💫 𝔼𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤: 𝔸 𝕊𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕕 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 | 𝕋𝕖𝕟𝕫𝕒𝕚 & 𝔹𝕒𝕜𝕒 💫

[Tenzai]

ʟɪꜰᴇ ɪᴛꜱᴇʟꜰ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀꜰᴜʟ ᴀᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪɴ ɪᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ.
- ʜᴀɴꜱ ᴄʜʀɪꜱᴛɪᴀɴ ᴀɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴇɴ​

---

Every story comes to an end, sooner or later. . .

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ | ʟᴏꜰɪ ʟɪᴀ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

"You've been nothing but perfect to me, darling. Be mine. I won't accept anyone else." A vampiric prince stood at the other end of her screen with arms extended, revealing the feelings once hidden within the depths of his frigid, undead heart for his protagonist lover. He was one of the many romanceable candidates in the Otome game Eternal Lovers: A Thirst for Passion; The final game released in the series before the gaming company that made them went bankrupt. While they held many talented writers and artists within their ranks, what the company and its series lacked was a consistent identity and niche. Their aims were too broad. Its settings across the game series were all over the place, contrasting greatly from one sequel to another.

For a couple games, their creative lead would focus on historical romances in feudal times between samurai and knights before suddenly shifting over to a sci-fi space odyssey with mecha pilots and futuristic magical girls. With other games in the series, they explored worlds of fantasy through magical academies or dungeons populated with mystical and monstrous races. Other times, they even experimented with realistic worlds set in modern times in both war and peace. To consider their flagship series, Eternal Lovers, all the same canon timeline was to give it directors too much credit.

While innovative for its time with its introduction of unique RPG mechanics, NPC interactions, and life-sim systems, it was still a simple premise underneath all the added elaborate layers of complexity: The protagonist was given choices to improve herself and further her relationships with different characters with the single goal of choosing your own happy ending. While in pursuit of this goal, challenges and antagonists would end up getting in the protagonist's way, usually leading them to suffer from a bad end as a result. The games were not kind to its villains. It was as if the story writers wanted to subconsciously let the player know that some characters were unworthy of a happy ending.

However, with time, competition, and a lack of creative direction, opinion of the series had become negative once the market was flooded with competitors. Demand had dropped when combined with an economic crisis that struck the real world. As a result, the canonic storyline that once was considered the golden standard of Otome games had finally come to an end. Within the final games of the series, they capitalized on whatever interest and fanfare they had left through leeching cash grab systems that took away from the game: Gachas and overpriced DLCs which sealed the fate of the characters that lived in their world. There was no true ending for them left. There was no more life for them to live. Their stories had come to a premature ending from a deadly combination of corporate greed, creative stagnation, and real-world economic affliction. Many among them were never meant to find happiness. The unfair gods that commanded the fate of the real world have dictated it so.

---

But where one story ends, another begins.

​

Darkness combined with the sounds of keyboard clicks to break up the nothingness. "Hello? Is this thing working? Can you hear me?" A familiar voice had rung through the room. It was a character from the Eternal Lovers Series that made an appearance in every game; The goddess of rebirth and new beginnings, Moira. Usually she played a major role at the beginning of the games, introducing the character, the world, and the setting to the player. Oftentimes, she would also make a reappearance at the end of those same games as well: Offering a player a chance at rebirth with the skills and items of the life before as a form of "New Game+".
As she checked the quality of her mic to ensure it was functioning properly, she accidentally increased the sensitivity to deafening levels. "IS IT BETTER NOW?" Thankfully, whatever she was using had auto-adjusted itself back to regular audio levels, notifying her that her mic was receiving her input. "Oops. Sorry about that, soul number. . . Fourteen thousand and seventeen. . . I think?" Moira wiped her exhausted eyes, before popping the tab of another can filled with a divine energy drink. "Ugh. . . Just one more to go before I could clock out. Thank god." She forgot her mic was still on, taking a swig of her can.

"Ah! Here you are." She searched through her pile of scattered soul reports atop her desk, picking out the next life she thought was the right one. "Your soul has been selected to be reborn into a new world. Ooo, exciting~" Despite her best attempts to hide her exhaustion, it was as bright as day. The supposed excitement was a tired addition at this point, given the fact that its the fourteenth thousandth or so time she faked the process today. "Once we're done here, you'll wake up in the world of Ferris. A wondrous land of magic and science!" Ferris was the universe in which the Eternal Lovers series of games took place. It was one of the very few constants shared between games.

"Umm. . . " The tired goddess flipped through more paperwork. "In a small floating island village that houses the magical academy of Alesia. Would you look at that? It has a nice err. . . View of the ocean!" Her presentation was much sloppier than it was in game. "While I would usually list a bunch of perks you could choose before I send you off, unfortunately, the other souls have chosen everything else. But! There is one more! Your memories!" She chimed, choosing the easiest blessing to bestow upon her arrival. "All that you've learned in this past life, you will take with you into this new one and-"

Her alarm clock rang. It was time to clock out.​

With the new budget cuts affecting her company hours, Moira knew she wasn't going to be paid overtime. There was little point in extending her introduction into the new world if she wasn't going to be paid for it. Immediately once she heard the blaring of the alarm, she slammed her drink down, pressed snooze on the alarm clock, and rushed her spiel. "You're free to become whatever you like and make your dreams a reality." No one was going to separate her from doing what she wanted on her time off, not even the souls of the recently departed. "AHEM." She followed her words with a deep breath before finishing up with her disclaimer.

"The reincarnation department of heaven is not liable for any crimes or damages you commit in the new world. Nor is it or its related entities responsible for any physical, mental, spiritual, magical, social, economical, sexual, or relational damage to you. By agreeing to becoming reincarnated, you consent yourself and your own wellbeing to whatever fate you have decided upon. . . " She droned one for another few minutes, bringing up every edge-case imaginable and unimaginable, before finally ending with another deep breath. "With all the boring, legal jargon out of the way. Good luck! May the goddess of luck bless your new life. . ."

"And I wish you nothing but the best on your next adventure."​

The application was complete. Her introduction, while short, was said and done. All she needed now was to send her to her next destination. With exhaustion on her mind and her bed so tempting, she hit the enter key on her keyboard, sending the final soul on her way. Though, once she closed her laptop, she noticed a book sitting behind her screen. Her face paled upon her realization, before she shook away her anxiety. It was the manual to the new world and how to interact with its many systems. Inside the book held information about the cultures and species which dwelled within and how to interact with them.

". . . Ah shit. . . I forgot to give her the manual."

"Eh. She looked smart enough. She'll figure it out, right?"​

---

One new voice mail.
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʙᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀꜱᴋ | ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴᴀ 5 ᴏꜱᴛ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

"Hey mom. I just wanted to check in with you." Tsuna's voice had stirred his mother from her slumber. "The academy has been great! I've just enrolled in my new classes but I might need a few thousand more credits for the Fall Semester. Don't worry too hard about me though. I'll be able to take care of you once I graduate. So hold in there a little longer, okay? I'll be there soon. Love you mom. Thanks for everything." Her phone's screen faded back into black as she opened her eyes to the cold world again. Bandages had covered her hands from the job a night before. While her magical adversary might have been much younger than her, there was a distinct gap between their magical abilities. Her foe's "love" was powerful; Dangerous to the mother who owed a debt to the wrong people. Her son needed the money but her bar struggled to make ends meet.

"Ugh. . . Fuck." She lifted her head off the bar counter, grabbing her phone before stretching her limbs to wake herself up. Her muscles were sore and her head was throbbing, but that didn't stop her from remembering her responsibilities. She needed to restock the bar for the next shift. Even if it wasn't popular, it had a few kind regulars that visited often enough to drive her legs forward.

The ginger-haired woman stood up with renewed strength, grabbing her phone and keys to head out. However, before she took more than a few steps forward, she felt the door stop sooner than she expected. On the other side was an unconscious brunette; A girl she had never seen before. Her blue dress suggested she was a well-off local, though it was odd to find someone like her on this side of the island. "Hey. . . Hey, wake up." She shook the prone woman's arm to no avail. "Of course, I gotta deal with this first thing in the morning." She sighed, taking a deep breath before pulling her in to avoid others from getting the wrong idea.

Once the unconscious woman came to, she saw a glass of water sitting on the counter in front of her. The air was warm, being moved around by the ceiling fans above. She was in a lonely bar; A familiar scene from one of her games long ago. "Oh, finally. You're awake." Footsteps sounded from behind the counter, introducing the woman that brought her in. In front of her stood the ginger-haired antagonist: Ember. "How are you feeling? You're not coughing or sneezing, so I don't think you're sick. Get drunk in the morning?" Ember cleaned a glass with a rag, scanning her new guest for signs of injury. "I don't know who or what left you at the front of my door, but thank the heavens it was me who found you rather than anyone else. Can't trust the vampires around here. That's for sure."

