1 [1] Summoned

I should say it now. This story began with my naive self and ended the same. The idea of another world was one I had always easily imagined. Who wouldn't want to be summoned as a hero? Wielding immense power as those around you praise you while you cut down evil doers? That's the life there.

Although I hid it carefully from those around me—even my best friend—there's nothing more that gets the blood boiling and the heart beating than a fantasy in which you're the perfect knight in shining armor.

Oh how naive I was.

—Shana Fraught

1

Shana was a very timid person. It wasn't something caused by her past nor was it an emotional barrier. It was just simply a characteristic of herself, something that was a part of her and something that defined her very being.

So when we found ourselves in such a situation, she clung to me as if her life was at stake.

No, actually, it might be just that. In this unknown dark place that we found ourselves, I wouldn't be surprised if someone or something came crawling out of the shadows in order to pry on us.

However, a more prominent issue at hand was how exactly did we find ourselves in this situation?

We were on our way home when a flash of light descended on us both and the next thing we noticed, we were already here.

My sapphire eyes wandered but I still couldn't see a single thing in this dark place.

"A-Alice...what should we do?" I could hear a timid voice by the side.

Good grief, although she was taller than me, she could never handle even the smallest of unknown. Like a defensive wall, she hated the unknown and the strange. Which was most likely why I was her only friend.

Although, I was the same. While she couldn't handle the unknown, I simply rather not have it. Shana had always been the only one by my side as I grew older. We had both held each other's back and could probably be called sisters from different parents. At the same age of 15, we proudly call each other childhood best-friends.

"I don't know, we'll just have to wait," I answered her question after a moment of thinking.

I mean, if you were stuck in an unknown and dark area, would you really have any bright ideas? I didn't. Certainly, you could try exploring the area. However, I rather not delve so keenly into the unknown with no knowledge.

A creaking sound entered into this place.

Light began to come from an unknown source as the path before us split up to reveal a rectangular doorway. Slowly, a figure crawled into our vision.

"Cosplaying grandpa?" I inadvertently blurted out.

". . .what do you think he wants?" I felt my shoulders being grabbed tighter.

"Hopefully not to ask us to take a picture with him."

Just as I said that, a feigned cough entered into my ears as the long white beard of the old man swayed left and right. He held a staff that was just as tall as himself in his right hand that matched perfectly with the gray robe he wore. If I didn't know better, I would call him a mage, like the same ones seen in fantasy novels.

"Hello Heroes, I am the great mage Merlin." His hoarse voice spoke.

Guess I really didn't know better.

History repeated itself once more.

2

We stood under the throne of the king.

No, more accurately, we were forced before the king. Our backs were lined with knights in shining armor and the old man named Merlin stood at our side.

In this great hall of seamless bleached marble and a golden throne, I and Shana held our hands together in quietness as we observed our situation.

The king was a middle-aged man in clothes of royalty: A robe of red lined with gold. His eyes were a hazel color as they pierced towards us both, he was tall even when sitting and his broad shoulders helped with his figure. All this coupled with his flaming like hair made him seem like a man that wished for all to bask in his glory. My rating of him had already gone down just for his aura.

"Why aren't you kneeling?" His voice echoed through the room and seemed to enter into my very depths.

I could feel Shana's hand quivering and her body was already about to fall to kneel. However, I held her hand up and spoke my mind.

"I'm sorry but in my world, there isn't such a thing as a king, at least not anymore. We've just entered into this world and would like to know our situation before boldly following and kneeling before an unknown individual."

Yes, looking at the situation and the clues given to me, this was most likely a case just like the ones I've only ever read in books. In other words, this was the scenario of being summoned to another world.

If they summoned us then they must need us in some way or the other, I used this as my bargaining chip. Even if I spoke out of turn towards the king, I wouldn't think we would be killed or injured for that.

Although I couldn't say I was a polite person, I did, however, try to sound as polite and unharming as possible.

A short moment and a tense atmosphere drifted before the laughter of the king echoed.

The mage called Merlin quickly bowed and spoke, "I'm sorry, your majesty, I have failed to educate them before bringing them before you."

His glare seemed to also direct towards me and, for an old man, he exalted a very dangerous aura that seemed to press down on me—wishing to make me kneel. However, I refused to do so.

"Maybe we should kneel?"

I shook my head and waited. No matter what punishment we faced for not kneeling, it wouldn't be something bad since they just summoned us too.

The voice of the king began to die down as a mystical smile appeared on his lips.

"I am Alabaster Gridion, ruler and king of the nation Albion," He stated plainly and waited quietly.

