Two days ago Kobayashi Hachiman and Alexander Webb were challenged to a game by Aisha Königin, the current ruler of humanity. During the last two days, Kobayashi has completed reading the two books left by Aisha. The books strictly covered the prophecy recorded by the ancient king 10,000 years ago and the history of the one true god of this world.

Today, the duo are still carrying out their daily routine. They are currently eating their breakfast in Rafaeru no hoteru's cafeteria area while Kobayashi helps Alexander learn how the writing system functions. Recently, Alexander put away some of his pride and asked Kobayashi to teach him how to read.

"But why must you start to write on that side? Doesn't it just make sense to start writing here instead of over there? And why are the same words spelled differently in certain sentences but contain the same pronunciation?!"

Alexander was growing frustrated with the writing system and its rules, raising his voice, causing people to stare at him and Kobayashi. Alexander didn't even have the slightest idea of how to write anything.

"It's very simple, Alexander. Just start on the right side of the paper and always end your sentence on the left side."

Kobayashi handed Alexander a pencil and said,"Here, try again."

Alexander let out a frustrated sigh and dramatically let his head fall on the table. He was overreacting like usual, and people only continued to stare at the two. They definitely thought of Alexander as an idiot who couldn't read or write even a simple sentence. To make it even worse, they weren't completely wrong about that.

"This is infuriating, you pathetic old man."

Alexander raised his head up and began writing on the paper in another attempt to learn how to write.

"I'm not that much older. I'm only nine years older than you, Alexander."

"Whatever you say..."

Kobayashi's expression showed he was slightly offended by Alexander calling him out on being older. Kobayashi, like nearly every other person to ever exist, never appreciated being called old. He similarly got offended when Nakamura would call him old just for a laugh back in his original world.

Alexander only grumbled at his response.

"You got it correct, Alexander! That's impressive."

Kobayashi tried to congratulate Alexander for finally learning how to write a basic sentence, but Alexander only gave a glare in exchange before taking a bite of a sloppy, disgusting soup prepared by missus Rafaeru.

"It only took a day, right? So impressive indeed, Kobayashi," Alexander with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Kobayashi only smiled and took a bite of a less disgusting soup also prepared by missus Rafaeru.

"This place and its food is a health hazard..."

Alexander groaned and looked at his soup like it was garbage before shoveling another spoonful of it into his mouth.

"Nonsense, Alexander. As I said before, we should be appreciative for missus Rafaeru's kindness to supply us with this food."

"Kindness? It looks like someone dumped human waste in here and mixed it with dirty water."

Alexander continued to grumble, and eventually the plump missus Rafaeru began making her way to their table.

"Not this again..."

Alexander sighed and Kobayashi looked behind them, also spotting missus Rafaeru coming towards them.

"What don't you like about missus Rafaeru, Alexander?"

Alexander huffed and crossed his arms.

"She reminds me of an old woman my father hired, and she was constantly around even after she was no longer required. She always tried to make me do stuff when I was a kid. She was like a mother, but she almost always made me irritated."

"Sounds like she was a good woman and mother figure to me."

Alexander was about to add onto his opinion further, but missus Rafaeru slapped her hand on the table while she had a sweet smile on her face.

"How was your breakfast today?"

"It was amazing, missus Rafaeru. We are forever in your debt for the kindness you've shown to us since our arrival."

Kobayashi smiled while Alexander grumbled and looked down at his feet. Rafaeru didn't notice Alexander's expression or demeanor and continued to smile.

"Nonsense! I should thank you. That little toy sword you gave my son-in-law has made him happier than the day he married my daughter. I can't thank you enough."

Kobayashi smiled and shook his head while Alexander scoffed and looked up at her with an attitude.

"It's not a toy sword, it's an iron dagger."

Missus Rafaeru looked at Alexander with the same smile and expression as always. She didn't even notice his attitude. And with the kind of person she was, she probably would've ignored his attitude if she had noticed it.

"Thank you for correcting me. Would you two like anything else to eat today?"

