---
Kaito woke to sunlight streaming through windows he didn't recognize, in a bed far too comfortable to be his own, in a room that definitely wasn't his cramped apartment.
For one disoriented moment, he thought he'd overslept for his convenience store shift.
Then memory crashed back: the truck, the white void, the summoning circle, another world.
*Right. Not dead anymore. Just... somewhere else.*
He sat up slowly, taking stock. His body felt different—stronger somehow, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly how. The persistent ache in his lower back from poor posture was gone. The slight tension headache he'd carried for years had vanished. Even his vision seemed clearer, though he'd never needed glasses.
*Hero body,* he thought wryly. *Comes with the summoning package, apparently.*
A knock at his door made him tense.
"Kaito? You awake?" Ren's voice.
"Y-yeah. Give me a minute."
He found clothes laid out on a chair—simple but well-made, a white shirt and dark pants that fit perfectly despite no one having measured him. Magic, probably. Everything here was probably magic.
When he emerged into the common area, the others were already gathered. Yuki sat with a plate of fruit, eating methodically while her eyes darted around, cataloguing details. Daichi stood by the window, arms crossed, looking like he'd barely slept. Himari perched on the edge of a couch, hands folded in her lap, looking small and lost.
Ren was pacing.
"Morning," Kaito offered.
"Morning," Ren replied without stopping his circuit. "Breakfast is here. Attendants brought it an hour ago. I've been up since dawn."
"Couldn't sleep?" Himari asked softly.
"Could. Didn't want to." Ren ran a hand through his hair, disrupting its usual perfect style. "Too much to think about. We need a plan for today. Questions to ask. Information to gather."
"I've been making a list," Yuki said, pulling out a piece of parchment covered in neat handwriting. "Forty-seven critical data points we need to establish. Starting with basic geography, political structure, economic system, magical theory—"
"How about we start with 'how do we not die,'" Daichi interrupted. "That seems pretty critical."
"That's question thirty-two."
"Maybe we should let them show us whatever they want to show us first," Himari suggested. "Then we can ask questions based on what they don't tell us?"
Kaito nodded. "That's... actually smart. People reveal more in what they leave out."
"Observant," Ren noted, looking at Kaito with interest. "Okay. That's the plan. We listen, we watch, we note what they're not saying."
Another knock, this time at the main door. An attendant—not Mira from yesterday, but a young man who introduced himself as Thomas—bowed deeply.
"Heroes, High Priestess Seraphina requests your presence in the Morning Garden. She wishes to begin your introduction to Elaria, if you are ready?"
The five exchanged glances.
"We're ready," Ren said.
---
The Morning Garden was aptly named. It faced east, catching the rising sun—suns? Kaito still wasn't sure if this world had one sun or multiple—and was filled with flowers in impossible colors. Blues that glowed faintly. Reds that seemed to pulse with inner light. Whites that left trails of silver mist.
Seraphina waited on a stone bench beneath a tree with golden leaves that chimed softly in the breeze. She wore simpler robes today, pale blue instead of ceremonial white, and her silver hair was braided rather than loose. She looked younger somehow, more human, though her violet eyes still held that ageless quality.
"Good morning, heroes," she said, rising to greet them. "I trust you slept well?"
"Well enough," Ren answered for the group. Kaito noticed he'd unconsciously positioned himself as their spokesperson. The others seemed content to let him.
"I'm glad. Please, sit. We have much to discuss, and I'd prefer to do so in comfort."
They arranged themselves on various benches and seats around a central fountain. Kaito deliberately chose a spot slightly behind and to the side of the others—his usual strategy for group situations. Less visible, less pressure to participate.
Seraphina noticed, though. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she began.
"I'm sure you have countless questions," she said. "But let me start with an overview of our world, and then I will answer whatever you wish to know."
She gestured, and the fountain's water began to shift and reshape itself, forming a three-dimensional map suspended in the air. Kaito leaned forward despite himself. It was beautiful—and impossible.
"This is Elaria," Seraphina explained. "Or rather, the continent of Elaria. There are other landmasses across the oceans, but they're largely unknown to us. This is the world as we understand it."
The water-map showed a massive continent roughly shaped like a crescent. Seraphina pointed to various regions as she spoke.
"Here, in the center, is the Kingdom of Elaria—the last great bastion of humanity. We control approximately one-third of the continent, from the Silverwood Mountains in the north to the Endless Plains in the south. Our capital, where we are now, is called Lumina."
She gestured to a point in the eastern part of the kingdom, where a tiny replica of the white city appeared in the water.
