Weeks have passed since.

  Ax and his friends were having lunch at Cheffie's, talking about any random topic that came about. Ax and Ace kept the world behind the doors a secret from the rest, all acc to Ax's wishes.

  "You guys have been sleeping over at each other's a lot more retly, what's that about?", asked Nasri, curious about Ax and Ace's current predit.

  "Just... catg up, pying videogames and what not... ", Ace expined... his eyes wandering off into another dire.

  "Okay but really though, even I'm curious now, what are you guys up to?", Hamz tinued, asking the both of them.

  "We- Uh..", Ace tried to think of an excuse.

  "We travel through worlds and fight monsters for the shits and giggles.", Ax said it btantly, directly looking at Nasri and Hamz, with Ace's eyes staring daggers into Ax, with his mouth agape.

  "Yeah... anyway.", Nasri ged the subjeot believing it in the slightest, dismissing Ax's ent.

  "You two have fun with... your little fantasy, I'm doing and i o head home, big day for me today.", Nasri stated as she took o sip of her drink and stood up, ready to head home.

  "Ah, that reminds me. I also o head out, my shift starts in like two hours.", Hamz expined as he also stood up.

  "Wanna take the train together? Si's basically in the same dire.", Nasri asked as she picked up her purse.

  "Sure! I'm okay with it.", Hamz replied to her.

  "Okay, bye guys! See you two ter!", Ax got up, ready to head home.

  "Right, meet up with you guys ter.", Ace followed, both pairs waved each ood bye.

  ***

  As Ax and Ace were walking home together, Ace looked at him and-

  "Why... You fug scared me.", Apio Ax, referring to the stunt he did.

  "I worried too much, they wouldn't believe you anyway. Without proof I mean.", Ax expined.

  "Also, a month from now, I might actually just tell them myself.", Ax finished.

  "Sorry, what? You looked like you would kill me if I ever told them anything.", Ace was annoyed with Ax, because he had beeering Ace about keeping this a secret.

  "Turns out... I- well, we had been worried for nothing.", Ax expined, as he closed his eyes. He could feel Ace's eyes stare daggers at him, baffled.

  "Axton, I swear I will-", Ace was about to pin."Want to just head straight in there again?", Ax asked Ace.

  "Yes.", Ace replied to Ax instantly, zero hesitation.

  ***

  As Ax was getting the gear out from under his bed, Ace grabbed his ptop he had been keeping at Ax's pce for the past week, he sat on the bed and opened links to encyclopedia websites.

  "Ax, you might want to look at this.", He called over for Ax.

  "Yeah, what's up?". Ax walked up to him, looking over his ptop.

  Ax was researg the monsters Ax had fought before and the monsters he fought with him.

  "The cy mounds were... golems from jewish folklore.", Ace stated.

  "The skeletons we fought on separate occasions appear in several folk lore and myths, however. The giant skeletons which you said you fought beforehand... were the size of titans right?", Ace asked Ax with a curious tone.

  "Yeah... yeah they were. I think I uand what yetting at.", Ax said as he was now ied at what Ace was implying.

  "Those giant skeletons are called, 'Gashadokuro'. They only appear in japahs and folklore.", Ace expined with an ominous tone.

  "What about the goblins and the red tree? I know what Onis are and possessed armor... but aren't goblins just found in fantasy?" , Ax asked Ace, looking for answers. This was the most information Ax had gotten the past month or two, on this odd new world he's found himself in.

  "The trees are very simir to something called a 'Jobukko'. Maing trees which grow on blood and flourish in battlefields, says nothing about summoning skeletons, but goblins they... they appear in a lot of european folklore.", Ace expined, showing his ptop to Ax.

  "Huh, I'm kinda stupid for now searg this shit up aren't I?", Ax asked rhetorically.

  "Yes." Ace replied to him, looking at him straight in the eyes.

  "Anyway, I bought some books a few days ago, they are on the different mythologies and folklore that existed before us, guides basically.", Ace finished. Implying that Ax should read them whe's the ce.

  "Alright then, you ready?", Ax asked Ace, with his hands resting on his waist.

  "Ready as I'll ever be, let's go!", Ace said as he jumped up from the bed, prepared to ehe bck door.

  ***

  Ax summohe door in front of them and... it was red. Ax stopped reag for the dooknob.

  "Shit... it's red... that's the one where you di- lost over and ain... isn't it?", Ace asked Ax... his voice lower than usual. Aew that it was a touchy subject.

