A gust of wind blew at Zachary. His pitch black hair fluttered to the direction of the wind. He eyed the barren grasslands as if it was something he had never seen before.

Well, he did close himself in. Such a scene was something he could only dream of ever since the war ended. Extremely tall trees are one thing, but a vast open area with only grass growing is amazing in its own way.

He took three steps away from the forest and constantly turned his head to marvel the surroundings. Then he faced the forest entrance.

The incredible height of the Fell trees left his head hanging, but he immediately turned back and walked away as fast as he could.

"Nope, not going in there."

His roles as the Herald of Alter, as well as the Guardian of Crestfall, have been changed by such a shameful mishap.

...

Hours have gone by after he left Crestfall, and Zachary just so happened to see a gigantic lonely tree in the middle of nowhere. After a long walk, he finally got to rest.

He put all his weight into his waist and landed on the base of the tree with a sigh. He adjusted his sitting position and took a deep breath.

"Now," he said, "where do I go from here? I feel like I'm forgetting something important… also, where is everybody? Where am I...?"

He pondered beneath the tree as he allowed his hair to flutter about. Thinking that the night is probably close, he stood up and started walking away. That entire afternoon, he spent walking. He saw no paths leading anywhere; only grass and a few lonely trees as far as the eye can see, so his best bet is to walk in a straight line and hope for the best.

The lack of paths is a result of Alter's most recent war. An all-out war had broken in the largest country of Safruth, containing more than ten city states and even more small villages. Before Zachary(prior to memory erasure) and most of the Otherworlders could arrive in the scene, a large number of people had already died, including some of the Otherworlders that arrived early. In the end, only a very small number of people—mostly children, women, and elders—survived after taking shelter underground.

To prevent another annihilation, the leaders of each country decided to stay isolated from each other, thus leaving large open spaces with barely any civilization, called Divides. No paths have been paved, this is so that intelligent enemies would not be able to invade their countries. This way, casualties would not make large dents on Alter's overall population. Somehow, every country agreed to this and has never waged wars against others. However, this makes each country extremely vulnerable to large-scale attacks.

The remnants of war have scattered everywhere. Debris, abandoned houses, unmarked graves, and even cults created by such a traumatizing experience. All of these are scattered throughout the vast empty spaces made by each country's independence. As for the cults, well, they have holed up in caves and even the darker recesses of cities and capitals.

It is the fifth hour. The sun has begun to set as a deep hue of orange filled the sky.

Zachary has been walking for quite a while when he saw the visage of a few buildings in the distance. It was unlike the sad ruins of lone abandoned houses sheltering unfortunate souls that met their end there.

He halted his walking and assessed the visage, to see whether or not the buildings in the distance are ruins. He walked closer to it and, after a few minutes, he finally identified the buildings clearly.

They are nothing like the ruins and debris he saw along the way. There is definitely civilization there; the lights in the top floors of the towers gave it off.

The only gamble he has to take is whether the people there are hostile or not. That in mind, there is only one way to find out for Zachary.

With the last remaining hour he has before the sun sets, he would not make it when the buildings are so far away, and a lot of ground to be covered. He has to run, or else.

"I gotta get there before nighttime at least!" he exclaimed.

Nighttime has a different meaning in Alter. Hostile nocturnal beasts emerge from the ground and lurk in search of food until dawn. Unless the settlements deal with this problem, they will continue to spawn in random places so long as there is no light.

Beasts similar to these night-dwellers started to grow in numbers three weeks after the war ended. As a result, the settlements that are still trying to cope have been decimated. The more fortunate settlements got to live thanks to Otherworlders and imperial guards.

The night drew closer. Cracks in the earth have begun to form as the dusk slowly blanketed the empty grassland.

With every step Zachary took, the buildings only seemed to go farther and farther from him. He sped up significantly, and yet no change occurred.

"Faster…!"

He began to lose hope when he suddenly could not lower his running speed; instead, he seemed to go even faster. The small hills in the distance have been blurred excessively, appearing and disappearing from his peripheral vision. After realizing this, he quickly looked at his feet and, to his surprise, his legs and feet are riddled with strange markings glowing a faint gold.

He has no clue why he wants to reach civilization before night, nor does he know what is currently going on with his lower half, but one thing is for sure; he will definitely reach his destination with this sudden speed.

He ran and ran until the buildings came into full view, dodging debris and rocks as he did. Towers piercing the clouds within high walls have revealed themselves to Zachary's eyes. And, he got there right at the quarter to the sixth hour.

