The air smelled different.

Different from what it did yesterday. That was the first surprise. The second surprise came as Alexander's eyes burst open. Beams of light cascaded down and pierced his sleepy eyes, leading him to quickly shut his eyelids once again.

A single second had passed before he sat upward. Alexander rushed his still-tired brain to remember everything. After training with Hjálmarr, Grisha had let them stay at the house. Confusingly, the edifice was about four times larger on the inside than it was on the outside. Also confusingly, everything there was readied and perfected for people to visit, down to a multitude of beds and rooms.

Whether Grisha was some powerful magician or some descendent of the Vanir, Alexander didn't know. Neither of those options, or anything else he had thought of, made enough sense, anyway.

Even so, now all Alexander was surrounded by was trees and grass.

Compared to the shock induced by other things Alexander had witnessed, this wasn't much. Still, none of this made sense.

Just as a precaution, he slept in his normal clothes. In case of any attack, incident, or... any situation just like this one. Anastasia also slept in her hoodie, which was reasonable for the cold nights of Vanaheim.

Still... 'What the hell?'

He quickly got up. Nothing was the same as yesterday. They hadn't moved a matter of meters or even kilometers. The trees, the smell, even the softness of the ground. It was all different.

Their location was completely different.

His jacket was still hanging on the bed frame. His shoes, bag, and sword were still laying on the ground.

As confused as he was, there wasn't exactly time to waste.

Alexander shook Anastasia awake. "You gotta get up."

With her eyes still shut, she slapped Alexander's hands off of her. "What?" she mumbled.

"We've moved."

"Huh?" she asked, sitting upright. Her eyes were still shut.

Alexander spat out a sigh and shook her once again. "Just get up, please," he said, before letting her go.

He quickly moved and woke up Hjálmarr. As soon as Alexander explained the situation, Hjálmarr's face lit up. "Well, it seems that it's a good thing I took a whole bunch of food from Grisha's home."

"...Huh?"

"I know I'm not supposed to steal, my liege, but... He had a lot of food. So I just took a lot of it," he said, reaching for the bag beside the bed. He opened it with a smile, unveiling all kinds of food and other stolen objects.

Alexander took in a silent breath. "Well... At least we won't starve to death, I guess."

"Exactly right, my liege!"

"Wait, you didn't even have a bag yesterday. Where'd you get it from?"

"Oh, I stole that too, my liege."

"..."

"...I'm sorry."

Anastasia finally got up with Hjálmarr's emphatic shouts.

"So the house... disappeared?" Anastasia asked, her eyes now just barely opened, still squinting under the morning sun.

"Yep."

"Damn," she muttered.

"Morgana," Alexander mumbled, remembering the Demon-Born girl they had met. "Have you guys seen Morgana?" he asked, turning to them.

Morgana suddenly appeared right beside Alexander. "Hi."

"Fuck," he mumbled under his breath as he turned to her in surprise. She did the same thing yesterday. And it was still unnecessarily confusing. "Hi," he spoke.

"Isn't 'fuck' a bad word?" Morgana asked.

"Ah. Yeah. So, uh... Don't use it."

"But you used it."

"...I'm allowed to use it. I have permission."

"From who?"

Alexander paused. "The President."

"Which one?"

Alexander didn't know what else to say. He simply ruffled her hair in silence. And that was all, until Anastasia finally got up and walked over to them. "How'd the house disappear, though?" she asked.

"Well... Working theory is that we were teleported away."

"With all of our stuff?"

Alexander shrugged. "That's life."

She slowly nodded as she glanced down at Morgana. "How are we supposed to keep her safe, though?" she muttered to Alexander. "Kids are complicated."

"Well, doesn't look like it's much of a choice now, anyway, huh?" he remarked. "It's fine, though. I'm good with children."

"No, you're not."

"I literally live with a child."

"You live with your sister who's only two years younger than you."

"...So we're saying the same thing."

Anastasia sighed and began to walk away.

Alexander smiled just as Hjálmarr approached him and handed him food. "You can't do anything on an empty stomach, my liege. Especially not fight," he said, giving food to the others.

Morgana stared at Alexander as she nibbled out of a sizable chunk of bread.

"Alexander," she began.

