They were still a ways out from the Sun Clan.
But Satoshi had a question he couldn't hold back anymore.
"Amelia," he said. Voice steady. Calm. But serious.
She looked over, violet eyes flickering in the firelight. "Yeah?"
"Why are you fighting the Dark Clans?"
Amelia didn't answer right away.
Then she smiled—but it wasn't kind. It was sharp. Cold.
Not rage. Deeper than that.
"You really wanna know?"
"Yeah."
Camila paused mid-cut, setting her knife down slowly. She already had a bad feeling about this.
Amelia had never told the full story.
Until now.
The Lab of the Forgotten
"I was six when they killed my parents."
Her voice was weirdly calm.
"Don't remember much about them," she said. "Bits and pieces. My mom humming when she cooked. My dad's jacket. The way it smelled when he hugged me."
She stared at the fire.
"And then one day... gone."
She took a breath—not a sigh, more like letting go of something heavy.
"They didn't kill me, though. The Dark Clans took me."
Satoshi stayed quiet. Just listened. But his fingers twitched.
Camila was gripping her blade a little too tight.
"There were other kids. Dozens of us. They took us to a lab. A facility."
She hesitated. Just a beat.
"They were looking for a vessel. For the Eyes of Lust."
Satoshi's expression darkened.
"…How?"
Amelia let out a dry laugh. No humor in it. "You already know."
Yeah. They did.
Eyes of Sin showed up in one of two ways: They chose you. Or they were forced.
"They tried to force it."
Camila shut her eyes. She knew what that meant.
"Some kids died. Some just... broke. The ones who lived?"
Amelia's violet eyes lit up with something dangerous.
"They were used."
She leaned back.
"They made us watch. Made us listen. Made us learn."
Satoshi didn't interrupt.
"Some of us followed orders. Some resisted. The ones who resisted didn't last."
She blinked slowly. A memory flickering behind her eyes:
Blood. Screams. Hands.
Her fists clenched.
"I was eleven when a man tried to... force himself on me."
Camila's jaw tightened.
Satoshi's fire didn't flicker—it died.
Amelia's voice dropped. "And I killed him."
Silence.
"Don't even remember doing it. One second he was there. The next, his throat was open."
Her hands twitched, like she could still feel it.
"And then..."
She smiled.
"The Eyes of Lust woke up."
"The second they activated, I felt it."
Amelia leaned forward, eyes glowing faintly in the firelight.
"It wasn't just rage. Or survival."
She breathed in, slow and sharp.
"It was pleasure."
Satoshi didn't move.
Camila didn't speak.
Amelia gave a tiny laugh—quiet, too calm.
"It felt good. Like… really good. Like something inside me had always been waiting for that moment."
She glanced up. "You ever felt that? When everything lines up just right? When it's like the whole world bends around what you want?"
No one answered.
Because they didn't need to.
Amelia extended her hand toward the flames like she could still reach through time.
"Once the Eyes woke up, I knew what I had to do."
Her smile didn't reach her eyes.
"I killed everyone."
Scientists. Guards. The ones who hurt her. The ones who watched. The ones who laughed. Even the ones who looked away.
"I didn't run. I didn't try to escape. Not right away."
She leaned back, voice soft.
"I played with them first."
Satoshi blinked. "Played?"
Her smile sharpened.
"Twisted their minds. Made them feel things they didn't want to. Broke them."
Camila exhaled, eyes closed. "And after that?"
Amelia shrugged.
"Then I walked out. Didn't look back."
The fire cracked a little louder than usual.
Satoshi ran a hand through his hair. "So just to recap... you're not fighting for revenge. You already got that."
Amelia nodded once.
"Then why keep going?"
She didn't hesitate. "Because they're not done."
Her eyes darkened just a bit.
"The Dark Clans still need a vessel for the Eyes of Lust. And now that I'm strong, now that I've made it out..."
She leaned forward.
"They'll come for me again. Or worse—try again with someone else."
The fire popped.
Satoshi let out a long breath.
Yeah. That tracked.
Camila was fighting because she believed in something.
He was fighting because of his family—and because, well, part of him liked it.
But Amelia?
She was fighting because she had lived through hell.
And she wasn't gonna let anyone else go through it.
Her eyes locked on his.
"So, Satoshi..."
Her lips curved into a smirk.
"Did I pass your test?"
Satoshi grinned back.
And his fire roared to life.
"Yeah. You did."
The second they stepped through the rift, they all felt it.
The air was different. Heavier, but alive. It buzzed beneath their skin, like the whole world was humming a song only it could hear.
