Location: City of Xevia.

  Time of Day: Afternoon

  After following the road for about thirty minutes, the party reached the City of Xevia. The streets were lively with markets and stalls, and the townsfolk dressed in a style closer to Lumina's than Slayer's. The city felt bright and welcoming, full of laughter and chatter. Hikari's eyes lingered on the coins exchanging hands at the stalls. Lumina had called them Aetherium, round pieces engraved with intricate designs. One showed a dragon, another a glowing blue symbol. The more detailed the carving, the higher the value seemed to be. Beyond the liveliness, a tall stone wall circled the city, built to keep out monsters and unwelcome visitors.

  Before long they reached their destination, Lumina's tavern. A weathered sign on the door read Closed. Lumina dismounted, conjured a glowing leash to tie the horses, and unlocked the door. The familiar scent of aged wood drifted out as she kept the sign on the door as Closed.

  "Let's head in," she said.

  Inside, soft instrumental music played. Hikari scanned the room, curious for something unusual, but it was only a simple tavern with tables, chairs, bottles, and barrels neatly arranged. Nothing stood out. They took seats at the bar, Hikari on Captain's left, Slayer on his right. Lumina leaned forward, her long brown hair slipping over her shoulder as she smiled warmly at them.

  "Would you like a drink?" Lumina offered casually.

  "I would!" Slayer shot his hand up without hesitation. "Two cold beers, please! One for me, and one for my best pal here." He slapped Captain's back with a hearty laugh.

  Captain's jaw tightened. "I am not your pal. And take your hand off me before you regret it."

  "Jeeez, lighten up," Slayer grinned under his helmet. "We're all friends here now, right?"

  Hikari leaned back with a small smile. "He'll open up eventually. He just needs some time, that's all."

  "Jeah, don't count on it," Captain muttered, crossing his arms.

  Lumina's soft laugh cut the tension as she placed two mugs in front of them. "Here you go. On the house."

  "Thanks, Lumina!" Slayer raised his mug high. "Cheers, Captain!"

  To everyone's surprise, Captain lifted his mug as well. He kept his eyes low, but took a sip. "...Not bad."

  "Right??" Slayer's grin widened before he downed the whole thing in one go. The empty mug hit the table with a thud. "Another one, please!"

  Lumina arched an eyebrow while drying a glass. "Easy there. The next one you pay for. And no... complimenting my tavern won't get you a freebie this time."

  "Awwe, man..." Slayer slumped dramatically, then perked up. "Wait! I got paid from our last quest. Perfect! Another beer, and a steak. Oh, and make that medium rare, please!"

  "Of course." Lumina smiled and turned to Hikari. "Anything for you?"

  Hikari shook her head politely. "No, I'm fine. But thank you."

  Minutes later, Lumina returned with the steak. Slayer dug in instantly, somehow managing it with his helmet still on. Hikari stared, a crease forming between her brows. "...Interesting," she murmured, before shaking her head and straightening her posture. "Anyway, on to the matter at hand." Her voice grew more focused. "That artifact Slayer found... may I examine it? I'd like to take a closer look at it."

  Lumina paused mid-motion, tilting her head. She set the mug down and crossed her arms. "Of course. But before we do..." Her tone softened into curiosity. "Tell me something, Hikari. In your world... is it anything like ours?"

  Hikari's gaze lifted. "In some ways, yes. People live in cities, grow crops, trade, and go about their daily lives. But ours is more advanced in technology. We have machines, satellites, high-speed transportation, digital networks. Most of our world runs on electricity and data."

  Slayer leaned forward, scratching the side of his helmet. "...Alright, hold up. Sate-what? Digital... what now?" He shook his head. "Those aren't even real words."

  Lumina crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. "Yes. We've never heard of those terms before."

  Hikari blinked,. "Ah... right. Well, satellites are devices we launch into the sky, beyond the clouds. They circle our world and send information back down. As for digital networks... think of them as invisible threads that connect people across great distances. They carry voices, words, and knowledge instantly."

  Slayer gave a low whistle. "So you're telling me you throw things into the sky and they don't fall, and you've got invisible strings tying your whole world together? ...That sounds like a bedtime story to me."

  Hikari chuckled softly. "I promise you, it's real."

  She paused, then gestured vaguely at Lumina. "What we don't have is teleportation magic like you or Slayer have."

  "Huh? Ohhh, that." Lumina snapped her fingers lightly. "You mean how Slayer pulled that little black bag out of nowhere? Same way I conjured a leash earlier."

  "Yeah... that," Hikari nodded slowly.

  "That's a basic skill we all learn," Lumina explained. "It's like a personal dimensional space we have access to. We can store items at will, though it's limited to small or medium-sized things. For example, like bags, weapons, tools... nothing too massive."