That was a surprise. He didn't expect her to already know her name. Still, her eyes were on the ground as she spoke and ate.

"We're here because of my magic," Morgan's mumbled. "Something like that. I teleport. Myself and other things. It's not something I can control," she muttered, staring at her hands.

Again, she spoke softly. "This is my fault. Sorry."

That was just as Grisha explained. A sudden manifestation of magic. Spatial magic, at that. Why it was continuing was the confusing part. That wasn't something Alexander could hope to explain, however, so he tried not to think about it.

And so, he smiled at her and crouched down to her level. "You don't have to apologize," he told her. "It's not your fault. Plus, it's best not to think that way."

"What happened doesn't matter, does it?"he said. "We're still gonna get you to Midgard," he said, gently patting her head once again and ruffling her stark white hair.

Alexander let out a breath and stood back up. Turning to Anastasia, he said, "We have to get moving. No time to waste at this point."

- - - 1 Hour Later- - -

Alexander was staring at the interactive map. They had been teleported across hundreds of kilometers, onto another of Vanaheim's continents. That much was nerve-wracking. But technically- as Alexander emphasized- technically they were closer to the God Crystal than before.

Anastasia stared at Morgana. She was running just a few meters ahead of them, slashing at branches and vines with a bronze dagger. "Alexander..." she began to say in her confusion.

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"Why does Morgana have a knife?"

"Huh?" Alexander asked, looking up from the map. "Oh, yeah, I gave her one."

"Why?"

"She felt unsafe."

She squinted at the white-haired girl as she slashed at vines and branches with a thin bronze blade. "So you gave her a knife? She could get hurt. Or hurt someone. Hell, even I feel unsafe with that."

"...Do you- Do you want a knife?"

Anastasia stared at him and slightly shook her head in disappointment. "...But yeah, I guess I want a knife," she mumbled.

Alexander smiled in return and reached into his bag. As his hand ruffled to find a blade, he swallowed his saliva. In the distance, trees and branches were shaking. Leaves were falling and the wind was parting.

"Morgana, get back here," he said, finally pulling out a knife.

She turned to him in confusion.

He stared at her. "Now."

Morgana scurried back to them as Alexander fixated his eyes on the treetops.

"What's going on?" Hjálmarr asked, looking up to find what Alexander searched for.

"Oh, I see it, too," Anastasia finally muttered.

Morgana looked up at them, still confused.

"Nobody move," Alexander ordered. "Hjálmarr, focus on protecting Morgana. Understand?"

Hjálmarr nodded. "From what, though?"

Alexander didn't respond, and slowly and gently shut his eyes. Within the darkness of his eyelids, brilliant lights were glowing. And with that, his eyes burst open. They were surrounded. Five, no, six of them.

"They have us surrounded," Alexander muttered, unsheathing the dagger he held and flowing magic energy through his body. "

"Yep," Anastaisa muttered. "Five."

"Six," Alexander corrected as the others readied themselves.

Anastasia reached for the wand behind her belt. "What are our chances of-" Her words were cut short as an arrow burst through the air.

With a dashed step forward and a shape breath, Alexander cleaved his blade down onto the arrow. Five attackers descended from the treetops, each of them armed and preparing attacks. Each of them wore different color clothing, different types of armors, and held different types of weapons.

They were an unorganized group. That's how Alexander knew who they were.

They were Hunters.

Combat-specialized magicians from Midgard. Technically in the private sector, Hunters belong to all kinds of organizations and handle and run all kinds of missions. Monsters on Earth, Gateways on Midgard, and even instances like this one. Hunters on Vanaheim.

"I said hold your fire, dammit!" a man shouted from behind them.

They all turned to the source of the voice.

'Goddamn, how'd the kid stop an arrow, anyway?' the man thought as he jumped down from the treetops.

His name was Joseph Anderson. He was brown-haired and olive-skinned. He wore a dark grey trenchcoat that descended past his knees and his black pants were dug into his dark boots. Silver armor was pressed against his chest. A single sheathed sword hung around his belt.

But more noticeably... His face was covered in stubble and he reeked of cigarettes. Alexander didn't exactly have a good impression of people like that.

And now... He was walking towards Alexander and the others.

