000 - What Makes The Sky Blue

While Djeeta and the others were meeting with Stan, Rei and Lyria were still flying toward the location where the kidnapped people were being held.

'Kidnapped people, huh...' Rei thought as he flew through the sky, carrying Lyria in his arms.

'Because I managed to clear Arc 1 faster than the original story, I don't know where we are in the Granblue Fantasy timeline. But the previous incident with the Phoenix... I remember that was from an event years ago in the game...' Rei kept thinking to himself, trying to piece together where they were in the story.

The Granblue Fantasy timeline was all over the place, often non-linear except for the main story. Sometimes events happened after certain arcs, and sometimes they occurred after previous events. It was hard to predict which timeline they were following in this world.

The Gran timeline from when they go before followed the What Makes the Sky Blue event, but this timeline seemed to be following the main story and all side stories from the beginning.

"So this event is for them, huh?" Rei murmured to himself, remembering who this event was originally meant for.

"Did you say something, Rei?" Lyria's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"No, I was just thinking about something. Can you sense any Primal Beast power?" Rei asked, changing the subject.

"Let me see..." Lyria closed her eyes, focusing on sensing any Primal Beast power in the direction they were heading.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes with a sigh. "I can feel it, but it's very faint... like a vague presence."

"We're already close to the Primal Beast's lair, but if you can barely sense it, that means the Primal Beast isn't there right now. We should hurry before it comes back," Rei said, increasing his speed with his four wings.

A short while later, they landed in front of a cave beside a cliff. The drop was so steep that neither of them could see the bottom through the thick fog.

"Oh wow... I don't know what would happen if I fell down there," Lyria said, peering over the edge. She was glad they didn't have to take the normal route, which would have risked falling into the abyss.

Rei, after making his wings disappear, also looked down. "Hmm, with all that fog, now I understand why Sierokarte couldn't do anything to rescue the kidnapped people," he muttered.

Once they were done surveying the area, they turned their attention to the cave. Just like before, Lyria couldn't sense the Primal Beast inside, and Rei felt the same.

"Let's use this opportunity to rescue the people and get out," Rei said, but before they could step inside, a voice called out from behind them.

"Stop right there! Move... and I'll shoot," a woman's voice warned.

"Ehkkk!?" Lyria jolted in surprise, not expecting anyone to be here.

Rei turned around and saw a girl with long black hair and black eyes. What surprised him wasn't her sudden appearance but the fact that she looked like someone from his previous world—a normal girl with black hair and black eyes.

If it weren't for the comically large cannon she was holding and the gun strapped to her waist, he might have mistaken her for someone from Earth.

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"Who are you two? Why are you here?" she demanded, her cannon pointed directly at them.

"You must leave this place immediately. This is the lair of a Primal Beast—it's dangerous for people like you," she warned, her tone firm and serious.

"We're not here randomly! We're here to rescue the people who were kidnapped!" Lyria said quickly, trying to defuse the situation before it escalated.

The girl squinted her eyes, still suspicious. Despite Lyria's explanation, all she saw were two people who didn't seem to be carrying any weapons or tools to protect themselves.

"Rescuing kidnapped people? With only two of you?" she asked, her tone skeptical.

"Even if it's just the two of us, we can handle ourselves," Rei replied calmly. "But why are you here alone?"

The girl hesitated for a moment before lowering her cannon slightly. "I'm here with the same objective as you two. But besides trying to rescue the people, I also want to find my brother," she explained.

"Your brother was kidnapped too?" Lyria asked, her eyes widening in concern.

"Well... he was kidnapped years ago. But every time I try to find him by going to where he was last seen, he's already disappeared," the girl said, her voice tinged with frustration.

"Huh..." Rei murmured, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you sure your brother was kidnapped and not just... running away?" Lyria asked cautiously.

"Yeah! When I find clues about where he might be, people always say he disappeared or was kidnapped. I've chased after him and destroyed a lot of thugs' bases, but I can never find him," the girl said, pouting as she kicked the ground.

"Uh... I'm pretty sure he's just running away from home instead of getting kidnapped..." Lyria muttered under her breath.

"Anyway, we need to hurry and rescue the people before the Primal Beast comes back," Rei said, cutting off the conversation as he walked toward the cave.

"Okay!" Lyria said, hurrying to follow him.

"Wait for me too!" the girl called out, running after them.