"To the west lie the Dark Lands—territories controlled by the Demon King Malachar. They stretch from the Crimson Forest through the Obsidian Mountains to the Shadowmoor Wastes. Perhaps forty percent of the continent."
The western portion of the map darkened, becoming murky and threatening.
"And between?" Yuki asked, pointing to a substantial area that remained neutral-colored on the map.
"The Neutral Lands. Neither fully human nor demon territory. These regions are... complicated. Villages that pay tribute to both sides. Cities that maintain independence through careful diplomacy or strong defenses. Wilderness too dangerous for either army to control. Approximately one-quarter of the continent."
"So it's not a simple binary," Yuki muttered, making mental notes. "More complex than typical fantasy geopolitics."
"Indeed. War is rarely simple." Seraphina waved her hand, and the map zoomed to focus on the Kingdom of Elaria. "Our kingdom is ruled by King Aldric IV, a wise and just monarch who has led us through these dark times. He has three children: Prince Marcus, the heir; Prince Dante, the military commander; and Princess Celestia, the youngest."
Names and faces appeared in the water—King Aldric, a stern-looking man with gray beard and crown. Three younger faces: Marcus looking scholarly, Dante looking martial, Celestia looking... sad? Kaito studied her water-portrait. Something about her expression reminded him of Seraphina's hidden grief.
"The kingdom is divided into seven duchies, each ruled by a duke or duchess who swears fealty to the crown. We have a standing army of approximately fifty thousand soldiers, supplemented by local militias and adventurer guilds."
"Adventurer guilds?" Daichi perked up. "Like in games?"
A ghost of a smile crossed Seraphina's face. "Similar, yes. Independent warriors, mages, and specialists who take contracts to hunt monsters, explore dungeons, guard caravans. They're an important part of our economy and defense."
She paused, and the map dissolved back into normal water. "But even with all this, we are losing. Slowly but inevitably."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
"The Demon King Malachar appeared two hundred years ago," Seraphina continued, her voice heavy. "Before him, demons were scattered tribes, dangerous but manageable. He united them into an army. Gave them purpose, strategy, leadership. And he himself... he is powerful beyond measure. Immortal, perhaps. Our greatest heroes have challenged him and fallen."
"Two hundred years?" Yuki's eyes widened. "That's... that's not possible. No human could live that long without advanced medical technology or—" She stopped. "Unless he's not human."
"He was human once," Seraphina said quietly. "Or so our records suggest. But what he is now... we don't know. The last person who got close enough to learn the truth died before they could report back."
"So what's his goal?" Ren asked. "What does he actually want? Total conquest? Genocide? Revenge for something?"
"We don't know. He doesn't negotiate. Doesn't send demands. His armies simply attack, conquer, and move on. Towns that surrender are... absorbed. Their populations relocated to his territory. We don't know what happens to them after that."
"You mean they might not be dead?" Himari's voice was hopeful.
"We hope they're not. But we have no way to confirm."
Kaito processed this, noting what was and wasn't being said. "You mentioned our greatest heroes have challenged him and fallen. Were they... like us? Summoned?"
Seraphina's expression closed off slightly. "Some were, yes."
"How many times have you done this summoning?" Yuki pressed. "How many heroes have been brought from our world?"
A pause. A long one.
"The ritual can only be performed once every fifty years," Seraphina said carefully. "It requires immense magical energy and specific celestial alignments. This is the..." she seemed to calculate, "...the twenty-first summoning."
Twenty-first. Twenty times before, people like them had been pulled from their lives and dropped into this war.
"And how many survived?" Kaito heard himself ask.
Seraphina met his eyes. He saw the answer before she spoke it.
"None have returned to your world. Whether they survived here or not, I cannot say with certainty. Records are... incomplete."
*Incomplete. Right.* Kaito's newly-awakened empathy—or whatever this tingling sensation was—told him she was lying. Or at least not telling the whole truth.
"Let's talk about our powers," Ren said, smoothly changing the subject before anyone could press further. "You mentioned yesterday that we have abilities, unique to each of us?"
"Yes." Seraphina seemed relieved at the change of topic. "Each summoned hero manifests a power that reflects their soul's essence. Your deepest nature, your strongest desires, your fundamental self—all of this shapes your ability."
"How do we figure out what they are?" Daichi asked.
"Through testing and practice. But sometimes, they reveal themselves naturally, especially in moments of strong emotion or need." She stood. "Come. I'll take you to the Training Grounds. We have specialists who can help you discover your gifts."
---
The Training Grounds were massive—an open area behind the palace filled with practice dummies, weapons racks, obstacle courses, and what looked like magical testing equipment. A few dozen people were scattered across it: knights practicing swordplay, mages conducting experiments, archers at target ranges.