'Well, they're obviously not Golden Dawn,' Alexander thought. Even so, his sword remained upright in one hand and his dagger in the other. "Who are you people?" Alexander finally spoke.

The man smiled and stepped forward. "Y'know, we could ask the same thing. Especially considering the fact that you're all kids in the middle of the forest."

"I'm actually 20," Hjálmarr said.

'Wait, he's twenty?' Alexander asked himself as he turned to Hjálmarr.

Joseph cleared his throat and once again interrupted. "So... Drop the weapons if you want to live. And other than that... Identify yourself, will ya?"

"Alexander," Anastasia whispered, her dark eyes glancing over everyone that surrounded them. Her wand was still aimed at one of the assailants. "They're not that strong. If you use your Earth-Shaking-"

"No."

"I can make a Connection. In just a few seconds, we-"

"No," he repeated, still muttering. "We can't heal anyone if there's any injuries. If we escape, they'll just chase us. We'll be worse off, then."

Anastasia grit her teeth. Within that silence, Alexander let out a sigh. He dropped his blades. She dropped her wand. And they raised their hands to the sky. Hjálmarr and Morgana slowly followed.

And with that, a toothy grin split Joseph's face.

Alexander swallowed his saliva and slightly deepened his voice. "My name is Samuel Diaz. I'm seventeen years old. Grade 2 magician. I'd show you my identification card, but I lost it in a battle against soldiers wearing white cloaks. You know how the business is."

Anastasia turned to Alexander, her eyes widened with surprise. He had pulled a name and lies from nowhere.

"Can you- Can you lower the bows?" Alexander asked, letting out another sigh as he looked around at the others. "Kind of unnecessary to threaten us, at this point. Plus it's unnerving."

"That's kind of the point," Joseph responded, still focused on Alexander. "...You don't look seventeen," he remarked.

"Okay, but you look forty when you're probably twenty-something. So does it matter?"

Joseph paused. "Now, that's just rude, man." Still, he paid no mind and pointed at Anastaisa. "What about you?"

Alexander immediately interjected, "She's Isabel Silva."

"I asked her, not you."

"She's just nervous. Too nervous to respond, y'know. Most people get like that when they have arrows pointed at them."

The Hunter stared at them in silence for just a second, before letting out a sigh and soft grumbling. He raised his hand and the hunters lowered their readied bows.

"What's with the elf, though?" Joseph also asked. "And the child?"

Alexander paused. "Hjálmarr," he said, pointing at him, "is just... a friend of mine. I saved his life and all that. Plus Morgana is just someone we're protecting."

That much was the truth.

He only lied for himself and Anastasia since they were the only ones who were from Midgard. If the Hunters had a form of contact to Midgard, they could find everything they wanted to know on them. And there wouldn't be any actual benefits to that, Alexander supposed.

And, in any case, lying was reasonable in a case like this one.

Hjálmarr had no connections to Midgard, and neither did Morgana. And as Joseph stared at Alexander in silence, he began to slightly nod in silence.

And with that, he extended his hand towards Alexander. "My name is Joseph Anderson," he said. "We're Hunters. And I'm the captain of this Hunter squadron."

As Alexander shook his hand, he paused. "Anderson? Like the General?"

Joseph immediately smiled. "Yeah, Marcus Anderson. He's my uncle."

Alexander forced a smile back as he let go of his hand. He cleared his throat. "So seeing as everything is cleared up and a-okay now... We should probably get going."

"Oh, true," Joseph agreed.

Alexander and Anastasia picked up their weapons and put them away. But the other five Hunters kept their positions, still surrounding them.

"...Wait, are we being detained or something?" Alexander asked.

Joseph smiled again. "I mean, we're not exactly just going to leave you alone here."

"...Why not?"

"Because we're after the God Crystal, too."

Alexander paused. Everyone was after the God Crystal, at this point, huh? Just as Grisha had said. And so... "Doesn't make sense, though," Alexander remarked.

"So since you guys are certified magicians, you're likely with the Magecraft Association..." He sucked in air through his teeth. "Well, that pretty much implies that you were sent to handle this mission. To go after the God Crystal. Well, guess what?" he asked.

Silence.

