Billy wakes up screaming.

AH!!!

He falls to the ground.

Thud!

“Ouch,” he says.

“Hey, lil’ Billy, knock it off!” a gruff voice says.

“S-sorry, Mr. Teddy,” Billy says apologizing.

“Did ya have a nightmare?” Teddy asks.

“Y-yeah,” says Billy, “I d-don’t really remember what happened, b-but I remember that it showed me that the Pantheon needs our help.”

“Ha! Ha! Ha!” laughed Teddy.

Billy pouts at him feeling embarrassed.

“Hah, it’s fine,” the big man says sighing, “if the gods really needed our help, the world is screwed, Billy.”

“Before going to bed, stop participating in the ghost stories, the other guys keep going. Just sleep like a log like I do,” says Teddy.

“Remember to take care of yourself, I’ll forgive you this time,” the man says getting up from his bunk bed.

The bell for breakfast rings.

“T-thank you, Mr. Teddy!” Billy says smiling.

“What a ray of sunshine,” Theodore thinks.

Billy hurriedly gets ready and heads toward the mess hall for breakfast. If there is one thing that Billy loves, it’s food. He is one of the first ones in the hall and gets his breakfast. Because of that his mind shifted about figuring out what he dreamt to a juicy, delectable, mouth-watering breakfast. The captain has allowed the chef to indulge a bit for today’s meals due to the recent victory. Flapjacks, butter, potatoes, and monstrous pork are all served for today’s breakfast, and there is even some old eggs of some flying monsters being served as well.

Looking at his plate with delight, Billy digs into his meal.

“Hah, look what we have here,” a young voice says to him.

Billy looks behind him and sees a posse of young boys a little bigger than him. A boy with yellow hair stands in front of them like he is their leader. He looks pretentious. A person you would not normally see working with commoners.

“How can you be eating first when you did not even contribute much to the last battle, B-billy,” he says with a mocking stutter at the end.

“I-its b-because the C-captain said it was first come, f-first…”

“What first come, first serve,” the young boy says, “Just because something is permitted, does not mean it should be done.”

Billy looks down.

“Hey! Stop with the harassment,” a man says to the yellow-haired boy.

“Mr. Teddy!”

“Theodore Payne,” the young boy says gritting your teeth.

“Maybe one of ya wet nurses dropped ya at birth, because ya not as bright as even myself?” he says.

!!!

He points his finger at him and says, “You dare!”

“Exactly, don’t cha ‘member what the Captain said, ‘everyone’s background and bloodline doesn’t matter, only their ability.’ Are ya challenging the Captain’s authority?” he asks back.

“You!!”

“Stop being an idiot!!”

“Alexander. Theodore.”

The hustle and bustle of the mess hall becomes silent.

They look at the entrance of the mess hall and see the Captain along with his First Mate, Klein.

“Yes, Captain Adrian, Sir,” they both say saluting him.

Soon everyone in the mess likewise salutes the Captain.

“At ease,” he says.

Looking at Theodore and young Alexander, he says, “Cease your quarrelling.”

“Yes, Captain!” they both exclaim.

The Captain along with Klein go to the chef for their breakfast.

Billy then thinks to himself, “I wonder what that dream I had means? It doesn’t make any sense. I should ask the Captain or Mr. Klein for some advice when they are free.”

After getting his breakfast and setting it on an empty table, the Captain says, “After breakfast, I want you all on deck. I have an important announcement to make regarding our next mission.”

After a brief pause of silence in the mess hall, it returns to its jovial atmosphere of food and merriment.

About an hour later, everyone is on the deck of the ship looking at Captain Adrian on the forecastle at the stern of the ship.

He says, “His Grace, has commanded us to sail west toward the island of Nublar. The Admiralty has received a level three distress call from Nublar’s port last night via a magic line.”

The distress calls that the Baudren Navy has established can be divided into five levels.

A level one distress call is not a life-threatening situation and is usually sent if a port wants some more help and support from the Baudren such as guarding and patrolling the area as well as helping with maintenance of the port.

A level two distress call occurs when a hazard or danger is encroaching upon the port but the port town is confident that it can deal with it using its own forces.

A level three distress call means that a disaster is approaching a port town such that it cannot handle on its own. Most distress calls are in between level one and level three.

“We will get there within one week. Be prepared everyone,” he says.

Billy stares at the Captain and Klein and then at everyone else and thinks, “I hope nothing bad happens.”

A weird nagging feeling tugs at him, but he dismisses it; instead focusing on the breakfast before.

While Billy sails toward the port on the island of Nublar, someone else wakes up on her bed.

KYAAA!

A scream can be heard echoing across the palace.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

A lady with black hair and a sharp face is lying on a large bed. She looks pale. Sweat drips down from her forehead.

“My Lady!”

