An hour to spend… and what exactly were they supposed to do with it?
Gara slouched back onto the bed, feeling a little bored.
Leif wasn't the talkative type—unless Gara started a conversation, the blond would probably remain silent the entire time. He was already focused on something else, his gaze fixed on the black Story System Interface in front of him.
Gara let out a soft sigh and pulled up his own golden Story System Interface.
He started scanning for updates from the White Clouds.
It hadn't been long since he left—only a day—but since he wasn't engaged in a Storyline right now, the passage of time was the same inside the Fragment as it was outside.
Some Fragments, even when entered normally, twisted timelines, making them completely out of sync with the Story World. But most didn't. And the SS-Ranked [Rashanz] Fragment… seemed to be one of the normal ones.
Gara scrolled through the updates, but nothing caught his attention. With a shrug, he shifted his focus to Third Town—the place he had called home inside the White Clouds.
Then he froze.
The screen blurred for a second as his mind struggled to process the words.
A… prison break?
Overnight?
He had only been gone for a single day.
The prison at Third Town was small, barely holding a handful of B Rankers. Most of its occupants were C Rankers and below.
And yet… someone had dared to infiltrate it and free a prisoner?
That alone would have been shocking.
But it wasn't the reason Gara remained frozen, lying on the bed, eyes wide.
It was who was broken out.
It was Nova.
Dante's little sister.
Gara's heart skipped a beat.
Dante—his boss, grumpy and no-nonsense, an A Ranker with the Original Story [Hiro Hunter], a Story Guide, and overseer of the Story Guides Workshop in Third Town—had gone to visit her in her cell.
And now… she was gone.
The weight of the news pressed down on him.
This wasn't just a random break; it was a storm that had erupted in his own backyard while he had been away.
If that news hadn't been enough, another name made Gara's chest tighten.
Lavia.
The girl who had been relentless in dropping hints—subtle, stubborn, sometimes almost teasing—about wanting to marry him.
Her older brother, the equally persistent C Ranker with the Story [Guard X], was never far behind in reminding him about his sister.
And now… Lavia had been caught up in the prison infiltration.
She was injured, lying in a hospital somewhere.
The one who had done it?
The infamous girl C Ranker with the Original Story [Red Hood].
Gara's fingers curled around the edge of the bed, knuckles white.
His mind raced.
The chaos in Third Town… Dante's little sister broken out, Lavia injured… and all while he had been away for just a day.
It was too much. Too sudden. Too impossible.
For a few seconds, Gara didn't even bother reading the rest of the Record.
He just stared at the air, too shocked to form a single coherent thought.
Leif noticed the unusual expression on his face and finally broke the silence. "What's wrong?"
That question snapped Gara back to reality.
He turned toward the blond, his expression darkening, grim. "Check our private chat," he said, voice low but urgent.
Leif reached for his Story System Interface.
Moments later, he saw it: a Record from the Blue Trade. Gara had purchased it, copied the contents, and sent it straight to him.
The blond's crimson eyes scanned the information quickly.
Even someone as calm and composed as Leif couldn't hide the change.
His expression darkened, and his lips parted slightly, but no words came at first.
Shock had him momentarily speechless.
He then turned his gaze toward Gara, his calm voice cutting through the heavy silence.
"How are you feeling?"
The red-haired young man ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. "I… I'm not sure," he admitted. "Dante wasn't hurt in all this, so that's good. But his sister… she escaped."
He hesitated, remembering what little he knew of Dante's relationship with her.
He hadn't asked directly—it was clearly a touchy subject—but he knew enough.
One year ago, Dante had suddenly dropped everything he was doing to search for her.
He had captured her and brought her to the prison in Third Town, and since then, he visited her regularly.
"So… I'm not sure exactly what happened there," Gara continued, his voice trailing.
Then his thoughts turned to someone else. "But… Lavia…"
He paused, clenching his fists.
Despite all her hints—subtle, relentless—he still didn't quite know how to feel about her.
He had at least been planning to tell her something when they returned from this mission in the [Rashanz] Fragment.
Now… she was injured.
"She's a C Ranker," he muttered to himself.
His gaze fell to the bed, lost in thought. "And she… is she alright? I… I don't even know how I feel about this, honestly."
The words hung in the air, heavy with concern, uncertainty, and something unspoken.
Leif spoke for him, voice calm as ever. "I've heard of [Red Hood] before. She comes from a pretty famous Fragment—[Little Red Flower]. Her grandmother, though dead now, used to be a big deal in the Wonderlands. For her grandkid to turn into someone like this… breaking people out of prisons…"
Gara cut him off sharply. "I… I don't care who she is."
