Episode 1: The Wrong Summoning
---
The world around him dissolved into a blur of colors—flickers of light and darkness converging into one infinite expanse. His feet lifted off the ground, the familiar sensation of gravity suddenly absent. The sound of his breath was drowned by the howling winds, and for a moment, panic gripped him. Was he falling? Was he… dying?
Then, as abruptly as it had started, the sensation of falling ceased. The wind stilled, and the world around him slowly came into focus. He blinked several times, trying to process the absurdity of what he was seeing. Gone were the familiar walls of his bedroom, replaced by a vast landscape of rolling hills and distant mountains, shrouded in a fog that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.
What had happened? Where was he?
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut—he wasn't at home anymore. His mind raced as he tried to recall the events leading up to this moment. He had been in his room, playing a game, when suddenly, an intense light filled the room, and then… this.
"Am I… in another world?" he muttered to himself, his voice hoarse as if the mere act of speaking felt strange.
He took in his surroundings—there was nothing familiar here. The air was thick with an unfamiliar energy, and the sky overhead had a strange tint to it, neither fully day nor night. The land stretched endlessly before him, and the only thing he could hear was the faint rustling of the wind and the distant calls of unseen creatures.
Panic began to claw at his chest. What was happening? He tried to call out, to demand an explanation, but his voice was lost in the vastness of this new world. His pulse quickened, and his breathing became shallow. The one thought that had settled into his mind—I need to get out of here—was all that mattered now.
His hands shook as he pulled out his phone from his pocket, only to be met with the same unsettling realization: there was no signal. No Wi-Fi. Nothing.
"Great. Just great," he muttered to himself, dropping his phone to the ground in frustration.
As he stood there, unsure of what to do next, a voice echoed in the distance. It was faint at first, but it grew louder as it approached.
"Looks like we have another one," a gruff voice called out from behind him.
He spun around, his heart racing. A group of figures was approaching him, all dressed in strange armor, their faces hidden behind visors. They moved with a purpose, their steps synchronized, and their gazes trained on him.
One of them stepped forward, his voice cold and commanding. "You must be the summoned one," he said.
Summoned one? What the hell were they talking about?
Before he could ask, the man continued, "You've been chosen to save this world. Like the others before you."
Save the world? He barely knew where he was, let alone how to save a whole world. His mind spun, trying to make sense of the situation.
"I… I didn't ask for this," he stammered, taking a step back.
The man tilted his head slightly, clearly unfazed by the protagonist's confusion. "No one asks for this. It's the way of things. The Summoning."
"Summoning?" His voice cracked. "But… I didn't—"
"You were summoned for a reason. As were the others. You'll understand in time." The man turned to the others, giving them a slight nod. "Prepare him."
With a wave of his hand, the armored figures moved with startling precision. One stepped forward, holding a strange crystal orb. The orb shimmered with an eerie light, casting shadows across the protagonist's face.
"What's going on?" He tried to back away, but the armored figures moved faster than he could react, surrounding him.
Before he could protest, the orb pulsed, and the world around him shifted once again. He felt the air grow heavy, suffocating as if something unseen was pressing down on him.
A strange warmth surged within him, and he gasped as an unfamiliar energy flowed through his body. His legs buckled, but the figures around him held him steady. His mind screamed as the sensation of power surged within him—only it felt wrong, incomplete.
No. I'm not supposed to be here. The thought repeated in his mind like a mantra, but it did nothing to calm the growing storm within.
The orb pulsed again, brighter this time, and a rush of visions flooded his mind—flashes of battles, of cities burning, of strange creatures lurking in the shadows. He saw faces—people who were not his friends, not his family—but people who seemed to be connected to this world. Faces that were both familiar and unknown. What is this?
His breathing became erratic, his hands shaking. The orb's glow began to dim, and the pressure in his chest lessened, but the aftereffects lingered. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.
The figures around him didn't move. The man who had spoken to him earlier stood silently, watching with an unreadable expression.
"What… was that?" he gasped.
"That," the man said, his voice cold, "was the ritual. You've been marked as one of the summoned heroes, though whether you're fit for the task remains to be seen."
Summoned heroes? The protagonist's mind raced. This was nothing like any game or fantasy story he had ever read. This wasn't some grand adventure where he'd get to wield a sword and save the day. No, this felt different. This was real, and it was terrifying.
"I don't want to be here," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes darting between the armored figures.
The man took a step closer, his voice low. "You don't have a choice. You were chosen, and now, you will fulfill your role—or die trying."
"Chosen? But—"
"Enough." The man interrupted. "You'll soon learn the rules of this world. You'll understand why you're here and what's expected of you. But for now, rest. You'll need your strength for what's coming."
The protagonist's heart hammered in his chest as the man turned to leave, signaling for the others to follow. The ground beneath him felt unsteady, and he gritted his teeth as he struggled to regain his composure.
"I didn't ask for this," he muttered again, but his words were lost in the wind.
Alone now, his mind whirled with questions. Why was I summoned? What was that power? He couldn't make sense of it, but one thing was clear—he wasn't going to be able to go home. Not anytime soon, at least. And he certainly wasn't going to save any world he didn't understand.
But as the darkness began to settle in around him, he felt something stirring within his chest—a determination, however faint, that refused to be snuffed out.
I will find a way home. And I will change this.
The night sky above him grew darker, the stars shining cold and distant.
And in the distance, he could hear the faintest echo of something—someone—whispering his name.