SideQuest!

Act 1 - Awakening

I woke up to the sound of chirping birds as the rays of the bright morning sun peeking through a window caressed my cheeks, finding myself lying upright on a soft mat laid on the floor with my clothes changed into a white kimono. I can hear muffled voices conversing near where I lay. Trying to make sense of what went down after I passed out, I decided to look around to inspect my surroundings for any clues. There was nothing much to see inside the room, aside from a small basin filled with water near my feet, a blood-drenched cloth hanging on the basin's mouth, a mortar and pestle containing crushed herbs, a folding screen adorned with a painting of a blossoming sakura tree placed near the entrance. In the far corner of the room, the pair of swords that I carry are stowed along with my clothes and armor, neatly folded alongside it. As I tried to turn to my left side, I felt a sharp pain in my gut and back, preventing my movement. I slid my hand beneath the kimono, and I felt a strip of cloth wrapped around my lower torso as I soothed the aching part near my belly.

"What the hell...that wasn't a dream..." I told myself as I tried prop myself up, pushing myself to sit upright despite the pain as I soothed the bridge of my nose with my fingers, trying to make sense of the situation. As a last attempt, I tried flicking my hands to summon the main menu of the interface. "Grace, if you can hear me, please respond." I exclaimed, in the hopes that someone will reply.

But there was only silence, and the game menu never appeared. The only answer I received are from the gentle winds blowing in the room and the birds singing on the branches of the only cherry tree that I can see from the window.

Shit. I'm stuck here. I don't know what sort of crazy little game this is that Mr. Rubio has set for me, but I suppose I have no choice but to play along for now.

A few more moments later, I hear the sliding door open, revealing a figure donning the familiar white robe and cruel armor.

"How are you feeling?" Sev asked as he leaned at the wall near the entrance of the room.

"Better...I guess." I replied casually. "What happened? After I passed out, I mean."

"Lady Yui immediately flew you to the house of a doctor here in Junjo after you lost a lot of blood." he replied softly. "I...I'd like to ask for your forgiveness on her behalf. She said you were being possessed. It had to be done to save you from yourself."

"Right...of course." I smirked as I shook my head, unable to wrap my head around what just happened. "What did she exactly exorcise me from, anyway?"

"I...really don't know, myself." he softly muttered. "She mentioned something about the wound successfully severing the tether you have with an unnamed demon living beyond this plane. I'm not sure if that would make sense to you, but I thought you should know."

He then slowly paced towards me as he slowly reached for something inside his robe. "One of the doctor's apprentices found this as she changed your clothes. She asked me to deliver this to you when you wake up." Sev explained as he handed me a small key with a noticeable blue glow along its circular tip.

It was the key that Mr. Rubio gave to me before all this s**t went down.

"Thank you." I replied as I received it. "Is Lady Yui still here?"

"No. She can't stay here for long. She has duties to fulfill. She is a shrine guardian after all." Sev replied as he slowly walked towards my swords, as if inspecting them. "Is there anything you wish to ask her?"

"No...forget it." I said, shaking my head. "Oh, and about the expedition to Manjeong..."

"It's fine. Shinjiro and his men are on route to the town as we speak." he replied.

"But...weren't you supposed to go with them?" I asked.

Sev's lips curled into a smile. "Well, someone has to watch over you while you recover."

"You shouldn't have bothered." I smiled. "But...thank you."

Sev didn't say a word, but instead replied with a grin. He then walked towards my stuff stowed in the far corner of the room.Upon getting close enough, he began pacing back and forth, observing the features of my swords.

"I'm really intrigued by your choice of weapons, Lady Julia." Sev asked as he lifts one of my swords. "These things weigh around one-fifth of my body weight and yet you were able to move at such incredible speeds with these swords. How? Aren't these too heavy for a woman to wield?"

"I just...got used to fighting countless battles with them, I guess." I shrugged, in an effort to explain the concept of "level grinding" in the most casual way I know how. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious. I've never seen that kind of agility before from someone who uses something so heavy." he explained as he returned the sword in its place, with a heavy thud sounding as the tip hits the floor.

"I see." I acknowledged.

There was a good minute of awkward silence between us before I was able to think of something to continue with the conversation.

"While you're here, is there anything you want to talk about? You know, to...pass the time. How about a meet-and-greet? Let's get to know each other, hmm?" I suggested.

He paused for a moment before he nodded to consider. "I suppose we can do that...what do you want to know?" he replied with a shrug.

