Hammerman

In Search Of A Missing Friend

Gilda stayed quiet while Kaito told his story. She now knew that Lilia was someone really close to him indeed. She decided it wasn't her place to probe further.

"No, she never did," she replied to his question at the end. "She simply just did it. I wouldn't know how to do it either."

The food finally finished cooking. The two cut their conversation short as they moved back to the living room. There was a sitting table in the middle of the room where they could eat together.

"Here we go!"

Gilda put Kaito's plate and hers in that order onto the table, as well a pair of spoon and fork for each of them. The utensils were made out of smoothly crafted wood. There were also some potatoes and vegetable dressing available. As for the drink, she had a bottle of wine for both of them.

It was quite the lavish meal for Gilda's standard. But she had one rule she always abide on. Never hold back on hospitality, especially when you're taking in a person as important as a Hero. Normally, she would only eat bread and soup when on her own. Kaito was lucky there were still some leftover meat available to cook.

The lamb meat was tender and the sauce was just at the right spot between sweet and sour. Gilda really knew her way around the kitchen.

As they ate, Gilda began telling him of everything she did with Lilia when she was here with her. She told it all with a bright and infectious excitement. She told him how Lilia just appeared out of nowhere in front of her barn, asking for directions. She told him how she brought her home and how they ended up sharing the same mattress as her father was home at the time. She didn't even shy on describing how soft and fragile Lilia was as she woke up in the morning hugging her.

"Oooh, she was just like a little sister I never had!" she exclaimed, even though they were around the same age.

She then told him how the next morning, a dragon attack happened and how it destroyed her barn, killing every cow and lamb inside, and how it made her cry in despair as it was half of her family's livelihood. And then, how Lilia comforted her, asking if she would like to take revenge of said dragon and kill it once and for all.

"At that time, she didn't even show an ounce of fear. Instead, I could only sense anger coming from her. Her smile back then... it was honestly a little scary," she admitted.

She continued, telling him how they went up the mountains and killed a pack of wolves before reaching the summit where the dragon lived.

"She was really, really strong!" she said enthusiastically. "She burned all those wolves like nothing. She even had this strange move where she dodged a charging wolf's attack by moving so fast she left afterimages. And she could apparently hover as well!"

They then finally reached the summit. And Gilda began to dramatically re-enact the fight using her spoon as at that point, she was getting slightly tipsy from the alcohol.

"So I was there, taking the front. Lilia said she had cast a shield spell on me and that she needed me to buy time as she cast a great spell to finish off the dragon. I ran around to distract the overgrown lizard, even hitting it once or twice with my stick, though of course it did nothing at all. I even got blasted with its breath once. Burned my dress right off. If not for Lilia's shield spell, I would've been dead for sure!"

"And then, it happened. A massive storm cloud gathered on the skies before a giant thunderbolt struck the dragon down. It was so powerful I actually fainted from it."

"After that, you knew the drill. We found the treasure, we returned back to the village, and we told everyone about it."

She sat back down after she finished her tale. Judging from the sweat she had on her face, it was as if she just experienced the adventure all over again. It was dangerous, but fun at the same time. In this sleepy village, it was probably the only true excitement she would ever get in her entire life.

"I don't really remember where she went afterwards though," she continued. "But any traveler should end up in the Capital. That's the best place to look for all sorts of info, or at least, that's what I heard. Oh, the Order of the Sage had a branch there so it would make sense for her, being a Hero and all, to go there!"

In Search Of A Missing Friend

When Kaito entered the kitchen, Gilda was in the middle of peeling some potatoes. His sudden appearance, at least according to her, almost made her cut her finger.

"A-ah, Sir Kaito? N-no, please don't be! I can handle this by myself just fine! Since Mom went away, I'm the one on cooking duty after all," she explained, pausing at her work. "But if you insist... I-I guess I can have someone watching over the beef stew. Make sure it's cooking fine and all," she added with a smile. She didn't dare giving him any harder work than that.

The two then continued their work. When Gilda switched over to cutting some tomatoes, she said, "S-Sorry for lying about who you are back there, Sir Kaito. If I told them the truth, we'll still be there for sure as everyone would want to see and meet with a Hero," she explained.

An awkward silence then ensued as both sides didn't speak another work. Feeling the heaviness in the air, Gilda worked her brain, trying to pick up a topic to lessen the tension.

"A-ah, this reminds me... Lilia, I-I mean, Miss Akatsuki, used to help me with my cooking as well. Though she did it with her fire magic. Back then, we ran out of firewood to burn so we used her flame to cook instead."