Instead of introducing herself as she did in game however, there was something distinctly different about her. She was far kinder than she appeared to be when around the magical protagonist. "If you're feeling hungry, I might not have a lot around to make you something but I could scramble an egg. I actually bumped into you while getting more food. I have water and a few drinks if you're thirsty but. . . I'd avoid the alcohol if I were you. I wouldn't want you falling unconscious again." She chuckled, offering a gentle, motherly smile to ease the mood.

"I'm Ember by the way. What's your name?"​

 

[Baka]

Arriving Somewhere, But Not Here - Porcupine Tree
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​

The clock was approaching 1am fast, and in an empty office filled rows of tables with identical computer setups, office chairs and piles of paperwork only one of the monitors emitted a warm light into the otherwise completely desolate room. A young woman Haruka Fukuda was sleeping her head against the cold table. Hour or so ago she had finally got her overtime work finished, and decided to take a little rest before going to fetch a coffee from a vending machine way out, and take the last train to her home, in which she could have few hours rest on the warm and comfy bed before having to return to the office once again, and repeat this process yet again with no vacation. Her only day off she would spend pretty much in bed recharging her batteries before returning to the drap office, being surrounded by people who were as cold as the environment, and the boss, who enjoyed harassing the new employees like Haruka to no end.

After finally waking her little nap the brunette jolted up, realizing that she needs to leave immediately and run to the station if she wants to make it. She picks up her purse, turns off the computer, and runs out the office without stopping to the vending machine, after all those few moments of rest were more important to her than some small dose of caffeine, which had lost it's effect on her a long time ago and was now just a routine she kept up.

Despite it being past midnight on a weekday the buzzing metropolitan city was still wide awake, and the streets were relatively crowded, but not so much that she couldn't ran straight line while looking her phone for the first time in hours, and to her dismay was only greeted with emails saying that she wasn't selected for the positions she applied. "Just a little while longer... I only need to keep up with this just a little more..." she said to herself inside her mind to comfort herself, but knowing the current state of employment and economy deep down she knew that even getting to her current job was a miracle, so finding a job with humane working conditions currently would be justa pipe-dream.

After finally reaching the station she stamps her train-pass to the reader, goes through the gates and into the platform waiting for final train of the night to arrive. While waiting she decides to roll the gacha based on her favorite game/dating-sim franchise, Eternal Lovers. Once an iconic series now dongraded to just a mobile title riddled with unecessary fanservice and bastardization of the rich lore and story pissed the woman to no end, but as an avid fan, who had read all the routes of every game multiple times, purchased every limited-edition merchandize and even cosplayed the characters of the game she couldn't help herself to not invest her time and money to the game. A new banner and event had started, and with it a new banner, which she reluctantly went to roll to get the new SSR+ character variants. "Fucking pieces of shit. The character would never wear this kind of revealing outfit... And why is that freaking demon-lord a new boss again? This time his colors are just inverted! Why don't you just already go bankrupt and stop ruining my faves like this?" the furious looking Haruka stared daggers into her mobile screen while cursing the entry to the ground, while rolling the gacha like a gambling-addict elderly on casino.

While being hyper-focused to the gacha she didn't realize that some drunk person was approaching her, most likely trying to flirt with her. However while approaching they lost their balance as they were trying to grap Haruka's shoulder, and accidentally ended up pushing her forward, and straight into the train-tracks in front of her. Despite trying to regain her balance she couldn't do so, and ended up flat on her face against the gravel and cold steel tracks.

"... Ouch..." Brown-haired woman manages to mutter as she lifts her face up, and realizes that a bright light is approaching her, she turns her head around, and realizes that the train she was waiting for was arriving to the station. She could hear some people panicking and trying to get the attention of the guard to help her out, but instead of trying to move out of the way or save herself she just stayed still, looking at the headlights approaching her.

"Maybe this is better. I don't have to worry about waking up tomorr---"

---

Out of Here - Leprous
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After supposedly getting ran over by the train Haruka found herself being surrounded by darkness. She didn't feel any pain, or particulary anything. "... So this is how it feels to die. If I knew I should've just tried this sooner." she nonchalantly says as she starts to look around her, only seeing a pitch-black darkness wherever she tried to look. Thinking that she had been banished to the shadow-realm or eternal oblivion a sudden familiar voice echoing loudly makes her startled and to look around the source of it, and suddenly she can also hear someone typing on keyboard. After that a flash of light blinds her for a moment, and she finds herself in a room, that looked eerily similar to her own one, and a computer monitor, from which she spotted Moira, a character from Eternal Lovers-series she was really acquainted with. Completely puzzled about the situation she tries to ask what this all is about, but the unenthusiastic voice of the godess interrupts her.

As she goes through her situation and the info-dump more and more questions pop into her head "Reborn? New world? Ferris? Oh I know that! Alesia? Yep... So am I getting to reborn into my favorite otome-game now? Hell yeah! Maybe dying was best thing that happened to me!" woman weirdly optimistic about her current situation thinks to herself. However she doesn't have any chances to ask for elaboration to any of this. She was too busy absorbing all the new info, and it looked that the dazzling godess from the game couldn't actually be bothered with anything other than getting the woman out of her hair and get her out of her hair.

When the blonde Goddess had finally finished going on about the technicalities and such Haruka finally tries to get a word in "That's all cool, but..." she gets interrupted as a light that supposedly teleports her to her new world starts to teleport her slowly but surely. "Hey! I am not done! Stop this you fuc---"

---

Constant Fear - Bohren & Der Club of Gore
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Again finding herself in a pitch black oblivion this time the brunette, blue-eyed woman wakes up to the sound of a famous line from a hit RPG-game from many years back said by extremely familiar voice. She quickly lifts her head, and start to look around her, and finding out that she is inside of a bar. Not even realizing there was a person in front of her the blue-eyes soon get locked with the supposed owners eyes, and she realizes that in front of her is one of the antagonists in the Eternal Lovers-series. Ember. Which makes the blue-eyed woman froze in place for a while.

​

However as she listens her talking something about the older woman seems different. Instead of ruthless and violent woman from the games in front of her was surprisingly warm feeling person. "... I guess her name is Ember after all... So makes sense." she thinks to herself and let's out a little chuckle before her stomach answers with a loud growl before she manages to say anything.

Now faintly blushing she laughs and awkwardly rubs the back of her head. "I guess I haven't eaten for... When I even ate last time?" she starts to think, not knowing how much time had actually passed since she passed away and this moment. "So if I could trouble you with some food I would be grateful. After that I really need to get a better understanding of my surroundings and situation... Though I guess I also need some money to do that... And quite a bit of other things too. The goddess could've at least gave me something else than this dress." she mutters about looking at her garnments and realizing that she is completely empty-handed, aside from her memories of her past life.

After the Ember introduces to herself without knowing that the brunette in front of her already has a good grasp of who she is... Or at least one side of her Haruka hastily does a little bow. "I'm Haruka Fukuda. Thank you for taking me inside of your lovely little bar to rest." she says and expresses her genuine gratitude.

Haruka then bonders over something a little bit, which is her next course of action, and decides to take a gamble of revealing her situation to her. Sometimes in isekai this is a death-sentence, but in others this kind of gamble will pay off. Having nothing to lose yet she decides to make a risky move and tell about her situation to Ember "However before you serve me anything I think I should let you know." she prefaced before telling her situation to Ember. "I actually just arrived to this worl after dying in my previous one, and a lazy, exposition-dumping godess just gave me my old memories with me before teleporting me somewhere you found me I think, and now I am in this new world, without any money, house or connections... Technically." she says with a gleeful smile on her face. "But hey! Beats working overtime every day and not being able to even relax properly."

 

[Tenzai]

"I guess I haven't eaten for... When I even ate last time?"

A flash of motherly concern.

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀᴛᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʟʟ | ʙᴀʏᴏɴᴇᴛᴛᴀ ᴏꜱᴛ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

Despite Haruka being a new face, Ember couldn't help herself but care. Haruka looked around the same age as her son sent off to college, albeit her body shape was much slimmer and shorter. As a result, the bar-owner saw the strange girl as a daughter subconsciously. To leave anyone hungry or thirsty within her bar was to fail in her responsibility and to do them a disservice; Especially if they were as seemingly young as she was. "So if I could trouble you with some food I would be grateful. After that I really need to get a better understanding of my surroundings and situation... Though I guess I also need some money to do that... And quite a bit of other things too. The goddess could've at least gave me something else than this dress."

"Say no more." A flicker of flame had escaped the mother's hand, using a basic spell to spark the gas from the oven. "Scrambled eggs it is. Don't worry about paying me back if money is tight. . ." She turned over to Haruka, curious as to what to call her before being given her name. "I'm Haruka Fukuda. Thank you for taking me inside of your lovely little bar to rest." Her compliment had formed a grin over the chef's face. "Haruka. . . Fukuda. Such an odd name. A beautiful one too, but not the first that comes to mind when looking at you." Ember brought a pan to the flame, oiling it before cracking an egg over the corner of the bar. "Thank you for your kind words about the bar. I know its not perfect by any means but. . . I appreciate it. I put a lot of work into making this place feel like home away from home."

