Omniscient POV
Night had settled over the shrine grounds. The lamps were dark, leaving only moonlight and the faint glow of the World Tree to illuminate the clearing.
Ars was fifteen now—taller, broader, though still lean. His hands were wrapped, a sharp sword steady in his grip. Across from him stood Saber.
She carried only one weapon—a slender blade, narrow and straight, closer to a rapier than a heavy sword. It caught the moonlight whenever she moved. Everything else about her was still not visible.
Over the years she had stayed here, she had told Ars her real name and disabled her invisibility a few times. Even so, she preferred being called Saber and remaining like this, as if trying to forget—or perhaps escape—something.
It was time for their regular training.
Saber had been teaching him for years now, though calling it proper teaching wouldn't be accurate. She believed in real combat rather than structured lessons, using experience and pressure to force growth.
So she drilled it into him through actual combat. Of course, she always kept her strength restrained, careful not to kill him by accident.
Over time, Ars had grasped the basics of mana and learned how to reinforce his body with it.
"Come," she said.
Ars moved first.
Ting
He stepped in and swung. Saber turned her wrist, brushing the strike aside. Sparks flew everywhere. The impact stung his hands. Before he could recover, her blade tapped his shoulder.
"Too wide," she said. "You always leave yourself open."
Ars clenched his teeth and attacked again—faster this time. His body, strengthened by mana, was far faster and stronger than any normal person, but Saber wasn't normal at all. He aimed lower, shifted his angles, and tried to press her back.
She met him at his level, yet it felt like striking stone.
Both swords met again and again, each clash ringing softly through the night. Ars's breathing grew rough. His arms burned.
He rushed forward, trying to close the distance.
Saber moved her foot.
She kicked him square in the stomach.
Ars was sent flying, crashing to the ground as the air tore from his lungs in a sharp gasp.
"Get up," she said.
He rolled and forced himself back to his feet.
"You lean forward," Saber continued. "Your balance breaks when you attack. Keep your back straight. Feel the ground beneath you."
They clashed again.
This time, her strikes went for his legs—not hard, but exact. He stumbled.
"Your stance is weak," she said. "You stand as if you're ready to flee."
Ars adjusted, spreading his feet, lowering his center.
Better.
But still not enough.
Her blade stopped an inch from his throat.
"Too slow."
They continued until Ars could barely lift his sword. Sweat soaked his shirt. His hands trembled.
At last, Saber stepped back.
"That's enough."
Ars dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
"Sleep," she added. "You have school."
Ars nodded.
Later, he lay on his futon, his body aching. He could take the shortcut and heal himself using the World Tree, but over the years, he had learned that its mana was precious and finite.
It was even sustaining Saber's existence. He didn't want to use it carelessly. Otherwise, the same situation that had happened with his grandmother might happen again.
He also wanted to endure it on his own.
As he lay there, he kept replaying everything in his mind—every mistake, every misstep. Every word she had spoken cut deeper than the physical pain.
Before he realized it, sleep claimed him.
Morning came too soon.
He washed, changed into his uniform, and stepped outside. The shrine was quiet again, as if nothing had happened.
With his bag over his shoulder, Ars headed for school.
*
*
*
At the same time, somewhere in Italy, half of a port city lay in ruins. Salvatore Doni, who had become the newest Campione just a year ago, had recently faced a heretic god. The aftermath was catastrophic, and the burden fell squarely on the nearby Copper Black Cross.
Members moved quickly and methodically, making the destruction look like the result of a tsunami.
A newcomer watched with wide eyes, struggling to process the scale of the power he had just witnessed. The others noticed and shook their heads.
"Don't waste your time thinking about it," one said. "You'll never understand. Campiones… they are not human. They are monsters."
As they worked, they erased any evidence—cameras, witnesses, anything that might have recorded the fight. Everything had to disappear.
The newbie's attention shifted when he noticed a small plant sprouting near the ruins. It was odd, almost glowing faintly.
