The forest lay quiet beneath the silver glow of the moon when something unnatural stirred among the trees. A boy no older than eight appeared as if the night itself had exhaled him into existence.
He collapsed to one knee the moment his feet touched the ground, coughing softly as he clutched his chest. His small frame trembled, breath coming in shallow gasps. Pale moonlight revealed delicate features and rose-red hair that fell messily over closed eyes.
Slowly, painfully, he drew in air.
His eyes fluttered open.
They were a vivid blue, bright enough to make the moonlight seem dull by comparison. For a moment, he simply stared upward, as if grounding himself in the sight of the unfamiliar sky.
Then panic set in.
The boy pushed himself upright in one sharp motion, one hand pressed flat against his chest as he sucked in a desperate breath. His heart pounded as he turned in a slow circle, scanning the forest around him.
"Huh?" he murmured. "Where am I?"
The words came automatically, spoken before he could stop them.
Just moments ago, he had been in Astrea Manor. Now he stood alone in a forest he did not recognize, the Dragon Sword Reid resting at his hip as if nothing had changed.
Everything had changed.
Since his grandmother's death, Reinhard had been careful with the blessings he received. He only called upon them when absolutely necessary. Power always came with consequences. He had learned that lesson too well.
But this situation was different.
He was alone. Displaced. Uncertain.
And worse, he was absent from Lugunica.
"I can't just do nothing," Reinhard whispered. "If I'm gone..."
Lugunica's greatest weapon could not afford ignorance.
He closed his eyes and reached out.
[Hearing its beloved's call, Od Laguna happily bestowed its blessing: the Divine Protection of the Sage.]
Information flooded his mind all at once. Scents sharpened. Sounds layered themselves into meaning. The soil beneath his feet, the trees around him, even the flow of mana in the air revealed themselves in fragments of understanding.
Too much. Too fast.
Reinhard winced, steadying himself as the sensation passed.
The blessing settled, leaving behind clarity.
He understood the plants surrounding him, or rather, he understood that many of them were wrong. Their shapes were unfamiliar. Their mana signatures felt thin, uneven.
And then he noticed what was missing.
Spirits.
Reinhard's breath caught.
At the Astrea Manor, he could always sense spirits. Hundreds of them, faint but present, like distant stars. Here, there was nothing. Not a single response within a thousand meters.
"That's impossible..." he whispered.
The air felt heavier too. Dirtier, somehow.
The conclusion formed quietly in his mind.
"This isn't my world."
The realization unsettled him, but he did not panic.
Reinhard had been trained since he could walk. Knights were taught to stay calm when the world fell apart. He straightened his posture, forcing his breathing to slow.
"Alright," he said softly. "First things first. Where am I?"
He began to walk, senses extended, taking in everything the blessing revealed. The land was similar to Lugunica, but empty of spirits and mabeasts alike.
As he moved deeper into the forest, a faint glow appeared in the distance.
Light.
Reinhard paused, then continued toward it. With every step, the glow grew brighter, resolving into countless points of light arranged in orderly lines.
When the trees finally thinned, he froze.
Buildings stretched out before him, towering and dense, filled with lights unlike anything he had ever seen. The scale alone left him speechless.
"So many people..." he murmured.
Curiosity outweighed caution.
In a blink, his surroundings shifted. The forest vanished, replaced by stone and metal as he reappeared closer to the settlement.
The moment his feet touched the ground, danger screamed in his mind.
Reinhard moved on instinct.
Something large and fast roared past where he had been standing, missing him by inches.
"Get out of the way!" a voice shouted, distorted by speed.
Reinhard stared after it in confusion.
Another of the metal boxes rushed toward him.
Strong hands suddenly grabbed his waist and yanked him backward.
Reinhard tensed, then relaxed.
His blessings did not warn him.
Whoever this was, they meant no harm.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself face to face with a tall, broad-shouldered man with blond hair and a smile so wide it seemed impossible to fake.
"Hahaha! That was a close one!" the man laughed, glancing at Reinhard's clothes and then lingering on the sword at his hip.
Reinhard bowed slightly. "Thank you."
The man blinked, then laughed even harder. "What a polite kid! You really are not from around here, are you?"
Reinhard shook his head. "Im lost"
"Well then," the man continued cheerfully, "how about you come with me? I can help you . A kid shouldn't be out this late."
Reinhard hesitated for only a moment before nodding. His blessings told him everything he needed to know. The man's intentions were sincere. Warm, even.
"Okay," Reinhard said.
"All right!" the man said. "So, what's your name, kiddo?"
"Reinhard van Astrea," he answered. "But you can call me Reinhard."
The man hummed thoughtfully. "Van Astrea... that doesn't sound very Japanese. You must be a foreigner."
Reinhard nodded, then tilted his head. "And your name is?"
The question caught the man off guard. His smile faltered, just slightly, as his eyes sharpened and dropped briefly to the sword at Reinhard's side.
After a moment he uttered. "It's been a while since anyone asked me that."
Reinhard blinked, curious.
The man straightened, grin returning brighter than before.
"The name's All Might," he said proudly. "The Worlds Symbol of Peace and Justice."