The yolk sizzled as it slithered its way onto the pan. Its aroma had scattered across the room, offering Haruka a waft of the meal to come. Ember was sensitive to the needs of others. She had a wealth of experience that came from raising a child of her own. It led to her becoming an impromptu mother for the regulars who chose to drink or eat beneath her roof. As the egg began to solidify, the mother heard her speak up. "However before you serve me anything I think I should let you know." She raised an eyebrow, taking her eyes off the pan for a moment to turn to the blue dressed girl. "What is it, Haru?" Instead of speaking her full name, she opted for a more comfortable moniker. "If you're allergic to eggs, let me know now. I don't want to cook you something that would make you sick."

"I actually just arrived to this world after dying in my previous one, and a lazy, exposition-dumping goddess just gave me my old memories with me before teleporting me somewhere you found me I think, and now I am in this new world, without any money, house or connections... Technically. But hey! Beats working overtime every day and not being able to even relax properly."

Ember grew silent at Haruka's sudden revelation. Regardless of whether they lived in a world of magic, reincarnation was still largely unheard of, especially if it was a soul from another world. Revival was one thing, being involved with the gods was another, but to have a combination of everything yet ending up at her doorstep without money, board, or connections at her age, from another world nonetheless, it was extremely hard to believe in. However, Ember could find no lie in her words. She didn't stutter nor did her eyes move away. Whoever Haruka was, she truly believed this all.

Ember gave a blank stare as she processed Haruka's words, sliding the scrambled eggs off the pan into a plate to serve. Though, instead of brushing her past off as the ramblings of insanity, Ember gave her the benefit of a doubt. Haruka didn't appear like the drunks that would stumble on her doorstep. She didn't seem like the type to lie or take advantage of her like her bosses. She was ordinary by all definitions, in mind, soul, and body. "Look, I'm not a priest that dines with gods and goddesses, so I won't claim that I'd know anything about what you're saying but. . . If you're new to this place, and its clear to me you are given your clothes. Least I could do is offer you a roof over your head, a couple meals a day, and. . . Maybe a job too."

She nodded her head towards a nearby staircase that led to the second floor. "This place used to be a tavern long ago before I refashioned it into a cozy, modern bed and bar. Upstairs, there's a few bedrooms for visitors that want to spend the night. Feel free to choose one, whichever one you'd like. I won't charge you." Ember slid the plate over, leaning on the counter beside the brunette. "All I ask is that you help me out. I can't afford staff and . . . I need someone to run this place when I can't. My son's in college and it leaves just me to watch over this place while he's gone."

The bartender handed Haruka a fork and knife to eat with, as well as a couple napkins to keep her mouth clean. "Naturally, there will be times where I have to head out at night. Handle a few errands you know?. . . But I can't leave the bar alone when others are there. If you could help me out, I'd really appreciate it, Haruka." She gave a motherly smile, placing a bandaged hand on her shoulder. Whatever hurt her appeared to have done so recently. "Who knows, maybe with a little extra work, I could give you an allowance too. Any tips you earn will be yours too. What do you say?"

A text.

One new message from her boss.
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴇʟᴇᴄᴛʀɪᴄ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍꜱ | ᴘᴇʀᴛᴜʀʙᴀᴛᴏʀ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

From: Hart's Dry Cleaning

---

Hello, Cinder. Your dress is dry cleaned and ready for pickup. Please come by 1295 Zenith Drive around 11PM and remember, no refunds or alterations can be made.​

"Oh, one moment, Haruka." Giving her guest some space and time to eat, Ember took out her phone to read the new message. It was another order from her loan sharks through another one of their pseudonyms. As she read the contents, the kind, motherly gaze she wore earlier had contorted into something much colder and more familiar. This was the Ember she remembered: The cold antagonist driven by business. The game she was from only examined her as a character from a surface level glance, but here in this new world, there was nuance. She appeared troubled at the news. A wrinkle had contorted the features of her face. "Damn. And after all I've done the night before, they're still asking for more."

Ember put her phone away after responding in the affirmative. While she hated doing their dirty work, she needed the money. The bar wasn't cheap to run, nor did it make enough money to sustain her and her son's college tuition. Regardless of the trials they forced her through in the hopes that she could defeat the up and coming magical hero of the academy, she couldn't say no. She owed them far too much and needed to pay them back. It was only right.

"Sorry that you had to see that." The mother poured herself a drink before sitting on a barstool next to the eating girl. Clinking her shot glass with Haruka's glass of water, she took the shot to ease the struggle of her reality. "To keep this place running, I had to take up a second job. Boss there is an absolute pain." She rolled her eyes, exhausted at the thought. To take care of her family and her home, she had to sacrifice her nights for a fruitless cause she didn't believe in. She didn't even hate her magical counterpart, though Ember understood that only she could play the part of antagonist. There weren't many others as capable of wielding the corporation's magi-tech as well as Ember did; Her expertise and experience gained during her time serving as a mercenary had played a major role in their decision. However, what was once thought as a boon had become a curse. She had lost her chance to live a normal life for the sake of her family. Though, if given a chance to make the decision again, she had no doubt that she would choose the same.

Reality wasn't so kind as to grant her a happy ending.

Not for the price of love.​

Even with the gods and goddesses that dictate the future of the world walking around them, few cared about the affairs of mortals. Ember could care less about the worship of gods that never bestowed the blessing of higher tier magic on her. She didn't care about the injuries or the loss of time either. As long as her child was happy and her home was safe, she'd be willing to embrace this reality until her body failed her. "Anyways. My offer still stands, Haruka. Would you be interested in helping me? I could use someone. . . Anyone really. Just thought it would be nice to help each other out." The kindness in her voice had returned as did the light in her eyes. It was clear that her calling was the bar. It made her happy.

"I'd really appreciate someone like you."​

 

[Baka]

Haruka sighed in relief when she heard that she wouldn't have to pay for her first meal in this unknown, yet really familiar world "Thank you for your kindness." she replies and does a little polite bow to Ember. In truth she would've offered to help her if need be, but currently her thoughts were too occupied to take in the absurd situation she was in, however when the eggs that were put on a pan started to sizzle and spread the familiar aroma she smelled last time when she was in university woman relaxed a bit.

Brunette let's out a little chuckle when Ember says that she should mention any allergies to her. "It's nothing like that. I would've told you already if I had any allergies. It's actually something more... Complicated." she prefaces before she blurts out the whole story of how she got where she is now.

After that the woman anxiously waited her reaction. Telling something of this magnitude was usually a risky move. In best case scenario if things went south she would be branded as a rambling madman or a heretic, and in worst-case scenario she could be killed-off either by someone in the game, or the Godess herself if she broke some unspoken rule regarding telling her real identity to the 'native' in-game characters. However when the might of god didn't struck her to cinders immediately she could relax a little. At least there wasn't any rule that would forbid her from revealing her situation, now only hurdle was to convince one of the antagonists of the game to believe her.

Lamp - Late Night Train
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When Ember started to speak at first Haruka thought that she had failed, but by the end of her reply a relief washed over her, and a relieved smile rose to her face as she let out a sigh. "Phew. I thought that revealing such thing would brand me as some sort of lunatic... Glad I took the chance." she says with a smile. "Honestly a place to stay, food to eat and a job on top of that is more than I could ever hope for. If you really will let me work here I would gladly take up on the offer." she says as the smile on her face becomes more pronounced. Despite being a little alert of the antagonist she knew she started to see a completely different side of her. "Who would've known she would be this nice to me... In the gacha especially she was just portrayed as a bloodhungry violent menace... though I don't even count those piece of shit bastardizations even canon..." she thought to herself.

She then listened about how the place used to be an in, and that she could pick whichever room she pleased. And on top of it all all the brunette had to do was help her with the place. Compared to her inhumane working conditions in the 'real world' this felt like a vacation to her. The happy smile had suddenly turned into an exaggerated reaction of her literally crying, as she leans over the counter and gently takes a hold of her shoulders "Are you sure you're not the goddess of this world? One with such benevolent heart must be the one. Not that lazy bum I saw when I got here..." she asks before leaning back to look something she can wipe her tears to.

After not finding anything she takes the utensils to her hand and looks at the Ember with tears in her eyes and nods. "Yes... I would love to help you. This deal is honestly too good for me." Haruka says before starting to stuff the scrambled eggs into her mess of a face. When the first bite hits her stomach she once again regains her smile. "So good. It feels like it's been hundreds of years since I ate homemade cooking." blue-eyed brunette says as she chows down the meal while the tears start to dry on her face. Overall the woman in this perilous situation looked like she was having time of her life just eating a normal breakfast, if you exclude the puffy eyes from crying earlier.

