บท 1: Chapter 1 "There Is Yor Briar"

"Your Loid Forger cosplay is so cool! Can I ask for a picture with you?"

Noah was used to these types of requests by now, and he was always more than happy to oblige. He stood with the fan in front of him as she took out her phone to take a selfie, smiling politely while he waited.

The two of them posed, and once the picture was taken, the fan turned to Loid with a cherished smile.

Noah smiled at her and waved a hand in a placating manner. "Sadly, she isn't here. I don't have anyone who could go cosplay as Yor with me. Although, you can be my Yor if you want."

Hearing this, the fan blushed, and she was mesmerized by what Noah had just said.

"I'm flattered, but no, thank you. I can't imagine myself doing a cosplay or anything. I prefer to go to conventions to see if there is a character that I like to have a picture with." The fan replied.

"You never know before you try. I think you would look great and try it sometime." Noah laughed good-naturedly.

"Will definitely try when I have the time," The fan bowed, "Thank you again. Your Loid cosplay is amazing. I'm looking forward to your next cosplay!"

Noah waved her goodbye and turned his attention back to the convention. This is basically what he has done lately in his life. He goes to a comic or anime convention every week to attend them since he does cosplays and makes a living out of it.

He is enjoying it, although it's a bit tiring that there would always be a fan who would ask him for a picture. But he can't complain as it's one of the appeals to cosplaying.

He was just about to head out of the convention again when his eyes caught something. It was someone who was cosplaying as Yor Briar.

That Yor cosplayer is really good, almost as if she was the real one from the anime. She wore her typical casual outfit, a backless red off-shoulder sweater, a headband, and thighs.

But what made him wonder is that Yor cosplayer seemed confused, as if she was looking for something.

Another person was approaching her. From the looks of it, there seemed to be a guy who was asking for a picture with her. She was obviously confused by her look, knowing that there was someone who would want to take her picture with a camera.

Noah shrugged that the Yor cosplayer might be a newbie who had just delved into the cosplaying world. She might be just confused and unused to it, given that she's alone, unlike anyone else who came with their partner or friends.

"Ah, I have to get a drink and go to the toilet." Noah mumbled and went towards the direction of the toilet.

But then, he heard someone shouting.

"Loid, my dear!"

He heard the voice. It was a female voice. He looked back in the direction of the voice, given that the person had just called the character he was currently cosplaying.

It was the Yor cosplayer that he had just seen a while ago, and she was running towards him.

He blinked a few times in confusion about why the Yor cosplayer was approaching him. She ran towards him, almost stumbling on her step, and then grabbed his arm. She had a very confused look on her face as if she had seen a ghost.

The Yor cosplayer suddenly grabbed his arm and stared at him. The look on her face was full of worries.

"I'm glad that I bumped you here, my dear. I'm really worried about Anya's situation." Said the Yor cosplayer.

Noah felt confused as to why that girl said those words, especially since she was calling him by that word.

Then, he realized something.

She must have been confused and thought he was her partner since he is cosplaying as Loid Forger, and they are usually together. He couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle.

"I think you must've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not your partner." Said Noah politely to her.

"Huh?" The Yor cosplayer looked confused as to why he suddenly said that to her, "Don't be joking around like that at this time, Loid. You're my husband. Did you forget that we married before?"

That made him feel even more confused as the Yor cosplayer was still calling him her husband, even after he had told her that she had mistaken him for her husband.

"I mean, yes? We're married like-"

She interjected before he could finish his sentence, "Yes, we're married as a couple and had a family together. But that aside, now, there is something that we should do as it's really making me worried to death."

Noah couldn't help but feel concerned as well. The look on her face was full of fear, worry, and anxiousness. He decided to go along with her, even though he was confused about why this cosplayer was talking like that.

"Okay, my dear. What is it that you need? I'll do everything I can to help." Noah smiled gently.

She looked at him expectantly, "Have you seen Anya around?

