The light swallowed everything.
Not just bright—consuming.
Sound, color, sensation—gone. All collapsed into a void of blinding white.
Kriss tried to move, to scream, to reach his friends—but his limbs felt frozen. His thoughts echoed in the stillness, scattered like whispers in a storm.
Then—
He fell.
Not onto ground, but through something. Layers of pressure passed over him—air, water, shadow—until reality cracked.
Impact.
He hit hard. The breath tore from his lungs. Cold stone scraped against his side. His ears rang.
Kriss groaned, slowly pushing himself upright.
"Ugh… what…"
He gazed upward, but what he saw wasn't the sky at all.
Instead, a domed ceiling stretched overhead, carved with glowing, circular runes. The scent of incense filled the air, warm and earthy. The floor was a polished dark stone, smooth beneath his palms.
A groan echoed beside him.
Michael sat up, dazed. "Kriss?"
"I'm here," Kriss replied, heart racing.
A third voice. "Where the heck are we?" Leo muttered, rubbing his back. "Did I land on a rock? I think I landed on a rock."
They were in some kind of ritual chamber—grand, echoing, silent but for the crackling of torches mounted on intricately carved pillars. Gold-trimmed tapestries hung along the walls, each one stitched with unfamiliar symbols and beasts. At the far end stood a massive crystal, floating above a pedestal, humming with residual energy.
Then came the sound of footsteps—dozens of them.
A group of robed figures approached, their faces a mix of awe and hesitation. Behind them stood armored knights, spears at the ready but not raised.
Kriss instinctively stepped in front of his friends. Michael scanned the room for exits. Leo was dead quiet—eyes narrowed, calculating.
The man in front—the one with the tallest hat and the most embroidery—stepped forward.
"Are you… well?" he asked, voice trembling slightly.
None of the boys answered.
"You are unharmed?" the man continued. "No injuries?"
Kriss frowned. "Where are we? What is this place?"
The man exhaled a shaky breath. "Thank the gods. The summoning… it worked."
Michael stiffened. "Summoning?"
"Indeed," the robed man said. "You were chosen—by the Great Crystal of Astravar. Brought here from your realm in our hour of greatest need."
Kriss exchanged a look with Leo and Michael.
Leo folded his arms. "Right. Because that's not suspicious at all."
"We understand this must be disorienting," another robed figure said, stepping beside the first. "But you must believe us—this was no mistake. The prophecy speaks of three who will come from another world. The moment the skies tore… we knew."
"We're not the mistake," Kriss whispered, recalling the glyph—the sky splitting open. The strange pull on his chest.
The memory pulsed inside him. Like something unfinished.
Michael crossed his arms. "And what exactly do you need from us?"
The head mage looked grim. "We will explain everything soon. For now… rest. Recover. We've prepared rooms, food, water—anything you need. Tomorrow, your path begins."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Path to where?"
The mage hesitated. "To the Demon Lord's lands. To reclaim our world."
The room fell silent.
Kriss's mouth went dry. "Hold on. You're saying we were brought here to fight?"
"Not yet," the mage said. "You'll train. Learn. Grow. But the prophecy is clear. You are our last hope."
Leo sighed. "I knew I should've stayed in bed."
The knights moved aside, revealing a doorway bathed in soft blue light. A servant bowed.
"Please," the mage said. "You are honored guests of the kingdom now."
Kriss didn't move at first. Neither did the others.
But eventually… they followed.
Through that doorway, their new life awaited.
They didn't know it yet—
But the summoning hadn't been wrong.
Just bigger than anyone expected.