Haruka kept eating as the message arrived to Ember's cellphone, and she let her reply to it in peace, but the time she looked up from her plate as she was taking a sip of water she saw the cold-gaze she was familiar with. While this did not directly scare her the smile from her face retracted to a more neutral expression. She could guess what the message was about, and didn't want to pry more into it, deciding to ignore it unless Ember herself wanted to talk about it she kept eating her eggs, finishing the plate before she was done with replying.

Fit For A King - Locked (In My Head)
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"That's alright. I sadly can somewhat relate to annoying boss." she replies as the older woman takes a seat next to her and start to enjoy her drinks. "Where I come from hostile and toxic work environments are... Sadly pretty common. Sometimes we would stay in the office for days, only taking short breaks to eat. Sometimes you could see people crying, having mental breakdowns... After some time you realize that a nice coworker you got along with wouldn't show up, and heard that they were laid off due to them not being able to hand it anymore. And sometimes..."

Haruka stops in the middle of her explanation that was getting more serious and somber, like her expression did, settling at a jaded stare onto the empty plate as bad memories of her past life went through her head. However as if a switch would've been flipped inside of her she turns to Ember and smiles. "But now you don't have to carry all the heavy burden yourself. I may be a newbie, but I try to help as well as I can." she says and puffs her chest a bit as she turns her body towards her.

Queen - You're My Best Friend
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Blue-eyed brunette then picks her water glass and holds it between them ready for a little toast. "So how about we toast as a sign of our new mutually beneficial friendship?" she asks waiting for her to respond. Though even before she manages to respond the woman was already going at her own pace, and clanged the glasses together.

"Cheers for our fated meeting and new friendship!"​

 

[Tenzai]

"A goddess? Haru, I'm the farthest thing from it."

"If an ounce of kindness was enough to convince you otherwise, whichever life you left behind was not a life worth living."​

While Ember may have been sweet, she wasn't afraid of sharing her mind. Without the threat of her job being taken away as a result of her being her own boss, she cared little about the opinions of others. The pride of gods and goddesses had mattered little in the grand scheme of her world. She saw them as she did everyone else, all capable of being an asshole. Still, the girl in front of her appeared to be innocent. Haru was dealt a bad hand, similar to herself. Empathy had entered her crimson gaze, revealing more of the light that hid behind her darkness.

She had offered Haruka a gentle smile, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. Watching her sudden emotional display towards her kindness had touched the villainess' heart. "Would you believe what you've told me wasn't the strangest thing I've heard all week?" She motioned her eyes towards the door, thinking of all the customers that brought their stories to the bartender's attention before returning back to Haru. "People of all kinds walk through those doors. Some good. Some awful. But all, with their own beginnings just as unique as yours."

She reached over, placing her hands on Haru's wrists to guide her hands away. Bruises had lined her body from the night before, causing her arms to tense upon feeling her hands move with so much excitement. "With a smile like yours, know that you'll always have a place underneath my roof for as long as you try your best here. That's a promise; My promise... Welcome, Haruka." She wrapped her arms around her new staff member, treating her as though she was family.

"Welcome to your new home."​

Ember pulled away to let Haruka eat, smiling as her new friend dug into the scrambled eggs she just cooked. "So good. It feels like it's been hundreds of years since I ate homemade cooking." Seeing her acts become the reason for another person's happiness had softened her features after the reminder of her rough night before. At least, even if she was subject to the evil whims of her bosses in her other job, she was still capable of making someone smile. Her hands had uses beyond the destruction of another. "Take your time, dear. There's no need to rush. Your food's not going to run away from you."

---

"That's alright. I sadly can somewhat relate to having an annoying boss."​

The sudden shift in Haruka's tone had drawn the mother's attention. "Where I come from hostile and toxic work environments are... Sadly pretty common. Sometimes we would stay in the office for days, only taking short breaks to eat. Sometimes you could see people crying, having mental breakdowns... After some time you realize that a nice coworker you got along with wouldn't show up, and heard that they were laid off due to them not being able to hand it anymore. And sometimes..."

"That's enough, Haruka. If its too hard to talk about, you don't have to. No need to bring up your past life when you're not ready." She patted the brunette on the shoulder. "Sounds like you've had a taste of hell yourself. I'm sorry you had to go through all that in your old world." Ember poured herself another shot, her heart feeling empathy from the glimpse into Haruka's past. She understood that her fate was not exclusive to her; But to find someone like Haruka in a similar situation, it made her angry.

"Reality can be such a bitch sometimes. But hey; Even if I can't pay that well, I won't treat you or anyone else that comes through those doors like that. Never will. To treat another fucking person like they're cattle..." She rolled her eyes in disgust, thinking of her other bosses. "It makes me sick. If I had to waste a third of my life somewhere, the least I could do is make it feel like home; Even if I had to take care of it all by myself."

The hand on her drink had grown tight, shaking from her words. While they may have had an excuse to treat her like shit, to treat someone that appeared to be the same age as her son the same way was infuriating. Though a shift in Haruka's attitude had made her mood simmer down. "But now you don't have to carry all the heavy burden yourself. I may be a newbie, but I'll try to help as well as I can."

Ember had sighed, taking a long breath before returning back to her previous self. "Thanks, Haruka." Haru wasn't her enemy. She wasn't the magical girl that did so much harm through her love-fueled spells either. She was just an innocent girl who had a past that helped her understand the bartender she sat beside. "As long as you put your heart in it and you're willing to try your best, I could teach you the rest." Haru's smile was radiant, lighting up the mood in the room.

With a puff of her chest, she revealed to her new boss her conviction in embracing this new chapter of her life. "So how about we toast as a sign of our new mutually beneficial friendship?" Ember raised her glass alongside her. "Gladly. To a new and better life for the both of us." She clinked her glass. "Cheers for our fated meeting and new friendship!"

"Cheers!"

A toast to symbolize their new beginning.​

"So, you said you were from another world, right?" Ember had taken a sip of her glass, still curious about the odd girl's past. "I wonder how different it is from this one. I barely recognize your clothes and usually the offices here are only built around capital or trade cities far away from here." She thought back to where her other job had resided. The concrete jungle had always brought out a colder side of her. The people there were known to be much less caring than those from the country-side villages. Even if the sky rises that towered above the horizon had shared the same world as her cozy little bar, it had felt so alien of an environment to her. To imagine another world entirely was a tough concept for her to grasp.

"At least, here. You get to see the sunrise on fields of grass. You get to see the waves of the ocean from the edge of the floating island and hear the sound of the wind above the passing seas. Even if there's not much to see around here, it feels like my little piece of paradise." She gazed into her empty glass, staring at the melting amber cubes before casting a minor frost spell to chill the fluids inside. "Beats the sight of a corporate battlefield. That's for sure..."

Switching topics, she turned her attention back to her. "Oh, I wanted to ask... Who were you in your past life?" From the way she conducted herself around the villainess to the sudden degree of comfort she appeared to hold around her presence, Haruka's personality stood in stark contrast to the typical stranger. It was as if she knew her. "Usually, when someone else sees me for the first time, they get nervous. I have scars from my time serving as a mercenary and I know they're off putting... But you? Its like you immediately saw past them. You're treating me like... Like you've known me for a while." She stroked her head, unable to hold herself back from treating her like a mother.

Instead of seeing Haruka as suspicious, she welcomed her warmth into her life. "Its actually quite comforting to be treated as normal sometimes... It gets easy feeling like anything but when all people could see you for is your past. Makes me wonder whether you were a mind reader... Maybe someone great at casting charms." She gave a quiet chuckle, losing some of the seriousness she displayed earlier.

It didn't take long before Ember raised an eyebrow, realizing something odd ever since Haruka came in. Her water was getting warm, and yet she didn't cast a spell to cool it off. "Wait... Haruka? Do you like warm drinks or..." The closer she examined her new staff member, the more she realized that there was a lack of ambient mana being emitted from her. "...Did you not cast spells in your past life?" Her eyes grew wide. Her mouth was left agape, revealing a shocked expression.

"Oh no, honey. How did you even survive in your past life?!"​

The mere idea of living a life without magic was beyond her imagination. Even if she wasn't the most adept spellcaster, the quality of life that came with being able to cast beginner, low-level magic was considered essential in this new world. To live without it was akin to being disabled, equivalent to losing one of the primary five senses. "...That's it." Ember stomped her way over to the door, unplugging the neon open sign to turn it off. "I'm spending today teaching you the basics of magic. No ifs or buts about it."

"You're not leaving here until you cast your first spell. Got it?"​

 

[Baka]

Embers comment about her previous life not being worth living made the womans eyes widen, and after the initial shock she let out a little laugh. "You're right. It really was not worth it." she simply agrees with her statement and leaves it at that. For now instead of delwing deep into the memories of her corporate-slave life where her only joys were rolling gacha and playing games whenever she could find some time for them the only thing she wanted to focus was the new possibilities ahead of her, in her favorite fandom-verse without needing to worry about her documents being late by few minutes or forcing herself to go to izakaya after work just to pour drinks for her asshole of a boss while dodging pick-up attempts by her coworkers like it was a bullet-hell game.