He trailed off, unsure of what to say next.
Who was Lavia to him?
Did he care enough to want revenge?
She hadn't died, and this was a C Ranker—while he was still just a tiny Player, barely reaching E Rank not even a day ago.
Even if he had the power… would he?
He shook his head slightly, the uncertainty gnawing at him.
He had known Lavia for a while now, but he didn't truly know her.
Their interactions were brief, sporadic—just occasional conversations with her and her brother every few weeks.
And why was the grey-haired girl so interested in him, to begin with?
He didn't know.
The entire situation felt utterly surreal.
How could all of this happen in just one day?
While he was fighting [Blue Cover] and leveling up to E Rank… a prison break was happening back home.
Dante's sister had escaped.
Lavia had been injured.
And it had all occurred at the same time.
Gara let out a long, shaky breath.
His mind was spinning, struggling to process the chaos that had unfolded while he had been away.
Leif, too, was taken aback.
He hadn't known much about Dante, the [Hiro Hunter], and he certainly hadn't known that he had a little sister imprisoned in Third Town.
That revelation alone was enough to unsettle him—but it wasn't the only shock.
He barely knew Lavia either.
He had met her once, and Gara hadn't mentioned her much, but even so… it felt strange.
Unsettling.
Yet the world didn't pause for either of them.
Events unfolded relentlessly.
Just as they had entered the SS-Ranked [Rashanz] Fragment and fought their way to E Rank, encountering SS Rankers like [White Space] and [Blue Waves], chaos had erupted back home.
A prison break had occurred in Third Town.
The famous A Ranker, [Hiro Hunter], had been drawn into it.
And the result?
Lavia, C Ranker with the Original Story [Mysterious Prison], injured.
Who could say what had happened elsewhere in the Story World?
Third Town was barely a speck in the White Clouds, one of the 13 Great Territories. And yet… in just one day, so much had shifted.
Leif's calm composure remained, but even he couldn't ignore the weight of it all.
...
It took Gara a few long moments to calm himself enough to speak again. "There isn't much we can do about it… at least, not right now," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Better to wait. We can ask more once we're back in Third Town."
Leif gave a simple nod, returning his attention to the black Story System Interface, absorbed once more in whatever he was watching.
Gara was about to follow suit when…
A sudden, thunderous boom shook the room.
The doors to their small chamber were flung open with shocking force.
A figure stepped inside.
Short white hair, black ashen skin, crimson eyes that gleamed with an almost predatory light. Two white horns jutted from his head, and four arms—rather than the usual two—made his silhouette immediately alien and imposing.
A Rashanz.
A Royal one.
In this Fragment, black Rashanz weren't just rare—they were part of the royal line.
And he was smiling.
A slow, unsettling smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"So… are you Players, for real?" he asked, voice smooth, almost amused, his gaze sweeping over Gara and Leif like he was inspecting prey.
The room felt smaller all of a sudden, the weight of his presence pressing down on them both.
It was immediately clear—this was no Player.
He had never left the Fragment; he was a Rashanz born and bred, yet the aura of his power rivaled that of a D-Ranked Player anywhere in the Story World.
Add to that his black ashen skin, and the fact that they were inside the Rashanz Empire's main palace…
Gara's throat went dry.
This was someone very important.
Before he could even form a word, Leif spoke calmly, cutting through the tension. "Yes. We are Players from the Story World."
The Rashanz laughed, a sound that carried both excitement and disbelief—as if a lifelong fan had just met his Heroes.
Without warning, he bounded toward Gara, who had been closest to the door, and grabbed his hands in a vigorous handshake.
"I'm Locarius," he said, grinning broadly, "Crown Prince of the Rashanz Empire, and grandchild of the current Emperor."
Gara's mind froze.
Grandchild of… the… [Rashanz Emperor]…?
The X-Ranker…
His knees went weak, and then he let out a short, manic laugh.
Hah… hahahaha… hahahahaha!
It was madness creeping in—the impossible scale of it all, the power, the timing.
Gara's thoughts tumbled over each other as his mind struggled to process that, somehow, in one day, he had gone from fighting [Blue Cover] to standing before the grandchild of an X-Ranked emperor.
The Rashanz Crown Prince spoke again, practically bouncing in place with excitement as he completely ignored Gara's borderline-insanity expression.
