Reincarnated As The Heroine?! I refuse!

In an unknown High School, each classroom was informed of their incoming excursion to a famous park. A place full of wild animals found in North America.

Within a particular classroom, Mrs Browns carefully instructed her beloved students what to bring and what not to bring. Listing down the do's and dont's. As well as to remind everyone of their group allocation. Students were meant to write a 3-page essay by the end of the 2-night 3-day trip, which caused a huge portion of her students to wail in despair.

They tried to negotiate of course...

"Please make it a maximum of 2000 words, please!!"

"Better yet, I'll buy you souvenirs Mrs Browns! And since you love me, please allow me to skip writing the essay~"

"Not fair! I'll steal an animal for you, Mrs Browns. My offer stands until we get back."

Unfortunately, Mrs Browns was a righteous teacher. With her ever genteel demure, she spoke. "There is always the other option of not handing it in of course..." Flashing her beautiful smile, she continued. "But they will ultimately be left to do the weeding behind our school. I'm sure there are more wild animals there that you can admire in-between."

After hearing as such, none could argue no more. Amidst this ruckus, four particular students stood out without doing anything special in particular.

Raize, the class representative, was currently crowded by a bunch of girls fighting over their group arrangement. "Exchange with me! Me!"

"No, please. Who's number 14? Please switch with me..!!"

"Raize marry me~!!"

Their cries sounded so desperate as their shrills piercing.

On the other side, there were Ulla and Crystal, the vice class representative and her fraternal twin sister. Being in the same group, most male students tried to switch their numbers with someone else to get the chance to get closer with the two beauties.

However, once they realized that the last two members of the group were Lea and Bright who were sitting at the back quietly, they became hesitant. Then, as more and more students realized it was impossible to exchange lot number, the classroom grew more and more quiet.

Bright has been looking at them bemused, his hands resting behind his head. His handsome face charming some of the girls, while his mischievous appearance causing the males to remember his fame. He was quite different amongst the rest due to being part of the top 20 in the whole school, as well as a Jack-Of-All-Trades in the many sports club. His name was known to many on campus.

When most of his classmates attention was on him, he glanced down to his seatmate who was quietly snoring beside him. Her face was facing the other way.

Suddenly, he felt like teasing her.

Poke.

There was no reaction from her and she continued to sleep peacefully.

Poke. Poke.

His smile widening, he could feel her moving slightly.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

Their classmates were slowly backing away to the front, beside Mrs Browns. Their expressions unreadable, while Mrs Browns could only gulp nervously. She too was helpless with the famous pair.

Poke. Poke. Po-ke. Po-k-- --!

With swift movements, a slap almost hit his face, but it was obvious the strength was nothing to laugh at as it made a great sound of the wind.

"You dare wake me up this way....." Growled Lea, unearthing her table and raising it above her head.

Despite this, Bright remained smiling, only pointing at the crowd at front. "Tee-hee." He said, acting adorable with his charming blue eyes that were narrowed to crescents.

Slowly turning her head, some hair strands sticking to her face, her classmates gazed at her fearfully. Even Mrs Brown silently gulped once again, eyes bulging wide like a deer in fright.

Lea's eyes widened. Heat slowly rose to her head, tainting her face with a faint blush.

Slowly, she put down the table gently and quietly. Not a sound was heard as it landed on the cement floor. And as quiet as a mouse, she meekly sat back down on her seat. She then rested her hand on her chin, looking out the window, acting as if nothing happened. She even forgot to blink.

Bright burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha!! It was about time you woke up, Lea~"

She simply ignored him.

Seeing as her reaction was contrary to their expectation, the rest slowly went back to their seats, releasing a big relieved sigh amidst their steps.

Along the buzzing sounds, Lea whispered so only Bright could hear, "If you do that again, I'll kill you."

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead while faking a laugh. "Ha ha... Not gonna stop me, sweetheart. Especially when we are gonna be spending loooots of time in the trip!" For a moment, his smile seemed brilliant and genuine as his blue eyes sparkled with glee.

? ? ?

On the day of the trip, a crowd and four busses were laid on the campus central grounds. Students were divided by groups, given group tags and announced reminders to one another. The most popular group included.

"Ulla and Crystal Fernandez?" Called Raize. As his voice resounded, many young girls swooned at his attractive husky voice devoid of emotion.

"Both here, Class Pres!" Replied, Crystal energetically. Her equally beautiful sister nodding her head while showing off their luggage.

"Lea Rain Farechild? Okay, good." Knowing the person was already ready, but dazed, he did not bother to wait for her response. He briefly looked at her and went back to his sheet of paper.

"Bright." Not even a surname, he called. A frown creased his handsome face seeing a huge number of luggage behind the mischievous boy...

"Heey~ Present!" His arm shot up with a playful smile. Some girls covered their eyes due to his brightness, his blue eyes were particularly stunning.

"Okay, good. Leave 4 of those then get in the bus." Spoken coldly, Raize turned around to get in the bus himself.

Looking up the grey sky, Lea quietly muttered. "Rain..."

She appeared dazed as usual, but with her movements that were neither slow nor fast, she brought out a cute raincoat with cat ears and a tail. Seeing her adorable getup, Bright couldn't help but squeal silently while pushing her into the bus.

? ? ?

Rain awash the road, causing their arrival to the Wildlife Park a little late. It was still drizzling quite a bit when the students got down from their respective bus.

After they properly put their luggage in their room, there were a few groups who decided to explore the park despite the weather. They were much too excited to hold back despite the teachers' reminders.

"The sooner we see everything, the earlier we finish our essays.

"Ulla, find us a guide.

"Crystal, accompany your sister.

"You two, don't get lost." Ordered Raize one after another.

Not long after, their group was set and they begun their early exploration.

The tour guide was a lanky youth. He described each habitat cheerfully while not missing the crucial pointers.

"Bald eagles are usually found by the sea, where they could hunt for fish and other small birds. Their name derives from their white head, so don't snicker over there... Bright, was it?"

"Lynxes are wild cats. In this country, they are usually found in forests and tundra regions. Be careful when being preyed by these cute wild cats... They can climb trees and swim very well."

"Do you see that cute seal? That's the only one we've got... Many are hunting them for seal skin. Sadly, there aren't enough organizations that prevents nor control the hunting of seals."

"Those herd of huge deer are called Moose. Don't worry, they are herbevors (obvious). Nevertheless, they are dangerous on the road due to their weight. Hence, causing many road accidents that usually lead to death. "

The tour went on for a few hours, resting from time to time to appreciate the beauty of nature. Listening to the animals' sounds gave them inspiration, and they realized how peaceful it felt being a part of nature and its natural environment.

They decided to have their luncheon upon seeing a set of benches. Everyone begun eating except for Lea.

She remained idle, her senses focused on hearing and feeling the mystics provided by mother earth. A smile laced her lips as her eyes closed to focus on the serene feeling, breathing the smell of after-rain.

Then she heard faint shrills of children. Slightly worried, she quietly stood up towards the sound, leaving behind the rest of her group. She was gone unnoticed, the fake tail of her raincoat dangled on her behind.