His eyes darted and watched me carefully, waiting for the action I choose to do. The smile still plastered on his face as if he was still hoping I would refuse to kneel before him in hopes to see a good show, yet, he was bound to be disappointed.

I knew when to keep walking forwards and when to take a step back. I knew this was the best I could hope for as I began to bend my body while dragging my friend down with me.

"My name is Alice Strong, 15 years of age," I bent on one knee and made my introduction short.

"M-my...name..is..."

"She is Shana Fraught, also 15 years old."

3

I sat on the bed opposite my friend as I stared at her figure.

She still wore her school uniform. Wearing a blue shirt with a red tie that matched with her blue skirt above her black stockings. She had on an overcoat of black and a scarf of red that shielded her face just below the rims of her black glasses. Her short, silver blonde, hair also served to mystify her image with her golden pupils.

Although she was so beautiful, it was a small shame that she feared strangers.

Her clothing was in contrast to mine. On our way home, I had just left baseball practice so I was still wearing my training sportswear for fall.

I had on a sports jacket of blue lined with gold and underneath that, I had on the school gym uniform of a white shirt and black gym shorts. Finally, my outfit was finished off with a blue baseball cap that fit nicely above my short, golden hair. A blue scarf trimmed with gold, and long socks of blue that reached my thigh came together to finish it all off.

Can you guess what my favorite colors were? If you guessed blue and gold, then you would be right.

"Alice..." Shana began as she hugged the pillow and her back faced against the cobblestone walls of the room.

"Do you think I can actually become a hero?" Her eyes stared into mine and I could see them quiver a bit.

Yes, that was why we were summoned, to become heroes. It seemed like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

However, it was also an unbelievable reality.

We had been given this room for the time being to rest and the hero awakening ceremony would officially be held in an hour or so.

I didn't have a definite answer to her question. At least, not an answer for her ears.

What exactly was a hero? I had always thought of them as super-powered beings that could literally rule the world if they wanted to but instead chose to save lives. Or, were forced to.

But thinking again, even a police officer, doctor, and a firefighter can all be considered heroes. Although not as exaggerated as the ones in books and televisions, they also saved lives on a daily basis.

"I don't know."

In the end, that was my answer.

I really did not know because what words I could give her would amount to a sentence she could not bare.

A hero was someone who killed for peace.

I stared at my hands and clutched it. Feeling a returning strength in me. I breathed and felt a once lost energy rolling within me.

I sighed. History really did repeat itself.

"Alice?"

"It's nothing. . ."

4

We stood within a magic circle, both of us in the dead center of the faintly glowing white circle.

"As you've just arrived in this world, your body has not adapted to mana yet," The great sage Merlin spoke as he held up his staff.

"This process is simply to quickly awaken the mana in your body, thereby awakening the heroic power you possess."

"Are you ready?" He asked and already began to activate the circle.

What are you being high with your words for? The magic circle would simply blast us both with mana and force ours bodies to become used to the sensation in a moment.

We didn't have time to answer his question nor to be mad at his lack of patience, however, as a white light began to block our vision. The magic circle lit up in all its glory and I could feel my body beginning to heat up. Finally, forced by the light, I closed my eyes.

Something was calling from within me.

I opened my eyes.

It was an endlessly desolate white space.

There was only a single item before me, a sword stabbed into a stone and held down by chains which wrapped around its blade and handle.

As if by instinct, I walked forwards and grasped the hilt of the sword. My right hand tightened around the blue handle just above the golden hilt.

It was effortless, as I pulled the sword, the chains seemed to swim away and disappear as if they were snakes.

I could feel my heart beating in intensity and my blood rising.

A loud roar entered into the depths of my soul as I came face to face with a figure.

I stared at the gigantic beast in front of me. Its jaws opened up in white fangs and it's white scales glistering in a golden light. It towered above me and seemed to reach the very sky of this strange world.

Opening its jaws, it roared as its might created a wind that blew apart the world, sending cracks across the space.

Amidst this nonstop cause and effect, the dragon produced another world-shaking roar that finally shattered this space before turning into a ball of white light and diving into my body.

Inadvertently I raised the sword.

I could feel the back of my right hand beginning to burn a holy flame. A small brand slowly formed: a white dragon coiled around a radiating golden sword.

That was the mark of the wielder of Excalibur.

"Mhmm, good to wield you again," I muttered. It sure was happy to be in my hands again.

My eyes truly opened.

A single sword floated in front of me. A blue handle with a golden hilt and a silver blade.

This was Excalibur.

