Mike found himself standing as his bare feet touched a cold, somewhat damp floor. Darkness surrounded him, but unlike the infinite darkness from before, this was just the kind that his eyes needed a minute to adjust to. When they did, he quickly looked around at his newfound environment.
Stone surrounded him in almost every direction, with the occasional patch of dirt instead. Stalactites covered the ceiling, water dripping from them that acted as the sole source of noise. He was underground in some kind of cave, from the looks of it.
The message from before still hung in the air before him. It was just a white screen with black text. Mike waved a hand against it, yet even when his hand should have covered it up, the screen was still fully readable through it.
“Okay then? This is a weird turn to the… the…” The word dream got stuck on his tongue as a sudden wave of vertigo made him lose balance.
Mike stumbled and fell onto his butt, sending a minor shock up his spine as he landed on the hard ground. The nauseous feeling still in his stomach, the bit of pain just now, and how the stone floor and cool air felt on his skin. It all felt real, far too real for any dream he could ever imagine experiencing.
But surely it had to be a dream? He wasn’t in a cave; he was in his apartment. The alternative was simply absurd in its impossibility. Yet even as his mind said one thing, his five senses said another.
When Mike took a deep breath, his nostrils were filled with the humid and slightly stale air from being underground. Yet even beyond physical sensation or his conscious thoughts, something deeper also affirmed that what he was experiencing now was no dream. He didn’t know how he knew, but it felt like the same source as the one that’d pushed him through the series of choices just before.
Welcome, Summoner, to the formal introduction of the Interdimensional War of Summoners. As part of this System’s responsibilities, you will now be given a basic rundown of how this event will function and what you may expect from it.
Congratulations!
Your planet has been considered worthy of joining the Interdimensional Summoning Committee. But before your planet’s induction into this prestigious organization can move forward, your aptitude as Summoners must first be formally tested and judged. This shall proceed in the form of the time-honored tradition of the Interdimensional War of Summoners.
Your designated Summon will be activated shortly. But before that and the start of the war, the following rules and guidance must be kept in mind:
1) Upon the official beginning of the War, all sapient creatures of your planet shall have their designated Summons activated.
2) Due to the overabundance of Summons versus Summoners, a number of unassigned Summons will be released in randomized locations as independent entities.
3) Considering the relatively small size of your planet, an additional planet has been merged with it. Due to this change in geographical makeup, Summoners have been relocated to random but equally spaced locations across their new megaplanet.
4) From this moment forward, all Summoners can only be damaged and killed by Summons. This also includes any damage that would otherwise be self-caused by the inferior biology of the Summoner.
5) Starting now, the War will last for a period of precisely ten complete rotations around this planet’s respect start. Within this time, Summoners must work to reduce to population to 50% or less from their current number.
6) In the unfortunate event that the goal for point 5 is not met, it will be viewed as rejecting the offer to join the Committee. In accordance with Committee law, this will result in the culling of all living Summoners on your planet down to zero.
7) And second most importantly, as the War now begins, remember to have fun!
As the lines of text filled his vision, Mike felt almost overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information. Just as he felt like he’d almost finished processing one part, the next immediately came in with a steel chair to smack right him back down into the land of confusion.
“What the fuck? Like what the actual fuck?!” Mike exclaimed. This now felt way beyond anything he felt he could ever dream up on his own. Had he been drugged or something? Did the pigeon get diarrhea from snorting something it shouldn't have and that got transferred into all the poop he had to smell?
“There’s no way this can be real. It can’t, it just-”
“Unfortunately, it is,” a deep voice said from right behind him. Mike spun toward the voice, and then immediately jumped back.
“Oh shit, I’m dead?!” Mike said as his mouth was then left hung open with pure shock. The reason for this sudden belief was due to exactly who, or perhaps better to say what, was standing there. Clad in a full-body suit of golden armor and easily standing at a towering height of at least ten feet, there was an angel. One whose metallic wings were currently folded against its back, but could still be seen from the front.
The deep and masculine voice that it’d spoken with seemed to indicate that it could actually be a he. However, it was hard to get a read through any other features. As the armor covered every inch of skin, and the helmet was completely smooth on the front.
It was almost eerie as the shined surface was like a mirror where Mike could see an only slightly distorted image of his reflection in it. Coming out from each side of the helmet was a smaller and more decorative pair of wings that arched around the top, eventually connecting together to form what could be described as a kind of halo.
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The angel slightly tilted its head to the side, as if confused by what he’d said. Or perhaps it was an indicator of curiosity? It was hard for him to say for sure without any facial futures or other cues in body language to judge from.
“No, you are not dead. For that to be the case, I would have to die first. And fortunately, I am still feeling quite full of life at the moment!” placing his hands on his waist, the angel threw his head back and began to laugh joyfully. It was only then that Mike realized that despite being totally covered in metal, the sound of the angel’s voice was completely unobstructed.