? ? ?

When she arrived at the source, there was nobody there. Assuming the children were gone, she sat on one of the bigger roots of a tree by the lake shore. In front of her, a lake so huge like the ocean was in clear view. There was no longer rain and the wind was calm, causing the surface of the lake to appear very still like a flawless mirror.

She felt drowsy and dropped her head to sleep, resting her little head atop her knees.

? ? ?

Back to the rest of the group, they realized Lea was missing. Panic arose and they begun searching for her. "Crystal, could you bring the guide with you to inform Mrs Browns? Contact me with your cellphone for updates."

Crystal gave a nod right away, dragging the bewildered guide with her.

Before they could start moving about, Bright followed after Crystal.

"Where are you going?!" Raize impatiently asked.

Bright shrugged. "No point staying here. Good luck searching for her~" He said turning around and waving his hand. This caused Raize a great displeasure. Messing up his ravine hair in frustration, he could only allow Bright to do whatever he wanted.

"Let's start searching east." Ulla gave her assent and followed behind him obediently.

? ? ?

At the location where Lea was, she was awoken by the cold tickling water by her calf. Still expressionless, she realized the water has gone up. But before she could turn around to leave, a strange phenomenon occurred at a distance.

Ripples caused by the jacuzzi effect spread wider and wider on the once calm lake. It was as if a strange creature was gurgling at that one place.

Lea was confused and decided to investigate, drawing herself closer and closer to the source. Not a fear can be seen on her face, her eyes shone a glitter of curiosity.

However, a yelp distracted her mystification. "STOP-!!"

Behind her, Bright combed his way through the water. She realized the water has gone way high since she first realized. Fear crept into her chest at her previous moment of daze.

"No matter how bad life is, you can't just throw it away!"

His breathing grew labored due to the cold water, but he did not stop.

"There is much to see, Lea... I'm sure those who you've beaten up will forgive you. Those you killed will rise up to avenge. You gotta stay alive!!"

When he was only an arm's length away, another voice came from behind Bright.

"Hey, Bright! Your backpack has a hole, your underwe--- What's going on here..?"

Ulla peaked out behind Raize and gasped. "Is this what they call Lovers Double Suicide??"

The two drew themselves closer to Lea and Bright as well, slightly worried.

Who knew why nobody thought Lea might have just wanted to enjoy the lake. But Raize and Ulla assumed the worse when they saw how pale Bright was and how deep and unfathomable Lea's eyes were. It was like a pair of lovers' tragic moment when one was engulfed with despair, while the other hoping to reconcile their relationship.

As representatives of the class, Raize and Ulla had to involve themselves no matter the issue.

"Let's calmly talk this out..." Raize calmly said, wading his way with Ulla.

Looking at the silly expressions and conclusions of the three, Lea's mouth twitched.

She opened her mouth to speak, but all of the sudden, the ground beneath her collapsed. Next she knew, she was eaten by the lake water.

It felt like the surface of the water was becoming further and further away. Following her, the rest struggled to swim towards the light as well. However, as they were forcefully dragged deeper and deeper, the pressure became heavier, causing their lungs to ache.

Lea and Raize were experienced swimmers, so they were able to realize the change and cope with the situation right away. However, Bright was consumed with the sudden fear of death and lose his consciousness. Ulla calmed herself down the best she could, but she was running out of time as she was inexperienced at holding her breath underwater.

Lea and Raize briefly glanced at one another and gestured to take Bright and Ulla, respectively. Since Bright was closer to Lea, she swam fastidiously towards him. She swam upwards as fast as she could, realizing the heavy pressure was no longer pulling her down the bottom.

Fortunately, a shore was nearby when their heads were out of the water. Bright remained unconscious, but Ulla barely relieved herself from almost dying to asphyxia. When they got to the shore, Lea immediately applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Bright.

Her swift actions caused Raize and Ulla into bewilderment and awe.

Lea continued to exchange air through Bright's mouth. When there was no reaction, she beat his chest enough to push up some water he accidentally drunk. Then she exchanged more air until Bright started coughing out water.

Relief awash Lea's face, causing her frown to disappear.

When they looked around, there was no longer freshwater lake. The sun was up in the sky, and sounds of a port can be heard with the cold breeze.

".....I should've brought another luggage." Raize quietly said.

? Character Profile ?

She, an almost always expressionless beauty, is rumoured to be a member of one of the biggest territorial gangs in the city. Always placed 2nd place in the whole school examination rankings, and is unbeatable at anything, but she never speaks unless it was necessary.

She is usually found staring at the sky, or fighting some thugs in some corner.

Him, an excellent to almost prodigious handsome guy, is rumoured to be the next candidate as Freshman to be the President of the Student Council. Many says he is rich due to all the electronics he brings to school, but some say he made them himself. Only his family would know.

Usually keeping to himself, he is found to be unsociable and arrogant.

The ever jubilant bright star of the whole High School division, he proves to be unbeatable in Tennis. Although he ranks 15 within the whole school examinations, he is seen as dense by many. Still, he remains popular to some portion of the school population; girls and boys alike, for his friendly and approachable personality.

He is rumoured to be very poor as he goes home whenever possible, and as soon as possible. Thanks to this, several students in his club think he is a genius at tennis. Since even when not mostly seen practicing Tennis after class, he can still win his games skillfully.

The most popular female in school for her unique and genuine lady behaviour. Many guys have stalked her, only to end up in jail thanks to her twin sister, Crystal.

Although she has a twin, they are fraternal. It is widely believed that she is dating the famous genius, Raize Lee Gue.

At a certain shore, an unconscious young man lay on the white sands. His black lashes trembled as his consciousness was returning, vaguely remember gulping down loads of fresh water and salt water. Licking his dry lips as his eyes opened to reveal a pair of limpid blue eyes, an exhausted groan inadvertently escaped his mouth.

"You've finally awoken. It's been 2 days straight for you, Bright." Said Raize who was sitting on a comfortable log. Little alteration was made to be suitable for seating. He was currently revising plans in his notebook.

Bright blinked his eyes and then suddenly heard his stomach rumble in protest. Rubbing his stomach as well as his shaggy hair at the same time, Bright softly asked: "Any food...?"

"Hunt your own. Lea's somewhere in the woods. Not sure what she is up to, but we haven't made much progress since we arrived here."

"Oh right. The people living in the port town are still wary of us, so you better be careful roaming about." Added Ulla, and to Bright's surprise, she has also been around writing down something on her cute notepad.

Bright simply nodded, having no energy to react like usual. Movements akin to that of a zombie.

Inside the nearby forest, Lea appeared to be thoughtful while looking up at the clear blue sky.

She quietly hummed peacefully by her lonesome, as if she had no care for anything else.

Suddenly, her eyes sharpened layered with a dangerous glint as she grabbed a stone that's 2x2 inches large, and swiftly threw it with all her might to her left peripheral view. Catching the target unguarded.

"Brother!!" Cried the youth who uncovered himself to check up on his big brother. His big brother slumped on the ground after being hit squarely on his torso by Lea's shot.

