The last thing I remember was that I was falling, screaming... Suddenly, I crashed onto the cool grass, a damp smell filled the air. After that, everything around me plunged into darkness...

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I suddenly regain some feeling around me. My body is aching badly due to the severe crash and my eyes are still sealed shut. After a while, I could hear some voices in the distance, approaching closer and closer.

"Hey! Can you hear me? Is she dead?"

"Hmm...I think she's unconscious..."

I finally managed to open my heavy eyelids - the sudden impact with the bright sunlight caused me to cover my face with my arm. I then looked up, my vision still a bit fuzzy, only to be greeted with a tall figure in front of me. He seemed to be about a couple of years older than me, I'm guessing. His bright, green eyes shone through his dull, black bangs.

After he stepped aside, I realized that behind him were two other figures. One of them was a tall girl who had open, dark pink hair and amethyst eyes. She, too, looked a bit older than me. The person standing next to her was the youngest and shortest of the bunch. He had dark blue hair tied into a small ponytail along with golden eyes.

"Oh, she's finally awake. She seems to be new." The boy stated.

"Yeah. Oh, we should probably introduce ourselves. My name's Momoi, nice to meet you. And this kid here is Nagi while the guy over there is Tokiya."

The girl, who was meant to be Momoi, introduced herself and the others. Nagi waved at me with a smile but Tokiya just turned to his side. I was so taken aback upon this sudden occurrence but I replied since I figured it would be rude not to introduce myself too.

"Umm, hi... Well, my name is uh... umm... I can't remember. Wait... Why can't I remember?!"

I fell into a sudden panic. I was really shocked by the fact that I wasn't able to remember my own name. Even though I tried so hard to remember, my mind was completely empty. It felt like the more I tried, the harder it became to recollect my identity. I had no memory left of my past...

Suddenly, my phone rang, bringing me back to reality. I turned it on in a haste, hoping all of this was a dream, only to see a really weird message from an unknown number.

"Welcome fellow player. You must be wondering about what you are doing here. I can't tell you the details, but all I can tell you is that you are suffering from amnesia. Your mission is to retrieve the cursed jewel located in Central Park in 24 hours. You're going to be assigned a partner with whom you'll have to work with throughout your journey. And be careful because if you don't complete this task in time, you'll be erased. -Good luck"

(W-W-Wait, what?! Did I just read the word AMNESIA?!)

"Oh no! Look, you're injured!" I then suddenly heard Momoi exclaim.

I saw her pointing at my leg which was wounded and bleeding terribly. That's when the pain had struck me. My leg froze in place and I wasn't able to move it due to the wound.

"Ah! Ow!" I cried out as I instantly clung onto my leg.

"If only I had enough stamina right now, I could have healed it... Do you guys have any solution?" Momoi questioned while staring at the others.

(Wait... Healed it?)

Nagi just shook his head, also looking confused.

"Ugh, what a pain..." Tokiya muttered annoyingly as he took a bandage out of his bag.

Then, he put some medicine and wrapped the bandage around my leg.

"There, it's firm now. Just keep it like that for a couple of days."

"Wow... Thank you so much!" Instead of giving a reply, he just got up and walked away.

(Rude! I seriously hate people like that!)

"Okay... So, where in the world am I, and why have I lost memories and why did I get this weird message on my phone?! It says I'm suffering from amnesia! That's why I can't remember my name!" I instantly burst into questions as I pointed at my phone, showing them the message.

"So you are new. We're technically in this game, and each time we get a specific mission but if we don't complete it in time, we get erased from this world. It's basically some sort of death game. The missions we get are from these creatures called Reapers. They're basically human beings, just with supernatural powers. We also have specific things to destroy which block our way from getting to the location the mission takes place.

They're basically unwanted data in this game or as we like to call them, the noise. We could defeat them since each person here has a specific power or a weapon. I'm an archer, Momoi is a mage, and Tokiya is an assassin. Also, everybody here gets a partner to be with. My partner is Momoi. Oh, and, by the way, we're stuck here until we carry out all the missions safely. If we die, well, we get erased as well." Nagi explained while putting his hands behind his head.

(What?! How is he so calm about this?!)

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on just a minute! How did I even end up here?! And if I fail I die! This is way too sudden!"