Hope - Umineko OST
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When Haruka hears that her tale isn't even the tallest the villainess had heard she turns her head towards the door she motioned her eyes toward, and once again remembering the universe she got isekai'd to finds it rather easy to accept what she had just said as a fact. "I'm sure that a social-hubs like this have their fare share of odd-ball customers with a lot of interesting stories to tell." she basically repeats what Ember had just said. "I can't wait to hear some of those myself." she adds thinking about the possibilities of some of her favorite characters walking in and her seeing completely different sides of them, just like she saw with Ember.

After letting go of her hand and managing to compose herself the sudden warm embrace once again surprised the woman, who found herself blushing a little more than anything else, but a genuine hug after many many years since someone had given her one felt extremely comfortable and soothing. Haruka fought back the emotions the embrace caused in her and did her best not to cry yet again, and somehow managed to do it, however the faint red on her cheek she could not hide from anyone. "I didn't even realize I was in need of something like this..." she thought to herself before being let go and her quickly digging back into her meal, partly to hide her face at least for few seconds.

---

The promise not to talk about or reminice about the old-world didn't last long, and the floodgates were slowly opened given the bar-owner villainess a glimpse of her life in the other world. Despite going somewhere really dark for a while she managed to snap out of it really fast. Her ability to hide her emotions that she had cultivated in her workplace came in handy in various places, but she wasn't perfect with it, and her facade slipped off quite easily at times, especially now when she didn't have any need to tough her poor working environments out, or tell her parents that everything was fine when in reality she was at the end of her rope.

"It really was, but talking about it was... Easier than I thought. Maybe it's because I don't have to be afraid of consequences of my rant here... Or perhaps because you're the type of person who's easy to confide... Or both." she explained and started to think of why she even opened up. She was a bit surprised of it herself too, but the surprise was positive since even just talking about it made the burden of her previous life at least a bit lighter to carry.

Sanctuary - Hikaru Utada
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Embers reassurance that she won't treat people like her bosses and senpais in previous life did made her smile a bit brighter. "I didn't suspect you were like them after getting to chat and be with you, but reassurance never hurts." she replied.

When the two toasted she was extremely optimistic about her new life in Eternal Lovers-verse, or E-Loverse as the fans called it.

---

After Haru had taken a sip of her water and heard Embers pondering the brunette woman started to think. "It's pretty hard to explain but..." since she currently wasn't in the know what game she was in, let alone the fact that the world she was teleported into was more than met the eye she didn't know what kind of explanation she should give. "I think the closest example most likely be the capital of this world. While I don't really know of it I am sure that you have quite advanced technology and loads of people there." she went with a safe option. Every game had a capital, and in every one of them it was the most technologically advanced and most densest in population, so Ember could get a pretty good picture of her world, and she could possibly gain information what installment of her favorite franchise she was in.

When she listens about the woman comparing the large cities to the countryside she can't help but to agree. "I am actually from a pretty rural area, and this place does remind me of it, which is pretty soothing. I feel that the only times where I felt like I could just be without any care in the world was my parents house on the small village. When I was young I did not appreciate it, but when I got older I started to really miss that quaint and soothing place."

​

Then Ember hits her with new questions. The second one makes her sweat a bit. She honestly didn't want to let the cat out of the bag about her being extremely familiar with the univese she was in, so she needed to come up with something fast. While thinking and racking her brains she started by replying to her first question. "I... I was actually just an office worker. Extremely overworked one. I was supposed to be responsible of accounting, but people started to give me all sort of odd-jobs." she answers. "As for the not being afraid of your appearance I... I guess it comes from the fact that in our world you meet a lot of different kinds of folks, and seeing someone who has for example gone through a horrible accident isn't all that rare, so I've gotten used to things like scars and know that they don't mean the person is automatically bad." she explains thinking that her explanation was rather solid.

Deep Breath, Deep Breath -Reload- - Persona 3 Reload OST
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Haruka looks at the glass in her hand and looks at the older woman with a puzzled expression. "I don't particularly fancy it, but I can drink it no problem. I would just ask ice if I needed it to be colder." she says and then the follow-up question hits her. "Oh!" she realizes that someone without magic would be a little 'odd-one out' here "In our world there was no such thing as magic outside of fiction. We just used tehcnology and such to our advantage." she replies and smiles, "It's honestly not that difficult to live without it once you've literally lived your whole life without it." she laughs a little and drinks the rest of her water.

Then the sudden change of plans by her new boss comes. "Eh?" Haru is a bit confused, but when the reality hits her she let's outa loud "EEEEEEH?!?". Flailing her hands around a little she tries to find words to say to Ember. "But I've never done anything like that. I am not sure if I even have potential to cast spells. I think that bum goddess didn't give me any abilities either..." while not really trying to weazel her way out of the situation she had very little to no confidence in her own abilities to cast any sort of spell.

"How do people even learn that stuff? Is it sink or swim type of situation where I just try to cast something or do I need to read some old tomes?" despite her feeling that she is not capable of casting spells she was interested how similar the system was to the in-game established one.

 

[Tenzai]

"In our world there was no such thing as magic outside of fiction."

"We just used technology and such to our advantage."

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴇᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴀʟ (ꜱʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ) | ᴛᴏᴋʏᴏᴘɪʟʟ (ʀᴇᴍɪxᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴍᴀʏᴀ x ᴘɪᴏɴᴀꜱ ᴍxᴘ)
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​

"It's honestly not that difficult to live without it once you've literally lived your whole life without it." While Haru's prior words would have initially brought up suspicion as to what the true identity of who her new staff member was, Ember's mind had focused instead on the elephant in the room. It was difficult for the villainess to imagine how someone as small and frail like Haruka would have survived in a world similar to her own which didn't have magic interwoven in nearly every fiber of its being; Especially if her old home was similar to their nation's capital. Hostile and cold, to think of her being an office worker trying to scratch out a living in such a hostile environment, it was unfathomable and unfair.

"The kami of your world must have forsaken it. I'm... Sorry you had to go through that, Haruka." Her laugh had felt pitiable. Her smile had caused the mother's heart to wince in her chest. As Haru took a drink of her water to wash down her food, Ember stomped over to the front door to flip the open sign. "...That's it." She spoke with conviction, setting her mind to helping her daughter learn how to live with her new reality. "Eh?" Her gasps did little to dissuade Ember. "I'm spending today teaching you the basics of magic. No ifs or buts about it."

"EEEEEEH?!?" The flailing of her hands and the screaming of her voice had reminded her of her son as a child. The first time she taught him magic, she recalled how shocked and nervous he once was. It brought a smile to her face to be able to relive that memory again with another that she cared about, acting as an additional sign to the ex-mercenary that there was more to her than fighting. She was more than a soldier stuck to the battlefield; To the people she loved, she was a mother and a mentor. For the people of this world, casting their first spell was akin to learning how to walk. It was an essential part of growing up; A skill to be honed just as important as writing and driving. To hear that Haruka was unable to cast even the most ordinary of spells; It had brought out her parental side of her. "You're not leaving here until you cast your first spell. Got it?"

"But I've never done anything like that. I am not sure if I even have the potential to cast spells.
I think that bum goddess didn't give me any abilities either..."

"Magic exists in everyone, Haruka. You don't need superpowers to cast spells.
Just having a soul is enough."​

"Honestly, I used to think the same of myself too until I gave it an honest shot against the judgements and thoughts of others. The teachers at the military academy didn't believe in me. Told me I was a good for nothing gun for hire... And yet, here I am." Her eyes flicked with flame, hinting at her own struggle on her journey of self-discovery. "Even if I can't cast the biggest or flashiest spells, Haruka. I was able to make something of my own." With a twist of her finger and a hushed whisper, a candle sized flame had formed above her pointer offering both light and warmth. "Don't be too harsh on yourself and believe. If you're able to make it from another world, then I'm sure; You're much more special than you think."

Ember's voice was seasoned with sympathy. Her concerns were understandable, resonating with Ember's own vulnerabilities. Despite the strong facade she wore on the surface, underneath it all, she was still human. She had to fight her own demons to discover her strengths. At the least, unlike herself, Ember wouldn't leave her son nor Haruka alone. She could give them a fighting chance to make something of themselves by being there where others could not for her.

"How do people even learn that stuff? Is it a sink or swim type of situation where I just try to cast something or do I need to read some old tomes?" She raised an eyebrow, amused at her guess of how magic worked in this new world. "Well, it's unique to everyone. Everyone's path is their own so It really depends. Some people know how to give form to their magic innately, being able to cast as soon as they learn to speak. Others gain strength to their magic by bonding with a spirit or believing in a kami... Or hell, forging a contract with a demon. But with me and my son? Books. Not old tomes that you see in museums really but..."

