Axel's body plops, melting into the fluffiness of the bed. The events of earlier are still playing in his head. He still couldn't believe it, not only could he not return to his own world, but he was also now stuck living within a castle. How is he supposed to react to the changes? Happy? Because he's now living inside of a castle and treated as a hero. Worried? Since he's been brought to a foreign world and now has to live a new life. Or should he feel sad? Knowing that he's leaving the world he grew up in and possibly not having a chance to come back to his home. Should he even be feeling something? During this entire experience, his emotions have just kinda been absent from him. He guesses they just haven't settled yet.

And what's worse, is the reason why they've been brought here in the first place. No matter how you look at it, in the span of one day, they went from normal students to soldiers in training. They've been enlisted into the army for a war that they know nothing about nor really care for that matter. It's not their fight, and yet the kingdom is making it theirs. They're just adolescents, barely starting a life for themselves, but they're giving that up for their sake. What about their dreams? Their aspirations? Any possible futures they had planned when they grew up, do those not matter to them either?

Axel's breathing pattern begins to get heavier as the grip he had around the blanket strengthens.

There's a very strong possibility that some of the students will die in alien lands. Unable to see their loved ones or families back home. It's a sad reality, but that's the reality that they're living with. And out of all the students, Axel is the one who's most likely to die. There's not an easier way to put it, unless he significantly becomes stronger within the next week with training, he will basically be no less than an average soldier fighting the equivalent of this world's world war.   

Just as Axel buries himself in his thoughts, he snaps back to reality, as the bed still tries to slowly swallow him. He couldn't help but compare his old log of a bed back in the orphanage, to this new one that is as fluffy as a cloud.

"I have brought what you have requested, my liege," says the maid as she places the food down on Axel's mini round table.

With the banquet happening much later in the night, she'd offered to prepare him a meal. He'd agreed to the idea, though didn't know she would have brought so many plates to choose from.  

She bows, presenting the platter before him with a beaming smile. He hadn't realized until now, she was almost an entire head shorter than him. The frills of the maid outfit did little to hide how slim her body truly was. And along with her shoulder-length orange hair that almost contrasted her pale skin, it only exemplified the freckles crossing the bridge of her nose. Lastly, his gaze falls to her sparkling green eyes.

His heart flutters as only one thought cuts through his mind. Adorable... 

Choosing to put aside his thoughts for another time, Axel rises from his bed and puts all of his attention on the little maid.

She elegantly curtsies as Axel takes his seat. She then excuses herself and steps back to the food cart, waiting patiently for his next orders. Axel sits in awe of the food before him, impressed by the various selections, but something doesn't sit right with him. Despite understanding that she's just following standard maid procedures, something about this just feels wrong. 

How can he just eat leisurely while somebody is just standing there and watching him. He knows now he's considered as royalty, so he can practically do whatever he wants. But he shakes the thought immediately, Axel never wanted to develop that type of mentality.

He taps at the opposite side of the table where there's spare a chair.

"Please join me, I can't eat if I'm alone," Axel states, trying to invite her over.

Her eyebrows raise as she is taken aback by his bewildering words. She stands frozen for a moment before trying to utter a response. 

"Thank you, my liege, but a maid such as myself doesn't deserve to sit down with your grace," she replies, but Axel persists.

"Please, it would be an honor for me to have you be the first guest I eat with," Axel presses, while once again gesturing to the empty seat. 

Although still hesitant, she finally gives in and sits down, facing Axel. She shifts awkwardly, with her cheeks turning a tinge pink and not knowing what to do, but Axel takes the initiative and starts serving her a dish. She immediately jumps in to stop him.

"Please master, let me serve," she insists as she serves Axel a dish.

Before they know it, they both serve each other. She blinks surprised when she notices what has just unfolded, but Axel smiles to ease her worries.

"Have you eaten recently?" questions Axel, and she shakes her head.

"We maids don't take a break until sunset," she answers. Meaning it would be another three hours until she'd be able to eat, according to Axel's estimates.