"Come on! The basics! What are your hobbies, interests, what's your favorite color, who's your crush? Things like that."

"Favorite color? Who's my crush?" he asked as he squinted his eyes, genuinely perplexed by my proposal. "Really? Why would you want to know something as childish as those? Do all Valencians do mundane stuff like this?"

"What's the problem with that? You never do that kind of stuff here? Besides, those are the kinds of questions that make this activity fun! They're easy to talk about. Come on, stop being so serious and try it for once." I invited. "Come, I'll start. You can sit next to me."

"All right. I suppose there's no harm in trying." he shrugged as he slowly walked towards me, crossing his legs as he sat down. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Hmm...what should I ask..." I pouted as I rubbed my chin. "Oh! I got it! I got it! I'll start with this. What is the strangest dream that you've had?"

"Strangest dream that I've had? That's the weirdest question to start with, but all right." he responded, resting his chin on his hand. "Hmm...I think there was this one time when I was in this marvelous place where a fleet of airships are flying above. I'm not sure, but I think I was in one of the cities of Valencia at the time. It was surreal."

"That seems to be a wonderful experience. Something happened in that dream?" I asked.

He froze, his eyes fixated to the ground. "I wouldn't call it wonderful. I...fought with someone in that dream. A woman. I'm not really sure what happened to end up in that situation, but what I do know is that she looked and fought very much like you."

"Would be weird if that really happened before eh?" I laughingly joked.

He replied with a short laugh. "Yeah. This would be an awkward meeting."

"All right! Your turn to ask. Hey, nothing too personal, all right?" I warned him.

"Understood. Here goes." he chuckled. "Hmm...what is your life like in Valencia? I've only heard stories about your country from our merchants and scholars. I'd like to know more about it on a more intimate level. Since you're a resident there, I'm sure you can explain Valencian lifestyle in more detail."

"That's a very broad question." I smiled. "I'll take up the entire day talking about Valencia if we go through with that."

"Hmm...okay, Fair enough. Another question then. Let me see...ah!" he exclaimed excitedly. "What is life like before you became the king's agent?"

As Sev uttered these words, his eyes looked at mine with absolute wonder - a gesture that I do not expect to come from a man with a somewhat imposing stature and I wasn't prepared to expound on this, as these were lies I fabricated in the heat of the moment. Talking with Sev was not the most conventional of social interactions, but it was definitely a breath of fresh air. After so many years, this is the first time I felt so safe opening up to another person other than Grace. It felt weird talking casually with him though, as I can't shake the though that he is basically an NPC operated by an android brain in this weirdly realistic game world, but...somehow I feel a certain...fondness for him, the kind that felt so strikingly similar to my fondness of Grace.

"I was a grocer's assistant, if by any chance you're familiar with that." I replied. "I, uhh...basically help in selling food and household goods to the market. My wages were pitiful, to put it lightly...just enough to feed myself every single day. It's not much, but it's all I had."

"I see. Those must have been difficult times. That must be what pushed you to became an agent of the crown." he added.

"Yeah." I nodded indifferently. "I was promised a good pay for this job, so I took it without a second thought. Back then, I was head over heels for this job. The guildmaster was very keen on the applicants, and entry into the service was very strict and very few make the cut. Oh, you could imagine how thrilled I was when I received my acceptance letter from the guildmaster! It looked good at first. The pay was good, coz all I have to do during the early part of my employment was to run some errands and s**t, but as I delved deeper into the job, I...it just spiraled out into this mad s**t I'm in..."

"Is something the matter?" he asked, noticing my pause.

"I dunno. It's hard to explain." I responded. "And I'd rather not talk about it."

"Then let's leave it at that." he replied. "Let's move on to another subject then. I believe it's your turn to ask."

Sev was smiling throughout the whole ordeal. He seemed to believe and understand the situation I fabricated, and I really appreciated that he decided not to pursue the subject further, as my job as a retail worker is all I could relate to him in a casual conversation and I'm already running out of backstory to give. I decided not to explore the parts where Mr. Rubio is involved as per his instructions, as I am aware that I am currently bound by the rules of this game and my...'employers' may be monitoring me at this very moment. I don't know what sort of unholy demonic magic those people at Rabid Games used on me to cast me into this world, but as far as I'm concerned, I need to be careful with everything I say or do, lest I risk angering the 'gods' of this world and jeopardize my chances of getting out of here.

