I followed the young priestess Aurora silently down the stone hallway. Heavy wooden doors would sporadically appear beside me and metal candle holders punctuated the sides of the hall. We've been walking for some time; Castle Newburg must be huge. I didn't know where we were going and after the serious conversation in my room, it didn't seem like Aurora felt like telling me.
Make me an enemy of the gods?! A power that could destroy the caster upon use?! I don't need that kind of power!!!!
I silently cursed my newfound ability. Certainly, it was powerful. In the forums and comments sections for my favorite web novels, readers would probably describe it as "OP" or "Over Powered". Thinking it over quickly, the application of
But it's too powerful, darn it! Writing the runes permanently or saying them out loud could cause a magical disaster. Not to mention uttering the spells - essentially the names of Asperia's gods - could bring the unwanted attention of this world's divine beings.
With these kinds of conditions, the Gift is practically useless! It's like having a thermonuclear bomb in your back pocket.
I try to breathe deeply, in my nose and out my mouth. It's an old relaxation tip I read online. I have to calm down.
I look at the back of Aurora's blonde head. She was a whole head shorter than me, a tiny young woman. I'm not tall myself - 5'7" in shoes. She must barely be five feet tall. The flaxen hair coming down her tiny back, I can only think of the fear in her eyes when she heard me recite the spell 'Restia'. Something I did terrified this girl to that extent. It was a look that I never want to see again.
I have to calm down. To this point, Aurora is the only who has looked at me with kindness and even she reacted that way when I used my Gift. How would King Jonas and his old man entourage react? Or the other summoned heroes? Or any of the other inhabitants of this world who know what I'm capable of?
I'm a threat. A man with a bomb in his pocket. Based on my extensive readings, dangerous MC's are treated harshly. I don't want that kind of torturous development. I have to be calm and allay their fears.
"We're here, Mr. Arthur."
I broke from my reverie to see Aurora looking at me. We were in front of a set of huge wooden doors, twice as large as the ones in the hallway and far more ornate. Scenes of men in armor and mages casting spells were carved on the dark, varnished wood.
"Ah, sorry."
"Not at all. Excuse me!" Aurora knocked on the door, announcing our arrival.
"Who is it?" A gruff voice I didn't recognize could be heard on the other side of the door.
"It's is Aurora Damande with Hero Arthur."
Damande? Aurora had a last name? I guess it makes sense, the naming conventions in this world must be similar to Earth's.
"Come in!"
Aurora quickly pushed open the doors, struggling a bit. This castle may be big but it doesn't seem very user friendly. Or is the little pirestess just too small?
I stepped in behind her and saw a large man in a blue robe like mine. He sat behind a desk, normal sized for most people but it looked a little undersized for its current user. The room was about the size of my apartment on earth, with floor to ceiling book shelves on either side of the desk. Behind the man was a stone wall with two large, arched windows. A corner office! This guy is a big shot.
"Please have a seat, Hero Arthur."
"Ah yes."
I quickly sat down in a plush chair angled towards the man and his desk. Aurora walked to the his side, her eyes cast respectfully to the floor. I subconsciously straightened my back and folded my hands on my knees. First impressions with big shots are important, both on Earth and here in Asperia.
"Thank you for joining me. My name is Roland Jaxis, chamberlain of King Jonas the 13th and Archbishop of the Lideralian High Church."
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Jaxis? Isn't that a god's name? And it seems like Lideralia is some kind of theocracy. Hmmm....that's a bit worrisome. State churches aren't always the most benevolent institutions in web novels.
Right, Linley?
"I've been tasked with giving you an explanation of why you were summoned and your role in this world."
The bear-like Roland waved his hand quickly and a small screen appeared between us in the air. A brief light pattern could be seen in front of his hand - a rune. I did my best to ignore it. The screen he conjured showed a map - it looked old, like a pre-Columbian map of the New World. It showed two large bodies of land, separated by an ocean. The land to the left was grey while the one to the right of the ocean was separated into strangely shaped chunks. Countries. There were words inside of them, the largest one with the name of this country inside it. "Lideralia."
"This is a map of the known world," Roland continued.
"We are here in Lideralia, the seat of religion and commerce among the allied states of this continent, Asperia.
The land beyond the sea is the demon continent of Thiraxist. It is the home of the demon and undead races, the natural enemies of Asperians."
A steely look appeared on Roland's face.
"Your summons is intricately tied to the goings on in Thiraxist."
The screen disappeared. Roland and I were now unobstructed. His large, shorn head and bushy eyebrows looked like they belonged to a general or elder warrior, not a priest. I gulped at the intensity of his gaze.
"For the last five years, a dark energy has emanated from the demon lands and is being felt on our fair continent. The energy was at first an annoyance. Unseasonable storms, plagues, famine. That sort of thing."
What the hell?! Those weren't annoyances at all!
"Over the last two years, however, the darkness has graduated from run of the mill disasters to more troubling developments. Deformities among newborns across the country, born with monstrous strength and demonic features. An unprecedented war among the heathen races in the forests of Alborbor. The elves of the Sky Mount have closed their gates and gone into hiding.
Most disturbingly, there have been reports of mass disappearances across Asperia. Inhabitants of entire towns vanishing into thin air."
...Roland's subdued reaction to plagues and famine aside, it certainly sounds like the continent of Asperia is in turmoil.
"Finally, a year before the first hero summoning, there were reports of demon forces landing on the Asperian coast. They are concentrated in the northern lands, at the feet of the elven high lands. Demons haven't been seen on our continent in two millennia, since the Age of Dark Gods."
Age of Dark Gods again. The last time the divine language was spoken aloud according to Aurora.
"It's unknown what the demon forces are planning. But their unprecedented arrival and the strange occurrences happening across Asperia are signs. Signs recorded in a prophecy made by the last priestess of Damande. The prophecy of the Eternal Sunset."
Roland closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. I leaned back into the chair, flopping my arms on the rests. This is definitely not a whimsical adventure. I've been summoned into a disturbing chapter of this world's history.
"Aurora will explain the specifics of the prophecy and your mission later, along with the other heroes. Suffice it to say, the summoned heroes are the key to the survival of this world.
I know this is much to hear. So we'll conclude your briefing after your welcome feast. Please retire to your room, preparations are being completed presently. Aurora will attend to you until then."
The audience was completed and the old priest looked back to the papers on his small desk. I stood and walked out of the room, Aurora following me.
"We're your saviors, then?" I asked Aurora quietly.
"I'm sorry."
I heard the whispered apology behind me. I wonder if she could see the look on my face.