A/N: It's a New Year, so why not start off with a little experiment story? I just rewatched The Rising of the Shield Hero and a few ideas came to mind, this one being the idea I felt drawn to the most. It's a bit different from your typical (xreader) story, but I hope that it interests some of you none the less and depending on how this prologue chapter goes, it might end up getting more frequent updates. Let me know what you guys think, if you have any ideas leave them in the comments, I hope you guys enjoy. Thanks for reading!

Iwatani Naofumi, a twenty year old Japanese male who was living the average otaku life in his home alone in Japan. Though he hadn't accomplished much in his life before, much would change after he was summoned through a book and brought to be a new world in the country of Melromarc, where he would be chosen as one of the Legendary Cardinal Heroes that would fight off the Waves of Catastrophe that threatened all life in this new world he was brought to. However, his story would start off the him drawing the short end of the stick, as he was summoned to be this world's Shield Hero, the one hero who was brought under fire of complications, prejudice, falsely framed for crimes, and betrayed by the entire kingdom he was summoned to protect. Meanwhile, the other wielders of the Cardinal Weapons, Motoyasu of the Spear, Ren of the Sword, and Itsuki of the Bow, all lead lives in this world as famous heroes, even though their feats created more problems than solved them. Having to start from scrath, Naofumi slowly made a name for himself and his true acts of Heroism and gained allies that he could actually form bonds of trust with as he relied on them just as much as they relied on him whilst they braved countless battles, whether they be the Waves or other enemies. With the help of his closest allies, Raphtalia and Filo who he raised on his own, Naofumi slowly began to create a life worth living and garnered the grateful eyes of the people he saved, whether saving them was his intention or not. Though during one incident where he was cleaning up a mess left by the Sword Hero and witnessing what they thought was Filo's death, Naofumi had unintentionally met the conditions required to unlock and obtain the power of the Curse series skill tree hidden within his shield. Powered by rage, Naofumi would bring forth an unbelievable and destructive power from his shield as the flames of his wrath would manifest and scorch those who ever dared to be near him during his fits of rage. Fearing for his life, Raphtalia would manage to bring the enraged shield hero back to his senses before eventually their foe that they were facing, a Dragon Zombie, was defeated by Filo who devoured it from the inside. Having calm down after injuring Raphtalia with his Curse, Naofumi would do his best to protect the only two people he cared about in his life, and unknowingly to him, he would once again meet conditions to unlock a power within his shield. It was during their time after defeating the Dragon Zombie as Raptalia was resting after being treated for the curse, as Naofumi was still worried of the wounds on Raphtalia left from the Curse of the Wrath Shield...

"I'm sorry." Naofumi said as he and Filo, who was in her small cute human form, stood at the side of Raphtalia's bed after the nurse that was with them just finished patching her wounds from the curse up.

"It's all right. It's just...I got the feeling that power would take you somewhere far away. So given that I was able to stop you, this doesn't bother me one bit." Raphtalia said in an attempt to calm the Shield Hero down from his worries.

"Are you leaving us, Master?" Filo asked in a sad tone.

"I'm not going anywhere." Naofumi said while placing his hand on top of her head as Filo smiled when she remembered something.

"I have a gift for you, Master!" Filo said as she pulled out a strange purple crystal and held it out for Naofumi.

"What's this?" Naofumi asked her in wonder as he picked up the small gem.

"A crystal that was inside the dragon." Filo explained the origin of the crystal Naofumi held.

"You threw it up?" Raphtalia asked as this assumption made Naofumi flinch and gag in shock and disgust while holding it away from his body.

"No! I kept this one to be a gift!" Filo explained as this made it easier to accept, and Naofumi began to ponder at the thoughts of this crystal and the power he displayed that day. 

"If this is a crystallization of the residual mana from the dragon's corpse..." Naofumi began thinking up theories as he placed the crystal on the gem of his shield as it was absorbed and revealed a hidden skill that was not available for him to view. "My level isn't high enough, huh? That shield wasn't in the upgrade tree. If I'd continued to use its power, I would've killed both Raphtalia and Filo, who was inside the dragon." He thought of the worst scenario that could have happened, but Raphtalia snapped him out of his thoughts, distracting him from seeing another skill that branched out in his shield and began flashing dimly.

"Naofumi-sama?" Raptalia called to him in wonder of what he was thinking.