On the flip side though, I have to admit I am starting to enjoy this world just by a little bit. Sev proved to be a good listener, keeping me company as I sat here almost helpless because of the wound. Talking with him made hours feel like minutes. He was mostly courteous and equally as kind while he talked, being honest with me all throughout. His demeanor is surprisingly down-to-earth as well - something that I'd never expect from an NPC who had previously displayed a show of arrogance a few days ago.

We sat and talked for the rest of the day, with discussions revolving around basic and mundane topics which I mostly bring up. Sev would just sit there listening to me as I blabber on about my favorite online series, what books I read and other random s**t that he probably wouldn't be able to relate with, but he never relented from being as attentive as when we started this conversation. At times, he'd even supplement me with very honest insights whenever I ask about what his thoughts are on a certain subject. He made me feel that I was worth being listened to. Despite the despair of being suddenly trapped in a reality with no clear way of getting out, I am just glad Sev is programmed to be this empathic. At least, with him, spending time in this virtual prison would be bearable.

The hours pass, and after being bored with talking about the basic stuff, I decided to take it up a notch and shift the topics into something more 'intimate', as I have been very curious and have always wanted to see how Sev would react, see how well-written Sev's coding really is.

"All right. My turn. Hmm...how about we ask personal questions this time?" I proposed. "Don't worry! You'll get a chance to ask me too after this."

"I thought you don't like getting too personal with the questions?" he asked, scratching his chin.

"Yeah...at first." I explained. "You seem like a very chill dude to me. You get a pass."

"Okay, then." he nodded. "Proceed."

I smiled menacingly as soon as he gave me the go-signal. "This one's a bit straightforward, but here goes. Have you ever kissed a woman before? If so, what was it like?"

"That one's an extremely straightforward question, but okay." he commented. "No, I have not...not to my knowledge, at least." he said as he looked me straight in the eye. "I haven't had any luck with women all my life, so that's that. Why did you ask?" he inquired.

"Nothing." I shrugged. "Just curious."

"How about you, Julia?" he asked in turn. "Have you ever been kissed by a man before?"

"Well, I..."

I felt my face heat up and turn red as he asked me this. Sev's lips curled into a smile as he notices me getting flustered over that one question.

"Hey. Why are you smiling?!" I yelled.

"What's wrong with that? I'm not doing anything." he laughed.

"Oh, I see what this is all about." I replied in kind. "Well, I'll have you know that I never kissed a guy before as well and I'm not ashamed to admit it."

"Why would you be ashamed of that?" he asked.

"Well, because...you know..." I scrambled, trying to find the words to say. "I thought you were going to make fun of me for that. Why were you smiling at me, anyway?"

"Nothing. I just find it amusing that you're panicking over something as small as not being kissed by a man." he replied.

"That's easy for you to say since you're a nice looking guy, on top of you being royalty. Any woman in Tosen-Kyushu would probably be head over heels for you. You don't know what it feels like to be undesirable." I hissed.

"Well, as you can see, I've never even kissed a woman before, so I don't know what you are talking about." he parried. "But thank you. At least now I know now that someone out there actually thinks highly of my appearance."

Hearing his words somehow warmed my heart. It felt like he was a kindred soul in this virtual universe, and that he was just equally as lost in this world. For a second there, I actually felt like I wasn't alone here.

"Hey," I called out. "It's almost noon. Aren't you getting bored here? Let's have a stroll around town."

He replied with a worried look on his face. "I don't think it's advisable for you to even stand. Your wound is still fresh."

"Nothing I can't handle." I insisted as I reached out with my hand. "Come on! Help me up!"

"You should rest. That wound might open up again if you push yourself at this state."

"I've been through worse. Come on!"

"No." he declined sternly. "You need to rest. I need to go get the doctor for-"

"Well, if you're not going to help me, I guess I'll just have do it myself. Don't mind me bleeding up again." I taunted as I reached for the ledge of the open window beside me, in an attempt to guilt him.

At this, Sev immediately swooped down to hold me. "Hey! What the...are you crazy?! You haven't even recovered yet! My goodness!" he exclaimed as he shook his head in disbelief. "None of my words are really getting through you, is it?"

"I'm bored!" I complained. "Come on! Don't be such a buzzkill! Help me up...or don't. In which case, I'll just bleed myself to death-"

"All right, all right! I'll help you up! Unbelievable." he muttered under his breath.

Reluctantly, he agreed to my request. Carefully, he knelt to my side, took my hand and wrapped it around his shoulders like a yoke.

"All right. Let's do this nice and slow." he huffed as he slowly helped me up as he stood, taking care not to pull me up too hard.