Ember reached for a book from a nearby bookshelf that sat away from the eyes of guests. On it sat various titles depicted as bonus lore from within the E-Loverse setting. From stories considered nothing more than fanfiction to others that revealed the verse's history, many familiar names had come to attention. Though in the midst of the literature, there were names unrecognized written in similar font. The world, while created by the game's company, was much more than what appeared on screen. Within every corner Haruka could stare, there was another bit of history just hidden behind the obvious. Another side to every story. "Ah! Here it is."

Ember pulled out a book with different tabs and bookmarks.

"My first spellbook."​

Placing it on the counter in front of her, she revealed all the little notes she took as a younger merc when learning how to cast magic for the first time. Her handwriting was neat, though stains from past coffee spills, wounds, and other drinks had revealed a depth of history that hinted at what Ember had gone through during her studies. Unlike how the worlds of fantasy in her past life had depicted magical tomes, this book seemed more like a modern textbook. Inside sat chapters that referred to different elements of study as well as introductions to what each elemental type can typically do.

"To put it simply. There are different types of spells. Some, you don't even need to speak anything to cast. Just a hand movement is more than enough. Others require words to manifest your mana into form... And some require sacrifice or have a cost." Ember grabbed the book and flipped it over to the first chapter which introduces the topic in full. "We'll focus on the easiest one first. A simple, safe spell that's too useful to ignore. Candlelight." She reached for Haru's hand, lifting it up before gently pressing the pad of their fingertips together.

"Three steps. Feel free to follow after me, okay?" She smiled, trying to ease her into the world of magic. "First step. Envision what you want to happen. In this case, think of a candle. Believe in it. Focus on the image of a candle in your mind. Of course, the harder the spell, the more concentration it'll take... But it'll get easier with time and practice." Her eyes once again illuminated with emboldened flame displaying her favored element.

"Step two. Breathe deep and concentrate your thoughts and energy into one point where you want it to manifest. For example, I'm looking right at where we're touching. If it makes it easier, you could point at whatever you want to cast a spell at with your finger or an object." She tapped her fingertip, her eyes concentrating deeply towards where their bodies have connected.

"And final step, expel your spirit. Whether it be a word, a movement, a sound, or a thought. Whatever way is easiest for you." She tapped again, forming a little white orb that hovered above their fingers. "And with that, we give our mana form. Your spirit can influence the real world, no matter how big or small it truly is." Ember guided the floating orb with her pointer finger before letting it rest on her hand.

"All you need to do is believe."

"With enough, you could make any dream a reality."​

With a puff of smoke, the orb disappeared. "So try it yourself. This little spell saved me countless numbers of times. It's only right that it should be your first too, especially if you ever find yourself in a dark place without power." Ember gestured the book towards her. "If it helps, you could borrow that book for later. I hope it serves you just as much as it did me."

 

[Baka]

"Magic exists in everyone, Haruka. You don't need superpowers to cast spells.​

Just having a soul is enough."​

Second Life Syndrome - Riverside
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This phrase was familiar to Haruka from the first game, where the main heroine, who was a commoner turned out to be one of the strongest magic-users in the whole Kingdom by the end of the game. When she first mustered her courage to try and use the skill she thought only the most fortunate possessed when the heroine jumped-in to help a noble-looking person almost getting eaten by a monster they uttered those same words to a bevildered heroine. First game of the series was by-the-books generic otomege with a reverse-harem element to it, so the trope of "only nobles possessing magic" was used in it, and later the magic became a commonplace within the entries of the game using this single line to justify it's inclusion to everyone... However since the gacha was basically bastardized version of the whole franchise, and the one the brunette was most engaged with nowadays she had almost completely forgotten how the system worked, and the explanation Ember gave came handy.

After she listened the hopeful story of the villainess about using magic and how she started using it even if they weren't someone who had the most flashiest and strongest spells in their hands a small optimism about learning how to use some magic came about, this coupled with the fact that these literally magical skills were now a commonplace in the world. Blue-eyed woman was now focusing on the tip of Embers finger and watching the flame she conjured with a small awe. Despite how common this was in the world she now resided in it was still the first time she saw magic in use, within her own eyes, and literally feeling the warmth the flame emitted.

When the demonstration of magic was over the young woman presented her question. While she had remembered some of the details about the magic-system in use she of course had no in-depth know-how of it. In the games magic just existed. There was no greater emphasis on it. After all the romantic stories were the reason they were selling like hot-cakes when they were released. Plus feign completely ignorant would probably be the best course of action in the current situation. She could get all the basic knowledge she needed, and there was no risk of her revealing the fact that she knew much more than she should've... And of course there was no telling what might happen if the characters learned about the fact that they were basically someone's figment of imagination from another world, destined to play their predetermined roles in a video game. She didn't want to worry about the world imploding on her or her breaking some unspoken rule, so after an extremely small deliberation she popped in the innocent question in the air.

"I see..." Haruka simply replied. Again going back to her memories of the game there were people who forged contracts with demons, and academies that taught magic, but there were also so many more aspects that either weren't explained in the game, or the overworked woman had forgotten over the years.

As Ember walks toawrds the shelve Haruka spots familiar titles in the bookshelve. Some really famous fanfictions written by fans, some lore-books made by original creators, all mingling and existing together. "What is this? Were these fan-made books acknowledged as an official lore at some point? Why they are here..." she thought to herself as Ember took out a book and showed it to her, however Haruka made a mental note to herself:

"Take a look at the books in the shelve when you have the chance."​

​

Ember then placed a well-read book in front of her, that showcased how much the literal blood, sweat, tears and some coffee was used when she learned the ins and outs of it. Once again she silently listens and takes in all the new or forgotten knowledge she heard of the magic in the world of her favorite franchise. Her eyes followed Embers hand as she flipped the book open, and already assigned the first spell they would learn together, and which apparently was an essential one to learn.

When the villainess took her hand and presed their hands together a sudden contact with someone's hand made her blush a little, but she quickly shook it of and started to listen how she can cast this spell 'Candlelight'. First step seemed simple enough. "Alright. Sounds doable." she says and nods.

Second step was much more vague to her. She didn't have the foggiest what this so called 'energy' was. how she'd feel it coursing to the point she wished it to, however the further her explanation felt the more it seemed to make some sort of sense in her head.

Third and last step also sounded extremely vague, but once again she thought she got the gist of it. She wasn't sure at all if she could conjure anything, but with the last encouraging words she felt like she was at least ready give an honest short at it. If the magic was the name of the game when it came to survival, or even everyday normal life here she'd be in trouble if she couldn't use even the most simplest of spells.

Playing God - Polyphia
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"I'll give it a shot then... And it would really help if you could lend me a book. I'm the type who learns by reading and doing a lot of groundwork at first before attempting things myself." she said while speaking the truth. She was the type who'd learn things when reading about them and having them make sense in her head, and then trying them.

However now was the time for the trial by fire... or candlelight as she prepared herself for casting her first spell. Haruka took a deep breath, then put her hands in a position where she thought they would make the most sense, which in her case meant one of her hand up in the fist outside of her index-finger, that acted as a figurative candlestick.

"Here we go then..." she said and started to follow Embers instructions in her head. First she envisioned the light she saw earlier coming on top of her finger. This was relatively easy since she had just seen concrete evidence of it. She then took another deep breath and concentrated on the tip of her index finger. After a few second had passed and it felt like her focus was now actively only focusing on the one point she progressed to the final state, which was the expel-part. Saying something felt too embarrassing for her, so in her mind she said "candlelight."

The result was a small flickering orb on top of her finger. Not as bright as her teachers, but a concrete proof that she could cast a magic spell, however the ephemeral light disappeared immediately when the shock of her being able to cast spells struck her, and her focus wavered way too much.

"...I... I did it I think?" she said unsure if this result was something to be celebrated about, or if this was disappointing one in the standards of the wrold she was now in. She looked at Ember waiting to see what kind of reaction she'd have.

 

[Tenzai]

"I'll give it a shot then..." "That's all I'm looking for, Haru."​

Ember The Bartending, Motherly Villainess​

"With effort, anything is possible." The mother gave a look of enthusiasm, excited to see her cast her first spell. Her hands balled into fists as her eyes flared with ambition, eager to help her take her first steps into the world of magic. "And it would really help if you could lend me a book. I'm the type who learns by reading and doing a lot of groundwork at first before attempting things myself." Before Haruka prepared to cast, Ember placed her old spellbook on the table in front of her. "Then consider it yours. It served its purpose well enough for me already." She gave her new friend a reassuring smile. "Perhaps it would see a second life in your hands. Treat it well as you would a friend. It will be there for you when you need it most." Ember winked at her. "Promise."

"Here we go then..."

