Sol City in the Sun Dome

 Theo and Leo passed through the dome, and Theo raised his eyebrows in surprise. There was what appeared to be sunlight and a sky with clouds; hundreds of buildings and shops could be seen going uphill with a stone road in the middle leading up to a castle. People passing by gave them a friendly wave, and white birds flocked past them. “This is a completely different world compared to what I just went through,” Theo said, with amazement and awe as his brown eyes scanned the area. Leo nodded. “Yeah, we use a mixture of magic and technology to create artificial sunlight. I’m not sure how it all works, but you’ll have to talk to the lead blacksmith if you’re curious. But for now, we need to head to the castle and talk to the king.” Walking by more people and seeing more friendly waves, Theo looked to Leo, “These people seem really friendly despite how dangerous it is out there. Is that usual, or are they waving at you?” Leo shrugged with a smile. “A little bit of both. I’m basically a hero around here. Can’t blame them though, I’m pretty awesome.” Theo turned his eyes away from him and started looking ahead. “Wow. You’re a lot more cocky than I first believed.” Leo laughed. “Well, yeah. I mean, we’re out of danger now, right? I turn serious when outside the dome, but there’s really no need for that in here, is there?” “Fair enough.” Theo shrugged.

“Hey, Leo. I got a question. I checked my stats earlier, and a lot of my stats were only at 10, but I had high wisdom and agility by comparison, and my luck was -1. I also didn’t see any levels. Aren’t you supposed to have a level where the stats increase once you level up?” Leo looked at him, slightly confused. “I don’t know what ‘levels’ are, Theo. But most stats are raised naturally. They can go up to 20, with 10 being average. For example, a person with 10 strength has a usual build, with 20 being a hulking monster of unusual strength. The only way to increase it is to build muscle, although genetics play a part. Constitution is how much you can take a hit, Agility is based on your movement and maneuverability, usually increased through running, and how you handle obstacles. Intelligence can be increased by collecting knowledge through research, and Defense actually changes based on whether you’re wearing protection like armor, although it may lower your Agility. As for Wisdom and Luck, those are stuck and can’t be raised. Wisdom is your ability to be clever and make good decisions, and Luck is based on your life’s fortunes.” Theo scratched his head with a frown. “Yeah. Makes sense. But do Intelligence and Wisdom affect magic? For example, can Intelligence increase Mana Points, or Wisdom increase Mana regeneration?”

Leo looked at Theo strangely, “What? That doesn’t make any sense. Why would it do that? Neither of them has to do with magic. What kind of logic is that?” Theo smiled wryly. It looks like gaming logic doesn’t completely work here. Theo soon sighed. “Alright, one last question. If Intelligence doesn’t increase Mana Points, what does?” “It’s more like a skill. The more you use it, the better it gets. If you know any spells, your Mana Points increase naturally over time.” Leo responded. Theo nodded silently. It seems like the rules are a bit different from the games he’s familiar with. Between the skill pop-up during his chase with the monsters, suddenly telling him he needed to raise his hands in the air to use it, and being told the way the stats work, it almost feels like this world is trying to make him look like an idiot. Oh well.

They continued to walk together up the stone road to the castle, curving upwards towards the top. When they made it, two armed guards in metal armor and helmets holding halberds stepped aside. “Welcome back, Leo!” one of them said. “Who’s that guy?” the other asked, pointing at Theo. Leo smiled, giving them a wave before pointing his thumb at Theo behind him. “He’s the Rain Wizard.” The two guards dropped their smiles and looked at each other, and went silent, stepping out of the way for Theo and Leo to enter. Theo looked at one of the guards as he passed. Behind the slits in his helmet, he could see two blue eyes staring menacingly at him. Theo glanced away to look forward again, following Leo into the castle. Inside looked like your average isekai castle set-up. Red carpet down the middle, with benches for an audience, a chandelier above them, and a large throne with an old man sitting in the middle, wearing a purple robe with a white fur trim, gray medium-length hair with brown eyes, and a crown of red and silver. Next to him stood a young woman with long red hair and red eyes. Her gaze was empty, and there were dark circles under her eyes, and it looked like she hadn’t gotten any sleep for a while. She stared ahead with no emotion before silently looking at Theo.

“Judging by your clothes, I’m guessing you’re the Rain Wizard. The last Rain Wizard had an outfit similar to yours.” Theo nodded. “So I assume I’m supposed to help you out, right?” The king nodded back. “Preferably.” “So do you need me to defeat the demon king or something?” The king furrowed his brow. “What? No. The demons largely mind their own business. Please don’t ask me something so strange again.” Theo chuckled silently to himself. He had a feeling that was going to happen based on the explanations so far, but he wanted to hear it for himself. “So how do you people know about the Rain Wizard? You seem to know a lot about my role despite being new here.” The king stood up from his throne and began to walk towards Theo, standing several feet away from him. “The ‘Rain Wizard’ is nothing new. We’re not entirely sure how they get summoned, but we know that they all tend to be strong-willed and have terrible luck. The lightning is believed to carry a sort of spiritual energy that, when certain similarities are aligned, could lead to a dimensional shift. But that was just a theory by the previous Rain Wizard. The idea of multiple dimensions is intriguing in any case. But some things in this world will never be explained properly.”

