CHAPTER 1 Part 2: A Familiar Sight 5 years passed* I still couldn’t wake up from this world, thinking I could somehow wake up from this nightmare but ultimately decided to give this “Isekai” world a chance. Subconsciously deciding that this will be my second chance to live happily with my family. Thud… One day, while helping with the dishes, I heard something fall and both my sister and I were called out by our mother. “Sura, Aishita come here!” Her voice resonates throughout the house. I came to the room where I heard the voice mother came from and saw something I wished I never saw again. I saw a familiar sight of my father collapsed on the floor, sprawled, and weakened. A bad memory resurfaced from the back of my mind where I kept every memory since the pandemic happened, not wanting to remember anything from those days. The conversation I had with Akihito just before he was hospitalized. I remembered the familiar house I grew up in, a two-story concrete house, not too grand and not too humble. My room was located on the second floor and is large enough for both me and Misaki to share when we were young but as time went by she eventually got her own room, which she was so happy about. My father came knocking on my door. Unlocking it, revealed my father wearing his casual clothes, his white work coat draping on his arms ready for work. He awkwardly leaned on my door frame as I went back to my computer, sitting down lazily. {“Sura, I’m going to work now, you can make lunch and dinner yourself right?”} {“yes”} {“don't stare at the monitor too much, okay?”} {“yes”} {“well then, I’m off to work”} Dad slowly walked towards the stairs. {thud…} {“tou-san?”} I peeked from my room to see Akihito collapsed on the floor, I immediately called for an ambulance. I always enjoyed spending time with my father before, but, due to the events that took place during the pandemic that lasted for 5 years, I became distant towards not only my father but to others as well. A sudden reminder of the reality of being left on my own, the feeling of powerlessness resonates on my mind. My legs gave out, and I fall on the ground, I breathe heavily. I blinked, and suddenly, I find myself inside a dark room, a voice called out to me which got my attention. “What’s up kiddo, I don’t think we have met before. But you don’t need to know who I am yet, you are the main character of this… story yes let’s go with that, and I am merely a spectator, not someone special, but in due time you’ll come to know who I am. For now, I need you to go with Aishita today.” I felt some authority in his voice, such confidence like no other, like he was a god. On closer inspection a shadowy human figure rests sitting on top of a throne, a burly man is what I would describe the mysterious shadow. Hundreds of necklaces covered his neck, he was heavily armored from his torso down to his toes. His hands rest on his knees slouching himself so that we meet eye to eye. His eyes were green that glowed in the dark which seemed to look inside me, looking at my soul. “Who… Who are you? Why am I here? Are you the one who summoned me into this world? For what purpose?” “you’ll know when the time is right. As for now, good luck with taking care of your father” “wa… wait!! WAI—“ After the sudden introduction of an unknown character, I was sent back to the room where Griffin collapsed. “Are you okay?” my sister came to my side grabbing my shoulders softly “Ye-yeah…” I stuttered, still confused about the sudden dream or was it a vision? “Sura, Aishita can you help me in carrying your father to bed?” Mary held Griffin awkwardly, she was visibly struggling to carry Griffin. The three of us helped each other carrying Griffin to bed. Mary asked both Aishita and me to stay by Griffin’s side because she had to go to the local market to buy some ingredients for medicine, however, Aishita insisted that she and I should go instead because Mary was not her usual self. Mary agreed reluctantly. With Mary taking care of Griffin, both of us went out to buy the ingredients. [I don’t know if I can trust that… vision or man but I don’t have anything I can do to avoid not helping my sister out.] “you don’t need to be scared, Tou-san will be fine, he always get sick” “…” “Is this the first time you’ll go outside?” “yes” “Don’t worry Onee-chan will protect you! Come on, hold my hand, I don’t want you to get lost.” With a bright smile on Aishita’s face, she reassured me and I held her hand. Gadvell village of the Kingdom of LouwenDale has been inhabited by both humans and demi-humans alike, occasionally other races also come to trade either by land or by sea. Wooden and stone houses can be seen from left to right, a stone pathway leads from one end of the village to the other, while dirt patches lead from each house to the main stone path. Flowers of every kind and every color decorated each house, being near the ocean also helps the local fish market for extra sources of meat that comes from the animals that are hunted inside the forest that enveloped the village. We entered the local fish market, a variety of products displayed from equally placed stands. Surprisingly the smell isn’t that bad for a fish market, I guess it is an open air market, so the smell of fish and meat won’t be trapped. “…Fresh fish! Fre…” “…grown veggies!” “Hello cuties, are you two looking for some snacks?” “Oh. No miss, we’re just passing by” “Hey, Aishita! Are you here to buy wild boar meat?” “No mister Derrick, my dad fell ill again so we’re just passing by” “HAHA! Your father always had been weak to sickness” “Thanks!” “Aishita! How have you been!” “I’m fine, miss Reign!” “Oh what a cute little boy!” “He get his cuteness from me!” “He sure do” While walking through the fish market, a man suddenly bumped into me. The man seems to be skinny and tall; he wore these long black robes with a cowl that covered his entire face and body. No other features can be seen making him mysterious and he also gave this dreadful feeling. Aishita was scared and trembling, however, she still spoke to the man that bumped into me and didn’t apologize. “um… excuse me…” However, that man had places to go and didn’t even notice Aishita. Just like that, he was gone and blended into the crowd. I noticed a book that the man accidentally dropped and picked it up. Learning the Arts of Shadow Necromancy ASHURA