"Ooooh. Sssshit! That stings." I gritted my teeth as I rose, enduring the smarting pain as he slowly propped me up.

"Told you. This is ridiculous." he sighed. "You shouldn't even be doing this."

"It's all right. I'm with you. You'll take care of me, won't you?" I jested.

"Is this how you make friends in your country?" he replied.

With me in tow, he carefully walked me towards the door leading to the exit, with me taking small, limping steps as the ridiculously realistic simulation of the injury slowed me down. "Dr. Fuhan would not be too happy if he hears about this." Sev sighed as he slid the door open. The yellow rays of the afternoon sun slowly seeped through the gaps as the doors slowly parted like the opera curtains revealing the elements placed on the stage. As I stepped outside, my jaws dropped in awe as I basked in the sunlight, my eyes bearing witness to a sight unlike any other.

The estate is set on top of elevated ground overlooking the small houses of the town, where patches of healthy green grass and flowers grew on the soil and wooden houses stood closely to one another in rigid formations, surrounded by misty clouds and walled by a lush forest of sakura trees. In front of us lays a small piece of landscape that looked similar to a zen garden: Small white granules of sand cover the ground, straight lines carefully raked and maintained by five women in red and black robes. On the four corners of the garden stood four humanoid idols made of stone, each of them frozen in meditation. Pots of bonsai trees are placed by the side of these idols, and at the center of it all is a small lotus pond, on which a small lantern shrine emerged from its mouth, its strange blue embers flickering despite the clear waters surrounding it.

"And who told you to get out of bed? Hmm?!" said an old man in a traditional blue robe walking in the distance brandishing his cane, cutting through the zen garden as he approached us. "I took great care in closing your wound to save you from dying, you ungrateful brat! The least you can do to repay me is by taking a rest!"

"Dr. Fuhan!" Sev exclaimed in his shock.

"And you! You might be the crown prince, Lord Josen, but I do not tolerate blatant disregard of my authority in my own house. I remember instructing you to keep an eye on the patient and prevent her from moving around too much."

"Well, you see, she has a way of persuading people, Dr. Fuhan." Sev explained apologetically. "If I didn't give what she wants, she'll just go and strain herself anyways."

"I don't care! Hold her down if you have to, but do not let that woman get out of bed! What she's doing is undoing almost two days' worth of work! Get her back to her room! Now!" he angrily roared at us. He then shifted his furious gaze towards me. "And you...Yui is giving me enough headaches as it is! DON'T. ADD. ANYMORE! You need to rest for a week!"

"A week?!" I asked, taking note of his long, gray hair and bony frame. "I don't have that long! I need to do as much as I can today and-"

"I'm supposed to be enjoying my retirement until you came along, lady." he snarled. "I was peacefully enjoying my tea one morning when suddenly Yui flew you into my house, with a wound extremely difficult to close and almost at the verge of death. Do you know how long I tried to close that hole in your torso? Two days! Without rest! And you can't do me the favor of resting for a little while longer?!"

"Well, I have places to be." I argued. "

"And so am I!" he screamed. "And yet I'm here, tending to an ungrateful brat."

"How am I even-?"

"Maybe you should just let this slide. I'll handle this. He's a bit grumpy due to his age." Sev interrupted in a low tone before turning to the doctor. "I'll return her to her room, doctor. I apologize for the trouble that I have caused."

"But you didn't-!"

"You are tired, Lady Julia. I suggest we should retire to your room." Sev suggested in a slightly higher tone as he slowly led me away from the porch and into the room. Although he was smiling as he said this, his eyes glared at me for a moment as he turned his head, as if telling me to shut up and not make anymore fuss about it.

"What was that all about?" I whispered as we turned around.

"Just shut up and roll with it." he muttered under his breath. "The doctor has a point. The task of resuscitating you took the doctor and his five apprentices almost two sleepless days to accomplish. They worked very hard to keep you alive. The least you can do as a show of gratitude is for you to follow your doctor's advice. Doctors take great pride in their work here and it is considered very disrespectful for patients to defy their doctor's instruction. You're not in Valencia anymore, Julia. If you want the locals to keep helping you, you need to respect our customs and act as we do. And here in Tosen-Kyushu, if you're an outcast, you're as good as dead."

I sighed. "Fine. I'll rest. It's not like I have anywhere else to go at this state. God, I remember my parents with that old geezer."

"He wasn't always this grumpy with his other hard-headed patients." Sev explained. "I wonder..."

"What?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, myself." he replied. "Come, let us get you back on your bed before he yells at us again."