"(F/n), are you sure we're going the right way? We've been on this path forever!"

Your friend's outburst brought your attention to him so you could give him as stern a glare as was possible when both your heads were bobbing slightly from the gait of the horses you were riding. His shockingly white hair glowed yellow with the waning light of the setting sun in the distance, which also highlighted his annoyed, golden eyes. With a scathing tone, you remarked, "Yeah, that's kinda what happens when you travel, Koutarou. You find your path and you stick to it."

Your other bed-headed friend snickered, adding, "Who are you to judge our dear (f/n) when you couldn't even find your way back home from the tavern down the street?"

"I was drunk!"

You sat in silence atop your horse, stepping back from the conversation to allow your longtime friends a chance to engage in some light-hearted banter. It was good for morale. Despite your annoyance with one of your companions for questioning your sense of direction, you could understand his concern. The path to Karasuno City was a long and relatively straight-forward one, which could easily fool people who had a sneaking suspicion they might be on the wrong trail, since everyone seemed to think journeys such as the one you were currently on were supposed to be exciting and eventful. Much to Bokuto's dismay, traveling from one city to another was relatively boring. Luckily, you had your other pal, Kuroo Tetsurou, by your side to help you keep him entertained.

Upon seeing a wooden signpost at an intersection in the seemingly endless road, you cleared your throat loudly and pointed to it since it confirmed that you had, indeed, been traveling in the correct direction. A large sign atop it that read Karasuno City: 2 miles, and pointed further down the dirt trail you were on served as a beacon of hope and reassurance.

"Okay! I won't doubt you again!" Bokuto groaned once he realized he had been out of line.

You took a deep breath and assured him, "It's alright." Staring down the path and into the forest ahead, you sighed, "Hang in there, guys; we'll be there soon!"

Despite the stressful nature of the circumstances surrounding your journey, you tried to remain upbeat and positive. It was only early in your voyage, and if you lost hope or energy now, there was no way you were going to be able to see a quest as big as yours through to the end. Your desire to leave your hometown had been born from an issue you were sure was plaguing civilizations near and far across the lands. A large beast formerly believed to be part of legends and folklore had mysteriously broken the barrier between its realm--the Other--and yours, wreaking havoc on cities, villages, and towns in many different areas. When it had descended upon your city, you and your fellow knights had fought it off to the best of your ability, but you'd seen it take the lives of too many innocent people for you to sit around and wait for someone else to solve the problem.

So, you'd taken it upon yourself to assemble a team of brave, powerful souls to help you with your quest, starting with your two best friends. Kuroo and Bokuto had been companions of yours long before the three of you had joined the elite order of knights in your city, where your skilled swordsmanship had been much appreciated. Since training and fighting together, your bonds had deepened, and you knew they would give their lives for you before they saw yours taken away from you, which is why they supported you without hesitation. The three of you had sworn to protect one another from the first moment you'd learned how to swing a sword, and none of you had failed.

Completing your journey to Karasuno City with your two friends in tow would fulfill the first objective of your quest. The three of you were traveling there to find one of the most powerful warlocks in the lands at his prestigious academy for mages, alchemists, and anything else magical. Your goal was simply to convince him to join your cause and help you defeat the maleficent beast tormenting people everywhere. Can't be too hard, right? you'd said to Kuroo and Bokuto while formulating your plan of action.

After another hour or so of listening to the clopping of hooves on dirt, the hoots Bokuto bellowed in response to the chirps of forest birds, and the occasional comments of your traveling party, the three of you arrived at an inn and tavern near the entrance to the ginormous city. "Hey, hey, hey! We made it, guys!" Bokuto cheered with excitement, leaping off his horse and leading it over to a post to tie it down in front of a food and water trough. You and Kuroo followed suit, grabbing your belongings off your horses' saddles to take inside with you so they didn't get stolen.

Raucous laughter and the strong smell of alcohol assaulted your senses as you wandered inside the building. At sundown, it seemed to be one of the most popular spots in the city, and you hoped there was room for you and your friends to stay and rest.

"What can I do for ya, fair knightess?" a busty woman in a wine red dress asked when you approached the bar. Her bright blonde hair with straight cut bangs framed her slender face, and her cat-like brown eyes watched you expectantly.

"Got any rooms available?" you inquired.

She smiled brightly and answered, "For knights who work hard defending these lands? Sure!" Her gaze turned over her shoulder and she cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. "Oi, Akiteru-san! How many rooms we got?!" she called out to her fellow co-worker. The tall blonde man who was the subject of her attention turned away from his conversation to reach under the counter and grab a jar. From inside of it, he fished out a single key and tossed it her way in response to her question. "Looks like we got one just for you folks!"