  "Dahhh, you'll get so used to it, it'll feel normal," Slayer added proudly.

  "Y-yeah... maybe." Hikari gave a faint, uncertain smile. She quietly slipped a small notebook from her coat pocket, flipping it open with practiced ease. (Observation: local ability to store items in a "personal dimensional space." Appears limited to objects of medium-to-small mass/volume. Variables for storage classification are currently undefined, may depend on weight, size, or the user's magic capacity. Hypothesis: requires a fixed-dimensional anchor point accessible only to the wielder. Further testing needed.) She jotted the notes quickly, her handwriting precise and methodical, before tucking the book away again. ("This world's rules continue to intrigue me... but my main objective takes priority. I'll return to this later.")

  Lumina tilted her head, curiosity sparkling. "Your world really does sound fascinating, though. It's more advanced than ours, yet... no magic?" She leaned in, hands on her hips. "Huh, how amusing." Then her eyes lit up. "Wait! I have to know-" She stepped forward dramatically, gripping Hikari's shoulders. "Do you have a futuristic beer that never runs out, no matter how much you drink?! Or maybe a robot chef who serves the biggest, juiciest steak on command?!" Her eyes gleamed with childlike wonder.

  Hikari froze, blinking nervously. "U-uhhh... not exactly. Sorry, no infinite beer or robot steak."

  "Aww, shiznits..." Lumina pouted, letting her arms drop. "Well, it was worth a shot."

  She straightened, suddenly serious again. "Anyway... SLAYER! The artifact."

  "Right away, ma'am." Slayer raised one hand dramatically. With a swift motion, he clenched his fist and opened it, summoning the artifact in a flash of light.

  "Ta-da~." He presented it with both hands. "One mysterious artifact, fresh from the void."

  Hikari reached out and took it gently, her eyes scanning the smooth surface. The engraved black star glinted faintly under the tavern's dim light. Silence fell over the table as she turned it slowly in her hands, studying every detail.

  ("...This star symbol...") Hikari's mind raced as she studied it. ("Stars usually represent guidance, or hope. If that meaning applies here, then maybe this isn't just decoration. It could symbolize renewal... even rebirth. Which, given our situation, makes sense. But why a dark star, not a bright one? Odd. Maybe I'm overthinking.") Her eyes widened slightly at the thought.

  "I think... I may have an idea," she said at last, lifting her gaze.

  Captain leaned forward, arms crossed. "Any leads? Something that may help us figure this thing out?"

  "I can't say with certainty yet," Hikari admitted. "But first, I need to ask something." She held up the artifact, glancing between Lumina and Slayer. "Where exactly did you two find this?"

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Lumina nodded, recalling the moment. "I remember we were out completing a few quests when we saw something sparkle across the sky."

  "Yeah," Slayer said. "It was really bright, like if it were a shooting star."

  "Since it was late, the light stood out," Lumina continued. "It fell fast, then crashed into the ground. We weren't far, so we decided to go and check it out."

  "When we got there, a crater was waiting," Slayer added, gesturing with his hands. "And right beside it? It was that thing just sitting there, waiting to be picked up."

  "So Slayer grabbed it immediately," Lumina said with a faint smile. "We thought it might be valuable."

  "Of course I did," Slayer said with a chuckle. "Something falls from the sky, you figure someone'll pay a fortune for it. But nope... every merchant told us it was worthless and that it didn't do anything." He leaned back with a groan. "Uggghhh... we were so hyped too."

  "After we gave up trying to sell it," Lumina said, her voice lowering as her elbows rested on the table, "we brought it back to my place." Her eyes darkened slightly. "That's when it started glowing. Faint at first... and then we heard it. A voice."

  Hikari leaned in. "A voice?"

  "Yes. A female voice, high-pitched, like a child's." Lumina's tone grew heavy. "She said a woman and a man from another world would cross paths with us. That it was destiny for our worlds to come together... or chaos would follow both."

  The table fell silent. Lumina exhaled slowly. "We didn't know what to make of it. So we stored it away and tried to forget. But now..." Her eyes locked onto Hikari's. "Now it's impossible to ignore. Half of what she said has already come true."

  Hikari's expression hardened. "Thank you, Lumina. That story gives me much more insight into the artifact."

  "You got it!" Lumina said brightly, brushing it off with ease. "Feel free to ask me anything else."

  ("How did this artifact know we were coming before we even arrived? Is there a spirit trapped inside? If so, is it benevolent... or something darker? Or does it have awareness, a will of its own? And if that's the case... how do we communicate with it?")