"No thank you, missus Rafaeru."

Kobayashi and Alexander stood up from their seats and handed their bowls to her.

"Thank you for the food!"

Kobayashi smiled and waved as missus Rafaeru took their bowls back to the kitchen area so they could be washed.

The two began taking their normal paths before Alexander collapsed onto the ground and grabbed his abdomen in pain and began coughing violently.

"Alexander, are you okay?!"

Kobayashi kneeled down to Alexander with a look of concern. He tried to help Alexander stand back up, but Alexander only collapsed again. His sickness was only getting worse with each passing day.

"You've been sick for a while now, haven't you?" Kobayashi asked Alexander.

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"How did you know I've been sick recently, old man?" asked Alexander between coughs.

"I've noticed your coughing and strange behaviors since day one of arriving here. You've acted like you were ill since you got here."

Kobayashi finally got Alexander back on his feet and assisted him back to their room on the second floor.

Kobayashi opened the door and initially began to take Alexander towards the second bed, but Alexander began frantically kicking with all of his energy.

"No! No! No, you idiot! I'm not laying on that piece of rubbish! That filth is only going to make my sickness worse!"

Alexander kicked free from Kobayashi and made his way to the wooden chair in the corner of the room. Funny enough, Alexander refused to even touch the beds because of their appalling appearance and a strange smell that had dug into the fabric.

"Let's change up the topic..."

Alexander had a grin on his face, which signaled he was likely going to say something dumb or ask a pointless question. He was trying to lighten the mood some.

"You're attracted to Aisha, aren't you? I saw how you were looking at her when she was over here. You wanna be in a relationship with her, don't you?"

Alexander laughed through a few coughs. The question was really pointless, and Kobayashi kept the same expression as usual. But Kobayashi also smiled a bit after a few seconds of thinking.

"No, I'm not attracted to Aisha in any romantic way, but I do think she is a beautiful woman. I honestly appreciate her beauty, but she's not someone I am attracted to. She reminds me of my wife in a way, which is why you saw me looking at her like that. I remembered how my wife had a smile similar to hers."

Alexander raised an eyebrow at Kobayashi's confession. Alexander never took Kobayashi as the type of man who was married. Alexander saw him as more of someone who only had short-term relationships with women.

"You're married?"

Kobayashi's smile slightly faltered, but it stayed on his face.

"I was married at one point, but I'm not married anymore."

"What happened to your marriage? Did you go out and hook up with another woman or something?"

Kobayashi looked down at his feet and let out a silent sigh before straightening up.

"No, my wife was killed in an attack a few days after our marriage celebration."

"I'm sorry about that..."

Alexander looked disappointed in himself and was genuinely sorry he made Kobayashi bring up a sensitive topic. Even though Alexander had the tendency to joke or try to say something humorous in a bad situation, he never joked about someone's death. That was where he drew the line.

"It's fine. I've come to peace with what happened and moved on. It was seventeen years ago, anyway. I know anything I do now isn't going to change what happened then."

Kobayashi picked up a book, the room filled with silence. The only thing that could be heard was Kobayashi's footsteps across the wooden floor.

"I think I know what you have."

Kobayashi changed the subject and looked over to Alexander while he opened the book. It was one of the books left by Aisha two days ago. He turned a few pages, the sound of turning pages filling the room. After a few moments, he stopped.

"Soul sickness."

Kobayashi pointed to a place on the page with his finger. He brought the book over to Alexander.

"Your symptoms have only worsened since everything occurred, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

Kobayashi began reading the book aloud so Alexander could hear him.

"Soul sickness was a disease that the ancient king once experienced. It's extremely rare, but it usually occurs after someone experiences a traumatic or violent experience continuously throughout the beginning of their life. It can also be caused by violence in adulthood. It manifests from plentiful negative emotions like regret or sadness, and causes you to often times act impulsively. It seems to affect your soul, the source of all life, and is even said to corrupt your soul at times. The only cure is completely moving on... What a strange disease."