She extended one hand towards you while dangling the key to the room in the other, and Kuroo quickly dug up some coins to pay for your stay. When he placed them in her open palm, she gladly handed the key over and strutted around the bar to lead you to your room. Once inside, you and your two friends tossed your belongings onto the floor and collapsed onto the tiny bed, making you all groan with dismay when your heads clashed.

"I'll race you to the city gates and back for the bed!" Bokuto challenged.

"It'll be so sad to see you lose," Kuroo accepted, a sly smile on his lips.

With a dramatic sigh, you said, "I'm okay with sleeping on the floor, so I'll stay here."

Anxious to get bragging rights and sleep in a bed after a long day of traveling, your two friends bolted out the door, leaving you alone. With a sinister chuckle, you got under the covers and curled up in the bed, knowing they wouldn't disturb you if you had already claimed your spot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following morning you woke with irritation to find that your stubborn, owl-eyed friend had crawled into bed with you despite agreeing to sleep on the ground. When you'd moved his arm off of you and kicked his legs away, your foot hit something else unexpected. Kuroo unleashed a loud snore from where he lay at the foot of the bed like a cat. "Absolutely ridiculous," you groaned softly. You should've known your friends would bend the rules and get their way, since they were known for being mischievous.

You spared them your wrath, however, and let them rest for a little longer before waking them up so you could be on your way. After grabbing a bite to eat from the tavern, the three of you strapped your belongings back on your saddles and mounted your horses so you could head to your destination. Upon asking Saeko, the woman who'd helped you last night, where to find the academy you sought, she was able to give you some general directions that you were following now. Sure enough, you and your friends eventually arrived at a building large enough to be a palace.

"Damn, this place is nice," Kuroo mumbled as you guided your horses through the ornate gates at the entrance and into a courtyard paved with stones that glinted in the morning sunlight. Various people cloaked in long robes and gowns wandered around, drawing your attention to them.

"Can I help you?" a voice chirped from nearby, making you flinch and instinctively reach for the hilt of your blade. Your eyes flew to the source of the voice, bringing your gaze to a small woman with short blonde hair and anxious light brown eyes. A bright orange robe draped over her figure made her hard to miss, and you wondered why you hadn't spotted her sooner.

You let out a short sigh and removed your hand from the sword at your hip. "We're looking for the guy in charge of this place," you told her, swinging your leg around the saddle so you could hop onto the ground and be closer to eye level with her. When your friends followed suit and joined you, a small squeak sounded from her lips. Seeing you all stood together must've intimidated the poor girl, so you waved your companions away, urging them to find someone who could take care of your steeds. "We're from the Fukuroudani region and we need the great warlock here to help us with a... predicament," you explained, not wanting to frighten her even more.

Her bottom lip quivered as she whispered, "It's the beast from the Other, isn't it?"

"H-How do you know about that?" you questioned, her comment taking you by surprise.

"We saw it," was her soft answer. He eyes looked past you for a moment and the trauma showed on her face, clear as day, when she continued, "The whole sky went dark when it flew over. I've never seen anything like it before. All the torches 'round the campus just extinguished in the blink of an eye and it felt if the strongest gale had swept through the entire academy. The magic disturbance it caused was horrific. All the younger mages and sorcerers lost control of their powers and starting turning against one another. I..." She paused and you saw tears fill up her lower eyelids, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I had to restrain my best friends to keep them from killing each other."

Feeling empathy tug at your heart, you placed your hand on her shoulder in an attempt to console her. "I know how you feel. I've seen it too. I've experienced its terrible power firsthand, and me and my friends here were lucky to survive. But we want to put an end to this, so won't you help us by directing us to the grand warlock's chambers?"

She nodded and wiped the tears away from her eyes with her cloak. "Thank you," she uttered, "My name's Yachi Hitoka."

You took her delicate hand in your own gloved one and gave it a firm shake. "I'm (f/n)."

Once your acquaintances had been made, you gathered your two friends and followed Yachi as she guided you across the courtyard and through the many, towering halls in the academy. Fragmented, multi-colored shards of light shone in from the stained glass windows, casting patterns over you that captured the attention of your simple-minded companions. When you reached a set of large double doors, Yachi announced, "Well, this is where you can find our headmaster. I wish you the best of luck."