  "Last time I walked into a red door... I died over and over... and ain, till I could beat the suit of armour.", Ax expined... his voice wavering.

  "Ax...", Ace's voice dropped.

  "We don't have to go in.", Ace tinued holding Ax's shoulder, trying to fort him. Ax swatted him off.

  "No, we go in together, it'll be fine.", Ax said as he reached out for the doorknob again.

  "Wait!", Ace yelled.

  "I o ask you some questions, Ax.", Ace finished, causing Ax to look at him with full attention.

  "The bck door, sends us to a room with moo kill, and the blue door sends us- well, you to 'Nexus'. Which is in a different world, right?", Ace asked Ax, curious about the nature of these doors.

  Ax nodded yes, making Ace tinue.

  "Only thing we know... about the red door is that to clear it, you either have to beat it in bat or clear a secret dition...", Ace tinued.

  "Oh wait I uand what you mean. The suit was a samurai which wanted a duel, so by beating it in a duel... I cleared that rht?", Ax asked ace, with his eyes wide open, gleaming with hope.

  "Wait, then that mea this! The fact is that we have to find what dition we have to clear, right?", Ax asked him, Aodded yes.

  "Before we go, Ace y me the small box in the fridge? With the apple slices? Just incase I mean.", Ax asked Ace for a favor.

  "Sure thing.", Ace said as he rao the fridge. The two decided that they should cut the apple into small bite sized slices, just in case Ax or especially Aeeds to recover from any injuries, it had been sitting there for weeks but Ax decided that for the red door, they should be extra careful.

  With this new found fidence, Ax opehe door once more. Walking in te room with deep green walls and ceilings...

  The room was littered with... statues?

  ***

  Ad Ax walked around the room, looking at the various statues, iing them."These are...", Ax muttered.

  "Unique...", Ace finished his sentence, both equally at awe at the details these statues have.

  Ax walked around the room, gng at the statues but his main focus was looking for the mohey have to fight.

  Ace however, was at awe, looking at the various expressions the statues have, such vivid detail... As he walked about, each statue looked very different, most had some on themes however.

  By their waist, hung a rge token with various symbols. The tokehe size of his palm and they hung at their waists with a which would hand from their belt loops, or just tied around them. Some on their necks some etched onto their clothes. The symbols varied, most had the symbol '?' etched onto it, it was an 'R' but written in a fancy, royal font. Some were doves carrying a branch. Some a , One of them was a skull and crossbones. And one was an... emblem of a fire?

  As Ace looked at the tokens, he looked back up, all of the statues were of different races, elves, humans dwarves taurs even. Ace stopped to look at a singur statue... it looked like a man, holding a hockey mask on one and, and a baseball bat iher. His expression was different too. It was of... rage? Everyone else had a vivid expression of fear, but he was angry. As if they were scared of something, and he was ready to figh-

  Ace's thoughts stopped and he ran, ran looking for Ax.

  ***

  Minutes have passed since Ax separated from Ace, he was looking for the monster. Behind a rge taur statue... Ax saw a girl... no a woman g.

  "Hey... are you okay?", Ax asked her, ed as he walked up closer.

  The woman hid herself. Ax approached her slowly... "Hey.. hey are you lost? you help? I'm looking for a monster... and I want to get back to Nex-"

  "Βοηθ?στε με...", the woman whispered, interrupting him.

  "What?", He asked.

  "Λυπ?μαι για ?λα", The woman said.

  Ax walked up to her, her hair covered in a cloth.

  "I'm sorry, I 't uand you I-", As she looked up at Ax, he saw a woman with a olive skin tone, with warm uoears streaming down her face, here eyes hazel but bloodshot and her hair... her hair moved?

  Hissss

  Her hair hissed... The woman notig Ax looking her, jumped back, her arms and legs revealing green scales, her hood pulled back from the movement, freeing her long hair which were prised of vicious snakes.

  Ax got spooked so he jumped bad pulled out his gun, which the woman noticed, "?χι κι εσ?...", She muttered to herself as her eyes turo slits midair.

  A green fsh appeared before Ax as he looked into her eyes, turning him into stone. But due to him being unbanced, Ax fell over. His stone body shattering into a million pieces.

  All this happened before Ace's eyes, he saw the snake haired woman... and Ax... shatter into a million pieces. The woman looked at Ace, and looked back at the stone crumbs, her gaze softened and her eyes faltered bato hazel, she was scared.

  "AXTON!", Ace screamed out desperately for Ax.