"...Candlelight." As quickly as her light came into existence, it vanished in a flash.
​

Haruka's magic had shined with the colors of her soul. Pure and eager to embrace this new world, it swirled with her energy, giving Ember a glimpse into the character that lied beneath the surface. Magic in this world was the result of people manifesting the emotions of their soul into a physical component they can manipulate. While words and actions may occlude one's intentions towards others, mana on the other hand only knew how to be true. "...I... I did it I think?" Immediately upon seeing her light for the first time, Ember pulled her into a warm embrace. "You did sweetie! You did!" She spoke proudly, as though she saw her daughter graduate. "You've done a wonderful job for a first time!"

Even if the spell was as basic as it got, that didn't stop Ember from seeing it as an achievement. Her hands were sore and tired from learning to cast even the most basic of spell components. Her understanding of the composition of mana was barely able to pass even the most mediocre of curriculums. As a result, she did not take the act of casting a spell successfully for granted, regardless of the extent of the spell's effect. "I'm so proud of you, dear!" She reached for the book, turning it towards the next several lists of basic spells she could acquire next. "If you're able to cast candlelight, you're able to cast a whole library of spells." However excited she was, Ember noticed something in her eyes. Behind the glittering shine that came with having one of her acts celebrated, she was able to tell that Haruka gave the semblances of being overworked; A sight often found too commonly in the capital cities of the mainland.

Instead of showing her everything at once, she slowed herself down to pace her new recruit properly. "Take it one day at a time, alright? These spells, while all useful, aren't going to leave you once you learn them." Holding her hand out, she was able to cast a different colored flame from every finger. Each flickering light had touched upon a different element, showing just how vast a single spell's use could be. "So do take the time to practice at your own pace. Sometimes, you might find even the most basic of spells more useful than the flashiest ones." Reaching over to her empty glass, Ember casted a basic water spell to fill her cup back to full. "The only ones you need to work here are the one for ice to cool the drinks, the one for heat to cook the food, and the one for water to refill drinks. Nothing too complicated, thankfully." Ember stroked her hair, her hands telling Haru non-verbally just how proud she was. "I know you could do it. I believe in you."

Shade The Blind, Mecha-Pilot, Vampire Villainess​

Ring Ring. "Oh, who is it now?" The front door opened to reveal a familiar face.​

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴄᴀꜰꜰᴇ ᴍᴏᴄʜᴀ | ᴊᴀᴢᴢɪɴᴜꜰ
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​

"Hey, we're closed-" Before Ember was able to respond to the unannounced visitor with a tirade, her voice softened once her eyes followed familiar purple hues. "Oh? Is it? I could come by another time, you know? Oof-" As the girl walked forward, she bumped herself into a table and then another. "Oh, its Shade." The bartender called her name quizzically, welcoming her in. "Did you forget your service dog?" Shade pointed outside, revealing her fangs as she opened her mouth to respond. "Oh Shock? He's outside! His pathfinding has been a little off recently so its been difficult getting around. Come here, boy." Thump. Thump. Thump. Whatever dog was, it kept bumping into the door, unable to twist the door handle so it could reach its master. "... Yeah, that's him. Can you help Em?" Sighing, Ember walked toward the door, opening it for Shade's little robot puppy to enter in. "Of course. Welcome in, Shock." Where its eyes stood were a couple cameras that interfaced with the blind vampire's own eyes. It was her way of navigating the world, seeing herself and everything around her in third person.

"You know, one of these days, you're going to have your mecha license revoked because of Shock... No offense." Ember turned towards the dog, giving it an apologetic nod. "Its fineee." Shade waved her hand. "You know those eggheads at the academy won't let me go! They only care about the numbers, right? Let my stats speak for themselves." She chuckled. "I'm not number three in the duelist standings at the academy because of pity you know?" She flexed her arm, trying to set Ember's concerns to rest. Though, the sight of her confidence only evoked an eye roll from the woman she respected.

"Anyways, who's the new girl?" Shade attempted to turn her attention towards the direction of Haruka, though due to her odd perspective, she turned too far to the right, staring blankly at a wall. "Her name's Haruka, Shade. Get used to her. She'll be working here from now on." The vampire beamed at the sight of a new face. If Ember was hiring, it must have been a good sign for the bar. "Hi, Haruka! My name's Shade! I'm a regular here. Nice to meet you. OH, you're dress is so cute!" She extended her hand to the air in front of her. "... Let me help you with that." Ember turned her towards Haruka, finding their interaction already going off to a terrible but cute start. "If it's fine with you, I'd like to order the usual. A glass of blood wine, light on ice please!"

"Well, you heard her, Haruka. Let's get Shade her favorite drink. Follow me." The bartender fixed her apron before leading Haruka to the other side of the bar counter. Listed on various shelves included names of the different species that frequented the bar. The labels included species such as: Angels, demons, vampires, undead, and even more esoteric names for the rare visitor. "Now, whenever we get a certain visitor, they usually have preferences for the type of drinks they want. Look at the label with their species first. For example." She took her step by step through her process, showing just how much care she put into properly servicing her customers in an appropriate amount of time. "Shade is a vampire, so where do we look?" Her hand pulled at the shelf labeled vampire. Among the various bottles, there was one labeled blood wine followed by some hard-to-pronounce victorian-era family name. "Here. This is where you could find the blood wine, a vampire staple."

Pulling out the bottle, she poured a glass for Shade. "And next, we add the ice. Since you don't know how to cast the spell yet, I'll go ahead and do it for you! Here." Placing her fingers on the glass, ice began to form within the fluid inside. From the light of the ceiling fan above beaming into the drink, it sparkled as it swirled in her hands. "And now, its ready to serve." Ember gave a kind pat on her shoulder, gesturing to her to pick up the glass. "I'll leave delivering it to you. Who knows, you might be able to earn a tip too! Shade's good for it."

"Just treat her right and chat her up a little.

I'm sure she'd appreciate your company."​

 

[Baka]

"I promise to take good care of it."​

Might Love Myself - Beartooth​

↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

​

Haruka reassures Ember after receiving the book from her. Placing it a bit on the side so her magic experimentation doesn't harm it even if it would be an accident.

After receiving the enthusiastic compliments from her new friend Haruka felt a warm feeling welling inside her. Rarely in the last few years had she received of compliments or encouragements of any of her efforts, so someone genuinely being proud of her even after just doing something elementary and basic made her a bit emotional. A small tear rolled down her cheek while she grinned happily at Ember and let out a little laughter. She didn't really know how to respond the sudden compliments with anything other than with a two simple words of gratitude

"Thank you!"​

​

​

Ember proceeds to give her a further explanation of the versatility of magic and what sort of spells she need while working in her establishment. She gives her a simple nod as she starts to think of something. "I guess I'll focus on those first and then start to diversify from possibly some other spells..." she thinks out loud before getting a headpat from her mentor and new friend, looking up to her and smiling. "I'll promise to do my best!"

Suddenly the door to the bar opens and Harukas attention is shifted towards the unexpected visitor, who is also someone that she recognized from the game. A villainess from the more recent entry of the Eternal Lovers games when the sci-fi and mecha-elements were introduced. When people got bored of the fantasy-settings in their otome-games E-loverse decided to branch out and try their hands in space-opera like narrative... But make it more otome-game like. Due to mecha being sort of a niche it garnered a huge cult-following, but the fans reception to the entry was divisive, some saying the game tried to pander too many niches at one, and others embrasing the bold move to transition to something different.

Kitto Seishun ga Kikoeru - µ's
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Haruka was one of those who liked the change, and one of the things that garnered the most praise among fans and critics alike was the unusual villain-character, the blind vampire Shade, who was one of the fan-favorites in whole E-loverse. In her past life Haruka also belonged among those who really liked the character, so when she saw the raven-haired vampire in flesh-and-nlood in front of her, and the side that wasn't even revealed in side-stories she was exctatic, but tried to hide her fangirl-reactions as best as she could while staying in the sidelines, watching how Ember greeted the guest in and assisted their robotic service-dog to come into the establishment as well.

Shock was at least as iconic as the villainess herself. The cute robotic dog was the perfect character to make all sorts of merchandise of, and basically everyone at the company publishing the games noticed this too. Haruka had sizable colelction of Shock items herself, ranging from plushies to keychains all the way to bento-box. The urge to pet the robotic dog was huge, but since the brunette wasn't familiar with how different the service dogs of this world were to the ones she was from she opted with caution as well. She might ask permission later though if she'd get a chance.

However before the blue-eyed woman had even realized the discussion had directed towards her. And after Ember introduces her she does a hasty polite bow "I... I am Haruka. Ember was kind enough to give me a place to work and a place to sleep in so I will be assisting her here from now on." she said fumbling little in her words as she was dragged back to the current reality. After the bow she notices that the gleefully smiling vampire had extended her hand towards Haruka after Ember had turned her towards her, and carefully she takes a hold of it with a slightly shaking hand and shakes it.

