Logan is a typical adolescent, thus nothing about this sixteen-year-old boy particularly stuck out. Nothing about him was unique, not his long straight hair that fell to his shoulders and constantly covered one of his eyes or the beanie he wore to keep a few strands of his rich chocolate brown hair present and hiding a portion of his face from the rest of the world. Certainly not the dull-colored hoodies he alternated when one of them got dirty, and most definitely not the faded denim jeans he chose from the limited selection in his closet.
Logan used this image every day to represent who he is—a loner who enjoys leading a solitary existence. Away from people and any situations that can trigger sentimentality.
Logan had had enough of this one specific feeling; if his parents' early divorce hadn't left a lasting impression, it had to have been leaving behind a close friend with whom he had spent more than half of his brief life growing up, just to re-meet as strangers.
That certainly couldn't be the cause, could it?
Perhaps it was the unintentional death of his eight-year-old dog, who raced out of the home to welcome him after school only to be hit by a car.
The youngster was therefore sick of it—relationships that only result in unhappiness, anguish over losing something dear, anxiety over losing what you still have, pity over knowing you have no control over anything, and eventually loneliness.
This cycle made Logan into the person he is today—a young boy who stands outside his classroom and peers out a window toward the direction of the athletic fields, where a forest stretches far beyond the reach of the eye.
Today's morning was dominated by a gloomy cloud that stained the sky with drab shades of gray, creating the ideal representation of a typical autumn day. The yellow and orange of withering trees pervaded the fields and woodland, making the cold morning breezes feel much chillier than they should, but none of this could be savored as the first-morning bell rung, alerting the youngsters to hurry to class.
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Logan didn't move from this position, however, and even turned up the phone's level to drown out the noises of the rushing children making their way to their separate classes with a deep bass that was popping through his headphones.
The boy remained still while gazing through the huge rectangular clear glass crystal, but after a while, he understood that he had to get ready. He inhaled many times, perhaps in an effort to take in the fresh air that was only there in his field of vision.
Five minutes had passed since the first bell and now the second warning bell rang, it was time for him to start moving as his surroundings were now empty, void of all the students who were just standing about a few minutes ago. The only sounds present in the long school hall are the squeaking sneakers from someone running at a distance and a random teacher yelling about.
Logan didn't need to worry, though, because, without any interruptions, he would have thirty seconds to go to the window from his seat. Naturally, he had acquired this information via repetition, and today was no different. Just as the final bell rang, he managed to make it to his seat barely in time.
The time had come for him to forfeit his freedom, as he sat down, swiftly as it was possible.
At that point, the teacher who was standing by the door quickly looked outside before shutting it. She gave a soft throat clearing before calling out to everyone and extending a friendly greeting.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm delighted to see that no one is running late, so before we start the lecture for today, let's take a quick roll call." Ms. Claire began the class as usual, flashing a bright smile that caught the attention of many of the boys.
While waiting for his name to be called, Logan began to reflect on his teacher's excited and sincere demeanor. She had a difficult time at first managing a class of teenagers because she was one of the school's youngest lecturers, but after a few months of the new semester, the others began to accept her.
"Logan... Logan" Finally, Logan heard the teacher shouting his name, and with each repetition, the voice got louder.
The boy, whose head was drooping and who was on the verge of dozing, lifted his head from his crossed arms, which made for a comfortable pillow. He had completely forgotten about the whole roll call ordeal.
"Present! " Logan cleared his throat, trying to sound inattentive, but this didn't fool the teacher, who glared at him for a few seconds, causing a few of his classmates to snicker.
"Logan, if you don't sit up, you'll fall asleep." The teacher tapped her pen as she awaited his response.
"Yes, ma'am!" Logan yelled out in an effort to protect himself from further damage from this incident.
The young teacher gave the youngster one last severe look before getting back to calling names from her notebook.
Although the shame he felt likely played a role, Logan didn't have any trouble trying to stay awake for the remainder of the morning. The surge of heat that rushed into his neck and back didn't seem to settle, though.
Logan let out a heavy sigh and scanned the room to forget what had just happened. A girl seated a few rows in front of him caught his wandering glance at first.
