The light that encompassed the classroom faded as quickly as it appeared. The class of 23 people laid on a grassy field surrounded by several ornate but deteriorating columns. Many of the class were speechless by the sudden change of surroundings.
"Is everyone okay?" Asked Leonardo taking the leadership. His yell surged everyone back to reality and they all gathered themselves and stood up. With a quick glance of her surroundings Raiko noticed no one is on the floor anymore.
"It doesn't look like anyone is hurt," she responded.
"welcome, oh great champions of justice," A compelling voice, from an archway leading into a castle, reverberated through the surroundings. The class huddles in the middle of the field with Leonardo standing in front of them.
"Who are you?" Leonardo asked politely while still keeping his distance. A tall, bulky but gray-haired man walked out of the archways. The armor and claymore he wore on his body is imbued with a brilliant luster and jewels to the point that anybody with military experience would surmise that its purpose isn't combat but ornamental. Of course, most of the students from another world hadn't even been in a fight let alone war, so all they saw was a man heavily armored and equipped with a large sword walking towards them. Many of the students began to back away in fear while Leonardo, Salvador, Raiko, and even Elliana to a certain extent refused to back away for even a second. Erwin was located at the circumference of the group taking note of the night sky and how he couldn't see any of the known constellations. He basically figured out what was going on, and guessed that he wasn't in any immediate danger.
"I am Freud Bellimere, Lord of these lands, please follow me and allow me to explain the particulars of your situation," The Elderly introduced himself with a smile on his face. The friendly attitude causes the shaken students to relax to a certain extent.
"Please, come, I mean no one any harm," Freud gestured to the archway leading into a large cathedral like building. The students scan at each other for confirmation, no one seems to be actively objecting, so they all begin to follow Freud into the building. Within the walls of the castle, the class was seated into a grand dining hall. An array of finely dressed servants walked into the room dragging in trollies of food a laying them on a large dining table, the smell of food flooded the room. The smells varied from savories meats to fine pastries many of which didn't exist on the earth your familiar with, yet even with the slightest whiff everyone agreed that it would be delicious to eat.
Many of the students had skipped breakfast on their way to school and were the first to sit and begin eating with no restraints. these students had already learned proper etiquette but it seems in a high tension setting they had forgotten how to act. The others feared that the food might have been drugged. We should give him the benefit of the doubt, thought Elliana as she sat near the head of the table. With the elegance worthy of a princess she sliced into a fillet of meat. This calm gesture inspired her nervous classmates to sit down and eat. It even convinced the hungrier classmates to stop cramming food in their mouth and remember how to act in a formal setting.
"Now that everyone is seated, allow me to explain the situation," Freud begun to explain, "This may come as a shock, but all of you have been transported to a different world." Most students shook their head in disbelief, one student already guessed that though. A hint of panic began to flutter through the faces of the students.
"This is joke has gone far enough!" screamed Jessica Walls who had remained silent up until now, yet, could not allow her students to be the subject of fear, "I demand that you return us, or I will call the police." She spoke bravely at Freud but the fear in her voice was obvious. This was noticed by several of the students who attempted to support her.
"You tell 'em Jessica," exclaimed the always cheery Samantha Jackson on her left side and from her right.
"Yeah, I'm tired of this incessive gag," affirmed Isabella Cortez while giving a stone-cold gaze to Freud.
Freud responded with an understanding tone, "I see you all are still in a state of disbelief. That is quite expectant even in our world such circumstances are unheard of." With a wave of his hand the massive dining hall doors opened wide and a quadrupedal beast as large as truck walked in. The beast walked with the head of an eagle and large white wings, yet had the body of a lion. It prowled around the table of the grand dining hall, from the way it walked everyone knew that it wasn't an animatronic or some kind of costume.
"This is a Gryphon." stated Freud, "from what the oracles say, you come from a world devoid of magic. As such, a creature that exudes magic, like the gryphon, are non-existent in your world." The class was shocked at the magical beast that is from of them, even the previously irate Jessica took her seat. The only one without their mouth agape was Erwin he was curios of the mention of an oracle. Who are these oracles? How much do they know about us? Are they in charge of this world's religion? From what Erwin knew of history and fiction religious groups in a medieval setting, were nothing but trouble.
