Chapter 1 **April 3, 20XX** It was a Sunday Morning. Ayumi had come into Ayuto's Room to wake him up for the Legend's festival. She had white hair and celestial blue eyes. She had a white tank top with the words “Ordinary” on it and was wearing a black skirt. "Ayumi! Wake up! Come on, we're gonna miss the festival!" Ayumi's voice echoed through the room as she pushed Ayuto off the bed. Ayuto groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Ack… Ayumi…" Ayuto groaned. "The festival!" Ayumi exclaimed, her excitement palpable. Ayuto's eyes widened as realization struck. "Ack—you're right!" He scrambled to his feet and changed into a black shirt with the word “Ordinary” on it and a pair of black sweatpants. He grabbed his bags, and together they bolted out of the house towards the Kyoto Legends festival. As they arrived, the scene before them was breathtaking. A parade filled the streets, vibrant balloons shaped like legendary figures floated above, and the air buzzed with loud cheering, music, and the rhythmic thump of dancing feet. Ayumi's eyes sparkled with wonder. “Hey there kids!” A man in a red kimono greeted them. “We hope you enjoy the festival!” A woman in a blue kimono said as the couple walked away. “Ayuto! Look! A cotton candy machine!” Ayumi exclaimed as she ran and pointed at the machine. “Don’t we have cotton candy at home..?” Ayuto asked with a dumbfounded expression. “Yeah but I want some here!” Ayumi stomped her feet. Ayuto laughed. “If you have money, be my guest.” Ayuto told her and walked away. Ayumi looked in her pockets but found no money in her pockets. Her face full of shock, she ran to Ayuto with desperation in her face and voice. “Ayuto please!” She begged. Ayuto just shook his head. “I don't have any money.” He lied. You're supposed to be the prepared one!” Ayumi scolded her brother. Ayuto laughed. They continued walking until they saw a game where they could win a game and Ayuto took out a few dollars. “Really..? You lied..?” Ayumi growled. Ayuto chuckled. They played the game for a few minutes before walking away with all of the prizes they earned. “If we're not getting cotton candy can we at least get something else to eat?” Ayumi asked, basically begging at this point. “Sure.” Ayuto nodded. He looked around to see if there were any food carts and he saw a corn dog food cart. “Want a corn dog?” He asked Ayumi. Ayumi nodded vigorously. The twins walked over to the food cart and bought themselves a corn dog. After they sat at a table and finished eating it they decided to explore even more of the festival. "This is a really big festival!" Ayumi exclaimed, Ayuto nodded, equally amazed. "Yeah. I wonder if any of our classmates are here." Ayumi's curiosity was piqued. "Oh yeah. We should find them." Just as they began to weave through the crowd, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air. They assumed it was some fan-girling until something horrifying happened. A severed head flew through the air, hitting Ayumi in the back. She turned slowly, her face a mask of shock, and then she screamed. Her scream was infectious, triggering panic in the crowd. People began to run in every direction, the once festive atmosphere turning into chaos. In the midst of the turmoil, Ayumi and Ayuto were separated. “Ayumi!!” Ayuto screamed as he tried to find his way through the crowd. He was pushed onto the ground and trampled. He put his arms above his face to prevent people from stomping on his face. He felt his body rise above the crowd. Not knowing if this was a savior or something terrible he started struggling but it was no use. Ayumi looked up to see Ayuto floating in the sky. She had a horrified expression on her face as she watched her twin brother get lifted into the sky. She pushed past a lot of people out of the way to get to him but he was too high in the sky for her to reach him. “Ayuto!” She screamed. She was in disbelief that this was happening. Close by a boy with black hair and green eyes was sitting on a tree branch. He was wearing a blue haori with a white T-shirt underneath. He was watching the chaos unfold then stood up and disappeared. “Ayumi!” A girl with red hair and blue glasses rang. She had a red shirt that had the words “Young Goddess” on it. She touched the ground next to Ayumi and the ground under them started rising. They were getting closer to Ayuto's body. “Tsumugi..? What are you doing here?” Ayumi asked. “My father took me