Lisa had a wonderful profile face contour, or at least Logan thought so. She had long, light ash-brown hair with a hint of gold mixed in that was neatly pulled up into a bun. She had thin brows, two exquisitely shaped, deep-set eyes with hazel-colored pupils, a small snub nose, and glossy, tiny red lips that, like the rest of her face, were lightly coated with makeup.
Lina [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8AubjhobDdwzcEhh1WDZoPSiioPdI1hg66yzTdkzFIazBBbIBi9pZrw90N-fchk_GXa3XKOHdl7tHeUlKh6cd98p7U7bNWU8XNmIYe7RnN34aoJcny_HJ4PSLjkYKWUYEs6fQELpzvSA3Q9dW3YF24r=w512-h768-s-no?authuser=0]
She was someone the youngster had known well in the past, but she was now a stranger to him. At the beginning of the school year, they only had a few interactions, and he believed that none of them had shown that she wanted to talk to him. Furthermore, what would the class's beauty see in him now, a guy who was clearly a shadow of his former self and at the bottom of the school's social circles?
Upon reflection, there were seven students in the class who could be described as standing out from the crowd, being unusual, or being popular. In addition to Lisa, who was considered to be beautiful by all accounts, her close friend Alma wasn't far behind her.
Seated beside Lisa, Alma was taking care of her nails while sitting next to Lisa; she couldn't paint them in class, but she enjoyed using an odd heart-shaped nail file when she was bored. Regarding appearance, Alma was tall and curvy, and she exuded a model-like aura at all times. No one knew what color her natural hair was, although it was now blond with pink tips. She always meticulously applied just the right amount of cosmetics. The cherry on top of all of this was the fortune of possessing an attractive face.
Her mother allegedly worked as a stylist, which would account for her impeccable sense of fashion. Logan didn't really think much of this particular girl though, but he did include her in his mental list of the class's top seven distinctive individuals.
Logan turned his attention to the front where three men were grinning and casting shady eyes at the teacher as he considered the other members of this specific group of classmates. The trio, which he liked to refer to as "the three stooges," always bothered Logan for some reason. It wasn't at a point where he needed to call for assistance or anything of the sort, but he didn't exactly understand why they kept attacking him. They were merely isolated instances of mild bullying, and if he called them out, they would probably only receive minor punishment like detention for their impolite behavior, it would probably even get worse, so Logan chose to ignore them.
However, the leader of these three was Brian, a clever and fit individual who is consistently good at whatever he does and never pays attention to people too far below him. It wasn't too difficult to comprehend that girls would struggle for his attention. A hunk who is well-built and has every good quality you can imagine, well except his personality. Even Logan had to admit that he was a little envious of the guy.
Jonathan and George were the two next to him, always glued together, the two of them undoubtedly joined every single sports club in the school, and both of them were tall, attractive, and all that.
To get rid of what seemed like acid that was accumulating in his mouth, Logan suddenly felt the impulse to spit to the side.
He shifted his attention to Silvia, a small girl who was unique in another manner and was seated in a corner of the first row. This girl is reserved, excels in her studies, and is a very determined individual. She hasn't acquired a mature figure, but she enjoys having the teacher's attention. This girl had never spoken to Logan, so he couldn't say much more about her other that she had rare brownish silver-like hair and a pair of unusual grayish-amber pupils hidden behind glasses.
The last of these seven was Ms. Claire, the young teacher who was presently distributing papers; she was the only adult present. She is a stunning woman in her early to mid-twenties by any standard. Many guys even revered her adult body, which most teenage boys lusted for. She is regarded by all of these young people who knew they had no chance in obtaining that forbidden fruit. Ms. Claire is like the ideal form that many girls desire to be when they finally become adults—always prim and correct, punctual, and smiling.
"Logan, It's nice to see you're no longer sleepy. I'll need your complete attention on this quiz, so stay with us." Ms. Claire drew forward and appeared to whisper in his ear.
When Logan looked up to see the stare she was giving him, it alone was enough to make him raise his chin even higher. Logan didn't respond and continued to nod. It didn't last long since she quickly smiled slyly in Logan's direct line of sight. As he grew to know his teacher, he became aware of a minor flaw, she skillfully concealed a sadistic personality, and of course, he always managed to make a mistake that brought it out.