  Her thoughts raced. ("What troubles me more is that it warned both worlds are in danger. As far as I know, only ours is threatened. Yet half its prophecy has already proven true, which makes me fear the rest will follow. The answers may lie back at Echohold-09. If I can study it further, maybe we'll find the connection. For now, we'll stick together and test this artifact. Its color reminds me of the one Dr. Naru used, but I can't confirm that with certainty since I only managed to catch a glimpse of it.")

  Her fingers tightened around the artifact as she connected possibilities in her mind. Then- (Got it...)

  "Okay," she said quietly. "I might know how to make this work."

  "Really?" Lumina leaned forward eagerly, hands on the table. "You can?? How??"

  "Uhm... y-yeah," Hikari stammered, flustered by her sudden enthusiasm.

  Lumina straightened, smiling with confidence. "Of course you can. You're Hikari! If anyone can figure this out, it's you."

  "...I'm not even sure what that means," Hikari muttered.

  "I'd love to see it in action," Lumina said, brushing it off. "So, why not give it a try? Use it however you see fit. Free of charge."

  "Sure. But first, we wait until nightfall. I believe it only activates then." Hikari stood with purpose. "After that, I want you to take me to the place where you first discovered it."

  "Of course. Leave the guiding to me," Lumina nodded. Then, with a curious glint in her eye, she added, "Also, you mentioned something earlier. An Echro, was it? What's that about?"

  Slayer leaned forward, chuckling. "Yeah! Is that like a restaurant or something? One that turned into a monster and started eating people?"

  Lumina joined in with a smirk. "First people ate there... now it does the eating? How hilarious would that be?"

  Hikari sighed, but her smirk gave her away. "If only it were that simple..."

  Captain's expression hardened, cutting through the humor. "Tch. I'd take a cursed restaurant over what we're facing. These Echos are no joke. That's why I joined the Hollows of Echo Institution. I refuse to watch our people suffer and perish to these abominations."

  "I understand how you feel, Captain," Hikari said softly, nodding.

  Lumina crossed her arms, eyes narrowing slightly. "So... these Echos you mentioned earlier. What exactly are they?"

  "Well..." Hikari began. "They've been called many things, anomalies, entities, creatures, but to keep things simple, we just refer to them as Echos. They can be anything from a harmless object that moves on its own or an intelligent humanoid that wants you dead. They're something that don't belong in our reality and don't follow the rules of our world."

  Slayer leaned back on his chair, smirking. "So basically... ghost stories that bite back?"

  Hikari chuckled lightly. "Well, some echoes are harmless and others... are catastrophic." She adjusted her posture, serious now. "The ones that broke out are categorized into four types of classes. Null, Dormant, Yuila, and Zerm."

  "Those sound like rankings," Lumina noted. "Are they based on how terrifying they are?"

  "Not exactly." Hikari shook her head. "It's about how difficult they are to capture, and the threat they pose to humanity. Null is easy, think of a self-playing violin, creepy but manageable. Zerm is the opposite, they are things that could flatten a city block within seconds. Dormant and Yuila fall somewhere between." She paused, her voice lowering. "And if one becomes truly uncontainable... we Echolock it."

  Lumina frowned. "Echolock?"

  Hikari nodded, "Yes, meaning we eliminate the threat by using lethal force."

  The air grew heavy for a moment before she continued.

  "We're part of a secret organization called the Hollows of Echo Institution. The location we're currently stationed at is Echohold-09, one of many stations we have across the world. Echohold-09 is the largest of them all," she continued. " Every Hollow follows one universal procedure when dealing with these Echos. That protocol is called E.C.O. or ECO for short. That protocol is structured into three different procedures... Echo, Capture, Order."

  Slayer raised a brow. "Sounds fancy. So what does it mean?"

  "First, we identify the Echo, give it a codename, and study its nature. Then we Capture it using specific or sometimes bizarre methods. And finally, we restore Order. That's the end goal, to ensure every Echo is kept under control in a vault, preventing them from ever breaching and causing chaos. Overall, our main mission as Hollows is to protect everyone from these Echos that cause harm to both our world and humanity."

  "I see." Lumina leaned back slightly, eyes thoughtful. "So once you join, you're officially called a Hollow?"

  "Exactly," Hikari said with a nod. "It's a title you earn once you meet certain requirements. With it comes the Hollow Symbol, the mark that makes you an official member." Her eyes shifted toward Captain's chest vest, where the black insignia rested. It was a serpent devouring its own tail, encircling a five-pointed star engraved with strange runes. "Like the one on Captain's gear."

  Slayer gave a low chuckle. "Looks kinda badass if you ask me."

  Lumina's gaze flicked from Captain back to Hikari. "And yours? Where's your Hollow Symbol?"