Another pause. Gilda was braving herself to ask the question that had been nagging on her mind.

"A-anyway, i-if I may ask, what's your relationship with her, Sir? You seem to know her quite well..."

In Search Of A Missing Friend

"Kai-to?" Gilda tilted her head. "That's quite the odd name. But then again, Lilia's family name is odd as well... A-ah, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to insult you or anything!" she quickly added.

"Oh, they wouldn't mind! Especially when that boy is a Hero!" Gilda replied with a smile. "Okay then, follow me, Sir Kaito. Or would you just want me to call you by your name? It would feel weird since you're a Hero and all, but Lilia never really minded. Or at least I think she didn't..."

Gilda then guided Kaito to descend down from the hills they were on, heading towards the village in the distance. The road they traveled on was just a dirt one, so it was quite uneven at places. But Gilda didn't seem to be bothered by it whatsoever. The fact that she wore boots certainly helped matters.

"Hehe, alright then! I'll take you on your offer!" she replied cheerfully to his warning. "Pops aren't coming back tonight though so we'll be there on our own."

"Gems? Hmmm..." She put her hand under her chin. "Oh, I remember! After Lilia slew the dragon, we found some treasure that it had been guarding. She told me to take it all, which I certainly didn't, mind you, I shared it all with the entire village--we could expand our farm and buy some more livestock thanks to it--except for this one gem. Maybe that's the gem the Sage wants you to gather?"

After around thirty minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the village. The place looked pretty much like your average medieval village, with all the wooden houses; some having thatch roofing and some with actual wooden roofs. The roads were actually paved this time, but they weren't as tidy as the roads you would find in cities. with some clearly need fixing.

When they arrived, they immediately attracted the attention of the villagers that saw them. It was one of the village housewives and a group of children. Most of the other housewives were busy doing their work--mostly cooking, cleaning, and sewing--inside their homes.

"Oh, Gilda, you're back! Wait, who is there with you?"

"Yaay, Big Sis Gilda is back!"

The children ran towards Gilda and hugged her; a display of affection that the farm girl replied with a bright smile and a generous dose of head pats. She was clearly quite popular with them.

"Big Sis, who's this man?"

"Your boyfriend? Well, I don't like him!"

"Yeah, yeah, leave him be and play with us instead!"

The kids looked towards Kaito with suspicion, as well as the middle-aged housewife for that matter.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He's just... a traveler, that's all. He'll be resting in my house for the night," Gilda lied.

"Oh my, taking in a stranger? Isn't that dangerous? Especially since he's a young man and you're a young woman?" the housewife said, eyeing Kaito some more. "And he's dressed so strangely too..."

"Oh, Mary, who do you think I am? If he tries anything, I'll beat him up with my trusty stick!" Gilda replied with a smile as she showed off her crook.

The housewife called Mary sighed. "Well, you know best. Just remember. If you need anything, I'll be there to help."

"Thank you, Mary!" Gilda then turned towards the kids. "Alright you guys, Big Sis Gilda has to go now."

"Aaawww..." the kids replied near-simultaneously with disappointment.

---

After that little distraction, the two finally arrived at her house. It was one of the wooden houses with thatched roof.

The place was definitely less well-off than your usual modern-day era house. The entrance didn't even have a floor and the wooden flooring that existed creaked every time they walked on it. And there was only one bedroom without actual beds. They would have to sleep on the floor with only hay-stuffed mattresses and blankets covering them.

Gilda took Kaito to the living room and told him to wait there while she prepared dinner. He would be able to smell the delicious scent of cooked beef coming from the kitchen.

In Search Of A Missing Friend

"S-Sir Hero? A-are you alright?" Gilda looked at Kaito with worry when he suddenly fell forward onto his knees.

"Y-you know about Lili--I-I mean, Miss Akatsuki?" Gilda said as she helped him rise up to his feet, grabbing his hands and pulling him up. He would be able to feel the roughness of her skin and the unexpected strength she possessed; both born out of her life as the daughter of a farmer and a shepherd who had to guard the cows and goats from any monsters or beasts that wanted them for food. "Yes, she really was here a few years back. And she helped us all in the village a lot! We used to have a dragon coming down from the mountain and raiding us for our livestocks and she took care of it by herself! You should've seen it! She was really, really amazing back then!" She raised her arms in excitement, her eyes twinkling as well.

Being humble, she neglected to mention that she was the one who guided her to the dragon lair on top of the mountain.