here. I lost him but I heard you so I wanted to help out.” Tsumugi Smiled. “That’s nice but didn't we just meet yesterday?” Ayumi questioned. She was so confused as to why Tsumugi would help her when they just met. “When in a situation like this my father told me to be as helpful as I can.” Tsumugi explained. Ayumi smiled. The two decided to stop talking and focus on saving Ayuto. They were closer to his body so Ayumi tried reaching out again, but she missed. The ground underneath them was going at a slow pace. She tried again but she still couldn't reach him. She even tried jumping but to no avail. “Tsumugi, do you think you could go faster?” Ayumi questioned. “This is the fastest I could go.. Sorry.” She apologized. Ayumi clenched her fists angrily. “Why did this have to happen to us..” She asked herself. She walked towards Tsumugi and got a running start to try to reach her brother. She jumped but she flew off of the platform Tsumugi had made for them. She gasped as she looked down. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion for her. “Oh no..” She thought to herself. “Ayumi!!” Ayuto and Tsumugi shouted. Time seemed to move normally again as she started falling down. They were pretty high up so the fall would have killed her if she landed on the ground. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate but then she heard a voice ring out. “That way!” A boy yelled. He was riding on a red dragon with a girl behind him, holding onto him tightly. The dragon spun in the air and did other tricks as if trying to show off before saving Ayumi. Ayumi felt herself land on something but it wasn't the ground. She opened her eyes to see that she was sitting on a red dragon. “A dragon..?” She saw two other people sitting on the dragon in front of her. “That’s Hiroto. You're Ayumi, right?” A boy with long black hair, green eyes, and white sweater asked. “Y-yeah..” Ayumi nodded. “You two are also..” “I know it's only been two days but come on..” The boy sighed. “I'm Sai. This is Chiharu.” He explained, pointing to the black-haired girl behind him. Ayumi put her hands on Chiharu's shoulders and fixed her beige cardigan. She had a black sleeveless shirt underneath and high-waisted jeans. “I knew who she was.” Ayumi said bluntly. Sai's eyes twitched. “So you remember her and not me..?” “Basically.” Ayumi smiled. “I should tell Hiroto to throw you off..” Sai grumbled. “Please don't! I need to save my brother!” Ayumi begged. Chiharu was holding onto Sai tightly. She looked down to see something shining on the ground. The shine started to get bigger and brighter as if it was coming straight towards them. Chiharu pulled one of her arms away and had her hand facing the thing coming at them. She had a red mark in the shame of fire on her arm that started to grow and cover half of her arm. The thing rapidly approaching them was a green beam. Chiharu shot a beam of her own and canceled the green beam. Ayumi looked at Chiharu's arm and noticed her mark. It looked familiar. She was about to say something but then Sai spoke. “Thanks Chiharu.” He said with gratitude. Chiaru nodded and wrapped her arm around Sai again. They made it to Ayuto's body. “Ayuto!” Ayumi said happily. “Thank goodness..” Ayuto sighed with relief. The dragon flew a little ahead so that Ayumi, who was in the back, could reach out to him. Once Ayumi and Ayuto's hands touched, however, Ayumi's entire body got shocked and she screamed out in pain. Ayuto, Sai, and Chiharu jumped a little at the unexpected twist. Ayumi let go of Ayuto's hand and looked at her hand in surprise. She looked at her brother in fear. “Why did that happen..?” She asked, fear evident in her voice. “You can't touch him otherwise that will happen..?” Sai mumbled. He started to think. Chiharu reached out her arm and touched Ayuto's arm. She couldn't get him but she didn't get shocked like Ayumi did. Ayumi looked at her hand, still trembling from the shock, and tried to make sense of what had happened. Sai studied the scene with narrowed eyes, his mind racing to find a solution. “GAH! I can't think of anything..” “This is magic.” Chiharu finally spoke. “Yeah but what kind of magic?” Sai asked. Chiharu fell silent again. The dragon started growling as if it sensed something. “Why is he growling?” Ayumi asked. Just then the blue sky turned into an eerie red one. “What's going on now..?” Sai growled. Tsumugi reached the others and the ground underneath