The sky stretched out high above them—two suns shining down on towers and cities that didn't belong to their world.
They'd made it.
Ephemeral.
Not their home.
But the second his boots hit the ground, Satoshi felt something deep in his chest.
He felt like he belonged.
They stood just outside a city that looked like it had jumped out of a dream.
Massive towers etched with glowing runes scraped the sky. Streets buzzed with magic and noise and life. It was like fantasy had spilled into reality and never stopped.
Satoshi's eyes went wide.
Elves with silver hair and robes made of light strolled past like royalty.
Dwarves in gear-powered armor stomped around yelling over the grind of forges.
Beastmen darted between crowds with glowing blades strapped to their backs.
And flying overhead—
A dragon.
A real one.
Satoshi froze. Mouth wide open.
"Oh. My. God."
Camila looked over. "What?"
He turned to her slowly, his Sloth Eyes lighting up.
"Camila," he whispered. "We're in an isekai."
Camila blinked. "A what now?"
He grabbed her shoulders. "An isekai. Fantasy world. Magic. Dragons. Quests."
Camila stared at him. "You're an idiot."
Amelia crossed her arms, looking at the dragon. "It's... different."
Satoshi took a deep breath.
The air even smelled different—like magic and fire and some kind of spice that didn't exist back home.
The city pulsed with life. Not war. Not ruin.
Real life.
Real magic.
He grinned like a kid in a candy store.
"Best. Day. Ever."
The excitement didn't last long.
As soon as they hit the main gate, reality punched them in the face.
Camila scanned the signs around them, reading the ancient script like it was nothing. "First priority—we need a place to sleep."
Satoshi nodded. "Right. Base of operations. Every good party needs one."
Amelia, of course, went straight for the real issue. "Do we even have money?"
Cue silence.
Camila dug into her pocket and pulled out a handful of their world's gold coins. They gleamed faintly in her palm, etched with familiar markings.
She stared at them. "I... don't know if this works here."
Satoshi shrugged. "I mean, it's still gold, right?"
Camila didn't answer. She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him to the nearest merchant.
The dwarf behind the counter was stocky, bearded, and looked like he'd seen a few centuries. He was selling enchanted daggers and rune-marked belts.
Camila slapped a coin on the table. "This work here?"
The dwarf squinted, picked it up, bit it, then scoffed.
"This?" He tossed it back. "This is trash."
Camila blinked. "It's pure gold."
"Maybe where you're from. But here? No enchantments. No divine grade. No kingdom mark. Useless."
He waved them off. "If it doesn't have a traceable mana source, it might as well be dirt."
Amelia crossed her arms. "So what counts as money here?"
"Guild tokens, enchanted currency, divine-stamped silver, hell—even bound souls have more value. But that junk? Worthless."
Satoshi turned slowly to Camila.
"So basically... we're broke."
Camila didn't respond.
Amelia sighed. "Wonderful."
Camila rubbed her temples. "Alright. New plan."
Amelia looked over. "Please tell me it involves not starving."
"We find work."
Satoshi's eyes lit up instantly. "Wait. Wait. You mean like—"
Camila didn't even look at him. "Yes. Adventurer's Guild."
Satoshi practically vibrated. "Oh my god. It's happening."
Camila raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
"We're literally broke in a fantasy world and about to join a guild. This is peak isekai."
Amelia gave him a look. "You're too excited about this."
"You're not excited enough."
He spun in place, arms wide. "Quests! Bounties! Magic loot! Let's go!"
Camila walked ahead without responding.
Satoshi grinned and followed. "This is going in my mental highlight reel."
The Adventurer's Guild was everything Satoshi wanted it to be.
A big, loud, chaotic mess.
The building stood tall in the heart of the city, all enchanted stone and glowing sigils. Inside, it was packed—warriors clashing in arm-wrestling matches, mages casting practice spells that made furniture float, beastmen arguing over mission rewards.
Satoshi stepped inside, took a deep breath, and whispered, "Smells like destiny."
Camila ignored him and headed straight for the front desk.
A tall elf woman stood behind it, flipping through a giant tome with all the energy of someone who really didn't want to be there.
"We need work," Camila said.
The elf didn't even look up. "Newbies?"
Camila nodded. "Yeah."
The elf sighed and pulled out another book—this one even thicker. "Bronze Rank. That's where you start. No exceptions."
Satoshi leaned over the counter. "And how do we level up?"
The elf finally glanced at him, looked him over, then shrugged. "Finish jobs. Don't die."
Satoshi grinned. "Perfect."
Camila sighed. Amelia crossed her arms. And Satoshi?
He looked like a kid on his birthday.