With that being said, she turned around to make her way back down the long hallway, her robes glittering in the light whenever she passed by one of the many windows lining the walls. "It looks like we're not the only ones feeling the repercussions from this big bitch of a monster," you said, looking over at Bokuto and Kuroo. They nodded in agreement and you grumbled, "Fucking Other bitch."

"I dare you to use that name to reference it to whoever we talk to from now on," Kuroo suggested.

You scoffed, "Yeah, let me just go up to this legendary warlock and say, Oh, hey, we're here because we want to kill the Other Bitch."

"Why not?" Bokuto chimed in, "It's a fitting name."

Their humorous comments earned a chuckle from you, but you rolled your eyes and approached the large doors ahead of you. Opening a door was a simple task, but you weren't even able to grab the handle before you were interrupted by a loud shout that nearly made you leap up off the floor. "Hey!" Lips pursed in annoyance, you found the source of the outburst: a young man with a bright orange head of hair. "We already have a meeting with the headmaster!"

"You'd think your time in school would've taught you how stupid it is to sneak up on a group of people with swords," Kuroo growled.

"Chill out, bedhead," you retorted despite your frustration with the fiery-headed fellow. As the boy approached you, nearly tripping over his oversized orange robes, you stared him down. "What's the issue, young man?"

"Kageyama and I are set to meet with the headmaster once he finishes this important meeting, so you're gonna have to wait," he huffed indignantly. Another figure draped in the same bright getup emerged from around the corner, his annoyed, cobalt blue eyes flickering between you and his classmate.

"Hate to burst your bubble..." you began, but trailed off and waited for him to offer you his name.

"Hinata!"

"Ah, Hinata. Yeah, we've got something a little more important than your grades to discuss with your headmaster, so you're gonna let us go first, alright?"

Hinata opened his mouth to argue, but Kageyama cut him off. "Let them go. They're knights from Fukuroudani's elite order, so they're probably here about the monster."

"You should listen to your friend; he's a quick learner," Kuroo suggested, his golden eyes narrowed at Hinata.

"Who pissed you off?" you asked, turning to look your friend, who was being sassier than usual.

He grabbed the cape hanging off his back and lifted it up to show you a slightly frayed edge. "I'll have you know your horse bit the shit out of my cape when I was walking her across the courtyard earlier. Wouldn't let go 'til I gave her an apple," he stated matter-of-factly.

You took a deep breath and turned away from him again to face the two boys watching you. "Ignore him. But, your assumption is correct, Kageyama. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have important matters to attend to."

When you stepped towards the door, you were once again stopped by Hinata's voice bellowing, "I wanna be a part of the meeting!" It was hard to suppress your irritation as you turned back to face him with your arms crossed in front of your chest. "Whatever this thing is, I want to defeat it! It almost made me kill Kageyama!"

"Hey, I would've killed you first!" Kageyama hissed.

"We are not arguing about this right now!" Your outburst made them zip their mouths shut, and you took a deep breath to gather yourself before speaking again. "You both have a lot to learn. Stay here, out of harm's way, and live on to continue the legacy of this place. Leave the monster slaying to us. We know what we're doing." Hinata's brown eyes shook with agitation, whereas Kageyama's cool ones remained unwavering. "If you trust us, you'll let us go."

You could understand Hinata's desire to kill the monster after being subjected to its devastation first hand, but you hoped he could comprehend your own wishes to protect them. It seemed that your comment reached him, since he didn't speak up again when you reached for the door this time. Giving them a small nod to thank them for their compliance, you pushed one of the large wooden door open and made your way into the headmaster's chambers.

Bokuto pulled the door shut behind you with a thud and climbed up the steps, which you had stopped at the top of, taking in your surroundings with awe. Sunlight spilled in from floor to ceiling windows, illuminating the bookcases filled with meticulously arranged texts. On the large walls hung trophies of monster heads that you'd only read about in books. In the center of the space, a group of people dressed in black robes split apart to regard you and your friends with curious stares.

One of them in particular stood out to you, and you instantly knew who he was. His brown eyes had a softness to them you wouldn't have expected. Chocolate-colored hair hung just above his shoulders, with a few strands spilling into his face. His markedly taller figure was hidden underneath an obsidian cloak that gave off a deep blue iridescence in the light like the feathers of the raven perched atop his shoulder did. Despite him being surrounded by other unfamiliar faces, you found that you couldn't take your eyes off his.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a gray-haired man asked, breaking the long silence that hung in the room.

Noticing the dumbfounded expression you wore and your lack of a response, Bokuto decided to speak up. "We're members of the elite order of knights from Fukuroudani." When a hush befell the group once again, he added:

"We're here to speak with you about the Other Bitch."