The boy heard faint steps coming his way, and just when he turned around to look, his heart stopped just for a moment. A beautiful girl with long black hair and piercing redish eyes was looming over him. Her gaze cold, questioning and dignified. He was instantly captivated by her looks only to remember his big brother had gone unconscious.

"Why have you been sneaking behind me?" Lea asked indifferently.

The boy suddenly felt fearful, especially hearing her cold accusing tone. Nervousness controlled his mind, and he couldn't say a word in response. He simply fearfully looked at Lea.

Lea continued to patiently wait, not moving a muscle. She then deduced the boy could do nothing against her and lowered her guard.

"Move." Ordered stoically by Lea, which made him flinch. But he obeyed and scurried a few paces away. After a brief silence, Lea opened her mouth and said, "He is just fine. Although I think I dislocated his shoulder. I'll fix it right up if you help me."

Fearful for his life, and his brother's safety, he nodded in agreement. "W-what c-can I-I-I d-do....?"

"Find me a comfortable place to spend a few days. How about your home?"

The boy was surprised by the question. He then shook his head. "N-no. My h-home is not r-really... My p-parents don't l-like s-s-strangers..." His voice quivering due to the notion of having to reject Lea's fearsome might.

In response, Lea simply shrugged her shoulders. "Lead the way."

Rustles of the leaves came, and Bright saw the current scene. Noticing Lea with a youth in her arms, he simply had the urge to ask. "Lea! You found a husband already?!"

Lea spared Bright a gaze. And when she did, Bright immediately noticed Lea's changed countenance. He recognized the long hair and Lea's vague side profile, but her current appearance has even more improved since he last remembered. So he unconsciously asked, "What happened to your face?"

Not knowing what Bright was referring to, she ignored his question. "Are you coming with me?" She simply asked, while bringing the unconscious boy more comfortably on her shoulder.

Seeing this, Bright found it very strange. He never knew Lea has so much strength. Although his thoughts abruptly stopped there and heard no more. His mind was experiencing brain freeze due to neurons dying too fast. If he does not eat soon, he might lost some memories. True or not, he was starting to look worrying, in the head.

She proceeded to push the younger boy for direction when Bright remained silent. "Move." She then glanced once again on Bright before proceeding to leave. She was sure Bright was no longer in her presence, but she still bothered to say something. "Tell the others I've found a place. I'll see you soon."

Of course, as expected, Bright did not hear anything! He was simply staring into space, thinking of air.

The poor boy was left to gather his wits, and slowly stood up to walk in the direction of his poor home. He thought fearfully of his mother's reaction to the outrageous girl. But he couldn't do anything otherwise.

Bright, on the other hand, couldn't say yes or no to Lea's invitation. He simply was too hungry to think of anything! Standing by himself in the middle of tall trees and shrubberies, his mind was empty as a brainless skull. A few minutes later, his mind zapped and remembered he badly needed to find something to eat. And so he went about his way to find any fruit lying about. Of course a fruit that would be left on the ground could possibly be never good to eat, but Bright was too hungry and feeling too foolish to care.

Left alone to his own devices, danger looms overhead.

--------

"Mom!" Called the boy, sounding like he badly needed help. To his desperate call, a middle aged woman burst out of the door holding a butcher knife.

"What is it, little Victor? Where's the person I should kill?" She asked with her bulging eyes. If people cannot feel fear from her sharp butcher knife, then her looks could.

The boy simply pointed at Lea. The woman then noticed her older son, her expression changed. "D-Did you saved my dear Vince? Thank you... Thank you! Here, let me." Assuming by herself that Lea was there to save the day, she scurried to shoulder her injured son. She then led Lea inside the house.

The boy was left speechless, and couldn't say more. Especially after Lea gave him a look before proceeding to follow his mother. A child he may be, he knew better not to interfere on someone's plans, especially against someone he cannot possibly win against. In addition, he thought better than to endanger his mother by honestly telling her what had occurred.

Inside the house, Vince was laid in one of the bedrooms. The interior of the house looked clean and furnished with mahogany wood. There were many cabinets with herbs in different containers labeled differently from one another.

The woman led Lea into the dining room where she asked her to have a sit while she made her way to make some herbal tea.

"If I may, girl. What happened to my son to have him looking like that?"

Victor was also present as he was asked by his mother to remain close at hand. Listening to his mother's probing, he felt himself nervous.

"I threw a rock. It hit his shoulder." Her answer made the woman drop the kettle harshly, almost burning her own hands.

"W-What...?" Her blue eyes narrowed with a glare.

"M-ma... Calm down!" Feeling increasingly fearful, he couldn't help but ask his mom to not do anything drastic.

Lea simply relaxed herself on her chair, closing her eyes to think. Lost in her world, again.

Silence took over. The woman waited for Lea's words, but nothing came.

The boy answered, "M-ma... It was a-actually our f-fault... We were sneaking around h-h-her...."

The mother knew her sons best, and thought better than to simply believe his younger son's claim. "Surely, there must be more to it..." She continued to glare at Lea.

Still eyes closed, Lea demanded, "I would like a place to live in. I'll put your son's shoulder to its rightful form if you would agree."

"That bargain, it's gonna be hard to accept! After knowing you are the offender herself!" Growled the woman.

"If you are sure you can fix his shoulder yourself, then I shall take my leave. Don't cause me anymore trouble and waste my time." Lea coldly replied, which sent shivers to both the mother and son pair.

The woman thought herself courageous than this. She wondered why she suddenly felt ominous pressure coming from the girl sitting calmly on the offered chair. "We have doctors around here, so I don't need your help. Get out before I kill you!!"

"Try it." Lea calmly said. Then she opened her eyes, and gazed on the woman with a sharp glint of cold. "If you can."

As if a bucket of ice was poured on her, her bravery was suddenly washed away.

Victor did not miss his mother's change of expression and said, "Mom. Please let her do whatever she wants, I can watch over her myself!"

Brave words of a young boy made the mother go soft.

The woman pondered her son's words only for a minute and nodded her head. At this, Lea stood up and walked towards one of the bedrooms without a question.

"How rude can a person be...?!" With gritted teeth, the woman held back her anger. She doesn't know how mighty Lea can be, but she felt herself cold against her pressure. Much like Victor, she thought better not to go against Lea.

"Sorry, M-ma..." Victor weakly muttered before leaving to stalk Lea into a bedroom. The woman simply left a sigh.

~Deep in the woods~

"Humpy Dumpy sat on a wall~

"Humpy Dumpy had a~~~ GREAT fall!

" Berries are everywhere, and I can see them lying anywhere~

"Twenty-nine, thirty and thirty-one is over there!"

Bright kept picking up strange berries sprawled on the ground, while singing Nursery Rhymes to himself. Unbeknownst to him, shadows have been trailing him since he went deeper into the woods.

"Since coming here, I felt myself better than ever. I wonder if this is what it feels like to live in the woods. Maybe I should become a hermit!" Looking grandly foolish, he declared his new mission in life.

"But wait, am I missing something?" He had finally come to a point where his mind was at work. Remembering Lea and the incident earlier. "Ah... Well, ha ha ha... He'd be mad with me again." He said exasperated, referring to one of his and Lea's companions.