Two people barge through the door, a butler and a maid.

“Are you alright, Princess!” the maid says.

“How are you, my lady?” the butler asks seeing that she seems to be not heavily injured.

Remembering what happened in that Zone, headaches wrack her head causing her to wince in pain while holding onto her head.

Due to the commotion and the screaming, a sizeable group of maids, guards, and other palace servants start to gather around the door.

“Would you like some ice, my Lady?” the butler asks.

The maid with brown hair says, “Stay still, Princess.”

Then, the maid says some weird but beautiful words and green light appears on her hands, and she lays her hands on Ha-Rin.

The butler shoos away the servants and vassals congregating around the door.

Piecing everything together, Ha-Rin says, “Who are you people?”

Although Ha-Rin is Korean, due to her memories mixing some of the previous owner’s memories, she was able to speak the native language. Unfortunately, most of her knowledge of Arda and the Holy Ezna Empire is down the toilet.

“I am, Mordecai Mantini, your head butler,” the butler says turning to her and bowing.

“My name is Jane Nika,” says the maid with brown hair, “I am your personal maid.”

“I still don’t know you,” Ha-Rin says, “In fact, who am I?”

The butler then squints his eyes at her and says, “Do you remember who you are?”

Ha-Rin thinks and says, “I remember distant scenes of people calling me Zana but that’s about it.”

“This looks bad,” Mordecai thinks, “From her gaze and posture, it looks like she really is seeing us for the first time. In fact, looking at how she speaks and her mannerisms it looks like she even forgot all of her lessons in etiquette which should be ingrained even in her body if not her mind.”

“I am so sorry, Princess!” Jane says.

She starts to cry.

“It is fine, Jane. Please speak more freely with me. You to Mordecai,” she says.

“I really hate the stuffy atmosphere and stiffness of the upper class,” she thinks.

Mordecai says, “How much do you remember, Princess?”

“Truthfully, almost nothing besides some common sense and my name, Zana,” she says.

Mordecai replies, “Strictly speaking you have two names, Princess. The name Zana is your informal name that you use with those close you while your royal name is Zanatera Katerina Alexios Ezna.”

“Good to know,” she says.

“There, there, Jane.”

Sniff.

Mordecai continues, “My lady, you are the Second Princess of the Holy Ezna Empire, the White Lily of the Empire. Due to the innate lack of mana control, your constitution is weaker than normal commoners. You often get sick.”

Mordecai says the last line with regret.

“From what I remember on Earth after the Calamity, people with weak mana control often got sick with Mana Sickness,” she thinks.

“What are my symptoms,” she asks Mordecai.

“Luckily, due to the already advance science of biology and medicine on Earth, those crazy lab coats were able to classify all diseases related to mana deficiency and lack of mana control.”

Mordecai says, “You often get chills, weakness, fevers, and even delusions, my Lady.”

“That is too broad. I need more information,” Ha-Rin thinks.

“Is there anything else?” she asks.

Mordecai ponders her question a bit more and remembers something. He says, “Actually, I think the last time you were sick and confined to bed, I saw that there were some blue spots on your forehead. Besides that, there was nothing else that I am aware of.”

“Shit!” she shouts in her mind.

“I know what my sickness is, Blue Mana Fever.”

When the dungeons first appeared on Earth, there was mass hysteria with many people losing there lives from the monsters spewing out of the dungeons and the chaos caused by people due to the breakdown of society. This lasted for about ten years. During this time, many new diseases appeared on the scene of history. One of them was Blue Mana Fever. At the height of this insanity, Blue Mana Fever swept across China, India, the Middle East and eventually made its way to Europe where it killed one-fourth of the population in that section of the world while chaos still reigned. Once society was able to stabilize and beat back the monster back into their dungeons, leaders started focusing on eradicating this disease. Due to breakthroughs by Roth’s Pharmaceuticals, an antidote was created from dungeon and monster materials saving countless lives.

“I need to get my hands on the materials to create that antidote and find someone to make it for me,” she thinks.

Ha-Rin says to Mordecai, “Do we have any alchemists in the palace?”

Mordecai says, “Yes, we have Master Gormenghast. Right now, he is his study trying to solve your condition.”

“Take me to him,” she says and looking to Jane she continues, “Jane, please follow me as well.”

“Yes Princess!” Jane says.

The sadness on her face is now gone although it is still wet with tears.

Having Mordecai lead the way, the trio arrive at Master Gormenghast’s study.

Mordecai knocks on the door and says, “Lady Zana would like to see you.”

The doors open revealing an old man with a white beard and a tall wizard hat.

“I greet the White Lily of the Empire, Lady Zanatera,” he says while slightly bowing his head and taking off his hat.

Putting his head back on his head, he asks, “What do you need from me, Lady Zana?”

Mordecai looks straight at him although he is tense, while Jane fidgets at his gaze.