"C'mon, you gotta guess," Joseph said.

"I... I don't know. What?"

"We were sent after the God Crystal, too. And since we're Hunters... Well, getting a contract from the Association itself is pretty huge. Lots of money involved, too. So we had a deal. But you're here. You know what that means?"

Alexander was silent once again.

"Means they don't trust that we'll get the job done."

Joseph continued. "But whatever. What are ya gonna do?" he mumbled. He swung his coattails to the side and sat down on a rock. He pointed at another rock directly in front of him, just a few feet away, and motioned Alexander to sit down on it. "So... Here's what I'm thinking, y'all."

Hesitantly, Alexander sat down. "We help each other out until we get the God Crystal. Right? That just seems like the best solution."

"Y'know..." Joseph smiled once again. "I was gonna say the same thing. Great minds think alike, huh?" He immediately stood up, leaving Alexander to question why he even sat down in the first place. Walking over to the side, his smile widened as he raised a hand to his ear. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Hjálmarr mumbled. But the others were already silent, waiting and listening. There was nothing out of the ordinary. 'Just forest noises.'

"Exactly," Joseph remarked with a smile and a snap of his fingers. "We're still too far away. But just a couple of kilometers northeast from here... There's a river."

Anastasia paused in confusion. There were rivers all across Vanaheim. So if they were heading towards a specific river...

"Exactly!" Joseph repeated with glee. "It's one of two paths to the God Crystal. We get to the river, and we're well on our way."

"Need a boat, though," a hunter interjected.

"I told you I had a plan, dude! Just drop it already." Joseph spat out a sigh. "So as he said... We need a boat." He picked up his bag and started walking, motioning the Virtues and the other hunters to follow.

As Alexander stood and caught up, Joseph spoke to him once again. "You mentioned soldiers in white cloaks. We fought with them, too, for a bit. The tough bastards call themselves the Golden Dawn. Basically a group of inter-realm terrorists."

"What about them?" Alexander asked, interrupting to not hear more about what he already knew.

"We have their location. Well... They were in a group of three. Then, they split up. And we have the location of one of their boats. So our plan is..." Joseph took in a sharp breath. "Beat the crap out of them, steal the boat, get the God Crystal."

"Solid plan."

As the Hunters continued marching onward, Anastasia finally interjected. "Do you have anything other than their location? Like numbers, positions, weapons? If we stick to that, we're practically going in blind. There's gonna be deaths," she told Joseph. "Not a solid plan at all."

"Oh, yeah, of course."

Alexander and Anastasia stared at him in silence.

"Not about the deaths. But about the intel. We already know that kind of stuff." He reached into his pocket and extracted a silver device.

Alexander expected it to be one of those holographic projectors Archibald had. But he was wrong. It was just a phone. "That's the Golden Dawn," he said, displaying the images of an encampment. Pictures taken from above. And at first, all they saw a sea of white. Easily two hundred soldiers all dressed in the same pale cloaks.

"That's what we're up against. Ask Thiago to fill you in later," he said, pointing to a green-clad man to their side.

And with the swipe of his finger, the image switched. A grand ship built of wood and adorned with gold. Even from the distance the picture was taken, it was obvious it was created to fit all those soldiers.

So...

'Two hundred soldiers of the New Genesis Vanguard...' Alexander thought to himself. 'There's likely a Titan with them, too.' Still, Joseph continued talking.

"Essentially," he began. "We have to go upstream to regroup with the other hunters. There's about thirty, almost thirty-six of them over there. And from there... we head for the God Crystal. Cool?"

Alexander slowly nodded. The plan wasn't developed enough to be reasonable. But in any case... This was the best bet.

They kept walking onward. And finally... Hjálmarr grabbed Alexander by the arm and pulled him back a bit. "My liege..." he said. "What were you and the Hunter discussing just now? I believe I should know if this is in any relevance to the quest."

"Well..." Alexander paused. "There's a river close by. Unfortunately, there's a Golden Dawn camp where we're headed."

The elf furrowed his eyebrows. "My liege, why are we headed towards the enemy?"

Alexander finally faced Hjálmarr. "Basically..." he said, a thin smile growing on his lips from his anticipation. "We're gonna steal a boat."