Queen Annette Valentine III studied herself in the mirror, watching by way of reflection as her maidservant tied the final bow at the back of the bodice which gave her royal attire its signature shape.

It had been several years since she’d worn something so ceremonially impractical and the extra pounds she put on in the meantime were uncomfortably hemmed at her waist.

“We really must do something about this!” she said. Her words soft and resplendent despite the discomfort, “How am I to preside over such an important ceremony if I can hardly breathe!?”—She gestured gracefully and tilted her head, causing a waving blonde hair to drape over one of her crystal blue eyes.

A firm tug at the sides of the dress prompted her maidservant to bow her head, apologize, and loosen one of the ribbons. “How is that my lady?” She asked.

“Perfect as always!”—The Queen swayed from side to side testing her new range of motion—“I think she will be pleased, Don’t you?”

Turning to the side she glanced at the mirror, admiring the way the dress accentuated her physique. Two children later and you could hardly tell.

“Of course my lady,” the young woman replied. “You look just as radiant and shining as All-Mother’s eyes! I’m sure your request will be favorably heard.”

“It has to be,” the queen said to herself. “If things don’t change soon, it won’t be long before we have nothing left. ” Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Enter!” she raised her voice.

An older gentleman with a wrinkled face and a long distinguished grey beard stepped into the room. He carried himself with the decorum and grace of a seasoned diplomat and dressed just as sharply.

He wore polished black boots, a crisp shirt that was accentuated by his brown vest, and a black overcoat.

“Your majesty,”—he bowed—“preparations are nearing completion. All-Mother is singing and her light radiates brighter than ever. Your presence is required in the inner sanctum.”

Her heart skipped a beat as the words escaped his lips. This was the moment she had been waiting for. But now that it was here she felt uneasy.

A gust of wind slipped through an open window causing a chill to crawl up her back and grip her shoulders.

Resisting the urge to shiver, she asked a question: “And the king, will he be joining us?”

“I’m afraid not, my lady,”—the man shook his head and shrugged—“still tied up on the eastern front. That dreadful business with the airships.”

“Very well, Bellorum!” She gave him a nod and he returned the gesture before disappearing back into the hallway.

Twenty-one weeks.

It had been twenty-one weeks since she’d seen King Eaton Valentine in person. Ordinarily, her husband's missions lasted no more than a fortnight. He would travel to the battlefield when the rifts were just beginning to open and repel the attack before the creatures had a chance to gain a foothold.

But this time was different. Even before he boarded the battle cruiser she knew something was amiss. And, over the past five months, her worries had only grown.

At first, she received daily briefings, updates on the current status of the operation. But over time the flow of information had slowed to a trickle. Lately she only received an update once every other week if she was lucky.

But what she was about to do would change all that. Once the hero’s arrived everything would be different. It had to be.

Many believed the tales of the four heroes were nothing more than myths, old wives' tales passed down from generation to generation in a bid to motivate young men to train their bodies and defend their country.

But, in her heart of hearts, she knew that the legends, although greatly embellished, were all true. She was convinced that when they called the heroes would answer.

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It was, for this reason, she ordered the archivist to research the summoning ritual and begin preparations.

Now, only one piece was missing. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror. She was ready.

Less than five minutes later, the queen stepped into the inner sanctum.

A handful of guards flanked her on either side as she gracefully made her way down the marble steps.

The circular chamber was exceedingly large, its stone walls aglow with the bright blue light of the All-Mother; the ten-meter-tall shining crystal that the kingdom had been built around.

The din of the crowd was deafening, a cacophony of voices echoing out from the sea of bodies that filled the space and swarmed around the pulsating stone at the heart of the chamber.

Everyone, from foreign dignitaries to high-up military generals was in attendance. Eager to see the fabled Summoning Of The Heros. An event that only happened once every two hundred years.

“Make way, make way!” the forward guard shouted, parting the sea of people, “the honorable Queen Valentine III presiding!”

Unsure whether it was excitement or pure dread swelling in her stomach, the queen took her time climbing the stairs. With each step, the crystal shined brighter and the low hum that was almost inaudible a moment ago became loud enough to drown out the chatter of the crowd.

It was almost as if All-Mother was calling to her. The glow invited her to step closer.

According to the legends, all she had to do was place a hand on the surface of the crystal and the All-Mother would hear her request.

If the time was right and All-Mother deemed them worthy, the four heroes would appear in the room. One on each of the four circular platforms in front of the crystal.

“Ladies and gentlemen, people of Alavast.”—she turned to face the crowd—” It is with great honor that I stand before you and the All-Mother. For hundreds of years, our world has faced fearsome threats.

Monsters of unimaginable power and creatures of darkness seek to destroy the very fabric of our world.

But we are not a toothless people. Our brave knights along with the Brotherhood have fought on our behalf, protected us, and driven the hands of evil back time and time again. Even now, King Valentine fights on the front lines to defend our countrymen.

Having said that, it is no secret that the waves grow stronger year after year, our enemies grow in number day by day. Soon even our mightiest warriors will not be enough to hold them back.

But it is also no secret that The All-Mother foretold this moment. The prophecies said: ‘when the days grow dark your deliverance is near.’ Today is the day of darkness—on this day, All-Mother will shine her light granting us the four fabled heroes.”

Stretching out a hand she placed her palm on the crystal's surface. As soon as her skin made contact, veins of light stretched out from where her hand had been, spreading until the entire crystal was a mass of pulsing light.

“Biosignature recognized… Annette Valentine… Admin…” a serine voice emanated from the stone.

“Oh all mother, shine your light to guide the heroes to our world—shine your light to eradicate the darkness!”

“Request granted… Powering transport… retrieving assets…”

The chamber ignited into a blaze of light and color, the hum of the crystal took a higher pitch, ebbing and flowing as it grew in strength, becoming louder until it was almost deafening, brighter until the light was almost blinding.

Everyone in the room shielded their eyes as silhouettes begin to appear, simple blobs of mass at first, that soon took the shapes of people. Two men and a woman.

“Warning... Error Detected... Asset Not Found... increasing power”

Once again the light of the crystal grew brighter, this time it flashed and pulsated as the hum roared to new heights. It seemed that at any second the crystal would explode taking the castle with it.

But just when it seemed like it was about to go critical—the room fell silent. The crystal dimmed to a flicker. All was still.

Half blinded, it took their eyes a few seconds to readjust to the light of the now darkened room.

But when they could see, all eyes were fixed on the three figures that stood in the center of the room, their hands aglow with an arcane blue light.

The crowd stood in stunned silence. Even the queen stared in amazement, lost for words for several seconds.

One of the figures, the woman, stepped down from the platform and spoke: “मैं यहां कैसे पहुंचा?”

“どうしたの？!?” One of the men added.

“Holy dude!” The shorter man looked around the room and stared wide-eyed at all the robed people! “Is this… did I? wasn’t I just!?” he stammered.

Everyone in the room stared back at them, still silent. Falling onto her training, the queen bowed before them and activated the translation crystal. “Great Heroes, we welcome you to our world and we thank you for answering our call!”

Seeing this, everyone in the room fell to their knees and echoed her words: “Welcome great heroes!”

The three heroes said nothing. They looked at each other and then back to the crowd.

“I know you must have many questions. There is much for us to discuss. ”