"Forgive me, you two." Naofumi started as he held his right hand and clutched his left in conflict of his actions. "I put you both in danger because I hesitated. Just as bravery and recklessness differ, so too do caution and cowardice. If I remain a coward, I'll fail to protect the things I care about. Back then, I should've stepped up and distracted the dragon. There were so many things I could've done." He apologized for his mistakes.

"It wasn't your fault, Naofumi-sama! If only I had been stronger..." Raphtalia tried sharing the burden of blame on herself.

"I messed up, too. I charged in because I hate dragons so much." Filo also took responsibility for her actions as this helped put Naofumi at ease as he smiled at each of them.

"You two..." Naofumi muttered as he extended one hand out to hold one of their hands each. "We are stronger now than we were yesterday, and we'll be even stronger tomorrow. Let's keep that up, one day at a time." He said to them as this inspired his comrades.

"Yes, let's. Together." Raphtalia agreed.

"I'll work hard, too!" Filo also said in agreement.

"Yeah." Naofumi said with a genuine smile, surprising Filo.

"Wow, you smiled, Master!" Filo exclaimed in excitement as Naofumi was left confused by what she meant, but Raphtalia also agreed with Filo.

"Yeah. You finally showed us a normal smile." Raphtalia said with sheer joy in her voice.

"Did I...?" Naofumi said as he wasn't sure how to react to this situation.

"Yep! Right, Onee-chan?" Filo asked Raphtalia.

"Right!" Raphtalia confirmed as the two shared a giggle with one another, making Naofumi rub his head slightly embarassed, but he returned to his senses when he realized how dark it had gotten outside.

"It's gotten late. Get some sleep and rest up." Naofumi suggested to the two of them.

"'Kay!" Filo said before running off to the other bed.

"U-Um..." Raphtalia spoke up as Naofumi turned towards her. "Could you spend the night with me?" Raphtalia asked with a nervous smile on her face.

"Don't want to be lonely?" Naofumi asked her.

"It's not that. I thought I would be allowed to have this, just this once." Raphtalia's voice fell to a mutter of flusterment, but she was interrupted when Naofumi spoke up.

"Filo..." Naofumi called the smaller party member over as Raphtalia grew perplexed by what he was doing as Filo hopped over with a wonderous face. "Sleep with Raphtalia tonight." He said to her as Filo had no issues with that.

"'Kay!" Filo said with a big smile while raising her hand as Raphtalia was beginning to feel defeated as her ears drooped down a little.

"Huh?" Raphtalia said in confusion.

"You're cold, aren't you?" Naofumi said as he turned around to exit the room, leaving a defeated and mopey Raphtalia for the night.

"That's not what I meant..." Raphtalia's voice fell silent with a frown on her face as Filo lifted the sheets to join her older sister for bed.

"Join us, Master." Filo asked him.

"No way." Naofumi replied from the doorway as the two of them sighed in sadness while he couldn't help but smile at them. "I'm not warm, you know." He said before leaving them as the two girls were pouting for the rest of the night.

Wanting to get a breath of fresh cool air outside before he fell asleep, Naofumi walked out of the house and took a chance to look up and stare at the starry sky above. Whilst gazing at the sky, all he could think about was what he had to do now for not just himself, but for the two comrades he cared for, and how he needed to become stronger than he was today.

"I have to grow stronger...Along wit the people who believe in me. And I'll protect them, come what may!" Naofumi made this declaration to himself as the shield on his arm shined from the stars above.

Whilst he was star gazing and contemplating the unknown future that he and his allies were barreling towards, Naofumi finally noticed something going on his with shield. Looking down at the green spherical crystal that was sat in the center of his shield, it was flashing steadily as Naofumi cautiously took a look at his shield's status to see what was happening with his Cardinal Weapon

"What's going on with the shield? Has it gone berserk?" Naofumi thought in confusion as he looked through the skill tree, and noticed a flashing skill with a question mark. "What is this? I can't view it..." He thought in confusion before looking to the building he was stood next to. "I don't like this. Better get to a safer spot where no one can get caught in anything." Naofumi made a run to the road outside the village as he slid across the dirt and held out the shield in front of him.

The light coming from the shield began to flash faster and faster and Naofumi could feel a large amount of power surging within the shield. The Cardinal Weapon began vibrating violently as he tried his best to hold it down, and in the skill tree of his shield, the icon that was flashing began spinning around before it turned into a white light and from his shield, Naofumi felt something come out. Covering his eyes from the bright light, others in the village easily took notice of this, even managing to capture Filo and Raphtalia's attention as Raphtalia said something to Filo, and the young girl ran out of the room.

