The crisp sound of a campfire, the gentle light of the morning sun and the inviting smell of fresh breakfast.
'...am I dead?'
Seeing the scene before her eyes this was Stacy's first reaction.
Yesterday after the monster was defeated she fainted, so naturally she would start to question what she was seeing.
Especially so since none of these things should ordinarily be something you'd see while in the Void.
So where was she?
"You're awake."
A voice suddenly sounded and upon looking for its source Stacy found a man with deep dark hair and crimson eyes sitting at the campfire nearby.
In his hand was stick with some meats impaled on it.
The smell coming from there was truly inviting.
"Do you like meat? You aren't a vegetarian I hope."
The man asked with a casual tone which only served to make Stacy even more confused.
"Am I dead?"
Stacy repeated her prior question, only this time not in her head.
Hearing the question the man who was sitting briefly pondered before answering.
"I don't think so, at the very least if you were alive when I first saw you then you are still alive right now."
'What weird answer.'
But indeed what the man was saying seemed to hold true, this indeed seemed like reality.
Just as Stacy was deep in her thoughts the man spoke up again.
"So is meat good or..."
"Meat is fine."
While she wanted to ask many questions, she chose to hold off for the moment, as the fragrance of the mystery meat was simply too overpowering.
Walking closer and sitting close to the man Stacy was surprised to see the man be the first to talk.
"I'm sorry I was too slow, you were the only one I could find still alive."
The man's tone seemed to truly carry some regret in it like he had personal responsibility in the matter.
"So I'm the only one alive..."
Stacy spoke out loud, trying to find a way to understand her present situation.
"It must be difficult to come to gripes with being the lone survivor."
The man tried to reassure Stacy in his own way.
Seeing as the conversation was already well underway Stacy decided to ask her questions or atleast try to.
"So where are we?"
"Ahh, we are still in the Void don't get the wrong idea. I simply made a clearing so we can enjoy ourselves better."
Stacy didn't have any idea how he "made a clearing", but also didn't feel like asking.
She got to know what she wanted thats what mattered.
"How did you find me? Was it the sound?"
"The bell, there is no way I would miss that disgusting energy. I rushed the moment I felt its presence."
Stacy thought about letting this question also end here, but the expression used was simply too strong of a word for her to stop digging.
"What was so disgusting about it?"
"It's better if you don't know."
The man turned the stick, so the other side of the meat would get charred as well.
"You really like asking questions, huh? So now let me ask a question of my own."
"Who do you represent? On whoms behalf did you come here?"
Stacy gritted herself as while asking the question the man exuded a subtle layer of bloodlust.
"We came from Primus, we are... were with the Holy Army."
Hearing the answer the man didn't say anything, but his face seemed to show that he got the answer he expected.
"Since you answered I'll let you ask another question, before our meal finishes."
Stacy pondered for a second hearing this, but the question came to her instinctively.
It was such a given. The only question that truly made sense.
"Who are you?"
Hearing the question the man slowly turned towards Stacy, his deep crimson eyes fixating onto her.
"I'm Sirius Smith, though your... Great Reinhardt might know me better by the name he gave me."
"I'm the Blasphemer."
...
After the last question the two said nothing, they simply ate their portion of the food in complete silence.
'Who the hell is the Blashpemer? I've never heard of him.'
Stacy was thinking as she was trying to search for any relevant information in her memory.
It made no sense to Stacy that someone this powerful wasn't well known.
Of course she wasn't sure of his exact strength, but the fact that he easily dealt with the monster that wiped out her entire group of explorers including a Holy Knight meant that he was at the very least Rank 8.
That would put the man before him on the same level as those humanity revered as their strongest the Heavenly Kings.
Yet the name was never mentioned in any history books she read or in any lessons she was taught.
Also the name itself being The Blasphemer carried an ominous tone, yet despite the name the man before her seemed rather reasonable as an individual.
As she finished her meal, Sirius who had already finished his own spoke up finally breaking the silence that has permeated since the last question.
"How was the meal?"
Stacy was unsure of how she should answer considering that the person before her was someone powerful. Should she be truthful or be slightly wary?
In the end with what she saw so far it seemed the person before her Sirius wasn't someone who would get angry over the truth, but that was just the impression she got.
"It was... okay. A bit bland, honestly the smell was better than the taste."
Sirius didn't say anything, she just looked at her for a moment before finishing his portion.
'He's a strange individual, that's for sure.'
Having finished their meal, Sirius got up from the campfire and began to speak to Stacy.
"What do you plan to do now... right I don't even have your name. What are you called?"
Disregarding his weird way of asking, Stacy stood up dusted off her clothes and proudly introduced herself.
"I'm Stacy Vike, 24 years old Rank 4, part of the Holy Army."
Sirius slightly nodded hearing the introduction, then answered.
"Nice to meet you, Stacy Vike."
"Back to what I was saying. What do plan to do from here on, your army is dead and you are in the middle of the Void with no way out."
Stacy had an idea in mind, but she wasn't exactly sure if it was right of her to ask it.
Still in the end she decided to go for it, since she didn't have any other choice realistically.
"Can you take me out?"
It didn't even take a second for Sirius to answer, as if he already knew what she was going to ask.
"Yes."
"That easily?"
The word came out from Stacy's mouth in surprise at how easily he agreed.
"I can take you out no problem, realistically I could have put you back in Void Outpost before you even awoke."
"Then why didn't you?"
Sirius paused for a moment before speaking up.
"I was curious."
He said nothing more, so Stacy was naturally left to wonder what made him so interested in her.
"So you want to go now?"
Sirius asked, not expecting Stacy to change her stance, but she did.
"Actually nevermind, I don't want to go yet."
"What has changed?"
"You could say I'm also curious."
"Hmm..."
Stacy gathered all her courage before she spoke once more.
"Can you make me stronger?"
"You want to become my student or... disciple?"
"Sure, you can call it whatever, I just want to become stronger."
Then she pointed at Sirius's arm.
"Also I want to learn that slash you did."
"You caught that?"
Sirius showed an expression of slight surprise, before he truthfully answered.
"I can't teach that to you."
"Is it you core skill... or a secret perhaps."
"It's neither, you simply lack what I have as such you won't be able to learn it. Still I suppose I can teach you something that's kind of similar."
Stacy's eyes lit up upon hearing this, as this meant one thing.
"This means you'll take me as you disciple?"
The air became still with anticipation, as Stacy awaited the answer to her question.
Sirius simply turned around waveing his hand, before the whole clearing disappeared plunding where they were into darkness once more.
"Yes, I'll take you as my disciple."
"Still, don't expect my teachings to be of much use, I've never taught before."
"I guess this means I'm you first disciple."
"That's what it means."
The surrounding darkness began to feel alive suddenly, as sounds began coming from within.
Activating her Aura Vision Stacy was now face to face with a monster she had not seen before.
It stood on two legs like a human and also had a shape similar to one, but there was something wrong with it.
"This is the first lesson, you'll kill this monster before you using only downward slashes."
"Yes, Master!"