her stopped moving. “Do you guys need help?” She asked. “Yeah, we're just trying to see what we need help with.” Said answered. Chiharu raised her hand into the sky and her mark started glowing brightly. She closed her eyes and it seemed like she was scanning the area. After a couple of seconds her eyes snapped open and her green eyes turned into blank eyes. “I found them.” Chiharu said, robotically. Sai and Ayumi looked at Chiharu. Ayumi looks at her with concern while Sai nods. “Ayumi, stay with Tsumugi. Chiharu, Hiroto, and I will go stop this troublesome fiend.” Sai stated. “Are you sure..?” Ayumi asked. “We should be able to overpower them with Chiharu on our side.” Sai said confidently. Ayumi slowly nodded and jumped on the piece of ground that Tsumugi was standing on. After Ayumi was off of the dragon, Sai, Chiharu, and the dragon flew off to where Chiharu had sensed the magic. Sai and Chiharu make it to the person who's causing all of this chaos. They hop off of Hiroto and he transforms back into his human self which he is wearing a baseball cap and a plain white T-shirt with blue jeans. The person behind the chaos of the festival was wearing an all black cloak and had their hands raised up into the air, a green light emanating from their body. “So you're the person behind this..!” Sai calls out. The figure doesn't respond. “Hello?!” “Um.. I don’t think he's in the mood to talk.” Hiroto said. “I know that, genius!” Sai yelled. “He just called me a genius!” Hiroto said happily. “Yeah, and I regret it now.” Sai sighed. “Well talking isn't going to work so we can only fight them now. “Is that really a good idea?” Chiharu asked. “Good or not, it's the only option we have at this point.” Sai turned to Hiroto and Chiharu. “We could just run away man..” Hiroto crossed his arms. “You can do that.” Sai told Hiroto and ran towards the figure with a hatchet in his hands. “Sai! Wait!” Chiharu called out. “Oh, come on, man!” Hiroto complained and transformed into a red dragon again. Chiharu ran after Sai. What the three of them didn't notice was that a serpent was watching them from a rooftop. They were too busy trying to defeat the cloaked figure. Chiharu charged up a beam with her arm and shot it at the figure. It made direct contact but it didn't seem to do anything. Hiroto shot a huge fireball at the cloaked figure and it also made direct contact but didn't do anything. “What is with this guy?!” “No clue. I don't even think this guy is human..” Chiharu muttered. The cloaked figure's attack grew bigger and it startled Chiharu, making her take a step back and look at the blast that was being shot at the sky, her hair blowing in the wind that the attack had made. Sai stopped running at the figure and looked at the blast as well. His mouth agape as he was stunned in place by what he was witnessing. “Guys.. I think we're out of our element..” Sai gulped. Hundreds of skeletons, humanoid creatures came down from the sky. Hiroto turned back into his human form and stared into the sky in fear. “What are those things..” He asked. Chiharu had the biggest amount of fear plastered onto her face. Her pupils were visually dilating and her body was shaking. Away from the battlefield, Ayumi, Ayuto, and Tsumugi were staring at the sky. “Those are…” Ayumi began. “Withered..” Sai and Ayumi spoke simultaneously even though they were in different places. Tsumugi started fending off the withered using her control over the ground. She threw sharp rocks at the withered, defeating a couple of them. Ayumi couldn't wait to save her brother anymore. It was either now or he's dead. She hopped onto his body, knowing what would happen but decided to go through with it anyway. She felt the same pain as earlier. “Ayumi! Get off..!” Ayuto begged and tried pushing her off. “N-never.. Hold.. Still..” Ayumi told Ayuto as she was struggling to speak. “Ayumi, you're crazy!” Tsumugi told her. She was afraid for Ayuto and Ayumi. “Crazy or not.. I refuse to lose my brother!” Ayumi yelled as tears filled her eyes. Tears started filling Ayuto's eyes as well. He didn't want his sister to suffer but he was grateful that she cared this much about him. Tsumugi was touched by this and somehow found the spirit to protect the two of them. She smiled for a few seconds before her face turned cold as she looked at the sky to see that there were more withered by the dozen. “Ready or not… Here I come.. Withered.” Tsumugi whispered. Her