Uryuu drifted through Akiba’s center, his aimless path meandering through the familiar-unfamiliar streets as he tried to make sense of it all. A night of sleep had changed nothing: he was still trapped within the world of a game, lost and alone and helpless despite his character’s strength.

None of it felt real. None of it felt right. His body was wrong in all the little ways that mattered and it grated; ignoring his hair and ears — too long on both accounts thanks to being an elf — his hands were different and his vision stronger and his steps lighter.

He could see in the dark as if it were day.

He still needed glasses but everything was sharper, brighter, as if a veil had been torn away.

Every step felt like he could move further, run faster, leap higher, as if he was constantly enhancing himself with reiatsu.

And his hands…

Still strong, still calloused, but the shape was all wrong: a touch wider, a touch more uniform, lacking the small nicks and scars he’d grown used to.

(Even his nails were wrong!)

Uryuu clenched his hands and took an unsteady breath, dragging his mind away from everything wrong with him and trying to focus on the world instead.

Not that it helped. He wasn’t the only Adventurer adrift in this new-wrong-familiar world; hundreds if not thousands of others filled the streets of Akiba, sitting against walls and perched upon rubble, alone and in groups, all looking just as dazed, just as listless, as himself.

The apathy clashed with his memories of these streets when Theldesia was just a game world. Everything had been so… so lively, filled with people going about their business and a local chat overflowing with banter and party requests. And now… nothing. Just a low murmur broken by the occasional raised voice or hysterical laughter.

(He’d loved Theldesia and the freedom it promised.)

(But he’d never imagined this!)

He didn’t know what to do.

Landers weren’t offering quests. Adventurers were turning insular. Akiba wasn’t home anymore.

Uryuu slipped down a small side-street and let his feet carry him where they would. There was more to Akiba than ever before, nooks and crannies that he could traverse that the game had previously denied him, and it made him wonder at the world beyond the city. Where could he go that no one else had ever stepped foot? What sights could he see that no one else ever had?

(Longing lodged in his throat like a tickle that refused to move.)

Not that he’d ever get a chance to see any of it, Uryuu acknowledged with a sigh. He’d never survive out there on his own. Level ninety opened a lot of doors, but a lone Adventurer could only do so much. If he joined a guild he could do more, but… what guild would have him? His ‘friends’ list was mostly empty, and while he did trust the people on it to have his back in combat, he didn’t think that would translate to being in a guild with any of them.

(Alliances of convenience, one and all.)

(He wanted adventure and they needed DPS.)

(He’d never really to gotten know any of them.)

“Careful, Hanae! Here, let me just… there we go! All stowed away safe.”

Uryuu’s steps faltered at the sound of a cheerful, energetic voice floating around the corner. After a day and a half of hearing nothing but anger and despair, it made him cautious; who was this person to sound so unaffected?

He edged around the corner, cautious-wary-uncertain—

A large wagon took up part of the street, two horses hitched to the front and a group of five Landers — four Fox Tails and a Wolf Fang — moving around and loading boxes into the wagon as they went. A family, Uryuu suspected — or perhaps a family and an extra guard? — given that there were two children helping out.

It was… strange to watch the wagon be loaded, to watch NPCs complete a task instead of move aimlessly about. Even stranger was the banter, cheerful and bright and so alive it hurt.

(NPCs weren’t alive, weren’t capable of… of this.)

One of the Fox Tails lifted up the smallest child and swung the boy about. They spun and spun about, a blur of russet red and cheerful, childish laughter that spawned a hollow ache in Uryuu’s chest.

The other child huffed and scrambled atop the wagon bench then crouched, her ears back and her single tail twitching as she focused on the Wolf Fang. “Osamu!” she shouted, giving the Wolf Fang barely enough time to turn before she leapt—

The Wolf Fang laughed. Caught the child and swung. Lofted her straight up—

“Again!” she demanded as Osamu caught her on the way down.

“So demanding,” Osamu said with amusement, but didn’t hesitate to toss her back up into the air as she squealed in glee.

The fourth Fox Tail stood to the side, one foot on a box as he watched the others take a break to play. His ears were perked forward and all four tails were swaying slowly, looking pleased despite the interruption.

Then Uryuu took a step back, uncertain if he wanted to interrupt the surreal, impossible sight in front of him—

(He couldn’t impose upon them. Couldn’t ruin their happiness even if it was just code going through the motions—)

The fourth Fox Tail’s ears twitched and he cocked his head towards Uryuu in surprise. “Good afternoon,” the man said with a smile.

The two spinning Fox Tails came to a halt, the young boy breathless and clinging tight to the woman, who took a couple careful steps to lean against the side of the wagon. She gave Uryuu a small smile of her own and freed a hand to wave. “Hello there. Please, don’t mind us.”

“It’s… I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Uryuu hastened to say, taking another step back as the last two Landers turned to look at him. Being the focus of five stares was uncomfortable at the best of times, but when those five were Landers, were NPCs that shouldn’t have been capable of anything he’d just seen them do…

“You really weren’t,” the male Fox Tail told him, then gestured to the handful of boxes still on the ground. “We’re almost done, so there’s no harm in taking a break. Right?” he asked the other Landers.

“Right!” both children chorused together, then burst into another fit of giggles as they shared a look.

“So you see, you weren’t interrupting at all. We’ve still got plenty of time before it’s too late to leave the city today. Would you like to join us?”

“I… I probably shouldn’t?” Uryuu said, hating the way his words came out as a question instead of a statement. “I’d just… get in your way.”

The male Fox Tail hummed and gave him a once over, gaze lingering on Uryuu’s magic bag for a moment. “You’re an adventurer, right? We could always use another weapon to help defend the wagon during our trip. With all the confusion lately we weren’t certain if it was a good idea to head out, but there are enough villages relying on our goods that we think it’s worth it to try.”

“You… don’t know me,” Uryuu tried, though he doubted that would hold any weight at all. Landers never knew the Adventurers they hired, not really, so why would that change now?

“You look trustworthy,” the Fox Tail said with a shrug. “What do you say? We can’t pay you much, but—”

“I don’t… need much. It’s fine.” Uryuu swallowed and ran a hand through his hair, glancing back the way he came. Staying had the benefit of safety, but… the apathy and anger brewing amongst the other Adventurers set his teeth on edge. He had no one to turn to, no friends to shelter with…

What difference did it make if he left? He was trapped in Theldesia either way. At least as a wagon guard his life would have some sort of purpose, no matter how small.

(Escort missions like this were newbie level, meant to introduce a player to the world and to how travel worked.)

(But maybe… maybe he could find some answers out there, beyond Akiba’s crowded streets.)

“Ah, perfect!” The Fox Tail clapped his hands together and took a small hop-step forward. “I am Sho, and this is my darling wife Kiku and my adorable husband Osamu!” Sho smirked at Osamu’s grumbled protest, then darted in and ruffled first the girl’s hair and then the young boy’s. “And these are our children, Hanae and Jun,” he introduced in turn. “And you are?”

“I’m Ayumu,” Uryuu said, his character’s name sliding off his tongue with practiced ease.

Sho grinned, bright and cheerful and kind in a way that hurt. “It’s nice to meet you, Ayumu! Come, come, let’s get the last of this packed away while I tell you of our route!”

Uryuu took a cautious step forward, then another, until he was standing next to the wagon and helping the little family to finish packing while he listened to the strangest quest briefing he’d ever been given.

(What a way to start his life in Theldesia…)