While sighing and going over the test, a blue light appeared in front of the class. Everyone initially assumed it was a joke because the light appeared to be a powerful laser beam focused on a single location.
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Not even a few seconds had elapsed when additional blue lights started to appear in different places throughout the classroom, creating a blue circle that encircled all the students.
But, no one responded since everyone appeared to be too engrossed in what was occurring to react, and it was impossible for them to do anything because it was all happening so quickly. More lights started to appear, and the pattern changed to take the shape of a star in the center of the enormous circle. Several strange characters also started to appear in the green and red colors. Only twenty seconds had passed when a second, bigger circle emerged on the edge, and that is when something extremely unexpected happened.
Everyone experienced a sudden, intense pressure on their bodies, but instead of reacting, they were all immobilized. Everyone was drawn downward as if gravity had doubled, and the strange circle started to revolve in a clockwise direction. Like the others, Logan was unable to move, but as everything was going on, he bit down on his molar and securely gripped his desk. Logan attempted to look around the room while feeling like he was falling.
There was silence as the light show seemed to absorb all sounds and colors that had been around them just a short while earlier. As a black shadow started devouring everything outside of the outer large circle, the doors, windows, and walls started to become warped and eventually there was no light left.
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Everyone's body collapsed to the ground with a single loud thud, while the desk, chairs, and everything else the youngsters had surrounding them vanished.
Logan managed to look up and inspect his new surroundings during all of this, using all the strength he still had. What he saw didn't look good at all.
First off, there was no outside lighting; instead, there were only two dull orbs hovering in the air, and the image they showed wasn't particularly appealing. The entire class appeared to be in a pitch-black, roomy dungeon. It was chilly and damp, and to make matters worse, the blue magic array that had guided them here had long since diminished, allowing more than a dozen people to be clearly seen. They were lying around the edges of the formerly blue circle, possibly dead.
While some of the other kids were too ill to even get off the floor, others started to gather their composure to look at what Logan was examining. Two people who were unable to contain their stomach contents hurried away from the group, and one of these two even fell over one of the bodies that were lying about, creating a messy scene.
Logan couldn't claim he was better off because he too had the sickening feeling that caused him to tightly grasp his stomach as chaos quickly erupted in the room with individuals sobbing, screaming, or flailing around. He began to breathe erratically but attempted to calm himself by taking deep breaths till he could eventually calm down before running towards one of the nearby dead bodies. It appeared to be a young woman in her early twenties who appeared to be drenched in sweat, which caused the black cloak she was wearing to stick to her body. Upon closer observation, he saw the individual was still breathing.
Logan sighed in satisfaction that he wouldn't have to see a murder scene, but that feeling of relief was fleeting since a loud bang suddenly erupted behind him.
Those who were just gathering themselves had to now confront their fears as what appeared to be a door suddenly appeared in the room. The class huddled in fear as four bulky, strongly built individuals wearing full metal armor loudly entered. The students could only remain silent while waiting for what was to happen because there was nowhere to run, and more people were rushing through the door.
Everyone realized they were no longer in the same world after ten or so robed individuals rushed in and began chanting incantations in an unidentified language to produce more orbs of light.
Everyone could finally see every area of the room clearly and without difficulty thanks to the newly formed orbs of light, but this didn't imply that things got any better. A group of what appeared to be knights in shining armor came into view. They were all fully armed with swords, spears, and shields that all appeared to have been expertly carved out of gold and silver, dispelling any notion that the whole affair was a charade.
None of the newcomers made any noise; instead, they all simply took a position and lifted one arm above their chest, each and every one of them precisely on cue as if they had practiced it. As soon as everyone was in place, three females and a group of maids entered the room. Logan immediately felt like cocking his head to the side and furrowing one brow while in confusion.
The three girls stood out among the others who were either armored or dressed as maids in terms of appearance.
“Sister look! There must be at least twenty heroes, not just one!” Logan saw that the youngest of the three had a little, soft voice and spoke excitedly in a foreign language that the class seemed to somehow understand.