"Calm down. It's okay. We're all in the same boat here," Momoi spoke in a calm tone.

"But, how can I just accept all of this... I-I can't just accept this in a flash... I-I--"

Unintentionally, large drops of tears started to form in my eyes as I thought about the whole situation I was stuck in. Then, suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay. We all are here for you and we're stuck in the same situation. I know it's hard to just suddenly pop in this world and go through all of this without even a choice. But it'll be fine," She smiled as I looked up at her.

(She has such a big sister feel...)

I then wiped away my tears, stood up, and brushed the dust off my shorts.

"Okay... It's still is a lot to take in but, I guess I can't do anything about it, huh?" Momoi and Nagi nodded their heads in agreement.

"So, about the mission, where exactly is Central Park?"

"Oh, we'll lead the way. We know exactly where it is!" Nagi spoke in a confident tone.

"Alright..."

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"So, about the partner thing, who exactly is my partner? Do I just get to choose myself from the people I get to meet?" I asked as we were on our way to Central Park.

"Ugh. It's not that simple. You can't just choose whatever you want to do in this game. The reapers make all the rules. I myself haven't even gotten one yet..." Tokiya replied.

(He didn't have to put it that way, you know!)

That instant, I got another text on my phone. It said:

"Your partner from now on is Tokiya. Good luck."

(Wait, seriously?! The guy I least wanted is my partner!!! Can life get any worse...?!)

"Umm... Guys... My partner is that guy..." I mumbled as I pointed at Tokiya.

Everyone stared at me and Tokiya just froze in his tracks. He was probably sulking like how I was.

"What?! Seriously, I have to be partners with her?!"

(We both haven't given each other the best first impressions and now we have to deal with each other for the rest of the time we're stuck in this place!)

"Oh, congratulations to the two of you. I bet you both will get along just fine," Momoi spoke, a smile across her face.

(That's like the complete opposite of how we will behave towards each other.)

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After a couple of hours of walking, we all just sat down for a break.

"Man, my feet are killing me!" Nagi complained as he flopped down on the grass and stretched his legs.

I, too, was about to sit down when suddenly, a monstrous type scale just sped past me and hit the tree beside me. It was so fast that a gust of wind ended up blowing my hair a bit.

"Ahhh!"

The others just got on their guard as we saw a huge figure standing in the distance. I wasn't able to quite make it out, but it looked like some sort of wild beast. The only thing I could make out where the huge scales lined down its back up to its long tail.

"Everyone, just stay calm and don't make a sound..." Tokiya warned, almost as low as a whisper.

We all tried staying as quiet as possible until I accidentally stepped on a twig.

*Crack*

"Oh no...!"

The very next second, I saw the beast, it's glowing red eyes locked squarely on me.

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I froze dead in my tracks as I saw the beast slowly approaching closer and closer.

"Great...! Can't you even be silent...?" Tokiya muttered while looking at me.

(He has to get mad at everything I do, I mean it was just a mistake. Sheesh!)

"Guys... We have much bigger problems right now!" Nagi shouted as he looked towards the monster which was probably a couple of feet ahead of us now.

"W-What am I supposed to do? I don't even have a weapon right now nor do I have any magical power!" I exclaimed in a panic.

"Don't worry, you just stay put. We'll handle this," Momoi spoke rather seriously.

Just then, a staff, about her size, appeared in her hand out of nowhere.

"O great power, dwell within my hand, and form a shield! 'Magia Flau'!" Momoi chanted and then suddenly, a shield of howling flames had surrounded me.

(Wow...! That's amazing...)

I was at a loss for words.

Then both Nagi and Tokiya sprung into action. Nagi stood in position and shot a bunch of arrows at the beast, neither of them missing their target. Tokiya jerked forward in sync, dashing straight towards the beast. With his sickle in hand, he managed to make a clean cut on its leg. I was so shocked by all their amazing skills and the power they had. If only I had a weapon of my own, I could have been fighting by their side right now instead of being so useless.

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"Rooaarr!!!" Then suddenly, the beast let out an ear-deafening cry.

Its eyes grew wide and it suddenly grew stronger.

"Rroooaaarrrrr!!!"

"Ahhh!"

I looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. That's when I saw the beast had shot a big black ball that hurled straight towards Nagi. It hit him straight on his stomach, making him fly towards a nearby tree.

"Arghh!" Nagi moaned as he fell straight onto the ground.

"Nagi, no!!!"

I wanted to help him so badly right now, but I was just so useless. All I could do was just sit there and watch the horrific scene unfolding in front of me.

"Huh? Nagi!" Momoi had then realized what happened and rushed towards Nagi's aid who was severely injured.

"O sacred water, mend this wound with thy cleansing power. 'Sanatio Aqua'!" She chanted and cast a healing spell.

A drop of water, with a dim glow, appeared from her staff, gliding straight towards Nagi's wound, causing it to close. Then after some time, he finally opened his eyes and slowly got up on his shaky legs.

"Thanks, Momoi. I was stupid enough to get shot by that ball..." Nagi still didn't have enough energy to walk and was still clinging onto his stomach.

"Nagi, you shouldn't fight. You still don't have enough energy and your wound hasn't had the time to heal fully. You can't fight right now. You need to rest." Momoi explained with an agitated expression.

"No! I have to fight! You and Tokiya aren't strong enough to defeat that monster. Have you seen how big and strong that thing is?!" Nagi shouted as he pointed at the monster.

"Nagi, that's enough! You never take care of yourself and always push yourself to your limits. You should learn to stop fighting when you don't have what it takes to continue anymore. You're going to rest!" Momoi scolded him in a firm manner with a grave look on her face.

Nagi then became silent and stopped arguing with her. He walked away and came back to where I was. He sat down, crossed his arms, and pouted. He's really the type of person who won't take no for an answer and wants things to go his way.

As this thought popped into my head, I smiled wryly. Nagi, too, calmed down and accepted the fact that he had to rest. Momoi rushed towards Tokiya's side and both of them went back to attacking the beast.

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After a long time of waiting, Momoi and Tokiya had finally defeated the monster. It was already evening by then and the sky was dyed with shades of orange and pink. Thankfully, the battle went smoothly without anyone having to suffer any fatal injuries.

"Well, that was tiring," I said as Momoi had removed the shield around me.

"Seriously...? You didn't even do anything... All you did was just sit peacefully inside a shield..." Tokiya murmured in an annoyed tone.

(Urghh! That guy has to have a remark for everything I say. I mean, give me a break! I am new to this world after all and I haven't even gotten a weapon or power yet. It wasn't my fault I couldn't do anything and had to sit in a shield.)

"Hey, Nagi, are you feeling better? I'm sorry about being so strict earlier. I just didn't want you to get hurt more than you already did..." Momoi apologized with a reassuring smile on her face.

"Nah, it's alright. I know that I sometimes do push myself too far. And yeah, my wound is better but it's just aching a bit," Nagi said as he shook his hand in the air while grinning, "Oh yeah and guys, we spend a lot of time on that battle. We only have 15 hours left to finish the mission."

"Oh no! I completely forgot about the mission! There are only 15 hours left?!" I shrieked as I started to freak out.

"Stop panicking on every little thing. 15 hours is more than enough for us," Tokiya spoke in an annoyed manner.

(Seriously?! Can't he just for once leave me alone?!)

I was seriously starting to hate that guy. Each time he says something, he has to hit some sort of nerve.

"Every time I say something, you just have to reply with some sort of remark, right?! Can't you just leave me alone?!" I shouted at him in fury.

I had completely lost my temper. I just had to say something to him.

As we both continued to argue, I got so enraged at one point and suddenly, a small ice shard formed in my hand which went flying straight towards him.

"Nngh!" Tokiya moaned as the ice shard pierced through his skin.

"Oh no, Tokiya! Are you alright?" Momoi asked as she and Nagi both looked at him with concerned looks.

I was so mad at the moment that I honestly didn't even care. I just stormed away without even helping him or even apologizing. But to be honest, I don't even know why I did that. It was probably because, at that time, I was too furious to even care about him.

"Urgh, stupid Tokiya. I can't believe him! Why do I have to be his partner in the first place?!" As I shouted in exasperation, those same ice shards sped towards a tree nearby.