She bows her head timidly as she picks up the utensils and quietly starts eating, all while hiding her mouth with her other hand. Axel can't help but be amused as a smile slowly widens across his face. Although when he tries to eat as well, he's quickly left puzzled by all the complicated-looking utensils displayed on the table. Since Axel grew up in a poor orphanage, the only utensils they had were plastic spoons, and it wasn't until they entered school that they upgraded to sporks.  

All the utensils present here are made out of metal, reminding him that he's no longer poor. After noticing the food losing steam, he shakes his head, grabbing a fork and a knife to cut the steak.

"Pardon me, but may I know the name of my personal maid?" asks Axel.

"I-it's, it's Sage," she responds rather shyly.

"That's a beautiful name!" beams Axel as he starts cutting the steak.

"T-Thank you," the way she speaks was soft and gentle, pleasant to the ear.

"Ouch!" a yelp escapes Axel, as he nicks the tip of his finger. Sage jolts out of her seat, jumping to his aid! A trickle of blood runs down his finger, tapping as it drips upon the table. Though luckily the wound didn't look too severe. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry about this! Let me get napkins for you," Sage apologizes, frantically grabbing a handful of napkins to cover his finger. 

"Haha... No, it was all my fault, that's what I get for not paying attention."

Sage pays him no mind, applying pressure to the wound. The pain almost instantly dissipates as he notices just how close she had gotten to him. Her scent was equivalent to that of sweet petals, the aroma caresses across his skin.

His heart thumps loudly within his ears as he tries to pull his body away from her. Although her grasp only allows him to get so far. He covers his burning face as her soft, tender hands enwrap themselves around his.

Her attention is solely focused on helping him, that she doesn't realize the situation she'd put them in. And as soon as the bleeding stops, she lets free a sigh of relief, before it dawns upon her the position she's placed herself in. She quickly turns away trying to not let Axel see the red blossoming upon her cheeks. 

"A-Anyways... I think the bleeding stopped," she fumbles her words as she lifts the napkins.

In truth, the bleeding has indeed stopped, however, there are also no traces of a wound either. His hand appears unnaturally normal as if no injury had taken place, to begin with.

"Amazing..." she mumbles in awe.

Mana: 7/10

They stay enamored, staring at the odd occurrence. Though after a moment both of them begin snickering at the situation that had just unfolded before them. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

- Meanwhile, in Blake's room -

The glistening lights of the city shine in Blake's eyes as he peers out the lavish window. Though his room was the same for the rest of the students, it was still grand nonetheless. With a king-sized bed, multiple wardrobes and dressers, a private bathroom, and a mini table with two chairs.

The doorknob twists as someone enters the room.

"Here you go master, just as you requested," says his maid as she places a small bottle on the table.

He turns around with a delighted expression.

"Ah, good. I will reward you handsomely in due time. Keep this a secret between you and me ok. You are dismissed," replies Blake as he walks over to the table.

The maid curtsies in response.

"As you wish, master, all hail the destined hero of Everglend," the maid dismisses herself before leaving and closing the door. 

Blake sits down and picks up the tiny bottle, his grin reaching from ear to ear as he examines the capsule.

"Forsooth, for the hero of Everglend . . ."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

As the night dawns upon them, the banquet soon arrives. 

The creak of the grand ballroom's doors does little to be heard over the guests. From behind them emerges Axel, with his hair glistening and freshly bathed. He dons an elegant outfit, one Sage had chosen, fitting him perfectly and bringing out a charming side he never knew he was capable of. 

Nervously taking his first steps, Sage bows, and excuses herself,  because she along with the rest of the maids are not allowed inside. 

As the doors close, Axel confronts the ballroom. His shoulders instantly slump to their absolute lowest as his eyes shrivel in awe. The room before him is absolutely massive! Bigger than even the throne room. 

Multiple luxurious glass-made chandeliers sparkle and bring the whole place to life. Along the walls are gilded carvings of beautiful, yet intricate, engravings that are pleasant to the eye. On the farthest side of the room lay a row of towering windows presenting an almost picturesque view of the glistening city. And beneath them lay numerous tables that hold delicacies varying from land to seafood. 

