Episode 1: The Wrong Summon
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Akihiro Ishikawa had never been particularly lucky. That was something he knew about himself — he was just an ordinary guy. A high school student, no special talents, no remarkable achievements. He spent most of his days lost in books, escaping into stories about fantastical worlds, not realizing that one day, he'd find himself in one of those worlds. But not the way he had imagined.
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The world around him was a blur. His stomach flipped, and his vision darkened as if his very existence was being stretched and distorted. There was a strange tugging sensation, a violent pull on his soul, as if the fabric of reality was being torn apart and reconstructed around him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and worst of all, he couldn't understand what was happening. His limbs flailed helplessly as the world spun, faster and faster.
And then, all at once, it stopped.
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Akihiro gasped for air, his lungs burning as the darkness faded. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus on his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the cold, stone floor beneath his hands. He had fallen. His hands trembled as they made contact with the surface, and he slowly pushed himself up. His head swam with dizziness, but he forced himself to stand, only to stagger back a few steps as his vision cleared.
Where am I?
His surroundings were unlike anything he had ever seen. The chamber stretched far above him, with high ceilings that seemed to disappear into the shadows. Strange runes were etched into the walls, glowing faintly with an eerie light. Pillars made of a material he couldn't identify stood tall, reaching up like ancient sentinels. There was a palpable sense of magic in the air — thick, almost tangible. A hum of energy, both comforting and ominous.
Akihiro's heart raced, and his instincts screamed that something was wrong. He stumbled forward, disoriented, when he noticed figures standing before him, watching. They were tall, dressed in robes that shimmered with a strange light, their eyes glowing with an unnatural intensity.
The first figure, a man in gold-trimmed robes, stepped forward, his presence almost suffocating. A crown rested on his head, gleaming with a divine light that only made the atmosphere feel more surreal. His voice, when it came, was deep and commanding.
"Welcome, Hero," he said, his tone rich with authority.
Akihiro's confusion deepened. Hero? He looked around, hoping for some kind of explanation. "What's going on? Where am I?"
"You've been summoned," the man said, his eyes narrowing slightly as if waiting for Akihiro's reaction. "The kingdom needs you. You are the chosen one who will save us from destruction."
Akihiro blinked, his mind racing. Summoned? Hero? The words didn't make sense. He wasn't a hero. He was just a normal guy who had been sitting in his room, playing games, reading books. He wasn't prepared for any of this. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, another voice interrupted.
"This is wrong," a woman said, stepping forward. She had long silver hair, and her eyes were a piercing shade of blue, colder than any human eyes should be. A staff pulsed with magic in her hands, and the energy around her seemed to shimmer with an almost dangerous allure. "This is not the one."
The robed man turned to her, his expression hardening. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice sharp. "He has been summoned. He is the one."
The woman shook her head, her gaze never leaving Akihiro. "He isn't. His aura doesn't match. The magic... it's wrong."
Akihiro took a step back, his heart pounding. This wasn't making any sense. "What do you mean, 'wrong'? What's going on? I don't belong here!"
The man in the gold-trimmed robes looked at him with a mix of disdain and impatience. "You have been summoned to another world. You are here to fight the coming darkness, the calamity that threatens our land. It is an honor, a duty. Do not waste it."
Akihiro shook his head, his thoughts spiraling. "I don't belong here! I didn't ask to be brought here! I just… I was in my room, and then—"
"Enough!" The woman snapped, her eyes glowing brighter as she raised her staff. "This is a mistake, a disturbance. He isn't supposed to be the one, but the ritual cannot be undone. He is bound to this world now."
Akihiro's legs weakened, and he collapsed onto his knees, the weight of the situation crashing down on him. "You mean… I can't go back? I'm stuck here?" His voice cracked with panic, but the words felt hollow even as he said them. The shock of his new reality was too much for him to process.
The robed man stepped forward, his expression cold. "Yes. You are bound here, and you will serve the kingdom as its hero. If you refuse…" His voice trailed off, but Akihiro could see the unspoken threat in his eyes. "We will have no choice but to dispose of you."
The threat hung in the air like an unspoken promise, and Akihiro felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He had no idea what was happening, but he knew he didn't have much of a choice. He looked up at the man, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"What am I supposed to do?" Akihiro asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "How am I supposed to fight anything? I don't have any magic. I'm just a normal guy!"
The robed man's expression softened, though not in sympathy. "You will learn. You will train. You will become the hero this world needs." He paused, his gaze flickering to the woman beside him. "Even if you are not the one we wanted, you will be the one we have."
Akihiro's mind spun. This can't be real. I don't belong here. I was just—
Before he could finish the thought, the air in the room shifted. A low growl echoed from the shadows, deep and menacing. Akihiro froze, his heart skipping a beat as he turned toward the sound. Something moved in the dark, something massive and dangerous.
"What is that?" he whispered.
The robed woman raised her staff, her eyes narrowing. "A summoned creature, likely drawn here by the disturbance. It seems that your arrival has caused more chaos than we anticipated."
The growl grew louder, and a hulking figure emerged from the shadows, its eyes glowing with a fiery red hue. It was a massive creature, its form twisted and unnatural, with jagged claws that scraped against the stone floor. Its snarl was deafening as it stepped into the light, its presence sending a wave of fear through Akihiro's chest.
The man in robes raised his hands, casting a protective barrier around them, but Akihiro could feel the power in the air flicker. It wasn't enough to contain the creature's fury. The monster lunged forward with a speed Akihiro couldn't even process, its claws slashing at the barrier. The force of the attack shook the entire chamber, and Akihiro stumbled back, barely managing to stay on his feet.
"What do we do?" he asked, panic bubbling in his throat.
The woman looked at him coldly. "Nothing. You do nothing. You're a bystander here, a mistake. If you want to survive, stay out of our way."
Akihiro's chest tightened. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, and for the first time since he had arrived, fear took hold of him. But in that moment, something inside him snapped. He couldn't just stand there and do nothing. He was no hero, but he wasn't a coward either.
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The barrier cracked under the creature's onslaught. Akihiro's breath caught in his throat as the creature roared, its claws striking the robed man's defense with devastating power.
"Get out of the way!" Akihiro shouted, feeling something surge within him, something unfamiliar.