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"Alright so this proves that were in a different world." Salvador stated the newly obvious, while beckoning the gryphon to come closer. The gryphon, without a hint of shyness, walked towards Salvador. Salvador with same level of sincerity scratched the griffon under the scruff of its neck as if it was a common dog. Well, he was always good with animals, thought Leonardo as his friend quickly forgot the situation to play with a monster from a different world.
"Now then, let me begin by giving my apologies. I am to understand that you all are youths, who have never seen the light of battle, but humanity is in grave danger," Freud explained the situation to them.
According to him there are many different intelligent races that have, for the most part, lived peacefully. However, on the continent of Aryndal, there have been rising tensions between the magically intelligent elves, the physically dominant tierzal, and the logistical humans, with the humans at the losing end, as of recent.
The reason, as explained by Freud, was that the elves, who were naturally gifted in magic, were using unheard of manic to take over lands that belonged to the tierzal. The tierzal were incapable of magic in their more human forms, however they can transform into beasts. In this form, they have a strength that exceeds any normal human and magic on par with most. Humans, on the other hand, had been dependent on their tactical and logistical knowledge to out think the instinctual tierzal and the academic elves. For the past three centuries, the tierzal were the dominant super power, with humans in second, and elves passively sitting in third.
With their new magic, the elves had been relentlessly attacking the tierzal while the tierzal have been retaliating. Now they both prepare for full scale war and are taking massive amounts of farming lands from human dominated countries. At the rate the elves and the tierzal were going the empires of humanity will crumble before the next generation is born.
"This is where you come in, according to the high priestess, The Gods have summoned you and only they have the power to return."
"And who are these gods?" pondered Isabella.
"They are nine beings of limitless power who have sewn the fabric of this world," Freud continued his expression changing to one riddled with regret, "and now they have chosen you all to be their needles. The lot of you are from a different world and as such have powers that exceed that of this world. We the kingdoms of man will come to assist you in any way possible, so that you may be the hero that humanity needs in this time. Surely, if you were to save humanity at their time of need the gods would reward and return you to your world"
The student’s expressions changed from one worried of the world to that of a child awaiting a Christmas present. To the students the realization that they could be heroes in a fantasy world excited them. The thought of fantastical adventures is captivating in adolescence, as we all are to know. To the young teacher Jessica Walls, the idea of students risking their lives in battle made her furious. She was a young but respected teacher. At times might have seemed like a student herself, but her students actually did depend on her. If there was ever a time for her to act as the adult this would have been be the time.
"No, I forbid it," she yelled understanding what they were thinking, "everyone think about what this really means you'd be used as soldiers. You would face the hunger, pain, and diseases that soldiers face and every day you would have to fight for your very survival."
The student thought about being trapped in a different world filled with fantastical dangers and enemies lurking in every corner, the fear of a horrible death replaced that of the desire for adventure. As frightened faces filled the room one person stood up, because his sense of justice wouldn't allow those who were in need to suffer.
"Everyone, I'm going help the people of this world," Leonardo stood up speaking confidently as if putting himself in danger to help others was the natural thing to do, "Look we need to return home and these people need the help of heroes, I'm going to help these people and we'll return home. These people are as much a victim as we are, they've been forced to fight a war that they don't want to fight, so who will fight with me to save the people of this world and return home."
"Obviously, I'll be fighting with you, Leo," said Salvador. Leonardo and Salvador give each other a look of faith thinking that they could save everyone if they worked together.
"Don't you think I'm going to leave you idiots to fight this war on your own, you'd probably get yourselves killed," said Raiko smirking as if she had just saved their lives from themselves.
"Well if you’re going I'm going too," joined Ellie.
She knew that she couldn't leave her best friend with two hot headed boys. The four friends looked at each other they knew that they would save everyone. From the viewpoint of the students, the four of them stood as if they truly were heroes of legend and almost instantly their fears turned to conviction. The entire class stood up ready to fight in a war and be heroes. Jessica Walls looked dejected and simply sighed as if she had failed to protect her student.
"Don't worry Jessica, we'll be just fine," assured Samantha right next to her while placing a hand on her shoulder. Jessica Walls, slightly angry that her student called her by her first name, returned Sam's smile happy that her student was being so brave in the face of adversary.
"I promise that I won't let any of you get hurt," she promised this knowing that she might not be able to keep, yet prepared to do everything in her power to keep her promise. The class was in agreement they would become heroes and fight for the people who could not fight for themselves. With that, Freud led the class out into the training grounds to begin their journey.