The walls are made of reinforced stone bricks and covered an extremely vast area. Brightly shining torches have lined the higher halves of the walls and produced dim shadows behind solid objects hit by the gentle flames' light. A thick layer of glowing moss proliferated on the footing of the structures.

Zachary stood in front of the gate. It had symmetric designs carved into it, making it stand out from the blank brick walls. Deep moats surrounded it with a wide stone bridge built above it. Moreover, a small window was beside the gate, a partially armored person—a guard—could be seen through it.

There seemed to be a light source well within the moats. The reflection of the water created a splendid animated light show along the walls of these trenches.

"Wow, what a view," he said. "That gate stands out a lot, too."

Zachary walked towards the window by means of the bridge. Not long after, the guard noticed him. He was drinking something and immediately spat it out after sighting him. He jerked around and approached Zachary with a spear pointed at him. The spear was decorated and the blade was uniquely shaped.

"State your business, traveler." the guard said.

Zachary immediately raised his hands. "Woah there, man, calm do—"

The guard cut him off mid-sentence and thrusted the spear forward in an attempt to drive Zachary back. "State! Your business!"

Zachary's discomfort could be seen in his facial expression. Despite this threat, it did not stop him from talking to the guard calmly. "…I just want to get into the city…"

A short pause happened after Zachary answered. He looked down and noticed his lower half did not have the golden marks anymore. The guard hesitantly turned his head to his shoulder and yelled.

"I need some troops to pat this woman down! Get over here!" the guard shouted while he continued to glare at Zachary.

"You don't have to do that, I've got nothing on me. Also I'm not a—"

"No more words are to come from your mouth! Pat her down!"

(Wow, he's one of those ignorant people.)

The reinforcements arrived not long after and cautiously checked every part of his body. When one of them approached his crotch, Zachary stepped back.

"Oy, get away from my crotch."

"No can do, traveler. We ought to check everyone thoroughly otherwise the whole city is doomed."

Discomfort ensued. Zachary does not know why they are being too careful, but since it is required to enter the city, he let it off.

The guards finished patting him down and returned to the speared guard's side.

"Confirmed, sir," one of them said, "she's got nothing dangerous. The only thing in her pockets are gold coins that we've never seen before."

"Is that so," the speared guard, or rather, the commander, replied.

Said commander shifted his gaze into Zachary and stared at him for a while.

"Uh, can I go now?" Zachary asked.

"Not yet. Show those coins."

(Isn't this what they would call a "shakedown"?)

Hesitantly, Zachary put out the coins in his pocket that he never thought he had. The commander took a closer look and examined the coins.

"These are… true gold. The carvings are very unusual though."

He backed off and exhaled from his nose.

"…Very well. You may go in."

"Thanks! Be seeing you then…"

Zachary passed by the commander when he suddenly spoke.

"But, before that, I have a favor."

He stopped in place and turned to the commander. In the first place, why is the commander watching the gate himself? Why do the moats have glowing water? And other such questions plagued Zachary's mind. However, now is not the time to ask.

"Let's have a nice talk the next time you pass this gate. I'd love to hear stories from outside."

Realizing all he ever did was rest beneath a tree in the middle of nowhere, and sprint as the night approached, he sheepishly laughed.

"I will," he said. "If I return here after travelling, I'll tell you all about it."

"Very well. Traveler, welcome to Ombero. I am Beryl Solomon, commander of the Omberian Right-Wing Imperial Guard Corps."

"My name's Zachary. Nice to meet you!"

"Indeed, likewise. Again, we welcome you, traveler, to Ombero."

The two of them shook hands. The gate slowly opened and shone an extremely bright light from the inside at Zachary. Blinded, he partially covered his eyes as he entered.

"Still…" Beryl held his chin and thought to himself, "How did that girl survive the Divides without so much as a flesh wound?"

Zachary forgot to say something, and thus turned around one more time.

"Ah, Mr. Beryl, I'm a guy. A guy." he said, pointing at himself.

Beryl, and the other troops nearby, became confused. "Huh?"

He smiled at them and proceeded to go into Ombero. The guards were left confused, rooted in place as they tried to process what Zachary just said.

(What, with the long, black, silky hair…?)

A very busy market district was before Zachary. Bright lights everywhere he looked, a bustling crowd going about their lives, and beast carriages transporting people and crates crossing streets. He walked a few steps forward and marveled at the scene.