tone is more serious than before. She leaps into the air, creating platforms under her feet. She starts blasting the withered with sharp rocks, killing each one the rocks touch. She looks back at Ayumi and Ayuto who were still in a bad situation. Tsumugi then started defeating all of the withered creatures in the area. “Tsumugi is so awesome..” Ayuto spoke. Ayumi nodded her head. Then then let out a glass shattering screech which alerted Sai and Hiroto. Chiharu couldn't move from her spot due to being paralyzed in fear. “Great, they've gotten themselves into trouble.” Sai complained. “You should go help your friend. They sound like they need it.” The cloaked figure chuckled. “Who said they were my friend?” Sai asked. “Dude!” Hiroto scolded Sai. “What? It's true.” Sai mumbled. Hiroto rolled his eyes. He turned to Chiharu who was still frozen. He thought to himself for a moment before making a decision. “Hiroto, take Chiharu somewhere safe.” He ordered. “But what about you?” Hiroto asked. “I'll be fine.” Sai said. He ran towards the cloaked figure with his hatchet and swung at it. It didn't do any damage at all and a withered came from behind him. Sai tried to get the hatchet from the cloaked figure but it was as if it was stuck on something. Chiharu saw that Sai was in danger and activated her mark and shot a beam at the withered, knocking it away. “Chiharu..?” Hiroto questioned. “Not… again..” She said, tears flowing out of her eyes. Sai smiled at Chiharu. His smile faded, however, due to a few withers appearing behind her and Hiroto. “Hiroto! Chiharu! Behind you!” Sai warned them. They were too slow to react but luckily they had a savior that was waiting for the perfect chance to strike. With excellent precision, each withered got cut in half and Chiharu and Hiroto were safe and sound on a rooftop. They were standing next to their savior who had long dark hair and crystal blue eyes. He adorned a black kimono-style cardigan with the symbol of a serpent on the sleeves. Hiroto and Chiharu were in awe. Hiroto ended up falling on his butt because of how shocked he was. Their savior didn't pay them any attention and just stared at the cloaked figure. “Hold on.. Are you..?” Chiharu spoke but couldn't finish before the man jumped down and charged for the cloaked figure. He had his sword in his hand and had his eyes closed. He ran up to the figure until he was at striking distance. He swung his sword so quickly that it made a hissing sound and it didn't feel like he did anything. He was behind the cloaked figure before anything happened. Chiharu, Hiroto, and Sai watched to see what the man did. A few seconds later the cloaked figure started bleeding from his arm, meaning that he was affected by the attack. “He hurt him..?” Hiroto whispered, his face full of shock. “Wait, isn't he..?” Chiharu started to speak. “Who are you?” The cloaked figure asked, his voice echoing off the walls of the nearby buildings. The man didn't answer immediately. He just stood up straight and stared at the cloaked figure. “Giving me the silent treatment huh? Fine! I'll just tear you apart limb from limb! Withered!” The figure called out. A bunch of withers appeared in the sky. While Sai, Chiharu, and Hiroto are spooked by their sudden appearance the man seems unfazed by this. He narrows his eyes and jumps into the air and with serpent-like movements he cuts down every single wither in the sky, the serpent symbol on his sleeves shining bright in the dark red sky. Sai, Chiharu, and Hiroto’s faces light up with amazement. “Wait.. Serpent symbol… No, no, no, no! You're the dancing serpent, aren't you?!” The figure panicked. The man just looked at the figure. “Withers g-” Before he could finish the man dashed towards him but Chiharu shot a beam that hit the figure and startled the man that saved her, making him jump back with a look of confusion. Sai and Hiroto also looked confused while Chiharu just felt embarrassed. During the confusion the figure rushed at the man in an attempt to attack him but he missed as the man slipped past him. The figure looked back but saw no one. The figure, shaken by this, looked up into the sky where he saw the man preparing for an attack. The man unsheathes his blade and launches an attack. The cloaked figure feels himself being squeezed. Kind of similar to a serpent crushing its prey. “Dancing Serpent” The man said with his voice barely above a whisper. With a swift movement of