"So, you really are her acquaintance after all!" Gilda smiled while clapping her hands together. "That's great! You can tell me all about her then! We can talk about her all night long at my home! T-that is if you want to, of course, S-Sir Hero..." she quickly added, not wanting to offend Kaito.

"I-I wouldn't dream to know what your mission is, Sir Hero!" Gilda quickly answered when he asked her why he was sent there. "But if you were brought here by the Sage, you must have a really important task to do. Didn't the Sage say anything when she brought you here?"

"As for Lilia, I... n-nevermind." She stopped herself. Those rumors could never be true after all...

In Search Of A Missing Friend

Seeing how Kaito responded with hostility took Gilda off-guard. She quickly apologized profusely, bowing again and again and again at him.

"I-I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, Sir Hero! Oh, I've been rude again!"

Only after she was satisfied with her apologies that she answered his questions.

"W-well, I thought you are an Otherworlder just like Lilia--I-I mean, Miss Lilia--N-No, M-Miss Akatsuki! T-that's how I should've been calling her! I-I can't act all friendly towards a Hero!"

Once again, she was tripping over her own words.

"A-anyway, M-Miss Akatsuki... she came here a few years back. And she was wearing a garment similar to yours. Back then, I didn't know at all that she was a Chosen Hero, and she never mentioned it as well. Only later on after she was declared such by the Order that I knew who she really was! Ooh, I should've been more perceptive! It was clear as day with the way she carried herself that she was a special person! And I still didn't realize who she was even after she saved our village from the dragon! Can you believe it?! You're such an idiot, Gilda!"

She then tapped her own head repeatedly with her crook, only stopping after she realized that Kaito was still staring at her.

"A-ah, sorry for that, S-Sir Hero!" she said with an awkward smile. "W-where were we? Oh yeah, the reason why I called you a hero. Well, I figured you're just like her, an Otherworlder. So I thought you must be another Hero, chosen by the Sage! I'm right, aren't I? Teehee, I won't be so ignorant this time! I will make sure you get the treatment fitting of a Hero!"

"As for how you get here, didn't you get called or summoned by the Sage? I wouldn't know how such a thing could be done. I'm just an ordinary farm girl after all. Oh, and this is the Village of Autumn, at the Land of Wind. Like the name says, here, we are in perpetual autumn. There aren't much here but Miss Akatsuki said she loved the sight here very much!"

It was clear that she held Lilia in really high esteem. And from the way she was staring at Kaito with admiration and curiosity, she was ready to admire him just as much.

In Search Of A Missing Friend

Kaito stuffed the phone back into his pocket as he familiarized himself with his surroundings. He knew for a fact these kinds of fields didn't even grow anywhere near the city he lived in, much less within it. He'd never even seen a farm in real life. At least, not until now. That was still assuming this were real life, of course.

The young man stood and brushed lingering pieces of hay off of his thighs and backside, puffing his cheeks and blowing some air through his lips in a horse-like fashion.

Where the hell am I?

Just then, the most curiously dressed girl he had ever seen pushed through a row of wheat before him. She accosted him furiously, and he was left to stammer apologies that fell upon deaf ears. He threw up his hands as she brandished her crook in his direction, trying to show he was no threat. Kaito wasn't intimidating in the least; he was scrawny, short, and pale. She had no interest in his broken explanation, and before long, Kaito found himself listening to her every word with a slack-jawed expression upon his face.

Gilda behaved quite strangely and rather forwardly for someone he had just met. Her annoyance quickly transformed into elation, and it left Kaito even more confused. She was going on so rapidly that it was hard to follow, but he made sense of a couple things that stood out to him.

Locking his knees, Kaito stood his ground and drew his hands away from hers as if her skin had burned him. "I'm not going anywhere with you until you explain a few things," he stated flatly, eyes narrowing with irritation. "Who is this girl you speak of? And why would you call me a Hero? I've done nothing of note, as far as I'm aware."

He gestured wildly with his hands in every direction, continuing to stare Gilda down. Kaito was not as enamoured with this girl's appearance or giddiness as he might have usually been, given the situation. "And where am I, for starters? How did I get here? You must know. You seem to know an awful lot about me already."

In Search Of A Missing Friend

---

Holy Land of Fana
Throne of The World

Inside the silent and empty World Palace, there sat a certain girl.

She had had many names. Once, she was called Lilia Akatsuki. Then, she earned the mantle of the Savior. And now, she was the Dark Savior; the traitor that betrayed the Sage of Balance and took the power of darkness of the Sage of Chaos into her own.

If you were to ask her which name she preferred, she would answer the latest. It suited her just fine, being viewed as an evil villain.