"Master!" Filo yelled while running out of the house they were in as she turned into her Filolial form and sprinted over to Naofumi.

"Stay back! Don't look directly at the light!" Naofumi warned her as Filo slid to a stop and held one of her wings up to cover her eyes.

The two of them stood in their place as strong winds began blowing through the small patch of forest they were in. After a few more moments of being blinded by the flash of light, its shine began to die down along with the winds, and after a few more seconds, the light was gone and all the dust began to settle slowly around them. Naofumi and Filo regained their vision and stood their guard as they noticed a shadowy figure knelt in down ahead of them in the smoke cloud. 

"Naofumi-sama!" Naofumi turned to see Raphtalia slowly making her way over with her sword as the nurse trailed behind her.

"Raphtalia-san! You mustn't be out of bed!" The nurse pleaded with Raphtalia to return to safety.

"Raphtalia! Stay back and protect the villagers!" Naofumi ordered as Raphtalia looked at him with worry as she stopped in her tracks.

"But...!" Raphtalia wanted to join Naofumi at his side, but he turned his back to her.

"You're their last chance if we go down! Stay back!" Naofumi yelled as Raphtalia reluctantly followed his orders and remained at the entrance of the villagers.

Naofumi watched cautiously as the figure slowly stood up and the faint noise of metal tapping against metal reached their ears as heavy footsteps slowly marched towards them. With the figure heading towards them, a brief breeze blew through the area and cleared away the smoke, and once light was able to shine upon the person, there was a green glint of light from a spherical object on the figure as Naofumi was shocked by what stepped out in front of them. A tall knight clad in silver armor stepped out from the smoke as a green gem similar to the one on Naofumi's shield rested at the center of the chest piece of the knight, and a green cape flowed along its back. It had small rounded shoulder plates and full armored gauntlets that run up to the shoulder, with a medium sized chest plate and medium sized leg armor and boots that were pointed at the ends of the toes. The Knight's helmet was completely enclosed aside from furrowed eye slits and a few breathing holes near the mouth area, and the helmet was rounded  all the way up to the top, with a single sharp blade edge running to the back of the helmet where it stopped at a short point not too far out from the head.

"A Knight?" Naofumi said in confusion as the Knight turned its empty, hollow eye slits towards Naofumi.

"You are the Shield Hero? Name?" The Knight asked in a husky male tone.

"Yours first." Naofumi demanded.

"You have no reason to be on guard, Shield Hero." The Knight said as Naofumi was stunned when the steel plated individual suddenly got down on one knee moved his right arm across his chest with his head bowed. "I am a servant to the Shield and its Hero that wields it. My loyalty lies with no other, and I shall move the heavens to accomplish whatever goal you set forth towards." The Knight suddenly devoted itself to Naofumi, surprising the Shield Hero.

"Loyal to the Shield Hero? You were in the shield?" Naofumi said in confusion.

"Yes, sir. I laid resting within the shield until the hero met certain conditions to release me from my dormant state." The Knight explained as Naofumi stared at his shield strangely.

"Was it in response to summoning that shield?" Naofumi wondered as he remembered the image of the wrath shield from earlier as Raphtalia and Filo walked closer to Naofumi's side.

"You serve the Shield Hero?" Raphtalia asked as the Knight looked to her.

"I serve the Shield Hero and all those under his command, and judging from you two being a part of his party, then my loyalty is extended to you both as well." The Knight said as Raphtalia and Filo were both pretty amazed by what they were seeing.

"Hm? You don't have a level..." Naofumi said as he saw question marks around the status bars over the Knight.

"My level is matched to whatever level you have reached. Seeing as I am basically the embodiment of the shield itself, I share whatever strengths you obtain. I may even change form based on your desire." The Knight revealed as this seemed like a surprise to Naofumi.

"Really? You can look like however want you to look?" Naofumi said as the Knight stood up straight.

"Not exactly as you wish, but whatever you desire my armor to resemble, then I shall take on a resembling form that you think of to the best of my ability." The Knight said as Naofumi began to think.

"Why not give him a new form?" Raphtalia said as Naofumi was surprised by the encouragement.

"Easier said than done...Um..." Naofumi closed his eyes and began to imagine certain details of armor.

