Antonio’s PoV

I felt like a mice being thrown around while being hit by a broom. All in all I feel like puking my guts out. Isn’t magic a thing in this world? Why don’t they heal me then?!?

*Knock*

*Knock*

*Knock*

The door opened and a girl with long black hair wearing a maid uniform, she glanced at me with her dim eyes and said in a monotone voice, “Please follow me.”

Without waiting for me she walked ahead.

I sighed and followed her without any complaints, the castle is really huge it feel like a maze if there isn’t anyone guiding me I would be lost. Is this necessary? I think not, maybe the reason for to make a castle big is to show off to other people.

“Please.” She opened the door and gestured me to go in.

I nodded, and I walked in, “Hello? Anyone home?”

The room is pretty small compared to the hall but it can fit more than twenty people and they can still run around without taking much space! Seriously this is just over the top to just impress someone.

A girl stood there watching the windows her red, curly hair slightly covers a fine, sad face. Glittering hazel eyes, set concealed within their sockets, watch affectionately over the mountain longing for freedom. Her noble dress flows from top to bottom and has a halter neckline, which harmoniously reveals the modest dress worn below it. The soft, corset of her dress covers her stomach where the continuous flow is broken up by a wide cloth band worn fairly low around her waist.

Below the cloth band the dress opens up to the left and reveals the dress below. The front of the top dress easily reaches the ground in the front, the back continues to flow a good length behind her and ends in a narrow tip.

Her sleeves are almost the length of her arms and a little narrow, their flow is broken up below the shoulder where they're divided by thin, refined bands, these are the same fabric and color used to outline the sleeves of the dress.

The girl turned around and her showed a bright smile, the sad face she wore vanished like it was just a dream. “Welcome, sit here and I will cure you from your injuries.”

I followed her instructions, trying to have a conversation I said anything what inside my mind, “Why are you sad?” I shouldn’t have said that! Now she thinks I’m insensitive or something. ‘William was right, I am an idiot.’ I lamented.

“Sad you say?” She lowered her head her head I couldn’t see her expression it was covered with her curly red hair.

“Nevermind…” I said, trying to change the subject because my mind is a mess I say something stupid. “Sister you’re so sexy!” I paled, what is going on with me! This is the reason why I don’t want to talk to girls if they aren’t familiar to me.

She looked at me and laughed her, “You’re cute trying to cheer me up.” She ruffled my hair like a big sister to a brother.

I lowered my head down as I mumbled, “I’m not cute… I’m handsome...”

“By the way what does ‘sexy’ means?” I sighed in relief, ‘Fortunately she doesn’t understand it.’

“Beautiful.” I said immediately.

“Really?”

“Really.” I smiled. “When are you gonna cure me?” I was not changing the subject. I swear!

“Its done you just didn’t notice it.” She said, “Now let us go, we need meet the King and the Queen.”

“Name is Anton.” I introduced myself.

“You should have introduced yourself first than asking me why I’m sad.” She said jokingly, I laughed awkwardly. “My name is Setine.”

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After a minute of walking we reached a large door with ornaments of gold, “Woah…” The King really know how to live to the fullest huh? I’m envious! They aren’t scared someone will steal the gold? So I’m guessing they open this door with magic.

The guard saw us and pushed the door open with a single hand! How is that possible?!? Is the door light not heavy?

Setine noticed my puzzlement and smiled, “The guard used Qi to strengthen his body to open the door they are warriors. Us mages use Mana to control the elements of nature which is Fire, Water, Earth, Wind. There are also rare elements like Space, Light, Dark, and Creation. To use Mana or Qi one must need to absorb and make a mana pool or Qi lake. When one has a Mana pool they can be called Apprentice. For the warriors is Squire. There are three levels each low, mid, and peak.

The guards are weak they are only on Squire-mid, their only work is to open the door and…close it.”

“What is your level then?” I asked.

She looked sad for a moment then smiled, “ 7th Mage-peak.” I don’t know if she strong or not by looking at her expression so I decided not to say anything I just nodded.

I saw my classmates standing looking around in the throne room some of them are bored while some of them showed interest in the interior of the castle and some of them talked about something funny to entertain themselves.

“Go to your friends.” Setine said, “Wait for the King and Queen they are late because of you, they don’t want to start when someone is missing.Their plan is to woke you up with magic as soon as you entered the castle but a girl said to make you rest for an hour.”

I nodded and walked towards my classmates the first one to notice me was Angel her eyes lit up and wave at me, “Anton you hurt somewhere?” This is Angel her grammar would go down the drain if she was worried or stressed too much more than she can handle.