She was fully aware that her dream was a selfish one after all.

"Meow. Meeeowwww,"

"Oh, Shiro. Is it time for dinner already?"

She possessed with her a white cat, that had been sleeping on her lap.

Shiro was her name, given after the color of her fur.

"Hmm, not yet. But the sun should come down soon so be patient."

"Meoowwww..."

Its master just smiled as it tried to look as forlorn and miserable as possible to her as she patted its head.

So, you have chosen your new champion...

And to think that you actually brought him... Is this your attempt to make me have a change of heart?

...No matter. I have decided a long time ago. And not even him would be able to change my mind.

However, maybe it would be amusing to see him react to this world.

With a slightly mischievous smile, she activated her clairvoyance spell. Eye in The Sky. With it, she could see everything he did anywhere and at any time.

Let's see how well you will do in this world, shall we, O Great Savior?

---

Land of Wind
Village of Autumn

When Kaito came to, he would find himself outside, as he had crashed into a pile of hay beside a barn.

The sun was setting, and all around him he would be able to see unending fields of wheat stretching as far as the eyes could see.

Before he could go far however, a local came up to him and halted him on his tracks.

"Hey, who are you and what are you doing here?"

She held her shepherd stick in front of her as if it was some makeshift weapon.

"What are you doing messing up my hay? Now I have to collect it all over again!" she said in anger, while eyeing him suspiciously up and down.

"Wait... those clothes... that fabric..." She leaned forward and grabbed a handful of his t-shirt. "No doubt about it! This is the same garment she wore when I found her!"

She then looked back at him; her expression transformed entirely into pure joyous curiosity, and said, "You also came from another world, didn't you? Maybe even the same world as hers! Oh, you have to tell me everything!"

She grabbed his hands and pulled him towards her, with her eyes shining as bright as the stars.

Before abruptly releasing them, bowing as deeply as she could, before saying, "O-oh, I shouldn't act so familiar with you, should I? I-if you're just like her, then that means you must be another Hero like her! Aaww, I should've be more respectful to her back then!"

"S-so, Mr. Hero. I-it's a honor to meet you, S-Sir! M-my name is Gilda a-and I'm just an ordinary village girl!"

She gave a panicked curtsy that was clearly not refined in the slightest. She only knew that it was something ladies supposed to do to show respect.

"I-if you would like, y-you can stay in our house for the night. I-I'm sure Pops wouldn't mind in the slightest!"

She was clearly still as nervous as a bumbling bee.

In Search Of A Missing Friend

The week was finally over. Another five days of dragging himself through Hell for the sole purpose of... Well, what was the purpose, exactly? Getting into a decent university and then not using whatever degree he managed to get? No, thank you. Of course, it wasn't like he had any choice. His parents would disown him if he said anything negative about his ongoing education.

Kaito shed his uncomfortable uniform and donned a pair of black sweatpants and a white tee-shirt. His only obligation tonight what dinner with his family. Outside of that, he was going to settle into his computer chair for a long night of Apex Legends. Bloodhound wasn't going to win all of those games herself.

That's when everything turned on its head.

"Can you hear me, O Savior?"

The voice danced through his ears like a dream, and a brilliant light coursed around him, causing him to throw a hand up and shield his eyes. He looked around wildly for the source before glancing down. His heart leaped into his throat as he realized the floor had vanished, and he was literally floating downwards.

He flapped his arms wildly, trying to grab at his desk behind him, but that had disappeared as well. All there was was light. Pure, dazzling light. And that voice. Ethereal and musical, yet loud and slightly terrifying. He called out desperately, not really forming words as much as just making noise. A woman appeared before him, looming ominously and cloaked in that same bright light. Her features were impossible to discern, but her voice was as clear as ever.

Kaito stared, transfixed by her words. They made no sense. He was pretty sure a couple of those words were completely made up. Had he fallen and hit his head? Was he asleep? Had someone drugged him? This was clearly a very vivid hallucination. There was no plausible explanation other than that.

The woman's voice began to flicker and fade, and its captivating essence wore off immediately. Once again, Kaito realized he was falling into emptiness. A long, drawn-out yell left his lungs as he waved his arms again. There was a flash and the light disappeared.

Kaito crashed into the hay softly before rolling off and coming to a rest on the ground. He blinked rapidly, spitting straw from his mouth and fighting off a sneeze that was triggered by the hay. The world around him seemed to spin slowly to a stop. He sat up and took in the unfamiliar surroundings with a surprised expression. Kaito was fairly certain he had never seen this place before.