  Hikari froze, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She rubbed the back of her neck, mumbling, "It's... ah... not exactly in a place I'm showing in public."

  Slayer laughed, but Captain's voice cut through, grim and low. "Don't let it fool you. This mark isn't glory. There are Echos out there powerful enough to end this world. Some are captured... others are just waiting. And now, many of them are no longer in Order."

  "That's why we must act quickly," Hikari continued. "Maybe this person... no." Hikari then pauses for a second and considers a troubling thought. "This inhumane being, may be attempting to locate other Echohold stations and release them from their vaults, but we'll make sure to find this being before it does. We will ensure this won't transpire!"

  Captain clenched a fist. "That's right. We won't stop until every last one of them is captured!"

  Hikari gave a firm nod, the two sharing a moment of mutual resolve.

  Lumina crossed her arms thoughtfully. "So let me get this straight. You capture these 'Echos' because they're unpredictable and dangerous. Now that they've escaped their vaults, they're threatening your world. In response to this, you opened a portal using an artifact like the one we found and ended up in our world, hoping to find help. That about right?"

  Hikari nodded. "Correct. But we still don't know how the breach started. That's why we need to return to Echohold-09, capture the escaped Echos, and investigate who or what caused this. If it was someone's doing... they weren't acting alone. And targeting the largest Echohold first was no coincidence. I'm worried they won't stop there."

  She met Lumina's gaze directly. "Which is why I have to ask... will you and Slayer join us in this fight?"

  The table fell quiet. Slayer turned to Lumina, his usual cheer gone from his voice. "Whatever you decide, I'm with you. We grew up in Xevia together, after all. And if that artifact's voice is telling the truth... maybe our world's in danger too." He clenched his fist. "I want to protect both Xevia and this world."

  Lumina lowered her eyes in thought. "...It could be a trap. Or a fight we can't win. But if we walk away, we'll never learn why we crossed paths, or why that artifact chose us. And if both worlds really are at risk, then standing still isn't an option." She took a deep breath, then smiled. "Alright. We'll help you. Besides, slaying the same old monsters was getting dull. Maybe this new quest will push us beyond our limits." She glanced at Slayer. "What do you say?"

  "Haha, classic Lumina," Slayer laughed, punching his palm. "Always looking for the next challenge. Count me in, too, then."

  Lumina turned back to Hikari, her smile bright and determined. "So here's the deal, Hikari. We'll fight alongside you, but I have one tiny request."

  Hikari tilted her head. "And what might that be?"

  "I want to try the food from your world," Lumina said, her tone suddenly playful. "Especially the drinks. It might give me ideas for new tavern recipes." She held up a finger. "In return, I'll treat you to delicacies from ours. Sound like a deal?"

  Hikari's lips curved into a soft smile. "If that's what you want... then it's a deal. Assuming we survive this and my world doesn't turn into a living hell, I'll be happy to share some recipes."

  "Then that makes it all the more reason we'll survive this together and see it through to the end," Lumina said with a smirk.

  "Ooooh~, that's a sweet deal," Slayer cheered, raising his mug. "Alright everyone, let's do it! I'm ready to kick some Echo ass!" He downed the rest of his beer in one gulp, then slammed the mug on the table with a laugh. "Ahhh... good stuff. Now then..." he grinned under his helmet, "...seal the deal, Lumina and Hikari."

  Hikari turned to Captain. "Well? What about you?"

  Captain stood, finishing his beer in one long swallow. "Of course. I decided the moment I stepped through that portal. If it's for our world, count me in. I appreciate their help" -his eyes flicked toward Lumina and Slayer- "but don't forget, I'm not here to make friends." He shot a pointed look at Slayer. Slayer just shrugged.

  "I just want to see these Echos locked away," Captain said flatly. "And keep humanity from going extinct."

  "Sounds good to me," Hikari replied. "But don't be too hard on them, Captain. We're a team now."

  "...Yeah. I'll keep that in mind." He paused, his voice low. "If anyone understands the weight of that, it's me."

  "Thanks, Captain," Hikari said with a small smile.

  "Don't mention it."

  Hikari turned back to Lumina, her eyes burning with determination. "Now then... shall we proceed with the deal?" She rose, extending her hand.

  "Deal," Lumina declared, clasping it firmly.

  The alliance sealed, the party spent the rest of the day at the tavern, drinking, eating, and trading stories about their worlds. But as night fell and the laughter faded, Lumina locked up and led them down a hidden passage beneath the tavern. Inside were weapons, supplies, and gear prepared for the journey ahead.

  They packed in silence, the weight of what lay before them settling in. Beyond the walls of Xevia, the Deep Forest awaited. And within its shadows, everything would change.