He decided to grab more berries as peace offering for once he comes back to their camp. Several more minutes later, he had grabbed more then enough berries he could carry in all his pockets. Turning about-face, he was suddenly hit fatally on his nape.

Unconscious once again, Bright was kidnapped. Mind shut down.

~Raize and Ulla: By the shore~

"They are awfully taking a long while to get back. Nevermind Lea, but Bright should be back by now no matter how foolish he may be." Said Raize, while keeping the fire going and grilling some one-horned fishes he caught with a sharp sturdy wooden spear. He sculpted it himself during the day.

It was already late in the afternoon since Bright left for food in the woods.

"Maybe we shouldn't have been too careless to leave Bright by himself... We don't know much about this place yet..." Ulla said as she organized their things, ready for whenever there's emergency. "I should have learnt my lessons by now. Should we go into the woods?"

"No. Let's wait for tomorrow. I'll keep watch for the first half."

"Okay." Replied Ulla with a nod. Having pondered a while, she couldn't help but ask a question that had been going around in her mind since they arrived at the shore, "Hey. Where do you think we are?"

Raize gave Ulla a glance and continued to cook the fishes in skewers. "I don't know. But I feel like we are somewhere very, very far. So don't worry about it and let's just think of what to do next after our rest. Once we find the other two, we can get information from the people in that port town."

"Okay."

They ate and Ulla slept. Raize was left to guard the night. He grabbed his solar flashlight, turned it on, and flashed it towards the woods. "Was it just my imagination...?" He asked himself, feeling ominous all of a sudden.

Morning came and the two were packed ready for a venture in the woods, deciding it was about time to search for any trace of Lea and Bright.

"I've made sure to separate the useless stuffs, so we don't have to carry too much. Let's go." Raize said.

"Okay." Replied Ulla, walking after him.

As they ventured deeper into the woods, they noticed how clear some areas are. There was a certain path where there were not that many berries lying about. And so he followed up to a point where suddenly the trail stopped, leaving squashed berries on the spot. "Something happened to either Lea or Bright here... But what could it have been? At least there is no sign of blood."

Ulla moved forwards and inspected the squashed berries on the floor. "I'm no inspector, but it's obvious there wasn't much struggle. But it could be neither of the two too."

"No. It should be Bright's. Look closer. There are shoe prints. Although roughly discernible, it looks similar to Bright's shoes sole bottom. But the clues stop there." Observed Razed, while carefully taking note of the surroundings.

"You know. I've been feeling this tugging sense that what we have seen so far is familiar. Like, I remember it more as descriptions from somewhere. But I can't touch on it completely just yet... The port town, then the woods... the one-horned fishes... Horned creatures...." Muttered Ulla under her breath, lost in her thoughts.

"Really? No harm trying, so remember it soon. I'll keep a look out."

"Okay."

Raize left Ulla a few spaces away to look around the area closer. But just when he thought nothing would happen, he heard Ulla's soft gasp. When he turned around to look, Ulla was no longer where she was. "............"

Walking closer slowly, Raize moved his hand for his Swiss army knife. Expertly flicking it, he steeled his way around. Silence was his only companion, along with the rustling of the leaves caused by the wind making the tree branches dance. A soft sound of footsteps, and Raize aimed his knife towards it only to discover there were more than too many newcomers to handle by himself.

Putting away his weapon safely, he waited for the strangers to come forth closer to him. He thought better not to waste his energy. He raised his hands in surrender, but the strangers still made him unconscious by hitting his nape. 'Great. It's official. I hate this.' were his last thoughts.

~Lea: Victor's House~

"Stop staring at me." Said Lea, while observing out the window. Her words directed to Victor who had been standing diligently at the mouth of the bedroom.

He looked away, but didn't move. "W-when will you be leaving..?"

Lea gave Victor a glance and went back to observing the sky. She waited for a few minutes before saying, "After 2 days. I don't like walking on wet grounds. No need to bother feeding me anything."

Victor was pleased to hear this. "Can I ask one more thing...?"

"Yea."

"What are you wearing...?"

Lea looked at herself. "Ah... I haven't taken it off since. It's called a raincoat. Against the rain." She generously explained, giving Victor a pleasant surprise.

"Oh... I've never seen it anywhere before... Can I touch it...?" Asked Victor feeling courageous after exchanging words with Lea.

"Go ahead." Lea said and took off her Carter's Cat Raincoat for Victor to study.

Feeling slightly delighted, Victor scurried to receive the raincoat. "It feels really smooth and elastic.... Like Plastic.." He muttered under his breath with a tone of amazement.

"Yea. So it can resist water from coming through from the outside layer. Unfortunately, I cannot give that to you, but you can have the other one I have if you want." As Lea said this, she went to grab her still wet bag in the corner. Unzipped it and grabbed a normal looking raincoat, still black.

Surprised at Lea's generosity, Victor was left with his eyes wide open and mouth agape. She offered the raincoat towards Victor, and so he slowly took it in his arms. "I.... t-t-thank... y-you......."

"'Welcome." Then she went up to stand by the window to observe the sky once again.

Feeling that the conversation has ended, Victor walked back to the door and started studying the raincoat he just received. After feeling satisfied of just looking at it, he wore it. Excitement surge through from within from getting something new and unique.

"You can try it out soon. It's going to rain, although it'll only be a light shower." Lea said, never leaving her gaze from the now grey sky, which was ever changing fast.

Victor nodded at this and gave his gratitude once again before turning to run outside. His mother was surprised to see his son wearing something she never bought before, and followed him.

Lea left the window to walk into Vince's room where he was resting on his back on the wall. "Your shoulder, let me fix it."

Without waiting for Vince's response, Lea made a grab for his hand and laid him on his back. Firmly holding his hand, she pulled it back fast. Suddenly he felt his pain lessen and he felt more comfortable than before.

"It'll remain discomforting for a while, but your shoulder is fixed." With that, Lea left Vince's room just as quickly as she entered. Vince was left speechless in his bedroom.

Victor on the other hand, discovered he can be in the rain without care in his new raincoat. He was nagged by his mother, but he made her understand about the raincoat and even she felt like she wanted to try the little raincoat on herself. She left Victor to himself afterward.

Smiling towards the dark clouds, Victor felt great in the rain.

Back to Lea, she went back to the bedroom she chose. She then sat cross-legged on the bed to organize her jumbled thoughts.

'I should go and check on the other three later. Based on Victor and his family, they are by no means different from us. If the rest are gonna be the same, then there should be nothing noteworthy in roaming inside the port town.'

She inhaled and exhaled, and felt her muscles relax. Her mind was much clearer than before. She continued to ponder.

'The occurrence at the lake. The creatures in the sea. The shadows in the woods. But this house seems to be safe, and so are the people within its confine. 2 days to know better. 2 days to keep myself safe. 2 days before moving forward.'

She inhaled and exhaled another breathe. Once she opened her eyes, her gaze landed on Victor's flushed form. Taking notice of Lea, Victor asked, "What are you doing...?" He was sitting by the edge of Lea's occupied bed, looking strangely at her.

