It’s been about a week since I was trapped in this cave. I don’t have food or water and all I’ve been surviving on is mana. Well, specifically mana crystals. It’s not like I can get up by myself and eat though. The girl with me is the one who feeds me. She tried giving Horn Rabbit meat, but I couldn’t eat it. I immediately spat it out due to the taste, not to mention ‘those fuckers’ already told me that it’s toxic.

I wonder why this girl is even helping me... I wonder if she would still help if she knew that we killed her father. Maybe it’s because she’s still a kid. Not understanding the differences between our races. Although now that I look at her, she seems to be a mixed-breed. She has the tail and ears of a silver wolf, but also seems to have horns of a blue demon.

I tried to move my body, but I couldn’t. I assume my arms and back are all broken. The only way I’m healing right now is due to this girl’s help and Dai’s [Skill]. This is all... thanks to Dai. Or else, I would’ve already died. Died along with Dai.

Goddammit... I’m sorry Dai. I’m sorry that I’m so weak. I swear to you, I will get our revenge. I’ll make sure to put ‘that bastard’ in the dirt!

Before everything, I was just a normal kid. I didn’t do much or have much. I had few who I could call friends, but my life wasn’t hell. I was happy with what I had.

“Heyyy~” Dai said in a weird impersonation of a druggie. Though I had to admit with his unkempt black hair, his un-ironed clothes, and a whacky expression. He was pretty spot-on for my impression of a druggie.

“Dai, maybe you really are a druggie?” I replied.

“Oh come on! I was just trying to make a funny- Nevermind.” He tried to explain himself, but he realized that it was just to tease him more. He always did think that he was a great comedian, but me and my other friends knew deep down that he wasn’t funny at all. Though he did have a lot of respect among his peers. He excelled academically and in extracurriculars, though he sucked at math.

Not to toot my horn here, but I’m the best at math. No one in class can really even expect to beat me. Other than... Amy! That girl is like fierce competition to me! But well... I don’t really care enough to beat her. Also since Dai takes personal classes from her and that was only because she was ‘better’ at ‘math’ than me.

I know the two have a crush on each other but they couldn’t admit to themselves about it. Honestly me and Isabella are super sick of it. They act like elementary school children, like for god’s sake, you’re in high school!

Soon though the class was over and break started. And as usual, the four of us started hanging around again. Isabella and I usually walk behind Amy and Dai who act as a pseudo-couple. Isabella, like usual, asked me the same question, “Hey, wanna go on a date?” She doesn’t ask with sincerity, she just looks up at the roof and asks me in the same deadpan voice. I mean, she does have a deadpan voice by default, so maybe she’s actually asking, but I’d like to pretend that she’s not.

“No. I don’t wanna go on a date, stop asking.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t wanna.”

“Okay.” And then she’d keep silent for a while, she wouldn’t ask me about it again or talk to me about it. Until the next recess of course, in which, she’d ask again.

This being our second-last year of school, we’ve gotten close to graduation. And so, all of us are in ‘PLUS U◯TRA’ mode. Either way though, I’m happy with where we are, and I wouldn’t wish for this to ever change. ‘Not ever.’

Although now that I look from behind, Amy and Dai are opposites aren’t they? Amy’s much taller than him, she looks robust with a lot of err... yes, and she has short black hair. She looks a helluva lot better than Dai, that’s for sure. Although Dai himself is also in a league of his own, most guys don’t even compare and the man has gotten enough love letters to fill all the school lockers. It’s just that compared to each other, they’re night and day.

But well, it is what it is. And then you have isabella, I’m not gonna say that she isn’t cute, she certainly is, with long brown hair hanging down till her waist and she wore round glasses which rested on her tiny nose. If I’m being honest, she’s totally my type, but love... isn’t for me. Not that I’m too good for her, but that she’s too good for me. I know well enough about my place in our group.