Kobayashi closed the book, the sound echoing in the now silent room. Alexander was silent the entire time, not even moving a muscle or blinking. He was uncomfortable right now. A disease that manifested on your negative emotions hardly seemed plausible. But there wasn't anything else that could be affecting him. Kobayashi had secretly been doing research on the diseases and viruses of this world, but they were mainly nonexistent.

"What are you letting control your behavior, Alexander?"

Alexander couldn't answer. He was speechless. He didn't want to talk about his past or childhood. In a way, he hoped this new world would help him move on. But he never actually put in the effort to move on from the tragic events of his childhood. The reason he always got drunk or did something to negatively affect him was because of grief and regret.

"I..."

Alexander tried to talk, but his words didn't come out.

"My head...it's hurting..."

Kobayashi and Alexander soon began experiencing a pounding pain coming from their head. A loud ringing sound could be heard amplifying at a deafening volume, and the room began shaking violently. Alexander vomited on the floor. The two's knees began to grow weak and Kobayashi fell on the floor.

"Make it stop!"

Alexander began crying out in agony. The two's skin began feeling like it was burning, causing extreme pain and discomfort. Their vision blurred and the oil lamp in the room fell directly on Kobayashi's head, cutting his face like it was a knife.

The ringing grew louder and a series of explosion-like sounds were coming from outside the window. The window glass even begin cracking.

"Just make it stop!!!"

Alexander cried out as Kobayashi's normal expression morphed into despair and suffering. Their skin itself even began to burn, the horrible smell filling the entire room.

"AGH!!! MAKE IT STOP!!! PLEASE!!!"

The two's suffering finally came to an end as a man with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes, who wore expensive clothing and exotic accessories, appeared in the room. He had a bored and uncaring expression on his face. He even seemed a bit hateful.

"Johan—"

Alexander managed to get Johan's name out. He was sitting on Alexander's corner chair and looking at the two with a glare.

The two men's wounds and injuries instantly healed as they began to stand up. Johan had healed them. Johan let out a disappointed sigh and looked at them with disapproval.

"I forgot how weak you dirt monkeys and your pathetic worlds truly are. I forgot my true form destroys nearly everything. My apologies."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Over a week has passed and not a single thing has changed or been stopped here. You're failing the given task, you primitive apes."

Johan clearly had no regard for their physical or mental state after he nearly burned them alive. He seemed more concerned that they hadn't stopped whatever was occurring in this world.

"We have other things we need to accomplish first. We can't go around killing random people and hope it works. Reason one, it's physically impossible. Reason two, even if it was possible, it would probably take just as long if not longer. Not to mention how immoral and inhumane it is!"

Kobayashi seemed to be growing irritated by Johan. This was unusual for his usual calm, peaceful, and friendly demeanor. Johan's intimidating aura previously to scared Kobayashi upon their first encounter, but now it doesn't even make him flinch.

"Fine. It seems you've at least figured out a major amount of valuable information. That's your first step to ending whatever this is."

Johan glanced a bit closer around the room, instantly noticing something.

"You're missing a major book. There were three different books that recorded everything, but it seems you've been ignorant of this."

Johan sighed before he pulled out a pile of armor and threw it on the floor in front of Alexander with an irritated expression. Aisha had most likely safeguarded the third book for a reason.

"Your stupid armor failed to teleport with you, so it's been stuck with me this entire time. Thanks for being an idiot who wears an iron contraption constantly."

Alexander instantly kneeled down to the armor with an excited expression. He seemed eager to have received his armor back.

"Thank you so much, Johan!"

Johan only gave Alexander a bitter glare. He clearly didn't give back the armor because he wanted to be kind to Alexander.

"You monkeys and your pathetic attachments to useless items..."

Johan turned his attention back to Kobayashi.

"I also seemed to have forgotten to pass something on to you..."

Johan laid his hands on Kobayashi's forehead. He began slightly shaking as an unusual and powerful sensation coursed through his body. The sensation started growing stronger and Kobayashi fell onto his knees.