"Planning."

"Oh... But why do you have to sit like that?"

"Meditation."

"Ah... What does that mean....? Medi- tation?"

Lea let out a soft sigh. She moved to stand and walked towards her backpack, leaving Victor wondering what she was up to next. She unzipped her backup and took out a booklet and threw it towards Victor. "Read it."

Fumbling over catching the small book, Victor opened to read inside but to his surprise, he could not understand anything. He looked up to stare at Lea for attention. She was already sitting cross-legged once again on the bed, but her gaze was still on him. "What?"

"I can read, but I can't read this... What are these gibberish symbols...? Runes?" Asked Victor innocently.

"Ah. I can understand your words, but it seems we speak a different language. But how?" Ignoring Victor's question, Lea pondered to herself, aloud. "There is more problem in store." She concluded before calling for Victor's attention. "Victor."

He has yet to leave his skyblue eyes from her, so he simply replied, "Yes?"

"Do you have books in your house? If so, lead me there." She commanded, quite fastidiously.

Victor easily agreed and led Lea to a room in the basement. Along the way, barrels of wine can be seen lined up at both sides of the wall. Then Victor opened a door, and inside was a library full of old and new bundles of books. "Nobody really comes here anymore..."

Lea moved to the first bookshelf by the door and started opening one book after another with great speed. Victor who was observing all this felt himself increasingly curious about Lea.

He initially feared and hated Lea's presence, but ignoring the previous pressure, he realized she was not ultimately a bad person. This conclusion came to mind after seeing how Lea interacted with him in that small bedroom. He noticed Lea didn't seem to care about anything else or whatever else as long as she had her own corner to think. She was harmless if not threatened.

And supposing Lea's current endeavor, Victor thought better to himself not to disturb her as she studied bookshelves after bookshelves.

Then suddenly, Lea stopped and stood still. "It's final. I cannot read anything in this room." Sounding rather forlorn that was hard to notice, she declared in her pristine voice.

After the words left her mouth, Victor understood what she said. And was very much surprised to hear the news. But he kept himself silent.

Letting out a soft sigh, she turned her gazed on Victor. He flinched. Not understanding what Lea was thinking, he simply stared back at her.

"I'll give you whatever I have you like." At this, Victor felt even more surprised, but waited for Lea to continue. "In exchange, teach me how to read and write your language."

Victor thought about the offer for a minute, and decided to help Lea even without the offer. "I can do that, and you don't need to give me anything...." He replied, feeling great about himself at the notion he'll be teaching someone something.

Lea shook her head in refusal. "I cannot allow you to teach me without a trade. If things cannot satisfy you, ask whatever you wish. In return, let us start as soon as possible. Such as now."

Victor felt himself gulp unconsciously. "Okay. I'll tell you later. Let's start with..."

From there, Victor started teaching Lea about the language in his region. He still wondered why they can communicate with one another.

"I'm speaking in Lao. This is commonly used in this region, which is called Lao Yuo. It has several thousands of characters-"

Lea raised her hand to a stop, and stood up to grab a book, then sat back down in front of Victor. "Teach me the characters of this book."

Victor smiled. "Okay. I'll go grab a pen and paper for you-" Once again, stopped by Lea's hand gesture, Victor sat back down. Lea stood up and went up to get her backpack. And came back as fast as she left. "Ready." She simply said, appearing rather very eager.

So Victor proceeded to teach Lea each character in the book and they made great progress overnight. To his surprise, Lea learnt a few thousands in one sitting. He has yet to meet anyone who could pick up writing so fast, and her comprehension was outstanding. If left alone, he guessed Lea could write a simple children's book.

Victor's mother came thrice during the whole session to bring blankets and food, not paying much attention to Lea. She has yet to warm up to the fearsome girl who suddenly barged inside their home, but her duty to take care of her son's well-being was what's keeping her on her toes.

Inside the room filled with books, Victor finally felt very sleepy. He looked on Lea who kept writing and reading as she went about on the book she chose. Then decided it was good enough progress to sleep. Rather, he couldn't help himself and accepted his body's desire. By instinct, he slept.

Lea, fully awake by determination to learn Yao by the next day hastily kept writing. She was 87% done in understanding the book. It would not be long before she can finish it completely. And she was delighted of her book choice. Not only was she learning Yao, but also slowly understanding what kind of land she and her classmates landed on. The book was fiction, but was written based on the world of Ingrid.

To her understanding, there exist three great nations that have constantly been on war. It started even further than thousands of years ago. Others have called these divided lands as the Three Kingdoms.

Each nation have a great war potential at their disposal. Based on this fictional book, one nation called Mingzhe Dei upheld strong spiritual abilities and was thus able to nurture and protect themselves from outside forces through sheer knowledge on techniques and imaginations. The wise nation of Mingzhe Dei had their own person of legend whose name never forgotten and made critically significant in fiction. He was Sage Muk Shil.

In the nation of Chlad, there exist General Raul Stronghold who continued to lead skirmishes barely unscratched. Their war potential was supported by their great physical attribute and strong defense due to having been situated at nearby mines, the source for strong materials. Although they learnt to adapt Mingzhe Dei's way of battle by enhancing their spiritual capabilities and knowledge, their methods were far inferior.

The nation of Sabio mostly kept to themselves and rarely joined the fray, only to defend their territory. They didn't show any superior abilities in battle, but they excelled in culture and enterprise. With that much said, their famous person was Arnold McLaine. Their king who loved poems and paintings. He knew when to defend and attack to keep his larger territories safe. A wise king he was called.

The fictional story foretold how the three people met by coincidence and learnt to get along without knowing each other's title. When they met once again, it was in the battlefield. They questioned their beliefs afterwards, and wondered if all the nations could be unified under one ruling. After many political secret meetings and spies, none of the three were none the wiser. They found their difference, and learnt to understand one another.

Muk Shil could never afford to lose a great wise friend like Arnold McLaine, and despite his incompatibility with Raul Stronghold, he couldn't help but see the general as someone who simply wanted to make his nation proud.

The fictional story ended with the 3 strong and wise men unite the Three Kingdoms in the end, bring with it peace and prosperity.

Lea enjoyed the short tale very much. She wondered if she could possibly explore all nations and see the differences between fiction and reality. Were the three nations still divided, she wondered.

After she finished the book, Victor stirred from his sleep. He saw Lea still scrambling about with books in both hands, on her lap and all around her.

He yawned and stretched his scrawny arms. "Are you finished?"

Lea did not notice Victor nor heard his question as she was reading a book about Mingzhe Dei's culture. She wanted to know more about their spiritual cultivation, and learn it herself.

Learning and getting used fast to Lea's behavior to whatever caught her concentration, Victor folded the blankets and set them aside. He went up the stairs and grabbed breakfast. Simply 2 slices of bread with orange jam that his mother made. He also made some for Lea to eat, and brought it with him down the basement.

Lea continued to read books for 2 whole days and prepared herself to leave after a night of sleep. Victor suddenly felt very lonely watching Lea pack her stuffs. Then she looked at him and asked, "The trade. What did you want in exchange?"