Myrea [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DXvwNuYYFaflSoKXneA_RQJEcfYLyZAJGnGhBwjCtkuJJs_HLc00XNBC9N3ptz4pnyrf2hQdXRzGbTry7UMIXwhjruDrgmJ9tjInvUM2LI6NIxbxzs_Cx0coRwosirRZ8VDDnkhrHJ75EgXnDlnQx0=w512-h768-s-no?authuser=0]
"Yes, I can see that..." The second girl, who was a bit older, raised her hand; she was likely the same age as the majority of the children in the class, and she posed a series of inquisitive questions to everyone in the room. Yet, she was more careful with her speech and gestures. She wore a sophisticated white gown with gold accents and had beautiful short curly golden hair and green eyes.
[https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8CZBzxlYiXJ5TaIvOAdHoH0qNW0MMOw1RstOTQV1IDryrAZ6MI8MvG7x8t-Iwk7hFoleFJ3QUVNay-jzvMsBFfyTUszHqDLBqY7EyHHe9q7n3v7RX0oFZ9Vd__nbr-VhXEtMU7CxcM5nESYVevQB8lL=w512-h768-s-no?authuser=0]
Each of the two girls was wearing an exquisitely made tiara, and they both appeared to be wearing long dresses that only someone who was attending a formal event would wear. While her sister wore a gold tiara with numerous jade-like gems, the little girl wore a silver tiara with green emerald-like jewels that complemented her blond European appearance. Everyone who saw the two girls likely had the same impression that they were both princesses from some absurd fairy tale.
A taller female wearing light armor was behind them. Her blue hair showed out, as did the rest of her features, demonstrating that it wasn't just a dye job. She even emitted a blue-like aura that gave her pale complexion a faint blue tinge in addition to having blue sapphire pupils and blue eyebrows.
The younger girl was likely the one who first observed the mood of the class because she turned her gaze from the group to the nearest knight before returning to the group. Everyone, including Logan, was unsure of what she would do next as she nodded in understanding and moved a few steps forward, but she just made a poorly overdone bow that caused her golden platinum hair to fall forward. Even though she was older, the person she named her sister also panicked and lowered her stance, although not as much.
It wasn't until the sound of the younger sister's silver tiara falling forward that she realized her folly; it bounced a few times before rolling towards Logan's knee, who was still near the shrouded figure he was earlier studying while crouching.
“Ah! I apologize for that!” The small girl rushed forward in an attempt to get her tiara.
Logan handed back the tiny metal crown, which felt much lighter than it should have, and said, "Uhm, it's fine... here."
The young girl stared at him for a few seconds while tilting her head a few times as if she were perplexed, but Logan had had enough of this and began to cough loudly to express his discomfort.
“Myrea! The heroes must be brought into the reception area, but before we begin handing out potions. After trying to pull the tiny child back, the older sister cleared her throat to get a hold of the situation.
"I sincerely apologize about all this... Heroes, please accept our welcome and pardon our clumsy introduction; this is a very unusual event, even for us." Both girls demonstrated a very elegant curtsy, drawing a small portion of their dresses up with a delicate bow that caused everyone in the room to look on in admiration.
"Now then, we had assumed that only one hero would be called... Please pardon us since we were unaware that this time, so many of you would be called upon to assist us. We simply need a little of your time as we get ready for your great entrance. We'll be dispensing medicines that were created to aid the summoning's mages; these should assist you in recovering from any negative effects of your travel,"
Both girls were pleased to see the group before them but also regretful of the state of the classroom: torn clothing, signs of some wetting themselves, others with vomit. There wasn't anything graceful about the way they summoned the heroes, but that could have been due to a lack of knowledge of the spell that had only been performed once before. Even though they couldn't have predicted the outcome, it was the kingdom's responsibility to fix this disaster. Perhaps it was the number of mediums they utilized since it was thought that only one person was going to be summoned.
When she took in her surroundings, the princess was reminded of her responsibility to welcome the heroes and restore order to the disorderly scene in front of her.
Thank the spirits they were called upon while dressed... The princess pondered as she considered her next words.