Whilst Naofumi was imagining a design for the Knight, Raphtalia and Filo were shocked when Naofumi's shield began to glow and shine on the steel armor of the Knight, and it suddenly began to morph and bend into different shapes. The green cape suddenly shortened and changed to blue fur around the shoulders as a the helmet began changing shapes as well, and before long, Naofumi opened his eyes to see what he came up with so far.

"Alright, that should be enough." Naofumi opened his eyes and was surprised to see it actually worked, and the Knight now had a different form.

"Wow! He looks different from before!" Filo said while bouncing around the Knight as she closely inspected him.

"It looks incredible..." Raphtalia said as she gently poked the tips of the shoulder plates.

"Thank you for bestowing upon me such a gracious form, Shield Hero." The Knight said while crossing its right arm across his chest, and the green gem that was once in the chest plate, was now located on the right forearm.

"What's your name?" Naofumi asked as the Knight seemed perplexed and lowered its head.

"I...do not possess a name." The Knight admitted.

"Huh? Why?" Naofumi asked in wonder.

"I was never given one, nor thought it important. My goal upon being summoned from my slumber was only to assist the Shield Hero in their adventures and maintain the Shield's power, specifically, stopping the Curse Shield from coming forth." The Knight explained his mission as Naofumi stared down at his shield.

"So it was in response to that shield...Do you know anything about it?" Naofumi asked as the Knight shook his head.

"My memory is all but together. I have no recollection of anything other than my mission to assist you, and ensuring the survival of this world. Any other information about the Cardinal Weapon itself, I am just as knowledgeable about it as you are." The Knight said as this was a downer on Naofumi's attempt to further understand his Shield.

"Well, it was worth a shot. So, how do I send you back into the shield?" Naofumi asked as this surprised Raphtalia.

"Naofumi-sama, isn't that too--!" Raphtalia was interrupted when Naofumi raised his hand to silence her.

"Just because you came out of the shield and pledged your loyalty doesn't mean you're our ally. You could have been lying to try and lower my guard." Naofumi said with a firm tone, only to be surprised when the Knight raised its left hand, and on the back of it appeared a slave crest with a shield symbol.

"I am incapable of telling lies or deceiving the Shield Hero, even if I so desired." The Knight said as this swiftly cut those worries into pieces. "Shield Hero, my sole existence is to aid you in your journey's to fight the Waves of Catastrophe and save this world from impending doom. For that sake, I will travel through the deepest pits of hell with you until we achieve victory, or the embrace of death falls upon us." He said as he crossed his arm across his chest again and bowed his head.

"Naofumi-sama..." Naofumi looked to see Raphtalia encouraging him to accept this new individual into their party.

"...All right. If you prove yourself a hindrance, I'll find a way to stuff you back into this shield, got it?" Naofumi said as the Knight raised its head seemingly with excitement.

"I swear on all pieces of my armor that I shall prove no hindrance to your journeys, and will provide excellent combat capabilities in whatever battles we may encounter." The Knight proclaimed as it stood at attention.

"Stop with that whole servant act, it's embarrassing. Just act natural like a normal party member would." Naofumi said as this confused the Knight.

"Natural? By what definition does your form of 'Natural' mean, Shield Hero?" The Knight asked.

"First, stop calling me the Shield Hero. My name is Iwatani Naofumi, so call me however you please." Naofumi said as the Knight put a finger to its chin.

"Iwatani Naofumi...? Then, Naofumi." The Knight said as this shocked Raphtalia.

"First names already?!" Raphtalia thought in surprise.

"Oh, that's right. We should probably think of a name for you..." Naofumi said with a wondering look on his face.

"Y/N-chan!" Filo's voice suddenly called out as Filo grabbed onto the Knight's shoulder plate and she dangled off of him. 

"Y/N-chan?" Naofumi and Raphtalia repeated with raised brows as Filo climbed on top of the Knight and rode atop his shoulders.

"Yeah! Let's call him Y/N-chan!" Filo said as the Knight put his hand to his chin and nodded.

"Y/N, is it? Not a bad name." The Knight said with a hint of favor towards that name.

"I also think it's a nice name." Raphtalia said as Naofumi looked to you.

"Then from this day forth, you are Y/N, our newest party member." Naofumi said while extending his hand with the shield out.

"Thank you for blessing me with the name, Y/N. I shall carry it with pride until the day I am destroyed or my armor rusts." You said as you extended your hand with the shield's gen on it as you two bumped fists, and the Shield Hero's party gained an unexpected new member.