Just about everything just leaves Axel speechless, but the most jaw-dropping spectacle of them all is the number of people present here. 

Mainly consisting of nobles and royalty, they occupy almost every inch of the dance floor and sway along with their partners to the harmonic beat of the music. 

With the few exceptions of the students, everyone appears accustomed to these types of festivities. Babble fills the air as they start conversations with random strangers. Some casually invite members of the opposite sex out for a dance as the musicians play with their hearts on the strings.  

After a bit of searching through the endless waves of people, Axel locates his two friends chilling at a remote table.

"Room for one more?" Axel greets his friend while promptly taking a seat with them. 

"Be our guest, there's not really much for us anyways. All the women here are either middle-aged, taken, or are from our school and absolutely hate our guts," responds a bored George as he rests his head upon his hand with a dreamy expression.

"C'mon now, it's not all that bad. We've never been to a party as big as this," replies Tom, trying to be optimistic.

"Hey, Tom... Who's a mouse and walks on two legs?" asks George as he looks upon Tom for an answer.

" ...Uhh... Wonder Mouse?" answers Tom.

"Correct, now who's a duck and can walk on two legs?"

" ...Uh... Wonder Duck?" 

"Any duck you idiot," George states with a smirk as Tom gets furious and tries to strangle him.

"Ahhhhh!!! Help me, Axel!!" pleads George as he's fighting back an angry Tom.

Axel lets out a laugh as he observes these two goofballs still acting the way they are despite the situation they're in. The uproar of the crowd grows higher than normal, causing the three to turn and catch a glimpse of the sudden commotion.

A young lady around the same age as the students is being escorted by several knights across the ballroom.

With her brunette hair fluttering against the wind caught on her shoulders and her silver eyes shimmering like beautiful pearls. Her smile can bewitch any man as her presence alone captivates the crowd. Her skin looks porcelain even from where Axel can observe. Her eyeliner and slender eyelashes serve to accentuate her alluring gaze. 

They may not know who she is, but it's obvious that she is this nation's idol. It wouldn't even be a stretch to say she rivals Vanessa in terms of beauty, who for the longest time was thought to be unrivaled.

"The princess hath graced us with hire presence," says one of the nobles.

After grabbing the whole world's attention by her mere existence, she takes a seat and modestly observes the people resuming their dances. As the room returns back to normal, Axel manages to spot Vanessa not too far away sitting by herself.

His muscles become at ease as his eyes widen in utter shock, mesmerized and forgetting to even breathe...

With the dazzling glow of the moonlight gently gracing her body, Vanessa stands out from the rest like a majestic angel in human clothing. 

This is the first time Axel has ever seen her without the school uniform, wearing an open-top red elegant dress with split sleeve meshes; which only serves to spellbind him even further. Unable to contain his fluster, Axel quickly turns away with his heart flickering uncontrollably.

George lets out a mischievous smile as he yells.

"Vanessa!!" 

Axel panics and covers his mouth.

"What are you thinking you idiot!" he scolds George.

"Just trying to hook a brother up." 

As Geoge tries to struggle out of Axel's grasp, Tom places a hand on both of them. 

"She looks a bit lonely, Axel. There's no one around her that she's familiar with."

He focuses on Vanessa, with sympathy rising in his eyes, "you may think because she's beautiful, she would have a line of men ready to ask her out, but in fact, it's the opposite. Sometimes the most beautiful people are also the loneliest ones. So go on, do what you do best and make this girl's night,"  says Tom, supporting George.

"Geez, guys..." mutters Axel, before they know it. The crowd gets wild again.

They look to see what the commotion is all about and find Blake dancing with the princess of all people. Quickly becoming the center of attention, they take hold of everyone's gaze.

"Hey there Axel~!" says Vanessa with a jovial smile, causing him to flinch as he hastefully scurries around. 

He suddenly forgets how to breathe as he instinctively steps back. Words fail to register in his brain as he remains frozen in place, enamored by the sight he witnesses... 