He didn't reply immediately, as he was a little hesitant about how to answer. If he said that he had seen her, he would be lying. However, he didn't want to upset the cosplayer, as she was clearly distressed.

Noah finally sighed, "Not that I know of lately. Has something happened to her?"

"I can't find her anywhere. She's not inside the toilet, not outside the hall, not near the entrance, and not in the food court area. I'm worried something happened to her as she wouldn't run off somewhere without telling me first." The Yor cosplayer is starting to sound panicked.

Noah thought that she must be talking about a kid who was cosplaying as Anya. Given the circumstances, he was a bit troubled and unsure of what to do.

He thought momentarily and said, "Have you searched her inside the convention building? There were a lot of people there, and she might be dragged into the crowd."

The Yor cosplayer shook her head, and then her expression changed as if she had remembered something.

"No, not yet. I think I'll search for her there." She replied.

Hearing this, he had his chance to slip away, "Okay, we'll split up to fasten the search, alright? I will check the other area in the convention building. I'll try to find you when I find her, okay?"

"Okay, I will do the same as well. If I find her first, I will contact you right away."

"That sounds good. See you later and take care."

"You too."

And then he walked away, leaving her behind.

Noah let out a relieved sigh. He was glad that he managed to escape from that situation. He felt bad that he lied to the Yor cosplayer about it, but it was a weird situation for him to be in.

Now that the coast was clear, he continued his activity again. He looked at the many items on display and wondered if he could get some new things to use for future cosplays. He also met someone from the convention staff.

Both of them had a talk, and the convention staff thanked him for promoting their event. One of the staff gave him a gift package and thanked them before walking away.

It had been a long day for him, and he was already feeling tired. After all, he was walking around the convention venue for almost 6 hours, just wandering around, meeting his friends, taking pictures with the fans, and many other things.

He felt a bit tired, coupled with the fact that he was currently carrying a big package in his hands. It's time for him to get back to the hotel where he was staying.

He already booked a room near the convention the day before the event, and tomorrow, he will do another cosplay on the event since the event lasts for three days. He is planning to attend the entire event and meet his fans there.

As he walked back to his hotel, he got a notification message from his phone. It was from an unknown sender.

[Whatever you do, don't take off your whole Loid Forger costume.]

Noah frowned as he wondered who could send him such a message. He couldn't remember if he had given his phone number to anyone besides his friends and family. Given his fame on social media, he protects his private information very much from the public.

But it wasn't a malicious text message or spam. Maybe it was sent to him by mistake, so he deleted the message.

He continued his journey, going back to the hotel while being mindful of his surroundings, even though the night had already fallen.

He turned around and saw the Yor cosplayer from earlier waving her hand. She still had the same expression as before, a look of concern.

"Did you find where she is gone?" Asked Noah.

The Yor cosplayer shakes her head.

"I still can't find her. She was nowhere to be seen, not inside the building. I even asked the staff and security about a child missing around the place, but none of them had seen her." She sounded worried.

Noah couldn't help but feel guilty, even though he was not the cause of her concern. He could tell that the Yor cosplayer took this matter very seriously.

"What about you? Did you find anything about our daughter's whereabouts?"

Seeing her like that, he felt guilty about the whole thing. Even though he did not mean to make her worried, and the fact that he is not someone close to her.

"Well, I was just about to go back to my hotel room. I think both of us should rest so that we can continue the search tomorrow." Said Noah, trying to reassure her and keep on playing along. Despite he doesn't know why she sticks with him.

"Alright then, I'll be coming with you."

He was a bit confused. Why does this Yor cosplayer, who thought she was just a stranger to him, want to stay with him together?

At that moment, his phone rang again, and there was another message.

[Don't ignore this message. Let her go with you to your hotel room. This is urgent.]

Noah couldn't help but frown at the message; it was the same unknown sender from before. He couldn't understand why they would insist on him that he had to do it.

He had no choice and decided to go along with their instructions. He assumed that the Yor cosplayed had nowhere to go. He felt guilty about lying about it before and might as well help her for this night.