"So you're E Rankers or F Rankers, right?" he asked rapidly, four arms gesturing wildly as his crimson eyes gleamed.
"I mean, I never came into contact with weak Players like that, and Grandpa said I'm about as strong as a D Ranker now— oh! I'm not insulting you!" he added quickly, leaning forward with all four hands raised in a frantic defensive wave.
"I'm just saying you feel weaker than me, so you must be one of those two Ranks, yeah?"
Gara's mouth hung open.
Grandpa?
Grandpa?
Calling an X Ranker something that cute and casual???
Leif, from the other side of the room, answered before Gara's brain could reboot.
"We're E Rankers. We actually just reached that Rank not too long ago."
The crown prince nodded rapidly, still buzzing with excitement as he launched straight into another stream of words.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard that from the old guy who came with you!" he said, all four arms waving as if he couldn't contain his energy.
"He was an SS Ranker, right? Super strong and super cool! And that Story Name—[White Space]—what does that even mean? So mysterious!"
Before either of them could answer, he kept going.
"But anyway! Is he, like, related to you two? Wait—hold on—" He froze dramatically for half a second, then leaned in with a gasp. "Is it speciest if I assume that just because you're all humans?! I swear I'm not speciest! Not like the old grumpy Rashanz who keep saying the Rashanz Species is the best and blah blah blah—"
He continued rambling without even taking a breath.
Gara stared at him, completely stunned.
What… was happening???
They were talking to the CROWN PRINCE.
The GRANDCHILD OF AN X RANKER.
But he was… he was just…
So weird. So normal.
Gara stared at him for a few seconds, then finally closed his mouth.
Somehow the sheer weirdness—and the casual tone this Prince of an Empire used—made it easier to calm down, even with someone so important standing in front of him.
The prince was mid-ramble, enthusiastically waving all four arms.
"—and then he told me again that the Rashanz Species is destined to dominate the entire Story World, and that I would be the great general leading them to victory, can you believe that? I told him—"
"Hold on," Gara cut in, taking a steadying breath. "We're… not related to Mister [White Space]."
Locarius stopped instantly.
All four arms froze. His eyes widened, hanging on every syllable like Gara had just opened an ancient treasure chest.
Gara continued, "The old SS Ranker did save us, though. From actual, certain death. So we owe him a huge debt."
He chuckled, ruffling his red hair. "Honestly… the old man saved me twice."
The Crown Prince didn't blink, didn't breathe—just listened like Gara was unveiling legendary secrets meant only for royalty.
Leif stayed silent in the back, as usual.
The blond wasn't one for words, so he left everything to Gara.
The Crown Prince suddenly raised one of his four hands like a student asking a question.
Gara blinked, almost snorting at the sight.
"…What?" He asked.
Locarius finally spoke again. "So, um— I heard from the old SS Ranker that both of you had… well…"
But before he could finish, all four of his hands flew to his mouth.
His crimson eyes went wide, pupils shrinking in shock as he looked between the two young men.
Then his shoulders dropped, and his gaze went downwards, ears lowering slightly.
"I—I'm so sorry," he said, eyes glued to the floor.
"I just realized… I never asked for your names. Yes, Grandpa's friend told me them already, but— but it's completely undignified of me as a Prince not to ask for proper introductions!"
Gara stared at him, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
But then… slowly, hesitantly, he reached out a hand.
His fingers hovered for a moment before finally resting on Locarius' shoulder.
The Crown Prince lifted his head, blinking.
"It's alright," Gara said, offering a small, uneven smile. "Seriously. Don't worry about it. I'm Gara—holder of the Original Story [Root of All Things]."
Behind him, Leif finally spoke again, voice calm and clipped.
"Leif," he said. "Original Story [Masked Threat]. Inherited Story [Lightning Dance]."
Locarius slowly smiled again, his crimson eyes lighting up. "As I said earlier," he began, voice bubbling with excitement, "my name is Locarius, Crown Prince of the Rashanz Empire… and grandchild of the Emperor."
He paused, then leaned forward slightly, his four hands gesturing animatedly. "But… my real dream? It's to leave this Fragment. To venture into the Story World… and become a Player."
Gara blinked, surprised. "Why's that?"
Locarius' expression grew serious for the first time. "It's been my dream since I was young. My parents… they tried the Story World too. But they messed with the wrong people…"
Gara and Leif both gasped.
"The… Shadow Circle," Locarius added.
Every Player in the Story World had heard of them: a shadowy organization of assassins and murderers, led by one of the three strongest in existence, the Z Ranker [Dark Emperor], rival of the [Gold Emperor].