I was bewildered. Before, I was too busy getting angry that I didn't realize the shards that much, but this time, I was standing there, my eyes wide open. That's when I realized the fact that my hands were freezing cold. The slightest of touch would freeze anything...

"Is this my... power...?" I whispered to myself.

I was terrified since I didn't know how to control it. But honestly, it was really cool at the same time since I finally got an actual superpower. I mean, I always loved superheroes and fantasy stories as a kid. But I didn't have time to worry about that right now. I turned my phone on and saw the remaining time for the mission.

"14 hours, huh..." I muttered as I opened the GPS app on my phone.

Before, the others were leading the way but now, I was too embarrassed to show my face after that incident. Since I was going myself now, I needed the GPS to guide me. Soon after, I heard a couple of shouts behind me. As I turned around, I found the same, familiar faces.

"Why did you run away?" Momoi asked, her expression clearly looking concerned from my actions.

"Yeah! You know how much we had to run because of you!" Nagi exclaimed as he put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Then, I saw Tokiya standing behind both of them. I realized the bandage wrapped around his arm, hints of red all over. Upon seeing this, I felt terrible about what I did earlier.

"Umm... Tokiya I'm-"

"Don't even think of apologizing." Tokiya interrupted me mid-sentence.

This proved the fact that he was mad at me. I honestly don't blame him. I mean, I did hurt him but he has never done anything like that to me. I just averted my gaze in shame. But then, I also had to apologize to the others.

"Guys, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to run away like that. It was really rude of me." I said with a guilty expression.

" *Sigh* Well, I guess it's fine 'cuz you did get angry. I mean, I don't really blame you." Nagi replied while closing his eyes.

"Speaking of anger, what was that you did back there? That was an amazing ice shard you shot." Momoi had an amazed expression on her face.

"Oh, right. I honestly have no idea how that happened. Even right now, the same thing happened to me. I guess I unlocked my ability..." I slowly gazed down at my open palms, feeling dazed.

"Looks like you have ice powers," Nagi spoke.

"Congratulations. Looks like you finally found your power!" Momoi then held me in a soft embrace.

"Haha. Thanks..." I whispered, my heart filled with joy.

(We've just known each other for a couple of hours, and yet, we're already this close... It makes me feel really happy to meet such amazing and caring people...)

My lips curved into a wry smile as this thought crossed my mind.

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After that, we continued our journey to Central Park. It was just a couple of hours until we finally reached the place. But still, I was exhausted.

"Ah, I'm soo tired!" I said as I stretched my arms into the air.

"Same here!!!" Nagi added to my words.

Then, just as I was about to enter Central Park through the gate, I suddenly felt a big zap and I reflexively bounced back. It felt like there was an invisible barrier blocking my way from entering.

"Ah!" I shrieked as I rubbed my arm due to the electric shock.

"It's the noise..." Tokiya muttered.

"Great! Now we have to defeat them!" Nagi barked as his archer equipment appeared into his hands.

"One question. How in the world do we get to them if they're invisible and how am I meant to fight if I don't even know how to control my powers?"

"You ask too many questions..." Tokiya mumbled with an annoyed look.

I didn't argue back this time since he was already really mad at me. So I just let this one slide.

"Don't worry. All you have to do is concentrate and then just aim with your hand, pointing it towards your target." Momoi explained.

"Oh, I see. But how do you know all that, considering you're a mage and don't have special powers?"

"A mage and a person with magical powers are not that different. The only different thing is that I have a staff that I use to cast my spells with."

"Thanks, Momoi!" I thanked her with a determined look.

"And oh yeah. We can go to the noise using this." As Nagi was speaking, he took a weird button type thing out of his pocket.

The rest of them also did the same thing.

"Umm...What is that for?"

"This thing is called a pin. It's used to find the noise around the area and it can let us teleport to the place of the noise to fight them. All you have to do is press it and you would then be able to see them." Nagi explained.

"Oh, ok. So is this pin in my pocket as well?"

Momoi nodded. I reached into my pocket and it was actually there. For a moment I was taken aback. I then took it out and we all pressed it at the same time. We then instantly teleported and I saw all these weird-looking creatures which were the noise. One of them was a weird bird, another was a lion type thing and the last was a shark. They all honestly looked really creepy.

"Alright, here goes nothing!"