Zachary's eyes welled up. Not enough to make tears run down his cheeks, just enough to blur his eyes and distort the surroundings. The lights stretched out and formed lines in his view.

He does not know why, but it seems like it has been so long since he saw such a sight. The centuries he spent guarding an ancient ruins alone have been removed from his memory; all that remained from that memory was an immense loneliness that he never once noticed after all that time.

H(ave I been here before…? Where're the others by the way…?)

The citizens briefly halted their work and saw Zachary enter the gate. The citizens whispered among themselves.

(That's a girl from outside…)

(Is she a traveler?)

(How brave of her to traverse the Divides by herself…)

(Not to mention, look! She barely has any luggage!)

The air became uneasy. Zachary hesitated for a moment, but ultimately continued to walk. The shop owners and customers from all around him stared at him in awe. Cautiously, Zachary shrugged their gazes off, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek.

Primarily, because Zachary had a slightly effeminate build, and a youthful face resembling that of a tragic village girl whose house burned down along with her parents. The amount of dirt on his face gave that impression.

Secondarily, because he was from outside the city; the first one in over fifteen years to enter Ombero that does not look like a cultist trying to overthrow the church.

As Zachary vigilantly eyed his surroundings, he felt something pull on his shirt.

"Ah…"

He turned around to see a girl that is just a bit shorter than him. She had medium-length gray hair and deep blue eyes. She wore what seems to be a uniform bearing the emblem of the school she belongs to.

"Um, excuse me Miss? Can I ask for directions?"

The people around them began to whisper among themselves once more.

(A foolish girl enters the scene…)

(Isn't she from the Magus Academy?)

(To casually approach an outsider is…)

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can help. I'm new around here."

"Oh! Are you, by any chance, an outsider?" she asked.

"Um, I guess."

From out of nowhere, a female voice called out for a name.

"Salome! Where are you?!"

The gray-haired girl responded to the call. Zachary realized that it was her name.

From where he came from, approaches another girl. She had a small stature and donned long, brown, curly hair.

"…Ah! Salome! There you are!"

Upon closer inspection, the second girl also wore the same uniform.

"Wanda! Good evening! I was just about to go to school." the gray-haired girl, Salome, replied.

"I just saw you make a wrong turn again! So I had to follow you!"

"Ahaha, is that so? I'm sorry…"

As Wanda scolded Salome, her peripheral vision caught sight of Zachary, whose shirt is still being clung onto by the same person.

"…Salome, who is this lady?" she asked.

"N-No, you misunderstand. I'm a guy. You two are the second to ask that…"

"Huh? What, with that long, black, silky hair?" Wanda approached him and thoroughly glared at him while holding her chin.

"…Like I said—"

"I don't get it, but okay! You do you!" she said nodding to her own statement proudly.

(She's not listening at all…)

"Sorry about my friend here, she's not good with directions!"

Salome cleared her throat. "Anyway, pleased to meet you, outsider. My name is Salome Palma. This here is my friend…"

"…Wanda Helmburg! What's your name?"

"I'm Zachary… for some reason, I can't seem to recall my last name. But, do feel free to call me by that name."

"Zachary, then! Pleased to make your acquaintance!"

He nodded. "Yes, likewise."

"Oh, how long have you been in Ombero?" Salome asked.

"…Actually, I just entered."

"Have you got somewhere to turn in for the day?" Wanda asked.

"…I just entered."

"Have you memorized the ins and outs of Ombero?" both girls asked.

"Please listen to me! I just entered! No, I have nowhere to sleep yet, and no, I haven't memorized the area yet!"

"Why are you shouting?!"

"Because you wouldn't listen!"

"You weren't answering me!"

"I was!"

What was once a couple of Magus students interviewing an outsider turned into a tumultuous bout that only got stronger. Eventually, shopkeepers and customers alike told them to shut up.

"Can you please take this somewhere else?!" they said, along with a few other similar complaints.

Wanda immediately stopped and apologized to the onlookers. "S-Sorry, sorry! It was our fault!"

"Mr. Zachary, you don't have anywhere to go right?" Salome asked.

"Yep. Why do you ask?"

"Then," she held his arm and looked at Wanda, "lets take him to the Academy! Maybe Headmaster will take him in!"

"Ah, good idea!" Wanda held Zachary's other arm and ran, dragging him with them. "Salome, I'll lead the way! Just follow wherever I turn or go!"

"Okay!" Salome chuckled.

…

(What the hell is an Academy?)