They were walking together to the hotel. It wasn't far, they just needed to walk a few minutes, and then they would arrive.

But the atmosphere between them is getting awkward. Especially the fact that she still acts like he is her husband.

He didn't know why the person wanted him to keep the costume on. But he didn't want to take any risks, so he kept on going.

The Yor cosplayer looked back at him, "Is there something wrong?"

Noah shook his head and replied, "No, nothing. We can take the elevator and go to our room directly."

They took the elevator and finally entered his room.

Noah turned on the light, the room was just the same as how he left, and it was a little bit messy. There was only one bed in the room, and he guessed that he'd spend the night with her on the same bed.

He put his package on the table, and the Yor cosplayer just sat on the bed. There was no sound coming from her. She was looking down with her head facing the floor.

"How about you take a shower first? I need to go out and take care of some things. Just take your time and rest while you're at it. Okay?" Said Noah.

Noah left her alone and closed the door. He got another message from the unknown sender.

[Go to the roof.]

Noah was puzzled, but he had no choice. He went to the elevator and took him to the rooftop.

It was dark. He had a hard time trying to look for someone around. He walked towards the edge, but no one was there.

(Don't be alarmed now. I know you're confused, but I can explain your whole situation now.)

A voice can be heard, and the speaker sounds like a girl.

"Who's there?" Said Noah as he turned back.

But no one was there.

(I know this is weird, but only you can hear me. I'm currently talking to you because something peculiar happened, and I need you to listen to me as it's important.)

He had a weird feeling, "I don't know what's going on lately. First, it's that weird Yor cosplayer, and then now there's a voice in my head?"

(That's not a cosplayer. It's Yor Briar herself. She is literally the real one who came from the anime and was transported to this world. I know what you're thinking that it sounded like nonsense, but it's true.)

He was dumbfounded when he heard this, "You mean, the Yor cosplayer is actually Yor herself? Not like someone pretending or roleplaying as Yor?"

(Correct. Hence, she acted like that towards you because she thought you were Loid Forger, her husband. That's also the reason why I told you to don't take off your costume.)

"How does she manage to get here?" He asked.

(To be honest, I have no idea. But what I do know is that this is not an ordinary incident. This was done by a malicious party, I believe. They brought fictional characters from your world to the real world, and now they're stuck here. So, that's why I need your help.)

Noah was trying to comprehend what the voice was trying to tell him, "But why me? There must be someone else who can do this."

(Because I'm stuck with you. You're the first person that caught her attention since you cosplayed as Loid, and you're in a position to help her. I will help you on how to go through it, but I need you to help transport them back.)

Noah didn't know what to say. This is the first time he ever had a bizarre experience, "Why should I help you? I mean, it's not like the world is going to end, and I have things to take care of."

(Because more characters are coming. Things could go wrong in your world if not handled well since there will always be a conflict when a character appears. We're lucky that the one who just appeared now is Yor, who lost Anya. Who knows what's next.)

Now that he thinks about it, the situation will not going to get better.

"But how am I even going to handle them? I'm just a normal guy, and you said there would be someone who could wreak havoc?" He was confused.

(There's a way for that, and I will provide you later. The app is installed now on your phone and will help you go through some situations. In the meantime, go to your room and help to calm down Yor first, and we can discuss this later.)

Noah nodded. He had nothing else to say. He didn't know what the app could do, but he'll give it a try. He walked towards the elevator and went down to his room.

As he opened the door to his room, he was surprised to see that Yor was currently sitting on the bed while wearing a bathrobe.

Yor was holding a bottle of wine in her other hand and said, "Welcome back, darling."

He had no words, but he just went and sat on the bed beside her.

"Loid, where did you go?" She asked.

"I was... buying some stuff for dinner."

She stood up and walked towards him. He was confused. She didn't act like the Yor he met before. He can smell the alcohol coming from her.

Yor greeted him in front of the door, and without any notice, she kissed him on the lips.