Even in this palace, standing before a royal Rashanz… the name alone carried weight enough to make the hair on their arms stand on end.
Locarius' expression darkened slightly, crimson eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
"You surely know of that organization," he said, and both Gara and Leif nodded solemnly.
"They… both were killed in the process," he continued, voice quiet for a moment, weighed down by the memory.
"My Grandpa… even though he's strong, an X Ranker, he couldn't do much against the Shadow Circle. Not even X Rankers are worth much compared to that… behemoth."
He clenched his fists, the muscles in his arms tensing.
"The assassin who killed them… was an X Ranker. Not only the same level as my Grandpa… but actually stronger. And being an X Ranker… killing him would mean declaring true war on the Shadow Circle."
Locarius sighed, "Killing a C Ranker or below might be overlooked… but an X Ranker? A pillar of any organization in the Story World. Grandpa couldn't even take revenge… all he could do was raise me."
His gaze sharpened, burning with intensity. "And now… I want to become a Player. Experience what my parents couldn't. And—"
A dangerous, almost feral light flashed in his eyes.
"—take revenge on my parents' killer."
Both Gara and Leif stared at the Crown Prince in silence.
There was nothing to say.
It was clear that Locarius' determination to make his dream a reality burned too fiercely to be swayed by warnings.
Gara wanted to speak—to tell him that the Shadow Circle was no joke, that it was one of the top organizations in the Story World, rivaled only by other powerhouses like the Council of Eight or the Grey Rose Organization.
But he didn't.
It wasn't his place to dictate what the prince could or couldn't do.
After all… wasn't Gara chasing an even more insane dream himself?
Becoming the strongest in the Story World—rising above even the likes of the [Dark Emperor] and the [Gold Emperor]?
He leaned back slightly, letting the silence fill the room, thinking that some dreams, no matter how dangerous, were worth chasing.
Instead, something else caught Gara's attention in what Locarius had just said—but first, he needed to clarify something.
"So… uh," Gara began cautiously, "how should I… refer to you?"
Locarius' earlier intensity, that wrathful emotion from speaking about the Shadow Circle, shifted into a light chuckle. "Just… use my name. Duh."
Gara froze for a second, then burst out, "Duh??? What do you mean duh!!! You're the FREAKING PRINCE!!! And your grandfather is an X Ranker! The strongest person I've met so far is the old SS Ranker [White Space]!!!"
Locarius threw back his head and laughed, a sound full of genuine amusement.
"Alright, alright, you've got a point. But I mean it—call me by my name. I don't want to use my position when I'm with you guys… since you're—"
He paused dramatically, clasped his four hands together in exaggerated admiration, and said with a grin, "Players!"
Gara groaned and facepalmed, chuckling despite himself.
Even Leif smiled—a small, almost hidden gesture, but practically a full-on laugh for the silent blond.
Locarius leaned back slightly, grinning as he spoke. "You know, I've only ever met Players way out of my league. The few Rashanz who're Players… they're all at least A Rankers or abov, and they treat me with respect because I'm their prince. My Grandpa dotes on me too, but he's an X Ranker, so…"
He glanced at Gara and Leif, eyes sparkling. "…you two are the first Players I've met who are… well, at my level. Sort of. Weaker, since even though I'm not technically a Player, I'm considered D Rank, while you two... And, no. I don't mean it as an insult, I'm just stating the-"
Gara cut him off dramatically. "Sort of weaker? That still feels like an insult! You could've just left it at 'first Players at my level,' but nooo, you had to clarify the Rank!"
Locarius laughed, four hands waving apologetically. "True, true! Alright, alright—I'll make sure not to mention Ranks again."
Gara laughed too. "Fine, I forgive you… but, still… it does feel weird, talking… informally… to the prince of a vast empire that spans the entire Fragment."
Locarius shrugged. "Meh, who cares?"
Gara groaned. "I do."
He paused, then sighed, switching topics to something else.
Meanwhile, Leif had already returned to watching something on his black Story System Interface, completely unconcerned with the conversation.
Socializing with Gara was already a challenge; dealing with the Crown Prince of an empire?
Too bothersome.
Gara leaned forward slightly, curiosity sharpening his tone. "Okay… about this dream of becoming a Player. I get the revenge part—fair enough—but you also said you wanted to… just be a Player? Can you explain that?"
Locarius practically bounced in place, all four arms flailing in excitement. "Of course I can! That's all I wanted to talk about as soon as I heard there were two Players in the palace—at my LEVEL!"