"Now that you are aware of the circumstances, let me introduce myself. My younger sister Myrea is the second princess of the Kingdom of Elris. I'm Vianell, the first princess of this kingdom. We'll be distributing out potions as I mentioned earlier, and if you don't mind, we'll also be checking on everyone's health."
The maids standing behind all had trays with various objects on them, including towels and glass vials holding some sort of pink liquid. As they approached the class, the students only received the towels that were being distributed. Even Logan, who was the first to be given the so-called medication, didn't seem to trust the liquid; he was reluctant to drink it.
“Uhm!” The little princess Myrea cried out, appearing to understand the issue yet again, and then she approached one of the maids who was presenting the vials. "Let me assist! I'm sorry, but this isn't poison at all. Let me show you!"
The little girl grabbed one of the bottles and took a small sip before taking a large gulp while closing her eyes in order to demonstrate that she had successfully swallowed the beverage. She then cleared her throat few times before speaking once more.
“You see, it's not that terrible; it might be a little spicy at first, but you get used to it." She smiled innocently as she handed Logan the remaining medicine, her eyes full of anticipation.
"But you've just...drank..." Logan made an effort to decline the offer, but the little girl nudged the bottle in his direction with a sincere but strong expression that suggested she wouldn't give up.
In addition to the young girl, Logan felt pressure from everyone in the room, especially the other students who believed it would be the answer to their miserable situation. He battled a little longer with his indecision until he cast a brief glance at Lisa's way, but she swiftly avoided his sight although he noticed she too had expressed some sort of expectation.
"Fine, I'll give it a shot." With no escape, he seized the bottle and made the decision to gulp a little.
Logan's mouth was immediately filled with a flavor that was both sweet and spicy, like honeyed cinnamon. But it stopped then; he felt that the liquid had suddenly changed into a type of gas and entered his lungs before it had even gotten to his stomach. The boy experienced a brief moment of fear as a result of the medication's effect. After that, relief was immediate, and his body felt incredibly light and free of any pain or other symptoms from his previous ailments.
The rest of the class all of a sudden rushed over to get a vial and took the medicine. Because of the commotion, Logan was able to avoid the young girl's curious eyes and found a spot to sit down and begin cleaning his body with one of the white towels that had been handed about earlier.
Logan felt like his fragile state from being transferred into this other world had been healed, however, no one in the classroom left the group even though some of the youngsters started to have light conversations with the maids.
"Guards, rush the magicians to the infirmary!" The class naturally stirred, and the youngsters in the class made even more commotion when additional soldiers were called by the princess. These soldiers just performed some sort of spell near the fallen bodies to make them hover using some bizarre disks that lifted each robed person easily.
Afterward, the older princess explained to the class that they needed to perform a quick inspection to see if everyone was still ill or suffering from any injury while holding something they termed a Medical Sigil.
Logan was the last student to be tested this time, and all he had to do was extend his palm to finish the procedure. The inspection was overseen by Princess Vianell, who had the blue-haired bodyguard by her side at all times. Her little sister, on the other hand, was busy chatting with a few of the girls in the class.
After inspecting his hand and nodding in approval, she shifted the glass towards his face. The princess smiled at him like a doctor who had discovered nothing wrong with her patient.
"Thank you for cooperating, and please accept our sincere apologies for your delay."
Vianell stood up and cleared her throat before moving a short distance towards the other students in the class, who were seated or standing towards the center of the room, and clapping her hands to draw their attention.
"Now then, I'm sure most of you want to change into new clothing, so we've set up bathrooms and changing areas. Any questions will be answered once this is all finished, so just follow me as we leave the room."
The princesses reunited with their trio of friends and moved toward the room's lone door as they waited for everyone to follow them. Ms. Claire was busy getting everyone in the class to form a line as she attempted to regain control of the situation. During all that happened she didn't seem to be doing too well, even with the potion, so Logan made the decision to put himself last so as not to add to her stress.
Logan sighed for what felt like the hundredth time since arriving as he recalled everything that had transpired this morning. He had already pinched himself a few times, so this time he used a little more force, but despite this, he appeared to be able to fully awake and just felt the burning pain he was putting upon himself on his arm. But he and the others had to accept the fact that this was not a dream.