The young man patted at his torso and face quickly, making sure his senses were not betraying him. This seemed too real to be a dream or hallucination. What was going on?

Phone... he thought suddenly.

Kaito fished his mobile from the front-left pocket of his joggers and turned on the display. The screen came to life, but the words 'No Service' were prominently displayed above the time, which had reset itself to 00:00. Even as he stared at this newest bit of craziness, he noticed the battery-level indicator tick down five percent in the space of seconds. The phone was dying at an alarming pace, as if the life was being drained from the battery cells by some unseen force.

"Shit!" he murmured to himself exasperatedly, running a hand through his thick black hair and looking around wildly once more.

In Search Of A Missing Friend

Al-Farna. A fantastical world full of magic and wonder.

Right at the very center of it lied the Holy Land of Fana. A sacred land that no ordinary people are allowed to enter.

And right at the very heart of that land was the Throne of The World, a place where the Sage of Balance oversaw the whole world.

At least, that was how it supposed to be, before the Calamity occurred.

The Holy Land was overtaken by darkness, as the Sage of Chaos dethroned the Sage of Balance before sealing her away.

With the remnants of her power, she called upon a Savior. A Hero that would be able to fight the darkness and bring back light to the world.

And then, the Savior succeeded.

Only for her to absorb the darkness wielded by the Sage of Chaos out of her own free will, before taking the Throne for herself.

The Sage of Balance remained sealed, and she could only bide her time until she could gather enough power to summon another Savior.

And eventually, she did.

---

Kaito had no idea his day would end like this.

Just after he got back from school and changed out of his uniform in his room, two magic circles suddenly appeared below and above him, at the floor and at the ceiling. And before he could do anything, a bright light enveloped him and the entire room.

"...Hear..."

"Can...hear...me..."

"Can you hear me, O Savior?"

He was now falling. Not a harsh fall like how it should be, but a gentle one that was more like floating.

And he could hear a voice calling out to him. It was an odd, echoed voice but he could hear the hint of femininity in it clearly.

Then, he saw it. A figure made of light forming in front of him.

The figure was tall. Giant-sized even. With how blinding the light coming out from her, he couldn't make out her clothes nor her face.

"O Savior," the figure spoke, "Please, save Al-Farna. The Dark Savior, she has to be stopped, or else this world, and--"

The figure lost its form momentarily, flickering like a candle that was going to go out.

"She... expected... can't maintain... seek... gems..."

And with it, the figure disappeared. And the pure white landscape he had been falling in vanished as well.

And then, he landed right on top of a pile of hay.

In Search Of A Missing Friend

Name: Kaito Tanaka

Gender : Male

Appearance:

Kaito

Personality: Always having a hard time fitting in, Kaito has entirely reverted inwardly over the last year or so. He had never quite gotten over Lilia's sudden, unexplained disappearance. Though it had been more than a few years ago, the hormonal and chemical changes to his body and mind (thanks to puberty) made him cripplingly sentimental. He has taken to withdrawing to his room during any spare time, refusing to socialize with anyone face to face unless absolutely necessary. Video games and fiction novels had always been his friends. Kaito is observant, incredibly intelligent, and rather pragmatic. He is a problem solver, but he's also a procrastinator. As such, he does struggle with completing school assignments on time. Kaito simply doesn't see any point in improving. Lilia's disappearance had truly damaged him.

History : At first, Kaito had accepted his assignment of assisting Lilia begrudgingly. Though friendly by nature, he abhorred the idea of wasting his free time by bringing worksheets and books to some crippled girl. That all changed the second he met Lilia. She was charming and mysterious. Though gentle, she clearly harbored a darker side that came out here and there. But Kaito appreciated her dark humour and wit. They spent increasingly large amounts of time together. It no longer had anything to do with schoolwork. He truly wanted to spend time with her. Talk to her. Play games with her. It took him a long time to realize that he had a major crush on Lilia, but being brand new to those types of feelings, nothing ever came of it. Before he knew it, she was gone from his life.
No one could explain it. Her parents mourned, as one might expect, but Kaito was right there with them emotionally. He was shattered. She had been a light in the darkness. Something to look forward to after the rough days at school. But now she was gone... And nothing anyone did could explain why. Over the years, one might find Kaito sadly reminiscing over old photos of Lilia and himself on Facebook, listening to music they both liked, or playing video games they had enjoyed. Memories and thoughts of Lilia can very easily bring Kaito to tears if he isn't distracted immediately. He has never stopped loving her, and the hope of her one day turning up always lingers in the back of his mind. But it's a silly thought. Surely it would never happen...