his sword the cloaked figure was launched up into the air. When he looked down he saw a giant green serpent with its mouth wide open as if trying to eat him. The serpent closed its mouth around him, concealing him in an explosion. The cloaked figure fell to the ground. “My name is… Hanamura Kaeya.” The man said as he floated down to the body of the cloaked figure. He turned to Sai, Chiharu, and Hiroto. “Get lost. It's dangerous here.” He ordered and started to walk away. “Hanamura…” Chiharu began. “...Kaeya…” Sai finished. “He's one of the legends that were represented at the legends festival, right?” Hiroto asked. Chiharu and Sai nodded. “Um.. Mister…” Chiharu started. Kaeya turned around, nervously. “Our friends still need saving.” Chiharu told him. Kaeya put his sword back in his holder, his introverted nature put aside as he nodded, following Sai, Chiharu, and Hiroto. It took them a minute to reach them but when they did they saw a bunch of withers surrounding Ayumi, Ayuto, and Tsumugi. “They're in trouble!” Sai exclaimed. Kaeya immediately sprinted forward and jumped into the air, slicing all of the withered around them. Tsumugi opened her eyes that were just closed and saw Kaeya with his back towards her. He slowly turns his head to her but doesn't say a word. He turns his body around and sees Ayuto and Ayumi. “Ayuto is just floating in place now..” Tsumugi told Kaeya. Kaeya's eyes narrowed and ready his sword. A couple seconds after Ayuto's body got launched forward by an invisible force with Ayumi still on him. “What now?!” Sai yelled. Chiharu and Hiroto were frightened by the sudden movement of Ayuto's body. Kaeya, without wasting any time, chased after Ayuto and Ayumi by jumping on the rooftops of the buildings nearby. He was able to keep up with them. He felt a mysterious energy surging from up ahead so he decided to run faster than the body. “W-wait! Help us!” Ayumi screamed in pain. Kaeya stopped running and looked at Ayumi and Ayuto. He stared at them for a second before running off. Ayumi groans in pain as she watches Kaeya run ahead. It doesn't take long for Kaeya to reach the source of the energy he sensed. He sliced all of the withers in the area in a swift movement. The other cloaked figure saw Kaeya and braced himself. “Kaeya.. The Sliding Serpent.. Nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot of great things about you and the other legends. You like slaughtering us Wither Summoners, don't you?” The cloaked figure spoke. He grinned at Kaeya but Kaeya just stared at him. “Ugh.. Why did I get the boring Legend..?” He complained. “Boring..?” Kaeya finally spoke. “Now we're getting somewhere!” “I'm not boring..” “Really? That’s the part you're stuck on? Quite the slow one huh?” The cloaked figure taunted. “Enough. I will have to kill you if you don’t stop.” Kaeya warned the cloaked figure. He took a step forward. “Aw, I'm so scared!” The cloaked figure laughed. Kaeya quickly found himself behind the cloaked figure with his sword to his neck. “Oh, you really aren't playing around. Well neither am I.” The cloaked figure said. Not even a second later an explosion covered the area, catching Kaeya by surprise. Kaeya jumps back and looks at the wither summoner. The wither summoner decided to summon more withers so he raises his arm into the air again but is caught off guard by Kaeya who is in his face in the blink of an eye. “How did you-” The wither summoner started but got knocked out by Kaeya with a chop to the back of the neck. Kaeya just looked at the body and had his sword above the wither summoner. He then stabbed the wither summoner in his back and the sky turned back to normal. The Wither summoner faded to ash and the wither turned into ash as well. All of the effects in the area that was caused by the Wither summoner comes to an end. Kaeya looked at the ash and walked away. Ayumi and Ayuto crashed right next to him, causing Kaeya to flinch. “Excuse me! Is your name Kaeya?” Ayumi asked as she got up and ran to Kaeya. Ayuto got up and ran to Kaeya as well. Kaeya just stared at the twins as if he was analyzing them. “You look a lot like him. Plus the movements you made were a lot like his.” “You saw the fight?” Kaeya asked. “Yeah, we were close enough to watch you.” Ayumi nodded. Kaeya put his sword back in its sheath and turned around. “I will be going now.” Kaeya told them as he started walking off. “W-wait, but-” Ayumi pleaded and reached out her