"There's the first part..."

Johan tightened his grip on Kobayashi's forehead and another sensation travelled through his head. It felt tingly and Kobayashi began shaking again. Alexander only watched wearily from the side as he held onto his armor dearly. He didn't want to be involved in whatever Johan was doing.

"With this power, you currently rank as high as the youngest guardian in pure power."

Johan took his hands off of Kobayashi's forehead and Kobayashi collapsed on the floor. He seemed exhausted, and his body continued to slightly shake.

"W-what was that...?"

"Astral Vitality, an ability someone can only possess if they're a guardian or if they're chosen specifically by a guardian. You're the first monkey to ever possess such powers, and you'll certainly be remembered for it in the future. I, however, had to slowly transfer the power or else the atoms that make up your body would have exploded instantly."

Kobayashi didn't understand what atoms even were and neither did Alexander, but they knew that what Johan described sounded terrible.

"What about Alexander?"

Kobayashi finally stood back up and looked at Johan. He seemed confused about why Alexander wasn't granted the powers of Astral Vitality. After all, it was strange that Alexander was left out. They were both brought to this world at the same time, so it would make sense if Alexander was given some sort of power as well.

"Alexander has an outstanding magical ability hidden from even himself. He has royalty in his blood. The royalty from this world isn't the only royalty who have amazing magical abilities in their blood, but it's instead every royal in every world and universe."

Johan explained how Alexander had complete proficiency in his blood. Alexander's enthusiasm of receiving his armor again instantly disappeared, and Kobayashi looked confused. Alexander always talked about his hatred towards the royal family from his world. Kobayashi didn't think he could hate his own family. And if he was a royal, wouldn't that mean he shouldn't be a knight? Nothing was adding up in Kobayashi's mind.

"What do you mean 'royal blood'? Alexander said that he was a knight, and they typically serve the royal family. Knights have never been known to be a part of the royal family."

Johan scoffed and looked over to Alexander. Johan seemed more bitter and disappointed than when he got here.

"Seriously? That monkey didn't even bother to share with you, hm?"

"Share what?"

Kobayashi seemed more confused than ever. He didn't understand what was missing here. What was Alexander hiding? Did it have to do with his soul sickness?

"Well, I suppose I'll let him share that in his own time. I might hate you monkeys, but not on the level of shattering your miserable lives."

"Thank you for that, Johan..."

Alexander collapsed onto the floor. The floor shook and a few pieces of the armor he was holding rolled across the floor while the others shook along with the floor.

"What happened to him?"

Kobayashi looked concerned. He picked Alexander up and put him on the bed. Alexander wasn't conscious, and even if he was, he wouldn't have the energy to fight back whatsoever. His body was limp on the bed, but he was still breathing shallowly.

"That case of soul sickness he has is quite severe. He's currently in a coma and is stuck in a replay of his worst memories ever."

Kobayashi looked concerned and looked at Johan with contempt.

"Can't you heal him? He's done nothing to deserve this!"

Kobayashi's request was immediately rejected by Johan. Johan only looked at Alexander with disdain, and Kobayashi even noticed Johan had a slight sense of joy in the current situation.

"I could heal him from this sickness, but what's the fun in that? You monkeys are all the same, letting something eat away at your emotions. He'll come out of this when he moves on."

Johan looked like he was about to depart, but Kobayashi stopped him.

"Is there anything I can do to save him or at least stop the illusion he's stuck in?"

Johan sighed and gave Kobayashi the simple answer.

"No, there's nothing you can do to help him. He'll come back if or when he moves on."

Johan's demeanor made it clear he only answered because he didn't want to be bothered by Kobayashi. Johan finally left, disappearing into thin air.

Now all Kobayashi could do was hope that Alexander would eventually wake up. There was nothing else Kobayashi could do to help. Not only was Alexander's sickness ruining the training and planning of the upcoming game against Aisha, but it was also putting his life at risk. If he didn't move on subconsciously during the replay of events in his mind, Alexander would forever be stuck in a loop until he died.