Ethan was at a loss for words.
"What were you even thinking?" He heard Samantha snap, glaring at him as she folded her arms. Gilbert rested a firm hand on his shoulder, his voice more concerned. "Ethan, that was reckless. Did you even think before touching that Vase? it knocked you out for an hour!"
Reyna's eyes narrowed with displeasure and her arms were crossed as if she was ready to lecture him right then and there.
Ethan let of an awkward chuckle.
—Clap.
The clap resounded all over the place, silencing the chatter. Aurelion was still seated on her daybed, casting lazy smile as she scanned the crowd. "Well, well... Now that you're finally quiet," she began slowly, as if talking too fast would cost her energy, "let's go over why you're here, shall we?" She paused, letting the silence stretch before she snapped her fingers with a nonchalant flick.
Almost immediately, every phone in the room chimed with a notification. There was a murmur of surprise as everyone checked their screens.
"If you're looking at your phones, you'll see your new stats, level, and boons," Aurelion said, still wearing that serene, relaxed expression. Curious, Ethan pulled out his own phone.
[Name: Ethan Blackwell
Age: 15
Level: 1 (0/100)
Health: 100/100
Strength: 2
Speed: 2
Intelligence: 4
Mana: N/A
Divine Energy: 6
Boon: Materialization (Lvl 1)]
"You're probably wondering why 'Mana' says N/A," Aurelion drawled, barely lifting a finger as she spoke. "It's because your bodies can't physically hold mana, so instead, you'll be using something called Divine Energy to fuel your boons."
She sighed, "I would have added more if it wasn't for a particular incident that happened a few years ago…"
Whispers flew all around as people processed what was happening, when a tentative hand went up. It was Adrian, naturally.
"Um, Miss Aurelion…" he began, hesitating before asking, "Could you tell us why we were summoned here?"
Aurelion exhaled through lazy smile. "Ask that to whoever went to the trouble of summoning you," she replied as if Adrian asked her a stupid question. Then, with a sigh, she raised her hand again, clearly about to wrap things up when Ethan spoke up, not being able to hold back.
"Wait! How did we even get here?"
A second voice echoed the same question, followed by a third, as confusion rippled through the room. His mind was reeling; He was sure he had asked the question out loud, but something felt off, almost as if someone else had asked on his behalf.
It was all too strange..
Aurelion, letting out a small sigh, leaned back with a little stretch. "Finally! I thought this batch was eccentric. Took you all long enough." She stifled a small yawn before straightening, just slightly more alert.
Her gaze landed on Ethan, a lazy finger pointing in his direction. "If you'd all take a look at the vase this young boy here is holding…" she gestured. Ethan glanced down. Indeed, he was still holding the vase, though he couldn't quite remember when he grabbed it.. A faint unease settled over him. Aurelion stared at him for a second longer with narrowed eyes before she lightly chuckled. "That brat…"
Ethan frowned, 'Who?'
She shook her head "To keep this simple," her words went back to normal, unhurried and faintly bored, "that vase is what's known in this world as a 'Realmcaller ' They're artifacts that hop through different realities and bring back… well, heroes," she said, a little sarcastic note to her smile. "After each group is brought here, they wait around, slumbering for 200 years or so until it's time to summon new heroes."
There was a collective intake of breath as her words sunk in.
"As for whether you can leave this world," she continued, shifting her posture a little, "Realmcallers can travel both ways. That's how people from here sometimes end up in your world" She yawned a bit as Ethan immediately looked at the vase.
'They could travel both ways…' He had pretty much confirmed his theory.
"How you leave, though? Well, that part's anyone's guess. Each person's 'criteria' to return seems to be different. Could be anything, really."
She leaned back, letting her shoulders relax as if even that brief explanation had been an effort. "So. There you have it."
Ethan didn't care all that much about leaving this world. But the fact that heroes seemed to be commonplace here was surprising. Others, however, didn't seem to see in the same eye as him:
"200 years?! I am going to be a corpse by the time I can return home!"
"We are stuck here for good!"
"I'm sorry god for any sins I have committed, please let this be a dream. Please, please, please.."
Ethan could see Aurelion sigh in exasperation, "For those of you ready to listen," she began, looking them over with an annoyed expression, "a hero's lifespan is actually far longer than a human, somewhere between 150 to 300 years, depending on your strength. The stronger you get, the longer you live. So, if you don't want to worry about old age just yet, I'd recommend getting stronger." She shrugged, clearly unbothered.
Suddenly, the class went quiet, well, for a moment that is. "What's the point if everyone I know would be dead!" someone shouted from the back, their voice edged with anger. Everyone looked to share the same thought while Aurelion's brows twitched, "I am a divine messenger not a babysitter, I am giving you hope and it is your choice to take it if you wish." she said flatly.
"I am not trying to convince you here nor do I care about you. Besides, a little detail: three hundred years here only amounts to about three years in your world."
A hush settled over the room as if a blanket had been thrown over the panic. Ethan looked around, people exchanging nervous sighs and whispers. Beside him, Gilbert nudged his arm. "You know, this woman is surprisingly considerate for someone so aloof."
Adrian, standing close by, joined in, his voice steady but grateful. "He's right. If Aurelion's telling the truth, she didn't have to say anything to us. The ones who summoned us need our help, not her."
Ethan physically recoiled at the sight of Adrian next to him and shifted slightly to his left when he looked ahead again. Aurelion first looked at Adrian with a straight face and then let out a small embarrassed laugh. "You don't have to praise me that much hehe." she laughed, waving a hand as if to brush off the praise.
She cleared her throat after realizing that everyone was clearly weirded out by her as she said, "Well anyway, chap, chap. I guess you all can descend to the mortal plane now".
She clapped her hands together, and suddenly, a blinding light filled the room. "Oh wait, I forgot to tell you, Heroes can automatically understand any language in this world due to my amazing power. No need to thank me and good luck." Ethan heard Aurelion's voice echo through his ear as he reflexively shielded his eyes, a strong hand grabbing onto his shirt.
He didn't have to look to know it was Samantha. "Not again…" he muttered under his breath, swallowing a groan.
As the light faded, Ethan blinked rapidly, trying to anchor himself.
The first thing he noticed was sound.
A sharp sizzle crackled beneath his feet.
He looked down. The cobblestone platform below him was scorched black, strange geometric patterns burned into the stone as if something immense had been etched there by fire itself. Before he could examine them more closely, a voice rang out ahead—
"The heroes have been summoned!"
_____
[A/N: Sorry the prologue took so long! How is the story so far? Did y'all enjoy it?]