hand only for it to be grabbed by Ayuto. “Leave him be. He probably has a lot to do since he's a legend.” Ayuto told Ayumi. Ayumi nodded. “Let's make sure Tsumugi and the others are alright.” Ayumi suggested. Ayuto nodded and they both ran back to Tsumugi and the others. They told them that Kaeya had gotten rid of the Wither summoner and that everything was fine. They helped fix what was damaged by the Wither attack and they all went their separate ways. Later that night, in a forest that Kaeya was walking through he felt a sense of unease, as if someone was watching him. His senses were right because just at that moment, someone came out of the bushes and charged at Kaeya with breakneck speed. Their swords tip was about to dig into his neck. Kaeya's hair blew in the wind from the attack. “Barely able to avoid that still..? You've gotten slower, haven't you?” The person teased. She was a short lady with purple hair in the style of a ponytail. She had a lavender kimono-style cardigan with the symbol of a rabbit on her sleeves. “Ahmya..? What are you doing here..?” Kaeya asked. He was not happy to see her. Ahmya just giggled. “You did a great job with that wither summoner. I never once thought that you'd save the day but you've certainly proved me wrong!” Ahmya jokes. Kaeya didn't find it funny. “You didn’t think I could do it..?” Kaeya asked, sounding a little offended. “Not really if I'm being honest. I thought you'd let those kids die. I mean you kind of did leave them for dead. What a very nice Legend, right?” Ahmya laughed. Kaeya looked hurt but still kept his thoughts inside. “You still haven’t answered my question.” “Oh, that's right. I was about to see what the problem was and rushed over here. But then I saw that you already had it so I let you do the rest.” “So you were just watching?” “Yep! You wouldn't want me getting in your way, right?” “Right.” Kaeya agreed and walked past Ahmya. “This is exactly why you're so lonely. You push everyone else away all the time. You can talk to me, you know.” “No thanks, I'll pass.” “But I'm the only legend that'll talk to you.” “I have Ayaka, Mika, Blaze, and Tsuyoshi.” Kaeya mentioned. “Take Mika off the list. That poor boy daydreams way too often that he may not be listening to a thing that comes out of your mouth especially.” Kaeya's eyes twitched from shock and confusion. Ahmya laughed. “Your reactions to things are so adorable. Ayaka is right, you really are the second cutest Legend.” Kaeya stopped walking and even though he was facing the other direction, Ahmya could tell he was blushing so she smiled. “Follow me Kaeya.” Ahmya ordered and walked away from the area they were just in. Kaeya sighed and reluctantly followed Ahmya. They walked until they saw a waterfall. Kaeya had seen a lot of waterfalls before so the magic of seeing one is gone for him. Ahmya stripped down to a red bikini and handed her clothes to Kaeya. “Why are you giving me your clothes?” Kaeya questioned. “I know you're not gonna want to get in the water so I'm having you hold them.” Ahmya answered. Kaeya looked unamused. “Why are you even swimming at night anyway? Won't you get sick? It's not that cold but it isn't warm enough to go swimming just yet.” Kaeya said with concern. “Aw, you're worried about me a little? You're so cute when you're nervous for others.” Ahmya teased as she caressed Kaeya's face. Kaeya moved her hand away from his face. Ahmya shrugged and dove into the waterfall. She splashed around a little bit and seemed like she was having fun. Kaeya and Ahmya were at the waterfall for about 2 hours and Kaeya fell asleep. Ahmya got out of the water and walked over to Kaeya who was sleeping. She ruffled his hair to try to wake him up. “Kaeya~” She sang. Ahmya continued trying to wake him up until she heard a rumbling sound. The water was starting to ripple as if something was going to the surface. Ahmya looked at the water and saw two giant horns surface from the water. It was a Wither that she's never seen before. Most withered look like humanoid skeletons but this one looked more like a demon. It had six piercing white eyes, two giant horns on its head, and it looked like it was wearing a God of War helmet on its head. Most Withered were very skinny but this was very big. It floated above the water and let out a very loud roar. “Looks like it's my turn to take one of these on, huh?” Ahmya smiled.
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