All three teenagers were confused and a little dizzy, eyes wide as the surreal ness of their situation dawned on them. Alastair inspected them, taking stock of their appearances. The group comprised two females and one male. The female to the right, nearest to him, was a short girl with tanned skin and long platinum blonde hair.

Her eyes were a dark brown. With a furrowed brow, her face was narrow. She appeared to be in her early teens, sixteen or seventeen. She wore a maroon-coloured blazer, a buttoned-up white shirt and dark red pants. There was a symbol on the left breast pocket, a school logo.

To her left was a young boy, possibly fifteen years old, with short brown hair, parted in the middle. Slightly taller than both girls, he had a pale complexion and a lanky frame. His face was round and, unlike the girl, his eyes darted around in a panic.

He wore a black t-shirt with the printed image of a die being cast by an outstretched hand. Over his shirt was a beige leather jacket, one size too big, along with a pair of blue jeans and sneakers.

To his left was the last person, much younger, possibly around thirteen, maybe fourteen. Short ginger hair, cut with a fringe. Rimmed circular glasses concealed her deep green eyes.

She was shorter than the other two, wearing a white t-shirt with a school logo. A green skirt trailed below her knees, with black stockings and sneakers. Her expression was confused and fearful. She instinctively sought asylum behind the other two.

Once the awkwardness set in, the rightmost teen let out a sigh. Stepping forward and locking eyes with the wizard, she spoke coldly. Once the awkwardness set in, the rightmost teen let out an audible sigh. When she stepped forward and locked eyes with the wizard, she spoke coldly and asked, "Can you elaborate on the situation, explain where we are, and why we have been kidnapped?"

After that, the nobles present spoke words like insolent or how dare she in a cacophony of muttering. Ignoring all these murmurs, she continued to glare at the King.

Just when the wizard was about to speak, he cut in. "Silence!" Everyone ceased at his command. His authority was absolute. "Your questions are understandable, so I will answer all of them personally." His words prompted a gasp from the attending menagerie of nobles, wizards, and knights. As he cast a glare at the group, a scowl formed, challenging his authority.

"I am Emperor Regious Zinthos Judica the Second. I ordered my trusted Imperial Head Wizard to perform the summoning of the Heroic Trinity." Pausing for a moment, he examined the three. "The summoning is an ancient ritual to bring forth the three heroes blessed by the Guardian Spirits of the Empire." He explained before grunting and coughing. "The spirits have chosen you three to be blessed with their favour. To protect this world from the demonic threat." After finishing, he appeared to wait, as if expecting a reply.

"I see, then my next question would be, is there any way to return to our world?" Her voice was cold and mechanical, as if she was reciting lines. Alistair's breath caught in his throat, not expecting that reaction.

Gazing at the other two, Alistair noted the trembling hands and the fear etched on their faces. They only had each other to lean on, surrounded by strangers. He nodded as if that was the reaction.

Indeed, there is a way for you to go back to your world.

The girl in front barely flinched, instead stepping forward with purpose. Placing her two feet firmly on the ornate carpet. "Very well," she said, placing her two feet firmly on the ornate carpet.

The other teenagers slowly moved. The male stepped forward, wary, but mustered up the courage to speak. "I'm Peter Klein. Is this, is this a dream?" The young man asked the obvious question, prompting several nobles to snicker. Peter shrunk back, peering from side to side in confusion. "Definitely a dream, although people laughing at me is just like real life. So does it really matter?"

The last girl approached cautiously, her gaze timidly darting from left to right. She clenched her fists, resolved to speak, and stepped forward.

"I am, I am Lucy, Lucy Phillips. Can I go home now?" Her voice shook. Despite her resolve, she couldn't keep her lip from trembling.

Peter arrived beside her, and his reassuring look settled on her frayed nerves. To the right, Jasmine glanced at the scene with narrowed eyes, snapping back to the emperor.

"The heroes are in shock; it is to be expected. Please take them to their rooms to rest." Looking back and forth between his retainers, he continued. "We will have a less formal meeting tomorrow. We will go over the details. Dismissed." With his decree, the throne room emptied.

Guards led the three heroes out of the throne room. Still invisible, Alistair followed behind, slinking through the torch-lit halls. His eyes tracked a strange reddish light zooming around the hallway.

The being jumped from torch to torch, moving through the fire as if swimming. Observing intently, Alistair noticed the red blob zooming towards him. Moving past the three heroes, Lucy peaked around, noticing. The rest of the group didn't notice as it joyfully arrived to spin around him.

From the perspective of Lucy, the tiny red figure danced around nothing. Returning, she turned to Peter. "Did you see that flying red thing?"

Peter responded with a light shrug, his brow furrowed. She decided it may have just been her imagination or a trick of the light.