Almost forgetting about it, Victor grew panicked by the sudden question. He pondered for a few minutes, then Lea said, "If you cannot think of anything right now, I can wait for it even at a later time. I shall be leaving to visit Port Ruo."

"If that is the case, can I come with you?" Victor asked, not wanting to part from his new friend too soon.

Lea tried to remember the paths in reaching the shore, and decided it was safe enough to have Victor around. So she agreed.

Victor's mother wasn't pleased. She refused Victor's request and Lea left alone. Before going very far, Lea remembered something in her backpack and brought it out. She walked towards Victor's house and gave the thing to him.

Surprised, Victor tried to understand the item in his hands. He looked at Lea's eyes for any clues, but they remained calm as a sea of red.

She turned around and left, never turning back.

Victor was left to stare at Lea's lonely back. He then suddenly remembered, "I never asked for her name...."

[Victor Character Profile]

[Name: Victor (Last Name Unknown, currently)]

[Age: Looks about 14 years old.]

[The otome scenario will eventually reveal itself. Lea will have no idea she is a part of it until then. Below are the outfits worn by Lea, Bright, Ulla and Raize, arranged respectively]

~Ruo Fortress~

Walking through the wilderness that Lea now knew as Ruo Fortress from the books she had read, she noticed something amiss. Rather than what was being seen, it was uneasiness to what was unseen.

She slowed her walk, slowed her breathing and calmed her nerves. Closing her eyes as she slowly continued to walk onward. Then before the unknown stranger could land a hit on Lea, Lea turned around and gave a high kick towards the head against the intruder. And with all her might, she turned her foot downwards, together with the intruder's head.

With the weight of her force, she/he was knocked on the ground in seconds.

Without waiting for another chance, she kicked the unconscious intruder's leg where it was tender. It broke easily.

Seeing the events that just occurred, the intruder's companions retreated a few paces before they could recover slightly, enough to realize there was just one against their many number.

But Lea was determined to defend herself. Unbeknownst to them all, a short shadow was watching the whole event behind the trees where Lea came from.

Silence controlled the surroundings. During the few seconds of stillness, Lea had gauged out her attack patterns against the 9 intruders. Silence was killed in an instant when five of the intruders jumped on Lea.

Three of them were equipped with short swords and were thrusting and brandishing them all at the same time. With her nimble feet and ample time to counter, she crouched low enough to avoid the range of the short swords. Thereupon, she used her right foot to perform a side kick to an unarmed intruder, breaking his/her jaw. Using the time the attacked opponent was stunned, she used him/her to raise herself up in the air to do a roundhouse to the temple of the two intruders with short swords, leaving only one of them armed and one unarmed.

The four others planned to stay back, but after the short moment of distraction, they regretted their decision. Thus, they also decided to join the fray. All four gave chase to Lea, narrowing down the space she could run about. But they did not know, it did not matter if there was enough space or not, Lea would still strive to defeat them all. And she would succeed.

Gaining enough momentum due to the intruders' surprise, Lea decided to end the battle swiftly by aiming for her opponents knees with her strong kick and punches. All the while, most attacks coming her way were evaded by either a small turn or by hitting the vital joints before the completion of the attacks. One dropped on the ground, Lea stomp his/her heart. Another was side kicked to the heart, while a throat was crushed on the other.

Slowly, Lea was reaching her short goal. One by one, the intruders collapsed on the ground, either with broken nose, throat, ligaments or concussion. Nobody survived, except for those who were unconscious.

Then she slowly moved towards her first offender, took him/her by the cloth and dragged him/her away with her. Left alone behind the trees, the short silhouette couldn't stop trembling, but slowly, it continued to follow Lea on her tracks.

~Ruo Shore~

"Hm..." She had realized when the intruders attacked her that the possibility of her companions staying at the shore could be lost. Although one theory pointed to blame the intruder, there was also the possibility of her companions having left without her.

She sat up the unconscious body by a seating log. She then proceeded to start a fire. It was almost early evening, and she could feel herself getting hungry. But before she could think of fishing, the unconscious person stirred from its sleep.

Closing in, Lea lifted the person's chin and removed the mask covering the face. It was a woman, and she was gaining awareness. When she fully woken up, she felt so much pain on her leg that she couldn't stop herself from shouting. Lea immediately covered her mouth, and the woman then noticed her. Whimpering due to pain, the woman's eyes swam about but tried to focus her attention on Lea.

"Why did you ambush me?" Lea asked with a gentle tone, removing her hand that was covering the woman's mouth. There's no point in sounding stern if the information will not be given in that way.

Hearing Lea's voice, the woman calmed down a little and let out a gulp. She does not seem intend on sharing any information with Lea. Lea understood the woman's expression. She let out a soft sigh.

"I did your comrades in. They are unconscious in the fortress. If you want any of them to survive, give me what I want." Lea asked with her cold tone and glaring pair of red irises.

Upon hearing Lea's words, the woman felt herself shiver from down her spine upwards. She intended to keep her silence if it meant for only her alone to suffer. The conditions have changed, and there is a chance for her companions to live. She could do nothing but obey.

She bit her lower lip and turned her head away from Lea's piercing gaze.

"We were intending to sell you as a slave... Your clothing look unusual but high quality. Your looks exotic. Y-you were gonna fetch a high price just like the recent additions...." And at this, Lea's eyes narrowed.

"Lead me to your base. Are the recent captures still there?"

The woman looked on Lea before answering, "No... They... were traded over on the day they were captured...." She said hesitantly, fearing for her life with each word she uttered.

"Tell me more about the person who accepted the trade. Where can I find that person?"

She felt herself starting to tremble. She just knew she is going to die if she told any more of her organization's dealings to this person. But she either die now or have the chance to escape. She chose the latter.

"He is a rich merchant temporarily staying in Port Ruo. Last I heard, he was supposed to leave today heading for Sabio."

"So if he left today, how far do you think he has gone from here?"

"He should be nearing the land bridges on route to Mingzhe Dei. If no bandits nor beasts get in its way, his group should arrive in 2 weeks inside the borders of Mingzhe Dei."

"Is there anything else I need to know? If you are keeping some things from me, I can make it happen so you'll never walk ever again." Threatened Lea in her usual cold tone.

The woman found herself speechless, but thought better than to remain silent. She cannot possibly win against someone who defeated 9 of her's with a bad leg.

"To get through the land bridges, you need a citizen pass. Otherwise, they'll treat you as any other bandit and will be blacklisted from coming inside Mingzhe Dei borders ever again.

"To get the pass, you need to register within Port Ruo. You need money and an occupation to complete the process." When she finished her explanation, she was faced with Lea's expectant gaze. She unconsciously gulped down her saliva.

"You have a pass?"

The woman simply nodded. "Then give it."

Surrendering herself to her misfortune, she moved to hand her citizen pass.

"So your name is Dai Wouxie. Next time you make a pass, use Lea Rain Farechild."

She nodded her head obediently.

"I lied. Your comrades can be left where they are for at least 2 more days." Lea knocked Dai unconscious by hitting her nape. She then proceeded to fix the dislocated leg by forcefully straightening it. Grabbing a shirt from her backpack, she soaked it with water and tied it around Dai's fixed leg.