Then something strange happened. The residual divine energy—the clash of a Campione and a heretic god—was being drawn toward it. Slowly, the plant's green leaves began to turn golden.
Curious, he reached out. The moment his fingers brushed it, a sharp electric shock ran through him, sending him sprawling onto his back.
"What happened?" someone asked.
"I… I don't know," he stammered.
"Keep your head straight on the job. You want to lose it on your first day?" someone snapped.
"No, I was… did you guys see that?" he stammered, his mind still reeling for some reason.
"What? Speak quickly, man. We have work to do," said the guy beside him.
"There was this… plant. And it was… sucking up the surrounding energy…" the new guy said, his voice trembling slightly.
"What plant? Did someone cast a spell?" another asked.
"It… it turned golden after a while, and it shocked me when I touched it," the new guy continued.
"Oh. Maybe it's one of the heretic god's spells? But it should have disappeared after his death," someone remarked.
"Where did you see it? Tell us," the guy beside him asked. Then the newbie pointed ahead.
But when the others looked, the plant was gone. Completely vanished. Nobody else had witnessed it, and when they tried to make sense of it, there was still nothing left.
That was when Paolo Brandelli arrived. The former Great Knight of the Copper Black Cross, now its leader, stepped onto the scene.
His sharp eyes swept the area, and his expression darkened immediately. Something was wrong.
The residual divine energy—the trace left behind after a battle with a heretic god—was really gone.
Meanwhile, far away at Ars's house, something small but extraordinary was happening.
One of the World Tree's massive branches began to glow with a soft golden light. Slowly, a small, unripe green fruit sprouted, parts of it already tinged with gold. The tree's energy hummed quietly, as if it were aware of distant stirrings far away in Italy.
*
*
*
It was late evening. The sun was setting, and Hiro sat on the bank of a quiet lake. The water was clear, glistening as it reflected the red hues of the sinking sun.
He came here whenever he wanted to reminisce about the past. This was the place where he had once proposed to his ex-wife. Even now, he stood there, staring at the empty space before him, lost in thought.
Ars approached from behind. He had known about Hiro's little hideout for some time now. He didn't say anything, just sat down beside him.
"How was school, kid? Making friends at your new school?" Hiro asked, still staring ahead, a cigarette resting between the fingers of his left hand.
"It's good. Not as bad as I expected," Ars said, looking at Hiro. "I thought Shuichi'in Gakuen, being an elite academy, would be more stuck-up. I figured the students would be hard to approach because of their backgrounds. But it's not that bad. Just another elite academy, I guess."
Nao had helped Ars enroll there. Normally, students attended from preschool all the way through high school, but transfer systems did exist, even if they were rare.
"Hm. Good that you're adjusting," Hiro said. "So what about friends? Did you make any?"
"I did. A few, here and there," Ars replied.
They sat together, watching the sunset, talking about mundane things as time passed.
"Can't you just quit smoking?" Ars said when he noticed Hiro lighting his second cigarette. "Your lungs aren't doing you any favors."
Hiro was a chain smoker. No matter what Ars said, he never quit. Maybe it was his way of coping after being separated from his wife and son.
"You know as well as I do," Hiro said quietly, "cigarettes are the only thing I have left."
Ars wanted to argue. He wanted to say that Ars was still there for him. But he couldn't. Maybe he was afraid to admit it. Everyone in his life was gone. And maybe, one day, Hiro would too...
By the time those thoughts settled, night had already fallen. The lights around the lake were out, and darkness had taken over. They didn't stay any longer and quietly headed back home.
After returning home, Ars noticed the small fruit budding on the branch. It was his first time seeing a fruit of the World Tree—or rather, Leah, as he had started calling it.
Saying World Tree every time felt like a mouthful. Leah had once told him there had been another fruit before, one that had been used to save him during the plane crash.
"Are you making another one of your Golden Fruits?" Ars asked, looking at the small green fruit before him.
Faint traces of gold were already forming along its surface, hanging from a branch that had partially turned golden.
Over the years, Ars's connection with Leah had deepened. He could speak to it now without even touching it, as long as he was close enough.