I ruffled her hair and smiled, “Not anymore, magic is really convenient.”

Alice was whispering to other classmates telling about her theory of which we cannot prove. William rolled his eyes not believing her in fact no one believe her. Alice was a person who wants to be alone and she has no friends in school she only read about mysteries in the internet and try to solve them, in fact she had solve a lot of mysteries in their world she post it in her account on Reddit the only reason I know about her is because the only one who believe her is me. I was shocked and impressed when she showed her account.

She frowned and angrily walked towards me and Angel, “They didn’t believe me again!”

“I know the feeling, they didn’t believe us to when me and Angel said we were abducted by aliens.” I sighed and showed a face of isolation.

Angel played along and she sighed following me, “Yeah…”

Alice looked at us with a blank expression, “Sometimes I think you are a bad influence for Angel.”

“Me too.” I said.

“The King and Queen have arrive!” We turn around as the door opened, A man with light green, well groomed hair almost fully covers a thin excited and tense face. Clear sapphire eyes twinkled as he watched us with joy like a man looking at treasures. A beard complimented his cheek which gives him a aura of an approachable man. Beside him is a lady with brunette, silky long hair. Amethyst cold eyes which give her an aura of indifference and superiority benefiting a queen.

The guards around us bowed but we stood up, every single of my classmates has pride why would they bow down to a person whom they didn’t know besides we lived in a place where democracy reigns.

The Queen showed signs of dissatisfaction but she did not say anything and the King was not bothered by it. They sat down and ordered the guards to raise their heads.

After that our group (me, Angel and Alice.) looked at the King and Queen with interest.

The King smiled amiably like an old man doting his granddaughter, “I apologize for summoning you forcefully but we are in need of heroes to stop a the race Hellicust, they have killed a lot of innocent humans for no reason at all and they are so powerful and I am helpless.” He frowned and showed a wary and battle worn face I felt compelled to help him but I shook myself out of it. ‘His scary…if I wasn’t on guard I would say something like What would I do to help?’

I noticed Angel was not listening at all and looking at me with worried expression and Alice rolled her eyes not believing the king. Nick, Daniel and Phillip are not listening but was joking around with William and Faye saying they are a couple, which caused William and Faye to ignore the King and scold the three of them for not ‘being serious.’

Those who listened felt pity and well one of our classmates sighed, “What can we do? I mean we are just normal people.”

The King smiled, “You’re wrong, those who had been summoned would directly be a 1st level Mage or Knight on the peak level, all you need is to choose which one you want to become.”

My classmates don’t know what is he saying the King noticed it and he explained the way Setine did and tell how to become a mage and a knight but he added some information, “After you reached the peak of the stage Apprentice and Squire next would be 9th level mage-low or 9th level knight-low.

I need to warn you every student on the school would have the same level. 1st level on the peak is just the beginning but those who had been summoned had an advantage you all just need to kill a monster or someone and their Mana or Qi would automatically go to your body with enough Mana and Qi your level would rise.”

It means we can kill anything and absorb their powers to increase our levels?!?

Nick smiled mischievously, “If I could kill you I would become powerful as you. Right?”

William glared at Nick, “Stop saying nonsensical things Nick!”

The King narrowed his eyes at Nick and laughed amiably, “Yes, but you wouldn’t kill an old man like me.” But his eyes flashed with disappointment, “Joking aside, sit down and closed your eyes and try to feel Mana and Qi we will know when you are at the 1st level. Begin.”

We followed his instructions.

‘What do I want to be a Mage or a Knight.’ Which one is stronger? From playing games Mage is stronger in long range combat while a Knight is stronger in melee combat and long range if the Knight specialize in archery but this is not a game a Mage could also strengthen their body with Mana.

“I will become a Mage.” I closed my eyes trying feel Mana after a minute I started to feel it and absorb a tiny bit into my body the little Mana becomes bigger and bigger until I felt waves of throbbing, nauseating pain pulsed within my abdomen and I felt like my breakfast would return to me in an instant. For a moment I thought about just giving in to the pain, letting it consume me completely as there seemed to be no way out. For a moment I focused on the pain, honing in on every sensation. Where it came from, how badly it hurt and how badly I wanted it to stop. I was just an ordinary person how can I endure this when I was never hurt before. All I heard is anguish screams to make it stop.

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After an hour of torment a refreshing and warm feeling flowed inside my body forming a pool glowing with pure blue light. The pain was gone and I was thankful for that. I felt different all my senses increased drastically basically I am like a super human.