Gara couldn't help but laugh at that remark.
Locarius continued, eyes shining. "I've heard so many stories from the few Players in my Fragment… and from my Grandpa, of course. Every time I heard about the Story World, it made me… more curious. Thirsty for knowledge about the vast unknown."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "My entire Fragment—the SS Ranked [Rashanz] Fragment—is just a speck of dust compared to the Story World! And when I think about the infinite Sea of Fragments, all the other worlds out there… it makes me want to read everything, see everything."
His expression then turned somewhat sour, "But Grandpa… he never gave me anything connected to the Story World. He said if I wanted to learn it, I had to do it myself. By my own two feet."
Gara nodded slowly. "I agree with your Grandfather. Reading about something and actually experiencing it… they're completely different. Take the Golden Lightning, for example. I'd heard about it before, even saw recordings. Yeah, it looked amazing and fascinating… but seeing it in front of me earlier? There's no comparison."
Locarius' eyes widened, momentarily forgetting his dream as he remembered what he wanted to ask earlier but had lost track of during the conversation.
"So… um," he stammered, pointing shakily at Gara and Leif.
Both of them froze—Leif even glanced up from his black Story System Interface.
"I… I heard from the old SS Ranker that… you two…" He hesitated, gulping audibly.
"…that you got hit by the Golden Lightning of my Fragment… and not only survived… you actually got stronger from it? Is that… true?"
Gara stared at him for a second, then smiled and nodded.
Leif didn't smile, but he nodded all the same.
Locarius took a step back, eyes wide, voice trembling with disbelief. "How?? Lightning like that… it should've turned you to ash instantly! Even the few A Ranked Players in my Fragment told me the Golden Lightning would kill them in seconds!"
Gara nodded. "I agree with them," he said casually, which only made the Crown Prince tilt his head in confusion.
"So… then how?" Locarius asked again.
Gara first pointed at Leif and stayed silent, waiting for the blonde-haired young man to answer.
Leif didn't exactly want to talk, but he was somewhat forced to. "I had a golden pill," he said simply. "It allowed me to absorb the force of the Golden Lightning into my two Stories, then level both of them up from F Rank to E Rank."
Locarius' eyes narrowed in thought, somewhat satisfied… but still not fully.
He turned toward Gara. "And you… did you have such a pill?"
Gara shook his head, grinning faintly. "Nope. I actually… died. Turned to ash and all when the lightning hit."
Locarius' eyes went comically wide, jaw dropping as he pointed at Gara. "But… you're not ash… you're a walking, living, breathing human?!"
Gara laughed, shaking his head. "Yep. That's me."
Locarius gave up trying to speak, staying silent as he waited for Gara to explain.
Gara chuckled softly at the Crown Prince's shocked expression before speaking. "I wasn't supposed to get hit by the Golden Lightning at all. I was only here to guard Leif when he got struck. But… someone interfered."
He paused, letting the moment linger, then continued. "An E Ranker with the Original Story [Blue Cover]. He turned the lightning on me… and that did it. My body turned to ash. I died."
He paused dramatically, eyes flicking to Locarius' gaping jaw, then leaned slightly forward, asking instead of explaining. "Do you… know about Escaping Death in the Story World?"
Locarius' eyes widened as he finally connected the dots. "Yes… I know about it. But… isn't that something only those at least D Rank or above can do?"
Gara nodded. "Usually, yes. Few can escape death at E or F Rank… but it isn't impossible. There are still a few who can. I happen to be one of them."
He straightened, eyes steady. "I planted roots. When my body turned to ash, one of the roots grew into my current body."
Locarius pointed at Gara, staring in disbelief. "It's… hard to believe this body you're standing in… came from a small root planted in the ground?"
—End of Chapter.
-------
What's up my dude?
Gara: You barely said two words since Locarius entered the scene.
Leif: So what? I'm not interested in talking much.
Gara: Yk, he might steal your mc position if this continues, you gotta speak a little at least.
Leif: He can't. I'm called [Masked Threat], too cool to be replaced with a prince.
Gara: You do have a point there. Tsk... Such a cool title huh, but mine's cooler... Probably.
Leif: [Root of All Things] is interesting, but it's not [Masked Threat] level of interesting.
Gara: Hmmm... Well, we can always try a vote, see who's cooler in the Readers' eyes?
Leif: True.
Gara: Please vote on my Story Name!
Leif: I don't even have to try and I'm sure I'll win still.