The king took off his crown of red and silver and rubbed his wrinkled fingers over the metal before looking back up to Theo. “So. You’re goal is to get rid of the threat of the monsters in this world. The Eyeless. And then, bring sunshine back to the world as a natural occurrence rather than a reliance on the Rain Wizard’s abilities. So...here you go. See ya!” he said nonchalantly, tossing the crown to Theo before walking away. Theo frowned and narrowed his eyes. “Hey. Where do you think you’re going?” The king looked at Theo, surprised. “Hmm? I’m leaving. I’m done. You’re supposed to save the world and become ruler; my job is done. I’m off to take a vacation.” Theo’s eye twitched in annoyance. “Don’t you think that’s irresponsible?” Theo asked; his image of the ‘wise old king’ was completely shattered in moments by this old guy. The king frowned. “I’m way too old to care, kid. The Rain Wizard has always been the ruler, and when one is gone, someone is just a temporary placeholder. I’m not interested in ruling. It’s boring, so it’s your problem now. Leo can debrief you on any questions you might have. I’m out of here.”

Theo pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. What is with this old guy? Nothing feels normal in this world. The stats, the people, the monsters, the world itself. Everything seems wrong. Theo let out a heaved sigh as he watched the king leave through a door nearby. “He didn’t even introduce himself or ask me for my name. What kind of king does stuff like that?” Leo scratched the back of his head. “Well...truthfully, he never wanted the job. I know it’s annoying, but you'd better just let it slide.” Theo sighed and put his hands to his face. “This place is freaking crazy…” He soon raised his head slightly and saw the red-haired knight looking at him silently. Theo took his hands out of his face and gave a small wave. “Hey. I’m Theo. And you are?” The woman remained silent for several moments, creating an awkward tension before finally speaking after much hesitation. “...Cleo,” she said. Leo chuckled, “She’s the person I mentioned to you earlier who had another similar-sounding name. Theo, Leo, and Cleo, sounds like a funny team up, huh? Anyway, from here on, we've got some stuff to do. But first, I need to get the king back here. Excuse me.” He smiled before going through the door where the king had gone through.

The room became completely silent and awkward between Theo and Cleo again. The silence was...uncomfortable. “So...Cleo? Are you the king’s bodyguard?” Cleo remained silent and stone-faced before responding quietly again. “You’re bodyguard now.” “I see…” Theo smiled awkwardly. “Are you going to help me? Do you know what we’re going to do? I kind of need some help here.” Cleo, once again, had a moment of silence. “...The king made a plan. Locations for the Rain Wizard to go to. To bring back the sun.” Theo nodded, “I see...do you where we’re going to go first-” Theo stopped mid-sentence, hearing loud stomping noises and the sound of distant screaming before it got closer. The door the king and Leo walked through slammed open as Leo stepped outside, holding someone’s legs. “Jeez...how...can you be so strong...for a freaking old man?!” Leo yelled, gritting his teeth as the king screamed. “NOOOOOOO! I don’t want to be king anymore! You can’t make me! I want to retire! This job sucks! It’s boring! Let go!” Theo stared silently with a deadpan expression, while Cleo had the same expressionless stare as before. “You aren’t done yet, sir! Just a little more! Cleo! Help me out, please!” Cleo sighed and silently walked towards them and stood at the king’s side. “….Goochie goochie goo,” she said with no emotion as she tickled him, and the king bit his lip before falling down with Leo.

The noise finally died down, and the king was back on the throne with a serious expression, with his fingers intertwined in front of his face. “So you see, Rain Wizard. I was told by Leo that your name is Theo. My name is Edward James the 3rd. I received the title of king from my father, who became king himself after the previous Rain Wizard disappeared.” Theo’s face remained deadpan. “So we’re just going to ignore your little temper tantrum?” There was a long moment of silence.

“…...So you see, Theo, the first location you, Leo, and Cleo must go to is the Sun Sanctum in the mountains nearby. You must use your magic as the Rain Wizard to enter, as it is only open when the sun is out. Inside, you will find a passage to the Titanos, descendants of giants who made their living underground. We need their help to end the threat. They should also have a relic to help you. Leo should have the map you need. When you’re ready, you should head out.” Theo shrugged, “No time like the present, I guess.” Theo turned to head back where he came from with Leo and Cleo falling closely behind. “Oh, and you forgot this, Edward. I’ll be sure to take it later.” Theo smirked, tossing the crown back to the king. The doors closed behind him, and the king was left alone in the throne room. Edward rubbed the back of his head, where a bump was from where Leo had hit him. “Little brats…”