By the time our break finished, we were already in class just hanging out by Isabella’s desk, just chatting about. Suddenly a circle showed up on the floor where we stood. The circle covered the entire classroom and before anybody could even react, we caught on fire. Excruciating pain took over as the screams of us all melded together with the crackling of the fire. A white flame, not one that I had ever seen before. As I caught Isabella next to me trying to protect her, it was then that I realized that all four of us were burning and when I fell to the floor, my consciousness faded and my eyes closed themself.

What the hell is going on...

It was a forever, an eternity of darkness that embraced me like a child within a womb. I couldn’t see nor could I feel. In this darkness, a voice spoke to me. A delicate and gentle voice. I wonder what she’s saying... I can’t understand it at all. And suddenly, I woke up to the sound of Dai.

“Liam!” I tried opening my eyes and all I could see was the golden roof that contained blue highlights. It was reminiscent of one of those old palaces, as I was in a trance, suddenly I remembered what happened last. And I turned to the side to see that Isabella was by my side in my arms. I was still in my uniform and I could see Dai infront of me trying to wake me up.

“Agh... what?”

I slowly took my hand from under Isabella’s head and then got up. When I looked around I saw numerous strange people within robes around us. It seemed that we were on a marble floor. If I had to say where we were, I’d say it was definitely a temple or a palace. I held my head as I tried to alleviate the dizziness I felt. But I couldn’t do much. I checked whether Isabella was still breathing and then I placed her head on my lap while I tried to figure out what happened.

“Dai..?”

His face turned stern and he whispered to me, “No idea, Liam. I’d say that we were kidnapped, but...”

“We were literally burned to death, so this is definitely not where we’re supposed to be.” I replied back.

“Right.”

“What about Amy?”

“She’s still feeling dizzy so she’s on the floor but she’s awake. But.. What about Isabella?”

“Thankfully she’s alright. She seems to be breathing.”

“Liam... I have something to tel-”

“Hear me, otherworlders! I am the King of Chenar, Amaar! You all have been summoned under the holy authority of Neshia to save our kingdom from ruin!” It was as though we could hear his words inside our head but we could also see him talk, the man had a half-cloth covering his bottom half while he wore a scarf-like cloth atop his body, he wore a turban upon his head. Gold chains hung from his neck reaching his waist and he held a longsword in his hand while he talked to us.

One of our classmates suddenly shouted, “What the hell?! No way! I wanna go back!”

The king, still holding his firm voice, shouted, “That’s not possible, O’ Hero! You must understand the gravity of the situation!”

Suddenly Amy stood up and snapped back, “The gravity of the situation? You’ve kidnapped us! Yet you demand us to save you?!”

All the students in unison agreed and started chanting along with her, “Free us!”

The king however maintained a calm disposition and then said, “O’ Heroes, you may not have any way to return... However, if you were to help, I will reward those who make a contribution handsomely.”

Suddenly the entire class quieted down, ‘if they can’t send us back, wouldn’t it be better to make a profit?’

Most students still wanted to return, but at this point they didn’t know anything and so it wasn’t like they had much choice to begin with. Isabella at this point in time slowly got up and leaned against me due to her being dizzy. I whispered to the rest of us, “No matter what, we stay together. This king seems sketchy. I don’t trust him.”

Amy and Dai nodded their heads and Isabella answered, “Mm.”

The people in robes suddenly moved away and assembled in formation. Once the king motioned his hand, they marched away. And we were left here on the floor in front of this king. With other people watching us from the sides. They all seemed to wear a variety of different clothes, but none of them had clothes like the king. Nevertheless, the king suddenly turned to Dai, “You are... Haha! To think that you are the leader of the Heroes, O’ Dai Lecksin.”

‘Dai is our leader..? And how does he know his full name?’ Suddenly everyone had the same question within their minds. In the end, we didn’t know what was going to happen to us and all of us were in shock towards this ridiculous situation unfolding before us.