The red frills seemingly dance around her legs as she steps towards him. Parts of the dress unveil the upper side of her delicate arms. And alongside the endless sea of red, a leather corset covers her abdomen, hugging her slim frame. 

Axel stumbles backward, caught by none other than George. Then with a wink George pushes him towards her before he can even speak. They almost bump into each other, but Vanessa manages to catch him before they collide.

"Oh...h-hey," Axel stumbles over his words as his eyes meet hers.

"H-Hey," Vanessa's shaky voice rivals his own in awkwardness.

"There's no return policy on him!" Tom yells.

"Yeah!! You can keep him!" George adds on.

Axel's face goes deadpan, questioning why they are even friends, while Vanessa lets out a small giggle. 

The two just stand there, in the open. 

They evert their eyes from each other, not knowing what to do. Her mouth opens as she meets his eyes, however, she bites her lip while glancing away again. While basking in the awkwardness, Axel can't help but scan the situation. He couldn't go back as the others would kick him, and how could he possibly press forward?

With a large gulp, he prays for the best...

"W-Would you l-like to dance with me...?" asks Axel as he bows down chivalrously.

Vanessa's eyes bounce all over the room, reluctant to answer. Axel instantly breaks into a cold sweat, the weight of the situation proving to be too much for him... 

"S-Sure..." she responds, leaving Axel's mouth agape.

"...But the thing is..." she continues, the sudden rise of her lips makes him tremble to the core, Axel knew this was going to happen from a mile away. 

She's probably going to invent an excuse to back down, because after all, no matter how nice she is, it's going to look bad for her reputation if she dances with somebody like him. She opens her mouth again, and Axel braces himself in anticipation!!

"I...I don't actually know how to dance..." Vanessa reluctantly confesses as she turns away with flushed cheeks. She twirls her hair in between her fingers, avoiding his eye contact as much as possible.

Wait... that's it? Axel ponders to himself before gently grasping Vanessa's hand. She quivers upon the feeling of his touch, before gazing into his eyes... 

"Haha...  I don't either... but we'll learn as we go, is that fine with you?" asks Axel, the glint in her eyes sparkles like the purest of pearls, fluttering about like butterflies. A tinge of redness spreads across her face as she smiles and nods.

He takes the initiative and guides her towards the dance floor. As the two start to dance, both Tom and George look on with approving expressions.

"My, my, when did he grow up so fast?" George asks a rhetorical question, Tom just glances at him, recalling a certain event that happened in the past.

The rhythm of the beat moves them as they stumble over one another. Both Axel and Vanessa try to just match each other's footwork rather than focusing on their missteps. And although they are probably the worst ones dancing, they soon find themselves enjoying it the most.

With a few glances as he can take, he uses the crowd around him to judge just what he is supposed to do. And following his heart, he wraps a hand around her waist before gently taking hold of her arm and slightly raising it.

She lets out a tiny squeak as her body shivers slightly to his warmth. Axel wavers slightly, lessening the grip around her hand.

"Oh sorry! I'm going too overboard aren't I?" Axel whispers.

She lowers and shakes her head, hiding the fact her face had become beet red. Just as worry begins to creep into his face, he flinches upon the sensation of her hand squeezing his grip.

"I-It's fine... W-We can continue," Vanessa's words meet him with a much softer tone than the girl he knew. 

A chuckle escapes him at the thought of it. She's a girl, after all. They all do have a cute side, don't they?

The beating of his heart rung loud and clear within his ears as if calling out to her. 

Could it be how soft and gentle she feels? How lovely she smells? Or perhaps how dazzling she looks right now?

They both weren't paying attention and accidentally bump into another couple. And in the heat of the moment, Vanessa tumbles. Then with a quick hand, Axel instinctively catches her before pulling her close. 

"De pardon," apologizes the noble as they return to dancing as if nothing happened.

They both stare at one another, unmoving.

Sweat begins to form upon Axel as the room around him suddenly becomes hotter than usual. The arms he enwrapped around her don't budge as they go unresponsive to his commands, coiling around Vanessa as he can feel her body pressed against his. 