All activity stopped when the heroes entered.
A man approached—tall, broad-shouldered, with a scarred face and gray hair cropped short. He wore practical armor marked with the insignia of a knight-commander.
"Heroes," he said, his voice gravelly. "I am Knight-Commander Gareth. I've been assigned to oversee your combat training."
He looked them over with a critical eye, and Kaito felt weighed and found wanting.
"You're softer than I expected," Gareth said bluntly. "That's fine. We'll fix that."
"I know how to fight," Daichi said, stepping forward with barely concealed aggression.
"Street fighting and war are different, boy. But I respect the spirit." Gareth almost smiled. "Let's see what you're all working with. Everyone grab a practice sword from the rack."
They did, though Kaito's hands trembled as he picked up the wooden blade. It was heavier than he expected.
"Now, attack the dummies. Don't think, just move. Let instinct guide you."
Ren approached his dummy with calculated precision, testing strikes, analyzing angles. Yuki stared at hers like it was a puzzle to solve, then awkwardly swung the sword in a way that would definitely not hurt anyone. Daichi attacked with raw aggression, his strikes powerful but unrefined. Himari could barely lift her sword, looking like she might cry.
Kaito stood frozen, staring at the dummy, unable to move.
"Problem, hero?" Gareth called.
"I... I don't want to hurt anyone."
"It's a dummy. It's not anyone."
"I know, I just..." *Can't explain that the idea of violence makes me sick. Can't explain that I'm a coward who's never thrown a punch in his life.*
Gareth studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Not everyone's a warrior. That's fine. We'll find your strengths elsewhere."
The relief Kaito felt was overwhelming and shameful in equal measure.
"Alright, enough." Gareth clapped his hands. "Physical combat clearly isn't your natural talent. Let's try magic."
A woman stepped forward—robed in blue, with gray hair pulled back in a severe bun. "I am Magister Helena. I will test your magical aptitude."
She led them to a different section where five pedestals stood, each topped with a clear crystal sphere.
"Place your hands on the orb," Helena instructed. "Channel your intent into it. The crystal will react to your inner energy and show us your magical affinity."
Ren went first, always the leader. He placed his hands on the crystal, closed his eyes, and concentrated. The sphere began to glow—a deep, commanding red that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Authority magic," Helena breathed. "Extremely rare. The ability to impose will upon the world."
Yuki was next. Her sphere lit up with complex patterns of white and blue light, forming what looked like code scrolling through the crystal.
"Extraordinary. I've never seen this pattern before. Some form of... reality manipulation? We'll need extensive testing."
Daichi's sphere exploded with orange-red energy, wild and fierce. "Enhancement magic. Raw power amplification. Very straightforward, very strong."
Himari's sphere glowed with soft, golden light that seemed to sing—actual audible harmonics emanating from the crystal. "Restoration magic. Healing, support, blessing. A precious gift."
Then it was Kaito's turn.
He approached the crystal with dread, placed his trembling hands on its cool surface, and tried to concentrate.
Nothing happened.
"Focus," Helena instructed. "Look inward. What do you feel?"
*I feel everyone watching me. I feel their expectations. I feel like I'm going to fail—*
The crystal suddenly erupted with color—not one shade but dozens, swirling and shifting. Purple, blue, green, gold, red, all mixing and flowing like oil on water.
"What the..." Helena leaned closer. "Empathic resonance. You're reflecting the emotions of everyone around you."
Kaito pulled his hands back like he'd been burned. The colors faded immediately.
"Interesting," Helena said. "Very interesting. And potentially very powerful. Empathy can be used to read intentions, predict actions, even influence emotions in return. But it's also... difficult. Feeling everything everyone feels could be overwhelming."
*Could be? It already is.* Kaito realized with growing horror that the sensation he'd been experiencing since waking—that awareness of others' moods, that sense of their feelings—wasn't just hypervigilance from his anxiety. It was real. A power. One he couldn't turn off.
"Can I... can I control it? Make it stop?"
"With training, yes. You'll learn to shield yourself, to filter what you feel. But it will take time and practice."
Great. Just great. He'd died, gotten a second chance in a fantasy world, and his power was basically being forced to experience everyone's emotions all the time. It was his anxiety made manifest and weaponized.
"Alright," Gareth said, clapping his hands again. "We have a baseline. Over the coming weeks, we'll work on developing these abilities, teaching you combat skills, and preparing you for—"
"Weeks?" Ren interrupted. "How long before we're expected to actually fight?"
Gareth and Helena exchanged glances.
"That depends," Seraphina said, appearing beside them as if she'd been there all along. "On how quickly you learn. On how comfortable you become with your powers. On when the Demon King's forces make their next move."