"Oh my god! I can't believe I am shaking hands with THE Shade from Eternal Lovers 4: Stardust Memories of Eternal Solitude!" the fangirl inside her screams as she tries to act as normal as possible, her facial expression twisting into and awkward, yet big smile as she keeps holding her hand. "T... Thank you! I've always... I mean I really like your style as well. " she returns the compliment as someone who had always loved the gothic-style of the character to bits. "All the accessories are so cool-looking." she adds.

Color Your Night - Persona 3 Reload OST
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Keeping a firm hold of one of her faves hand she finally lets go when her new employee urges her to follow them. "Yes! Right away!" she replies promptly following Ember behind the counter, and listens closely as she instructs her about different drinks and preferences that some species have on them. She had made it all easy to understand and the brunette felt like she got a pretty good grasp on how everyhting works just by looking over the sehlve and hearing her explain about it.

After Ember is done with her ice-magic and the drink is ready to serve she takes the glass after the shoulder pat and gives and enthusiastic nod for her. "Will do!" she says and begins to deliver the drink to Shade.

Calmly walking next to the esteemed customer and places the glass in front of her and gives a little polite bow. "Here's your drink miss." she says putting her customer-service chops in the work. "Is there anything else you would like, or will this be enough for now?" she makes sure she has everything before she tries her best to start a small-talk with the vampire. "This is actually the first time I've seen a blood wine. I would love to know how it differs from the red-wine and others I am more familiar with." her nerves were also be able to calm down when Ember briefed her about the drinks, and she was able to talk to the mecha-pilot any major fumbles this time.

 

[Tenzai]

"I... I am Haruka. Ember was kind enough to give me a place to work and a place to sleep in so I will be assisting her here from now on."

"Oh my... GOSH. YOU'RE SO PRETTY!"
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴅᴇᴘᴀʀᴛᴜʀᴇ | ꜱᴏɴᴅᴇʀ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

"Ember could use more girls like you!" The vampire pilot had found herself enamored once she had the opportunity to examine Haruka up close. To her, the bartending recruit was nothing short of a fantasy princess. From the tastefully cute gown unlike anything she'd seen back in the academy to the way she did her hair, everything about her had screamed adorable. Even the gleam in the eye she wore towards her as well as her shaky hands had spoken pages about Haru's character without her mentioning another word. Upon taking her hand, instead of simply leaving it as a handshake, Shade pulled her into a hug and patted her back. "T... Thank you! I've always... I mean I really like your style as well. All the accessories are so cool-looking."

"Awww... Aren't you sweet? I'm nothing that special but if you'd like. Here, I think this accessory would look nice on you. Made an extra one so I don't need it. This way, we could match!" Shade blushed, flattered at her compliment. Drawing a charm from her bag, she placed a charm in her hand. It was a little decorative key-charm that looked like Shock himself; An artifact from her past life made present in her new one. "Think of it as a little welcome gift! Welcome to our little family, Haru! I think you found the perfect place to work!" Immediately, she shortened Haruka's name into an informal, familiar nickname, entering her personal space without giving it much apparent thought. Something about her had given off the feeling that she was safe to be around. For the vampire who could read the distinct personalities and attitudes of the living through her heightened sense of sound and smell, that meant everything.

Shade was able to read lies through the subtle shifts in the living's breathing. She could smell malice in the scent of someone's heated blood. While the others at the academy might have attempted to prey on her disability, she had made due through the honing of her senses, careful not to give someone with ill-intentions a position to ruin her. After coming from an environment so hostile and competitive, she found any kind souls a welcome and relieving sight. "I know, Ember might seem scary at times, but she's a nice person at heart. She'll treat you right as long as you try your best!"

As she continued to hug her, Shade noticed the sudden rapidity in her heartbeat. "... Haru? Are you okay?" Unaware of the fangirling, it brought her mind to question. The contrast with their body heat as well had made Haruka an interesting character. Shade never felt, heard, nor seen someone light up like Haruka did around her before. This wasn't any feeling of embarrassment or bashfulness, nor was it anger or frustration. Whatever feeling that was being emitted from her heart had given the vampire a fond sensation, leading to Shade dropping all suspicion in exchange for compassion. "If you have a fever, don't feel the need to help me right now, I could always-"

"She'll be fine, Shade. She's just nervous because it's her first day."

"Oh, in that case. If it's fine with you, I'd like to order the usual. A glass of blood wine, light on ice please!"​

"Yes! Right away!" Watching Haruka disappear as she excitedly skipped towards the kitchen, Shade turned over to Shock once she was left alone. "How did you feel about her, Shock?" Her dog wagged its tail. Despite Shade not being able to see it, she was able to tell what mood her dog was simulating by hearing the sounds of his different gears and motors. This time, his tail rotor was spinning, hinting at his shared excitement. "You think she's cute too? I think she's really adorable! Where do you think Ember found her?" The dog had hopped in place, tapping the ground with its mechanical paws to represent similar behaviors with its biological counterparts. Acting as though he was holding conversation with her, Shade patted the dog's head. "No! No way! A girl like that would never just appear here! Maybe she's a runaway princess! OH! Or maybe even the chosen of the kami!" She joked, thinking of all the numerous reasons why someone like her would end up in a place like this one. "You think she wants another friend? I really hope she likes me-"

"Here's your drink miss." Haruka was faster than she thought. With her focus placed on her dog, Shade had failed to recognize the sounds of Haruka's footsteps approaching her. "Ah-" It was a moment of vulnerability, a sight of which few of the academy had ever got the chance to see. "Is there anything else you would like, or will this be enough for now?" Embarrassed, Shade nervously reached towards the glass to take a sip of her drink to regain a sense of composure. "Y-yeah. I'd like it if you joined me." Smiling with a blush on her face, she gestured her hand towards the seat across from her. "You don't need to drink or anything. I just enjoy the company."

With both girls nervous, Ember gave a pleasant sigh at the curious sight. "This is actually the first time I've seen a blood wine. I would love to know how it differs from the red-wine and others I am more familiar with." Shade's eyes grew wide once she heard of Haruka's lack of culinary experience. "Really? I guess you haven't been to the vampire realms yet, have you?" Drawing her phone, she searched online for a picture of her homeland's vineyards before offering Haruka a window into her childhood. "There's not too much of a visual difference between grapes and bloodberries, but there is definitely one between their taste."

In a world that only knew night.

Life still found a way to thrive.​

On Shade's screen was a recognizable image drawn as fanart in Haruka's past life. It was for a game from the E-Loverse series set in a world that only knew fantasy. Except, unlike the digital art she was used to, this was a real photo of the land Shade had originated from. "Usually, vampires like me struggle with drinking anything that doesn't include enough blood in it. Luckily back where I'm from, some smart ancestors used the passing blood rains to make something special!" She spoke as though this was ordinary, despite its massive contrast from the world she appeared to be in at the present. "The midnight vines would soak up the excess blood from the crimson ocean and poof, blood berries that could be fermented into a drink for us to enjoy. It might not be of your preference but I absolutely love it. It's usually fermented to add flavor."

She smiled, taking another sip of her glass. "If not for that, we'd have to resort to drinking blood from people! And if I had anything to say about it, I'd rather starve than put my fangs on a stranger's neck. Blegh." The mere thought of drinking warm blood from another being had disgusted her. "You know how many people don't wash their necks? TOO MANY, Haru! TOO MANY!" Washing down her disgust with the rest of her glass, she wiped her mouth with a napkin, drying her fangs. "And don't get me started on the taste. Not all blood tastes the same, between species and especially between people. The only people that taste good are the people you love. Everyone else is bland at best."

Turning the focus of the conversation back towards her drinking partner, Shade gave Haru a smirk. She was a bit of a lightweight. A single cup was all she needed to be content though it did loosen her tongue enough to avoid the awkwardness of getting to know someone for the first time. "So... Haru." She reached into her bag to draw a card for Ember to ring up later. "You don't look like anyone else I've met before. Your dress is different from the academy and from the locals. So tell me about yourself." She placed her glass down, leaning over the table to set her attention on her. "What's your story? What makes you happy? What do you love doing?" She brought up the usual questions that came with anyone being interested in someone new. "What makes you excited? Horny? Hungry? Tell me! I'm curious!" Among the questions however was one that differed from the rest, though judging from Ember and Shade's behavior, it was well within the norm.

Speaking in terms of social culture for vampires, due to their eternal life, many of their conversations that involved interviewing others had circled around feelings instead of facts. What someone did for a hobby or for work did not matter when every other vampire had most likely done the same or something similar to escape the boredom that came with eternity. As a result, they believed that their feelings made them different. What they were passionate about and the sources of their most intense emotions were main topics to ote. Whether that be a good book, drugs, relationships, religion, or physical and emotional intimacies didn't matter, what was of utmost importance was that they were feeling something to displace the sense of meaninglessness in the void that came with a non-temporal existence.

"So... Who's your type?"​