I grasped it's hilt and basked in the glory. Just holding the sword alone filled me with more strength than usual.

I felt...like a hero. A taste I was all but familiar with.

I looked over at Shana and saw her eyes mesmerized at the blade that floated before her.

Her sword was a complete black with runes that stretched from the hilt down to its tip and glowed in a faint red light.

Shakingly so, Shana grasped her blade and looked towards me.

"My sword. . .is called Gram, what's yours called?"

I noted the glimmer of light in her eyes, although stuttering, she held that sword in her hand with effort and I could see that mark of the sword on her right hand: a black dragon coiling around a flaming black blade.

"Excalibur," I answered her.

5

A cough drew our attention back towards the old man.

I looked over him and finally asked my question, "Why did we gain this powers? How were we summoned? And why did you summon us?"

To be honest, I already knew most of the answer to these questions. Yet, it was best I acted as if I did not. It was best I played the role of a novice hero until I could gain more information about this specific world. Before I jumped ahead, I wanted as many details as possible.

Merlin stood before us in all his wizardly holiness and began to speak.

"There are multiple worlds in existence and each has their own rank. Any being summoned from a higher ranked world and descending into a lower ranked world is given a compensation or power to ease their travels."

"That is also the reason we summon Heroes from our closest world as it has a higher rank than ours."

Yeah yeah, skip. I gotcha old man. This girl understand that already.

He went on to explain some magical nonsense about an ancient magic that, once our world and theirs aligned, could be used to summon Heroes. Yup, that was a familiar summoning magic I was used to.

"As for why we summoned you, its to help quell the chaos in this world of course!" He said.

I knew it right then and there, this was the cliche scenario where we would be led around as brute workers, wasn't it?

Yet, I had a more pressing question to ask him.

"Is there a way to return to our world?" I asked.

It was a question I always asked no matter what. It was vital, after all. Both to gauge the character of those who summoned me and to simply make sure of the fact.

"Of course," He nodded, "Once our two worlds align once again."

"And when would that be?" I carefully questioned.

"Ten years from now." He answered back.

Ah, they were mad. They wanted me to spend my time in this world fighting for them for ten years? They really were mad.

I laughed.

Truly mad.

This was the first world I had ever came to whose length of stay was that long. Even the others hadn't required that much time.

Yes, indeed. Shana and this magical bullshit mage in front of me did not know but this was not my first heroic summoning. Nor was it my second or third. Counting, this was my sixth. Ever since I reached 15 years of age, I seemed to always rope myself into summons. I could handle them no problem, as most lasted for less than a year and 2 years at most, and I would return to Earth without a lick of time having passed.

That did not mean the passage of time in the worlds themselves did not affect my mentality though. It definitely did. My body was a teenager's but my mind was well into its young adult stage already.

Yet, what the hell was this man on about 10 years for? Did I really seem that interested in staying in this world for that long? I just wanted to bash whatever beast thrown our way and get on with it like I always did.

"We can't wait that long," I said, eyes squinting at the man.

"There's nothing that can be done but wait."

Merlin smiled.

Even with his graceful grin, the area around us two had already tamed down a notch as sparks flew between our eyes. Shana butted in at that moment.

"Excuse me but. . .umm. . .are we really heroes now? What will we be doing? Saving people?" She muttered in an almost inaudible voice.

She clutched her sword to her chest while I held mine relaxed and parallel to my feet. I would have very much liked to unsummon it, but the old geezer before me may become suspicious at even that action.

"Ah, you're the one with the brain, I see," Merlin stroked his beard, nodding knowingly as he insulted me.

"Umm. . ." Shana blushed and sneaked me some glances.

"Tsk."

Certainly, the old foggy had annoyed me with his initial statement and smile to the point where I disregarded the rest of his words. I suppose this was a case where two heads were better than one, after all. I was not one to be patient with people, but Shana was the type that would smile even as others wasted her time and energy.

Such a kind kid. Truly, I couldn't allow her to be ingrained with the taste of war.

"Indeed. You two will be saving people," He smiled.

What liars.

Yet his words caused Shana to smile and nod after him.

"Sounds fun!" Since we got here, this was the first time she spoke enthusiastically.

It seemed to me that she might actually like the idea of being a hero. That was a surprise.

"Fufufu, don't get too impatient yet, Miss. The two of you still have training to overcome before you can become heroes."

Indeed. Even with immense power, a hero did not come from nothing overnight. Training was a must. I agreed with the old man for once. Yet, his next words threw me for a loop.

"We will be enrolling you in Albion's Knight Academy."

This was a first.