Ha-Rin is unfazed.

“Although I don’t know how those lab coats made the antidote, I do know what dungeon materials were needed to make it since we often get their requests from the Hunter’s Guild in Korea. Unfortunately, they might have different names here,” she thinks.

Zana then says, “I am looking for some ingredients for a potion.”

“What are they, Lady Zana?” he says back.

Zana then starts reciting the description of each of the ingredients that she saw in the Hunter’s Guild when she was still on Earth.

As one expects of the palace of an Imperial Princess, they are not lacking in anything.

Gormenghast says, “Yes, we have all of these ingredients, Lady Zana. In fact, they are all in my study except for the Scarlet Tears which are in storage.”

Ha-Rin then gets straight to the point, “I think if you combine all those ingredients into a potion, I believe that it will help me overcome my sickness.”

“What makes you so confident,” he replies without any honorifics.

Mordecai and Jane glare at him.

Zana says, “I saw it in my dream. That the potion that will cure me will have those ingredients.”

“HA! HA! HA!”

Gormenghast laughs and says, “That can’t really be it right, Princess? Do you take me for a fool?”

Mordecai clenches his hand.

Zana shakes her head and says, “At least try it.”

Some tears can be seen dripping from her eyes.

“My Lady, it has been hard on you right?” Jane says.

She hugs Zana comforting her.

“You wouldn’t be so heartless as to deny a crying maiden now, would you?”

“Stop your crying,” he says.

“Pathetic. Stop being so stupid. It disgusts me,” he says.

“Master Gormenghast!” yells Mordecai.

“Oh, Fuck you!” Ha-Rin says.

Jane stares at both of them in shock.

Master Gormenghast sighs and says, “I hate those who lie to my face. If you really want me to do this, Lady Zana, then I am obligated to.”

“This fellow is perceptive,” she thinks.

“Fine, I will forgive you this one time. Just try to make the potion,” she says to him.

“Your will be done,” he says.

Then, Princess Zana leaves the study with Mordecai and Jane following her.

The alchemist Gormenghast is alone in his study. He sighs and says to himself, “It seemed that she really did lose her memory.”

Zana, Jane, and Mordecai walk down the hall.

Zana then asks Jane, “Is he always like this to me before?”

“Unfortunately, Princess, you and Master Gormenghast are like oil and water,” she replies.

“You must be tired, my Lady. Please get some rest for now,” Mordecai continues.

“Fine, fine,” Ha-Rin says.

“May Mighty Ezna protect you as He protected His flock,” Mordecai says.

Suddenly, memories flood into her mind causing her to stagger.

“Princess, are you alright?” Jane asks.

For a moment, Ha-Rin recalls that a mighty being greater than any giant or dragon greater than any SSS-rank calamity, a force of nature itself is completely broken extinguishing the light of stars. The broken body is thrown into the sun causing the greater light of day to explode into a frenzy. An appendage of light touches her. She falls on the ground.

“My Lady!”

“Princess!”

Zana’s two servants pick her up on the ground and place her on her bed in her room.

Gormenghast rushes into her room.

Jane glare at him and Mordecai says, “What business do you have with Her Highness?”

Ignoring them, he looks at Zana and feels her temperature with his hand.

“She is burning up,” he says.

He looks at them and says, “Give me an hour. I will have an elixir made according to the Princess’ wishes by then.”

He then hurries out of the room.

Although still in shock, seeing his serious expression both the maid and the butler decide to put their trust in the elixir.

“Come on, my Lady, although you may have a weak body, your will is that of iron,” Mordecai says.

“Princess! Hang on! Please stay with us!” Jane yells.

After what appeared to be like a century, Master Gormenghast enters the room again with a red elixir made from the Princess’s suggestions.

Jane and Mordecai look at him and he nods back to them. Moving them away from Princess Zana, he takes the cap of the potion bottle and places it in her mouth.

“Drink up, Princess,” he says.

She barely drinks any at first which has the three of them worried, but she starts drinking more and more of the tonic gaining more strength every time.

She finishes the tonic and soon the fever breaks giving everybody a sigh of relief.

“Sleep well, Lady Zana,” says Gormenghast looking at her pale but now calm face.

“I am expecting great things from you,” he whispers to himself.

Jane tearfully thanks Master Gromenghast and Mordecai thanks him as well.

“I am sorry for the commotion I caused earlier,” he says bowing.

“Since the Princess has already forgiven you, I too forgive you,” says Jane.

“Me as well,” Mordecai says a little begrudgingly.

“Farewell,” he says.

Soon Master Gormenghast leaves and due to matters related to the management of the palace Mordecai also leaves.

The maid, Jane, stays with Princess Zana watching over her.

Meanwhile, images flash by Ha-Rin’s mind of the past and a possible future.