The King nodded his head satisfied, “Good! I apologize for not telling you about the pain the reason for pain is your body purified the Mana or Qi you absorb. Expect it when you try to absorb your enemies power who is much stronger than you.” He glanced at Nice and smiled, he did not tell us to make Nick suffer he sure do hold grudges.”Now Mages please stand on the left while the Knight on the right.” Me and Alice are a Mage while Angel is a Knight. Nick, Daniel and Phillip are Knights. William is a Mage and Faye is a Knight. As for the rest I don’t know their names. It seems there are a lot of Knight instead of Mage.

“Now we will show you a illusion magic, tell me if you know the person on the illusion.” I was confused why would they show us an illusion? I looked at Alice she look pale and she tried to calm down.

“I was right….” She muttered.

I looked at her hoping for an answer she sighed, “You’ll understand, just watch.”

“Start the illusion!” The King said.

I heard chanting and all of a sudden smoke appeared and move and formed into a person. I heard a gasp, “That is my father.”

The King nodded and wave his hand and the person change into a different person. My classmates would say that the person is their Father or Mother.

“That is my Mom.” Angel said with tears forming in her eyes, I look at her with worry her mother is dead. While her father left her with her grandparents without saying goodbye.

“Alice?” I asked.

“We replaced ourselves in this world, I don’t know what happened to them but most likely they’re dead if they are alive we would vanished. The most likely who killed them is the King himself.” She said grimly.

“So you will meet your family?” I decided not to think the King is the one who killed our parallel selves but I got a feeling what Alice said was right.

“I’m an orphan but Melanie a rich old lady, adopted me.” Alice noticed I was changing the subject but didn’t say anything.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, Melanie feels like my grandmother.” She laughed. Then the smoke change its appearance to a lady with the same features as Alice. She looks like Alice! Its her mother!

“Alice look!” I pointed at the illusion as soon as Alice saw the girl she turned silent.

“I feel bad, for the parallel me she has a mother but she was killed.” She spoke silently but there was anger in her voice.

“This is the last one.” The King said, What?!? Only me and William were left! Why one?!? The smoke change into a man with a stern face. My face fell. Does it mean I have no one. I was hoping to meet my father and mother again since they were gone.

William sighed, “That’s my father.”

“Whose the one left?” The King asked.

“Me.” I said. “Why there is no illusion of my father or my mother.”

“They died.” How laughable! I was expecting to meet my father or mother just like Alice but fate wants to play with me.

I smiled, “I see…” Angel seemed to calm down when she saw my smile.

“Those who had parents follow my guards and they will bring you to your ‘families’”

Angel looked at the King, “What about Anton?”

“Ahh, so your name is Anton.” He looked at me closely studying my appearance then he smiled strangely. “He will stay here for a few days and he will go to the orphanage. I swear I will not hurt him. Now go girl.”

He stood up and laughed loudly, “Enjoy your new homes and I hope you all will make happy and new memories!”

After a while all the lively throne room turned into desolate one. The only one left in this room is the King, Queen, Setine and the guards.

“Meet your brother Setine.” The King laughed, “ And Anton or shall I say Seth meet your sister.”

I have a sister? I don’t have a sister on Earth, Alice said that Thera is a parallel world of the planet Earth.

Setine glared at the King angrily but the King ignored her and glanced at me, “You just looked like Seth, he was a great and courageous boy.”

“Why bother telling me? You killed him yourself as well as his parents.” I sneered. I’m not sure if the King killed them but I trust Alice since she said that the King was the one who killed our parallel version of us.

The King looked at me with astonishment, “You are just as smart as him too.”

“Idiot! Why did you say that?!?” Setine said sadly as well as anger with a melancholic voice, “You’re exactly the same as him…”

The Queen snorted, “To be specific I killed ‘your’ mother.” She laughed, “I remember her face as I cut her toes one by one… it was exhilarating.”

“Shut up b*tch!” I yelled and pointed at her imagining a fireball to burn the Queen, I don’t know if it would work if it doesn’t nothing will happen if it does…

To my surprise it worked a fireball as larger than a head flew towards the Queen, The King wave his hand and a burst of Qi hit my fireball and devoured it.

“How did you do it?!?” The King yelled at me and released his Qi to pressure me. “Without chanting magic should be impossible!”

Due to the difference of our power the King made me kneel with his Qi without any effort. I glanced at him without saying anything.

“You’re dangerous, you must not live!” The King said he almost looked hysterical. He grabbed his sword and pointed at me.

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END OF CHAPTER FOUR