Her face, her arms, her body, all her womanly charms. He couldn't handle it.

Her very presence was too much for him.

Although he feels magnetized by her, the realization of this, made his body burn from the inside.

And at that moment, he knew how the others felt. How they'd fallen for her just by her gaze alone. However, it had taken him until he had her in arm's length to feel this attraction towards her.

With a single breath, he snaps himself free. And without another thought, he pulls away.

However, she pulls him in...

Without uttering a word, she places her hand on Axel's chest.

. . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . .

"... I...  I can hear it... "

With her soft voice entering his ears, she leans on his chest. Her smile gradually grows as she hears the lovely sounds Axel's heart would make. 

Then before Axel knows it, he can feel her arms slowly wrapping themselves around him, hugging him tightly. Vanessa is red all around, but she no longer appears nervous and has a lovely smile on her face.

"...Who would have thought that out of all the parties I've been to, this one would be my favorite..." Her eyes radiate brighter than the sun itself as their lips are mere inches away from each other... 

Both Tom and George watch with dead expressions. Observing the two of them dance causes an idea to form within George as he rises to a stand. He turns to the confused Tom before bowing before him.

"It would be an honor if you can dance with me, madam," asks George as he offers a hand like a gentleman. 

An irritated look crosses Tom's face before he chooses to speak, "ain't gonna happen."

As the two bicker, Axel and Vanessa continue to dance. Although this time, she rests her head upon Axel's chest. They have now become so accustomed to dancing, they had become in sync with one another.

"Do you think we'll be able to go back home?" Vanessa abruptly questions, while still refusing to move her head from the warmth of his chest. 

His mind lingers on it for a few seconds. He understood where the question came from, she's been thinking about it too...

Even if they defeat the Demon Empire, which is another issue entirely, that still doesn't guarantee that they'll be returning home. And that's if everyone makes it out alive. 

Every factor that comes into this just makes it seem more and more impossible for them to return.

Axel lets out his brutal truth.

"...I honestly don't know..." 

 "But what I do know is... I'll be trying my best to make everyone come back home safely." 

Axel has made up his mind. After much thought, he will make it his life's mission to guarantee the survival of every student's life. He's not going to be much use anyway, so he can at least risk his life to protect another.

Axel's answer brings a smile upon Vanessa's lips.

"There you go again, thinking more about others than yourself," Vanessa giggles at Axel's classic response.

Their lovely time ends, however, as they soon hear two people yelling.

"Hey!! Get off of me!!" Tom's shout echoes through the ballroom.

"But I'm bored as fuck!! I don't care if we're seen as gay, dance with me Tom!! Dance with me!!" Shouts George as he drags Tom all around the room. The two stir up quite a commotion as they briefly take the center of attention before it all crashes down. All the nobles and students begin to snicker as the two goofballs fall and start a brawl.

You can't have a party with them... without them causing trouble,  Axel remarks to himself.

Once midnight arrives, the banquet draws to a close. 

Sage stands just outside the doors, waiting to escort Axel back to his room. And it takes only a moment for her to lead him back through the maze-like castle.

Then as she closes his door, Axel plops himself into his bed. He hugs one of his pillows with all his might and proceeds to roll around!

"I danced with her!!" exclaims Axel, unable to contain his excitement!

Although realistically, he probably won't get an ounce of sleep, he needs to if he wants to survive tomorrow's agenda. Getting ready for tomorrow's start, he lays down on his bed and covers himself with one of the several warm blankets.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 

Meanwhile, within the castle walls.

"Thou is such daring, art thou sure this is what thee desire?" Questions a voice from out of the corner of darkness.

Another silhouette silently nods, bestowing their partner with an item. 

"Of course, it is... for the sake of humanity. We can't have a monster lurking within these halls. When the time is right, I expect thee to fulfill thine role and save the kingdom from disaster," replies the taller shadow.

The first nods, before going their separate ways, filling the dark hallways with footsteps.