"When was their last move?" Yuki asked.
"Three weeks ago. They destroyed the town of Ashwood, forty miles west of here. Five hundred casualties."
The number hit like a physical blow. Five hundred people. Dead.
"And you think we can stop that?" Himari's voice was small. "Five of us?"
"No," Seraphina said gently. "Not alone. You'll fight alongside our armies, our knights, our mages. You'll be symbols of hope as much as weapons of war. The people need to believe salvation is possible. Your presence gives them that."
*So we're propaganda,* Kaito thought. *Mascots. Living morale boosters.*
His empathy tingled. He looked at Seraphina and felt... guilt. Deep, aching guilt. Whatever she wasn't telling them, she hated herself for it.
Before he could process that further, a commotion erupted at the training ground entrance. A messenger, breathing hard, ran toward them.
"High Priestess! Knight-Commander! Emergency!"
Gareth stepped forward. "Report."
"Demon attack. Twenty miles north. They've surrounded the village of Millbrook. Five hundred civilians trapped. The garrison there won't hold more than a few hours."
Silence fell across the training grounds.
Then Ren spoke, his voice steady despite the fear Kaito could feel radiating from him. "How long would it take to get reinforcements there?"
"Four hours to mobilize an appropriate force," Gareth said. "Five hours to march there. Too long. By the time we arrived, the village would be destroyed."
"What about a smaller, faster force?"
"Could get there in two hours on horseback. But it would be a suicide mission. We're talking about facing a demon war party with insufficient numbers."
Ren looked at the other heroes. Kaito saw the question in his eyes before he asked it.
"What about us?"
"Absolutely not," Gareth said immediately. "You've been here one day. You barely know how to hold a sword. Sending you into combat now would be murder."
"But we're heroes, right?" Ren pressed. "We're supposed to be stronger than normal humans. More powerful. That's the whole point of summoning us."
"You're also untrained, unprepared, and don't know the first thing about fighting demons."
"Then send experienced soldiers with us. As many as can ride fast. We supplement their force, they teach us what we need to know on the way."
Kaito's heart was pounding. *He can't be serious. He can't actually be suggesting we ride into battle after one day.*
But looking at Ren's face, Kaito saw determination born of something deeper than bravery. Ren needed this. Needed to prove he could save people, could protect them, could be the hero his father had never let him be.
"I'll go," Daichi said suddenly. "If there's a fight, I'm in."
"This is madness," Helena protested. "Seraphina, tell them—"
But Seraphina was looking at the heroes with an expression Kaito couldn't read. Sadness? Pride? Resignation?
"It's their choice," she said quietly. "If they wish to go, we cannot stop them."
"I'll go," Yuki said, adjusting her glasses. "Five hundred civilian casualties is unacceptable when prevention is possible."
Himari looked terrified, but she nodded. "If people need help... I have healing magic. I should go."
Everyone looked at Kaito.
*No. No no no. I can't fight. I can't ride a horse. I can't—*
But he felt it through his empathy: their fear, their determination, their desperate need to do something good with their second chance at life. And underneath it all, he felt Seraphina's guilt, Gareth's resigned acceptance, Helena's fear for them.
Five hundred people. Civilians. Families like the one he'd saved when he died.
"I'll go," Kaito whispered.
Ren smiled—fierce and determined. "Then we go. All five of us."
Gareth looked at Seraphina, who nodded slowly.
"Gear them up," she said. "Light armor, horses,supplies. I want twenty of your best knights to accompany them. And Gareth... go with them yourself. Please."
"That was my intention," Gareth said grimly. He turned to the heroes. "You just volunteered for a battle you're not ready for. I'll do my best to keep you alive, but I make no promises. Anyone want to change their minds?"
No one moved.
"Fools. Brave fools." Gareth almost smiled. "Let's hope that's enough. We leave in thirty minutes. Get ready."
As they were led away to get equipped, Kaito's empathy felt Seraphina's emotions spike—guilt so profound it was almost physical pain.
She didn't want this, he realized. She knew we'd volunteer. She's counting on it. But she hates herself for it.
He looked back at her, standing alone in the training ground, and for just a moment their eyes met.
I'm sorry, her expression said.
Then the moment passed, and they were swept into preparation for their first battle.
Twenty miles away, five hundred people waited for heroes who had no idea what they were doing.
And in the Dark Lands, in a fortress of obsidian and shadow, the Demon King Malachar felt the heroes' power awaken and smiled.
"So they've come at last," he said to the darkness. "Five more pawns in an ancient game. I wonder... will these ones be different?"
The darkness did not answer.
It never did.