Before leaving Dai alone, she collected large leaves to shelter Dai's body and preventing them from being blown away by branches and stones. The end result is a blanket made of thick layers of leaves with scaffolding made of wood, perfected the base with stones. The only exposed part is the recently fixed leg to keep it cool.

With that, Lea left the unconscious Dai.

Behind her, the unrelenting silhouette continued to follow.

~Port Ruo: Entrance~

It's already late in the evening by the time Lea arrived at the gates of Port Ruo. She felt her stomach churning energetically. There were several people still at work in the small port.

Strange creatures never seen before were being put to labor. One that looked like a combination of a turtle and a species of the feline family, wherein the body and head was of a turtle, while the long legs, paw claws and tail belonging to that of a cat. Its pair of horns have been cut. She deduced that beast's task was to transport heavy cargo with all the bundled packages being carried on top of its shell.

'Poor turtle-cat.' Lea thought to herself. She's always been much kinder to animals compared to how she treats her own species, for various reasons.

Other creatures were being used as vehicle. Lea's impression of the people in Port Ruo went down considerably. She simply decided to think they were too lazy to bother giving the creatures their deserving freedom instead of building their own devices for their own convenience, which could last much longer. So when she decided to steal a domesticated creature, guilty conscience didn't register within her.

After further observation, it's currently dark and there were plenty of shade to hide if she ever tried to be sneaky about her plans. Thus she made use of such convenience to pull herself inside a fenced house that had a creature tied outside, along with its kind. When nobody was yet to detect her, she untied the rope holding back her target and she used its bushy fur to hurl herself up on top of it. Although alarmed, the beast seemed to be experienced at being handled of the sort.

By the time anyone had noticed, Lea was gone with the wind along with her new companion, who was more than happy to run for its freedom.

Within the safety of the darkness, a panicked silhouette can be seen. Its shadow reflected on the ground changed that of a feline with huge pointy ears and bushy tail. It ran to chase after Lea's shadow, determined on its pursuit.

With an empty stomach, Lea urged the beast to keep up the speed. She wanted to cover a distance from Port Ruo in case they noticed a beast was missing.The beast she stole resembled that of a hamster and an elephant. With an elephant head armed with a pair of curved tusks, and elephant legs. The body itself was of a hamster, soft and plushy to ride on.

After having the creature Lea named Hamsphant run 15 kilometers away from Port Ruo, she urged it to rest within the forest east side from the main road's. It obediently remained where she wanted it to stay, grateful for giving the freedom it always wanted.

She planned to only make use of Hamsphant until she was able to cross the land bridges, but she was liking its temperament more and more.

She left in search of food. Initially thinking she'd just be hunting for meat, she remembered Hamsphant. Concluding it'll be useful to pick some fruits along the way.

The creature, Hamsphant, was tasked to guard Lea's belongings by hiding the backpack in its bushy furs. It had no qualms with the request. Then it heard the sound of a broken branch. Turning to the source of the sound, muscles steeled. Hamsphant decided to stay alert only to discover a light blue fox was approaching closer.

When the fox finally reached Hamsphant's side, the fox leaned its body within Hamsphant's fur. Then before long, Hamsphant could feel the fox sleeping in comfort, safe inside its body layered with soft fur.

~Lea's side: Forest~

She had encountered a few number of creatures during her exploration, but none too dangerous to go up against. One was a fusion of a hare and a deer. The head and tail being that of a rabbit, while the body and legs where that of a deer.

By performing a side kick to the head, followed by a corkscrew neckbreaker, Lea found herself putting more significance to her stealth to go up behind unsuspecting beasts. It provided plenty of chances for her to collect good meat and less chances for her to get injured.

Due to a few more encounters of the same kind of beast, she decided to climb a tree and traveled by moving from one tree to another. And with that method of travel, Lea had a better chance of collecting fruits. She decided to only carry up to 5 pear-shaped fruits for Hamsphant.

She continued to explore in search of a lake. She has yet to drink water all day long.

She climbed another tree and found a different kind of fruit. Deciding to get it, she threw one of the five pear-shaped fruits she was keeping in her clothes. Then taking only one of the new kind, moving on to another tree with agile and careful movements. But before she could go very far from where she dropped the fruit, the same rabbit-deer beast sniffed it.

Curious to see what would happen, Lea decided to sit on the thick branch and observe the beast.

The beast ate the fruit, munch by munch until nothing was left. After a while, Lea decided the fruit was safe to take back and didn't bother observing the beast anymore.

'Sorry for making you a guinea pig, little radeer.' She thought to herself. She was worried about eating fruits bore in this forest, but since it's proven they are safe to eat, she felt quite relieved.

And yes, she just named the commonly found beast Radeer as she doesn't exactly know what they're called. The books she read did not include the zoology of this world.

Moving further east, she's finally encountered a different creature although it's currently sleeping soundly. Size so huge as 12 feet and 6 feet wide, its snores can be heard very clearly even from a distance. Its faced similar to a raccoon, but with larger sharp ears.

'Looks like a raccoon cat instead.' And at this thought, Lea found herself break a small smile. It looked adorable to her.

Lea grabbed her survival knife from a leg strap she made herself. Carefully as she goes from one tree to another, crossing a wide distance between each tree until landing on the ground little ways away from where the Raccoon Cat was sleeping.

'I guess I should end this exploration now. It seems the beasts from henceforth will be quite formidable.' And with that thought, she changed her plans.

Slowly, she moved backwards, away from the beast's hearing range. Then sprinted to go back to where Hamsphant was, deciding to go ways around keeping the range to avoid complications if ever she encounters another beast on the way back.

Passing through blurry shapes of trees, large roots, thorny shrubberies and more Radeers, she found herself by Port Ruo's main road, not far from Hamsphant's resting spot. A sigh of relief escaped Lea's rosy lips.

Stirring Hamsphant from its sleep, Lea gave the beast 2 pear-shaped fruits, feeding it by hand. While one hand was holding the fruits, the other was used for patting the body's fur. Hamsphant felt amazing by the gesture. In gratitude, it used its trunk to wrap around Lea's waist and pushed her in its furry body for a comforting hug until Lea noticed something else beside her backpack within Hamsphant's bushy fur.

To her surprise and delight, a light blue fox was sleeping. She wanted to keep it. And so as not to scare it away, she decided to also lay by Hamsphant's warm body to rest.

They all slept well that night with Lea being more than content in having a couple of cute creatures as her companions. She hopes the fox will remain by the time she wakes.

~Victor's House~

A shrill can be heard from outside the house. A shrill so piercing that an eardrum could burst. Then it stopped, next came the sound of sobs.

"V-Vince.... Your little brother... Where is he? I've been looking every where since yesterday, but I cannot find a trace of him!" She said in between her sobbing.

Vince offered to pat the woman's back to calm herself down and said, "He'll come around, Ma.. I'm sure he will. Victor is still too young to be off somewhere far."