The three of them moved toward the registry counter, ready to sign their names.
This was it.
A brand-new start. New world. New rules.
No war. No death squads. No back-alley politics.
Just adventure.
Satoshi's hand hovered over the parchment before he scribbled his name down with way more flair than necessary.
"Satoshi," he muttered, grinning. "Adventurer. Has a nice ring to it."
Camila filled hers out with no nonsense. Amelia was even faster.
When they finished, the elf handed them each a small crystal badge. Bronze. Basic.
But to Satoshi? It may as well have been a crown.
He tucked it into his coat and turned to the others.
"Alright. Step one—get rich. Step two—don't die. Step three—make fun of Liam when we see him again."
Camila rolled her eyes. "You skipped finding a place to sleep."
"Oh right. Step four—bed."
Amelia just shook her head.
And with that, their new lives officially began.
The guild was chaos. In the best way.
Mages throwing practice spells. Warriors showing off scars. Beastmen growling over bounty boards. Somewhere, someone was already drunk.
Satoshi, Camila, and Amelia were at the front desk, filling out the last of their paperwork.
Satoshi was practically glowing.
"This is perfect," he whispered. "Peak anime vibes."
Camila didn't even look up. "Try not to embarrass yourself."
He leaned in toward her. "Now's the part where someone picks a fight with the new guys."
Amelia raised an eyebrow. "That's stupid."
Then—
A shadow fell over them.
"Oi."
Satoshi grinned. "Called it."
The guy was massive—scarred up, armored, beastman ears twitching. The kind of guy who'd been in way too many fights and thought that meant he owned the room.
His sword rested lazily on his shoulder, but his eyes were already sizing Satoshi up like he was a bug to squash.
"Newbies don't get to act cocky," he growled. "Show some respect."
Satoshi's grin only got wider.
Camila sighed. "Don't engage."
"But it's tradition," Satoshi whispered back. "You gotta earn street cred."
Amelia muttered, "This is stupid."
The beastman sneered. "You deaf or just dumb?"
Satoshi turned slowly. "You talking to me?"
"Bow. Or get crushed."
Satoshi was practically vibrating. "Ohhh, it's happening."
The warrior lifted his sword.
Camila: "Don't."
Satoshi: "Just a little?"
Camila: "No."
The guy swung.
The guy swung hard—like he was trying to take Satoshi's head clean off.
Satoshi didn't even blink.
He stepped to the side. Easy.
The blade whooshed past him, missing by a mile.
Another swing—this one faster, more desperate.
Satoshi ducked under it, hands in his pockets.
Third strike, diagonal.
Satoshi tilted his head and the sword missed again, passing so close it made his hair ruffle.
The guild had gone dead silent.
The beastman was breathing heavy now, confused. Frustrated.
Satoshi yawned. "This is great."
"WHY ARE YOU SMILING?!" the guy roared, swinging again.
Satoshi leaned backward. The sword cut nothing but air.
"Because every anime has this scene," he said, beaming. "And I've always wanted to be in one."
Camila crossed her arms. "Are you done?"
Satoshi sighed. "You're ruining my moment."
But then—
The beastman made a mistake.
A big one.
"Tch. Figures," the beastman spat. "Cowards like you probably had a pathetic mother too."
Silence.
Everything stopped.
Camila's eyes snapped up.
Amelia froze.
Satoshi... didn't move.
His grin disappeared.
The temperature dropped.
A pressure slammed into the room, heavy enough to knock the wind out of the nearest adventurers.
The beastman blinked. "What the—"
And then it hit.
Killing intent.
Real, suffocating, soul-crushing malice.
People screamed. Some collapsed. Others couldn't breathe.
Satoshi just stood there, eyes still, the smile gone.
And the beastman knew—
He messed up.
The guild shook.
It wasn't an explosion. It wasn't magic.
It was just—Satoshi.
The weight of his rage flooded the room like a tidal wave.
The beastman hit the ground, face pale, eyes wide, gasping like the air itself was poison.
People around him passed out. Others dropped to their knees, shaking.
Some tried to run and immediately tripped over their own feet, their legs refusing to move under the pressure.
Even the receptionist stumbled back, grabbing the edge of her desk for support.
Outside the building, the effect rippled.
Merchants froze mid-sale.
Guards reached for weapons without knowing why.
Children started crying. Animals went silent.
And then—alarms.
All across the city, alert horns rang out.
In the distance, the royal palace flared with divine magic.
Because to them, it was obvious:
A demon-level threat had just arrived.
And it was standing in the middle of the Adventurer's Guild, casually dodging sword swings with his hands in his damn pockets.