Alistair, however, was engaged in a fierce battle with a tiny flame. Swiping the air, trying to get rid of the bug, his vain attempt to rid himself of the strange entity was fruitless.

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Looking down at the strange creature, he noticed it was nuzzling the side of his palm like a floating cat. He opened his hand, revealing the runic tattoo at the centre. The fire-like creature danced around the symbol. A spiked dragon's head, opening its maw and surrounded by symbols.

Noticing the heroes making respectful distance, he pursued. The entity did the same, like a lost puppy. Arriving, the guards gestured to the three doors, each in their room. Jasmines was to the left, Peter's in the middle and the last door for Lucy. Instead, all three entered Jasmine's room.

Before he could reach the door, it shut, leaving the invisible man outside. Annoyed, he racked his brain with a way to get in there. Eventually, he came up with a better idea. Moving away to a secluded corner, he withdrew a piece of paper and pen.

Drawing a quick symbol and holding it in his hand, concentrating. The paper lit up with a faint glow and another symbol on his wrist did the same. Moving quickly, he arrived at the door and while no one was looking; he slipped the paper underneath.

Once done, he retreated past the guards, towards the balcony at the end of the hall. Arriving, he stepped out and into the night air. The magnificent sight drew his gaze. A massive sprawling city, extending out from the balcony. Light spread out amongst the bustling streets, revealing an impressive nightlife. The appearance of many carriages traversing the walkways, surrounded by stone buildings.

Yet despite these amazing sights, including a massive forest in the distance and a mountain range to the left. It was another sense, swelling within that was far more apparent. As I breathed in, the sensation became even more noticeable. The only word to describe it was power. Raw untamed power, fluid with every breath. This world was drunk on magic, saturating everyone and everything. The sense of power welled up inside, his reserves long depleted, filled to bursting.

Several moments went by as Alistair lost himself in the familiar sensation, magnified a thousand-fold. Bringing himself back from the reverie, he hastened to the side. Seating on the balcony fence.

Pressing his wrist to an ear, he whispered a few words. "Let me hear." The faint glow of the symbol signalled its activation.

The sounds from the room spoke as clear as day. Painting a mental picture of three heroes congregating. Jasmine sat up straight on the edge of the bed. Peter leaned against the window and Lucy sat in the corner.

"Ouch," Peter gasped, pinching his cheek.

The sudden yelp snapped their attention to him. Lucy squinted her eyes, her head tilting to the side in confusion. Jasmine remained rigid, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

"What in God's name are you doing?"

His hand jerked away from his skin, red marks already forming. The air between them grew dense as she stared him down. A shiver ran down his spine. Those eyes reminded him of his mother's.

"Well, I'm trying to determine if this is a dream or real. So far, the pain feels real." Replying with a certain level of smugness. Peter glared back, expecting her to counter or agree.

"Oh, so you're pinching yourself as a reality check. Well, that's just genius. Please continue with your petty act of self-harm." She said, completely deadpan. She didn't even twitch.

Peter frowned, his childish nature stamped the desire to act with maturity down. He stuck out his tongue, only for Jasmine to turn away, indifferent. Ignoring his antics, she thought about their shared situation. Peter frowned, not getting any satisfaction from her indifference. Looking outside, the scenery fascinated him.

Tapping her chin, she came up with a few answers. "I think there are several scenarios. Some group that likes to cosplay has kidnapped us." Putting out that blanket statement, not waiting for an answer, she continued. "Of course, we can't avoid the possibility of truly being transported to a fantasy world, like those generic isekai stories." Her rhetorical conversation alerted the two.

Lucy was the first to speak. "Do you really think we have gone to a fantasy world, like, like in the stories?" With her cheeks flushed, she tried to keep her tone even, but she failed.

The two turned their heads to the previously silent member. They watched her, surprised she would speak. Shrinking back from their collective gazes, she curled up into a ball.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There could be another explanation. Kidnapping, amnesia, cult or transported to a fantasy world." Jasmine listed that last possibility with a certain sarcasm.

"Oh, like kidnapping us to steal our kidneys?" His eyes brightened for a few moments before shrinking back in horror.

She shook her head, disagreeing. The data did not add up for that. "No, if that was the case, we would have woken up in a bathtub of ice, with a scar on our side. Not in a medieval castle, so the cult seems more likely." She explained, her lips shifting from side to side in thought.

Her words stunned the three into contemplative silence, broken a moment later. "Hey guys, I think the fantasy world is more likely." He said.

The two girls approached, and both found themselves unable to speak at the sight of two luminescent moons. Awed by the truly magical sight, they couldn't help but gawk. Without having the time to process, frantic voices melted through the walls and caused all three to snap to the door, drawn away from the amazing sight.