"I hope you are right... I'm really too worried. He has yet to awaken properly.... He'll endanger himself if he doesn't work it out properly... I hope he can figure out his keyword..." After much sobbing, she continued. "He is seriously too young! That foolish boy..."

With that, sobbing sounds could be heard all night long.

~Bright, Ulla and Raize~

"Row~ Row~ Row~ Your boat! Gently~ down the stream~~~---"

"Shut it, Bright! We don't need your beast alluring voice... Seriously. You have been nothing but a broken trumpet. I swear, I haven't been able to think properly since I was thrown here together with you."

"Oh come on! We've been together all day and you haven't been charmed by my attractiveness yet? You sure you are okay, Mr. Handsome?!" As Bright jokingly said so, he made an attempt to nudge Raize with his upper body. Raize was, however, quick to kick Bright's face away.

Both of their hands are currently tied.

A man armed with a whip comes forward to the pair's cage. "Make any more noise tonight and you'll end up regretting you ever had a mouth."

"You still gonna challenge?" Turning his head to look at Bright, Raize asked.

"Well~ If you give me a kiss! Chuu--" The cage was unlocked, the man joined the pair inside and started whipping Bright. "I just told you, yet!" He continued whipping him until he looked like a bloody mess.

"Seriously~ This is too painful..." He said, acting as if he was gonna cry. But nobody could be fooled due to the smile he was wearing.

Having exhausted himself for nothing, the man decided to ignore Bright and locked the cage, leaving the pair alone once again.

"How could you just leave me whipped up, Handsome! I have no respect for you. Not a gentleman at all. Hmph!" Bright said using a mezzo-soprano voice to imitate that of a female. And as he said so, he turned his head away from Raize.

"Just sleep." Is all Raize said in response.

"Boring~! But okay. Night, Handsome."

Once Bright laid himself down to comfort his wounds, Raize turned his gaze outside his cage's confine, out towards a certain cage with a few girls bundled together.

"They collected plenty of women... But only 2 boys. Wicked trade." He murmured to himself. He narrowed his eyes and thought, 'I haven't found a chance to device a plan for escape at all... I hope Ulla on the other hand is being well taken care of.'

He then looked towards the starry sky. 'I wonder how Lea's doing...'

~Lea's Side: The Next Morning~

When she stirred, she stretched her arms up and wide. Then she saw a light blue fur in front of her eyes, facing her red eyes up close.

Lea cracked a small smile and rolled to enclose the fox in her hold. "Now, you won't think of escaping won't you?" She kept hugging the fox for a long while, and the fox did not even try to get away. Rather, its action looked like it was comfortable in Lea's chest.

If Hamsphant didn't feel jealous and bothered Lea using its trunk, Lea would have kept hugging the fox all morning. Realizing Hamsphant's temperament, Lea cracked another smile, a minute wider than before.

Mesmerized by Lea's expression and touch, Hamsphant made a grab for Lea's waist and pushed her towards itself. "Easy there." As she said so, her hands kept patting Hamsphant's furry body. The gesture made Hamsphant soft to the bone.

But of course, much like everything else, the unusual morning ritual had to end. After feeding Hamsphant with another 2 pear-shaped fruits, Lea rode on its back to cover a longer distance.

Not very far from when they started, Lea thought to hunt for food when she saw a flying beast. It looked rather odd with its lizard-like tail, but otherwise, it looked like a huge hawk. The problem was how to capture it.

She didn't have rubber bands to make a sling, and neither a throwable sharp object. But as she was wracking her brain for a solution, she remembered the books concerning Mingzhe Dei's spiritual cultivation.

It talked about 2 types of manipulation. One was to influence a being that has consciousness, while the other was using one's consciousness to control the surroundings. In order for either of the two to be accomplished, a being must posses adequate spiritual essences that can be gathered anywhere, but cannot be seen with naked eyes.

There are several kinds of spiritual essences, and according to what was collected, unimaginable things could occur. To start with, the person must look into oneself, read the flow within and understand how much spiritual essences can be contained in the inner "well". The well may contain little amount because it can be shallow, while on another hand, it may turn out to be bottomless.

Lea positioned herself cross-legged on top of Hamsphant, while the fox is laying on top of her head. They look rather odd.

When she gathered her concentration, she tried to imagine her well. With the inspiration to do so many things when she is able to, she could finally see the well within her. But it is empty. Brows furrowed, she tried harder to feel within her, she could feel essences flowing within her fast, but her well remained looking empty.

She stopped her progress. Although she felt greater than before due to the flowing essences within her system, she felt conflicted by what she saw.

And so she decided to ignore about essence manipulation for the moment. Besides, her knowledge concerning the subject is limited even with abundant imaginations. But before truly dismissing the previous notion, she gazed at the hawk still gliding in the sky.

With her mind, she strongly imagined the hawk falling downwards at 200km/hr. And that's exactly what happened. The hawk landed ways away from Lea's location. She simply let out a soft sigh of regret due to forgetting the distance.

And so Lea and her beasts continued onward, hoping they'll encounter the dead hawk on the way.

Unbeknownst to Lea, the ends of her hair has turned a shade of purple hue with a faint flow.

~3 hours later; Covered 35.7km~

The land bridges could finally be seen in the distance. Feeling the excitement within her surge through, Lea put through her new skills into practice by transferring some essences to Hamsphant.

Hamsphant gained so much strength that he was able to cover 1.5km in 15 minutes. When Lea urged it to stop, it could feel Lea's gentle hand patting its furry body. It felt delighted once more.

Hopping down on the stable ground, Lea narrowed her eyes for closer inspection. She could see a little shelter where a line of people in different designs of clothing were crowding about. Her gaze grew sharp upon landing her eyes on one particular huge group with a carriage decorated with fancy stones and fabric.

Suspecting she had finally caught up to the illegal human traffickers, she immediately devised a plan to destroy the group. While her mind was busy, the fox resting on top of her head that never moved away since the start of the journey perked up and yawned.

Then it went back to sleep. Although Hamsphant jealously stared at the fox, it couldn't possibly do the same on Lea due to its huge size. Feeling moody all of the sudden, it gently moved its trunk around Lea's waist for a hug.

Lea unconsciously patted Hamspath's furry body and didn't move due to her mind's busy processes. Hamspath was, however, very much satisfied. It started to think that as long as Lea paid itself attention, it would feel enormously happy and immediately comfortable. Unbeknownst to Lea, Hamspath had pledged to never leave Lea's side, ever.

When she finally came around to, a slight glimmer could be seen in her pair of ruby eyes. Patting Hamspath to trot alongside her, they made their way towards the crowd.

The crowd's gaze immediately took their breathe away at the appearance of the unusual beauty. And along with most men in the crowd, a man dressed in expensive garb could be seen approaching Lea. Every finger laced with rings of different precious stones, plump cheeks and foxy eyes, everyone could see how badly he wanted to be an acquaintance of Lea, and she was actually staring back at the man.

Lea's inching closer to her classmates. Rescue is on its way!

[Some of Lea's moves executed during the battle pace. Credited to Leomimus (http://leomimus.deviantart.com/art/kneekick-B-570970949), in DeviantArt.]