[Yeah. I managed to reach a place where I could gather the necessary power. It will still take a few more years for it to fully form, though.] Golden letters appeared in the air before him as Leah responded.
"So it's finally time," Ars said quietly.
Leah had told him before that once it could produce another Golden Fruit, it would explain his role as its Guardian.
Ars wanted to do something for it. He didn't want to keep being the one who was only saved.
[I suppose you're right. When the fruit fully forms, I'll open a dimensional gate for you,] Leah replied.
"Leading where?" Ars asked.
He wasn't surprised by the mention of a dimensional gate. He already knew Saber wasn't from this world, and Leah had used similar means to bring her here.
[Even I don't know. It will be a new world. I want you to plant one of my branches there, in the place with the highest concentration of mana. You'll need to supply it with mana regularly so it can grow.]
"It's risky if you don't even know where I'll end up," Ars said, then smiled slightly. "But it's doable."
[Don't get so excited. It will still take a few years to gather enough mana to open the gate. And you'll need to be careful. Saber won't be able to go with you. I can only send one person at first.]
"That won't be a problem," Ars said confidently. "I'll train hard enough that none of you will have to worry about me failing."
[You won't be going in unprepared. This fruit is for you. Once it fully forms, it will give you the power you'll need to survive there.]
Saber had been watching from the side. With Leah's influence, she could see and hear everything as well.
When she realized Ars was getting far too excited about jumping into an unknown world without proper caution, she grabbed him and dragged him off to their training ground, determined to drill some fear and discipline into him.
Time passed like that, and three years went by. Ars turned eighteen. The Golden Fruit had fully formed, and the day of departure arrived.
The fruit was handed to him. It was golden, slightly larger than an apple, and warm to the touch.
"So I just eat it?" Ars asked, holding it up.
[Yes. Eat it all. Don't leave anything behind.]
Ars did as he was told.
"So… what now?" he asked after finishing it. "I don't feel any different."
[Don't worry. It'll take time for the effect to manifest. You should gain some kind of ability. Even I don't know what it will be. I modeled it after something I know from another world.]
[A/N: Based on the Fruits from the Mato Seihei no Slave world.]
"So I just wait?"
[Yes. You'll know when it happens. But you don't have time to sit around.]
"What do you mean?" Ars asked, raising an eyebrow.
[Now that the fruit has been consumed, I need to open the gate immediately. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until I can gather enough mana again. It has to be now.]
The golden branch that had borne the fruit shimmered. Leah broke off a small piece and handed it to Ars.
[Plant it in the place with the most mana. Supply it until it grows. Once it does, I'll be able to speak to you again—and bring Saber to that world.]
"What about here?" Ars asked. "I haven't told anyone anything yet."
[Don't worry. I'll take care of things. And if everything goes as planned, you won't be gone for long.]
Ars retrieved his sword and put on a small set of armor Saber had borrowed for him from a blacksmith's shop. She had already left the payment on the counter before they left.
Thankfully, there were still craftsmen in Japan who practiced the trade properly, determined not to let it fade away.
Ars had worked multiple part-time jobs for years to gather the required money. Without permission, it was still only borrowing—but it would do for now.
With everything ready, Ars stepped through the gate.
A blinding light filled his vision as he opened his eyes.
[A/N: How is the chapter? Leave a comment and a review. Add this fic to your collections and donate as many power stones as you can.
This fic really needs all the support it can get. It gives me motivation to see all your support.
The DanMachi arc is starting. What do you think would be better: time stopping in the Campione world, or both worlds progressing in parallel? Ars will be going in and out of each world regularly after a while.
Please leave your thoughts on the fic in the comments and review. After all, it's a lot of work for me to write, at least.
I'm a slow writer, but I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to read my other fics on WebNovel and join my Discord.
https ://discord. com/invite/TpZWKss5bj
I accept writing commissions. Feel free to contact me on Discord/Patreon/WebNovel.
https ://www. patreon. com/c/Sol_Pendragon ]