"So your name is Jessica? Nice to meet you, Jessica! My name is Lyria, and this is Rei," Lyria introduced herself and Rei cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you, Jessica," Rei greeted, though his focus remained on the path ahead.

"Nice to meet you two too," Jessica replied.

"By the way, why are you carrying that big cannon? Isn't it heavy?" Lyria asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well... It was when I first tried it, but I suppose you can say I've grown accustomed to it! Once you get used to the weight, it's actually quite convenient. You can take out monsters without the need for bullets, for instance," Jessica explained proudly, lifting her cannon to demonstrate.

"Huh? It doesn't need bullets?" Lyria asked, tilting her head.

"Not really. Here, I'll show you," Jessica said, repositioning her arms to grip the cannon's handle.

With a swift motion, she swung the cannon down, slamming it into the ground.

*BOOOM!*

The ground cracked and shattered under the sheer weight of the cannon, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air.

"What the!?" Lyria exclaimed, covering her nose from the smoke.

"It has quite a bit of weight to it, so it can easily take out ordinary monsters," Jessica said, holding the cannon with one hand as if it were nothing.

"That's a bit of weight?? You literally destroyed the ground with one hit!" Lyria said, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Haha, I know, right? But this cannon is my favorite weapon. I've driven off Primal Beasts several times before with this," Jessica boasted.

"I see..." Lyria didn't know how to respond, so she simply nodded.

They continued walking deeper into the cave until Rei suddenly stopped, holding both Lyria and Jessica back.

"I can sense multiple people a few hundred meters ahead. We're getting closer, but I still don't sense the Primal Beast's presence yet," Rei said.

"So the Primal Beast isn't here right now? Then let's go rescue them!" Lyria said eagerly.

"Wait, you can sense the Primal Beast?" Jessica asked, confused by their conversation.

"Yes, so you don't need to worry if the Primal Beast suddenly appears and attacks us~" Lyria said proudly, puffing out her chest.

"Be careful, though. We still don't know when the Primal Beast might return," Rei added before they started running toward the direction of the people.

Finally, they reached the end of the cave passage, where it opened up into a huge, wide area. At the far end, they could see light and a group of people surrounded by various supplies and belongings.

"There are the people," Rei said, pointing ahead.

But just as they were about to move forward, Rei sensed danger and stopped abruptly, causing Lyria and Jessica to halt as well.

"Doryaaa-!" A girl's voice echoed through the cave as she launched herself into the air, aiming a flying side kick at Rei, who was at the front of the group.

"Watch out!" Jessica shouted, but before she could react, Rei caught the girl's leg mid-air with ease.

"Eh?" The girl seemed confused, clearly not expecting her attack to be stopped so effortlessly.

However, the momentum of her kick and her awkward position in the air caused her to lose balance. With only her right leg caught by Rei, the rest of her body began to fall toward the ground.

"Ahhh!!" she screamed, closing her eyes and bracing for the impact.

But instead of hitting the hard ground, she felt something sturdy and warm catch her.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked, filled with concern.

The girl slowly opened her eyes, her heart still racing.

But then her eyes widened as she took in his appearance.

Silver hair, gleaming faintly in the dim cave light, framed a face that was almost unfairly handsome. His sharp blue eyes held a calm intensity, and his features were striking—strong jawline, high cheekbones, and an air of quiet confidence.

Even with only the light from the floating fires magic that illuminating the cave, Aliza could see Rei's appearance clearly.

She wasn't going to lie—she had never seen anyone like him before. As the heiress of her family, she had met countless people, but none had left such an immediate impression. His silver hair and piercing blue eyes stood out starkly against the dim surroundings, and his calm, composed demeanor only added to his striking presence.

"Are you okay?" Rei asked, his voice steady.

"...I'm fine. Sorry for suddenly attacking you. I thought you were the culprit behind the kidnappings," Aliza said, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Rei stared at her, recognizing her instantly. 'Aliza, huh? So I was right—this is Aliza and Stan's story,' he thought to himself.

She was dressed differently from her usual appearance in the game, wearing a white gown that suited her perfectly. Her grey hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her red eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at him.

One thought crossed his mind as he took in her appearance.

"Beautiful..." he murmured softly, almost without thinking.

"Eh?" Aliza's surprised voice echoed through the cave. She had heard him clearly, her face turning even redder as she realized how close they are.