“So, this isn’t the afterlife, then?” Mike asked slowly. Though still feeling a bit shaky about the… well everything… of this situation, he still pushed himself to steadily get back up to his feet. Though even after he rose back up to his full height, the angel still towered over him.
The angel rubbed the polished bottom of its helmet with its hand, as if rubbing its chin. “An after to life would require death first, no? And as we just established, we are still both alive. So… no, it is not.”
Just as Mike was about to reply, the angel then raised a hand to stop him.
“Neither is this a dream, nor any sort of illusion. Though it has been drastically changed, you are back in your home world and are wide awake, my Summoner. And I am your Summon, the one who shall be at your side until the day that we fall in battle as one, or survive together to see the end of this conflict. My name is Raemiel, a warrior whose kind are known as angels back in my home. May I be so honored as to know the identity of the one who acts as my Summoner?” asked the angel, who was apparently called Raemiel.
“Oh… okay. Hello there, Raemiel. I’m Mike, uhh, human of the planet Earth? Sorry, it’s just that all of this is, well, a lot. Like to take in all at once. So sorry if I just need a minute to process the fact that all of this just happened and is still happening.” Mike rubbed his eyes, but the angel was still there. He then pinched his skin as the final check, just in case.
Yet just a moment later, he frowned. Despite feeling the sensation of his skin being pushed between his fingers, Mike felt none of the usually associated pain from the action. He pinched ever harder, but still, nothing. Finally, as the muscles in his hand and arm became fully tensed from the effort of pinching as hard as he physically could, there was still not even the tiniest inkling of pain.
“If my Summoner is attempting to do what I believe he is doing, I would refer you back to point 4 of the System’s guidance,” Raemiel commented while watching with one hand still on his waist. Taking the advice, Mike looked back at it from the series of messages that’d come prior and were still just hanging out in the air.
4) From this moment forward, all Summoners can only be damaged and killed by Summons. This also includes any damage that would otherwise be self-caused by the inferior biology of the Summoner.
“Damn, so that’s actually applying to literally everything? This System, or maybe the Committee it mentioned. Do they actually have that kind of power? And the line about inferior biology, is that referring to, what, heart attacks and such?” Mike asked.
The angel shrugged at his questions. “It ashamed me to admit it, but that matter is not one where I can be of any genuine use to you. Though it was the System that facilitated our connection as Summon and Summoner, I do not know much about it myself. All I can say for sure is that while it may not be genuinely omnipotent, it is close enough in how it can affect us that it might as well be so. All I know for certain is that there was an ancient accord between my home and the Committee that allowed for our warriors to be called upon as Summons. Though the details of this agreement were unfortunately above my station, so I cannot say that I know anymore beyond the fact that it existed.”
“So what, we’re just meant to use you guys as living weapons to kill each other? To just keep fighting until we’ve slaughtered ourselves to half our population, and literal billions are dead? And for what? Just for the so-called honor of joining this fucking group of psychopaths that’ll just genocide our entire planet if we don’t comply?!” Mike’s voice was raised with the last sentence into a full-blown yell that then echoed across the walls of the cave.
After heavily breathing a few times, Mike felt a tad embarrassed. Even as his heart was still racing, the blank face of the angel looking down at him made him feel just a tad shameful about getting so snappy.
From the way Raemiel had put it, he wasn’t exactly a willing participant in this either. Not if his being tied down as a Summon was part of some old agreement that he didn’t even get to know about. And as far as making a first impression with someone went, yelling directly at their face was generally not considered the best way to go about it. After taking a second to try and calm back down a bit, Mike was able to realize at least that much.
Taking a few steps to get close, Raemiel placed a hand on the human’s shoulder. Perhaps it was partially due to how relatively cool the environment was, but the metal gauntlet distinctly felt very warm to the touch.
“I understand if you are distraught, for your world’s plight is no laughing matter,” Raemiel began with a much more severe tone. “But from what little rumors I have heard about the Committee, I believe that they are a group of Summoners of the highest power. But you, too, are a Summoner now. I think this is why their test is one of loyalty through culling, for a rogue planet of newfound Summoners that rebel against them may prove to become a threat. If the philosophy is that might makes right, then we must simply become the mightiest and rise up to challenge them.”
Taking a deep breath, Mike gave him a slight nod. “If there’s no other choice anyway… then we might have to get stronger anyway. Alright then, how are we supposed to do that?”
“As your Summon, the System has granted me some fundamental knowledge in relation to these kinds of mechanics. Through the same screens that it uses to show you those messages, it can show my status and what it will take to increase my power. Just will for it to be opened, and the System should respond.”
Following the angel’s advice, he focused on doing so. And just a second later, the System was quick to respond with a new pop-up.
Summon’s Status:
General Info:
True Name: Raemiel
Species: Lesser Angel
Stats:
Level: 1
Essence: 0/100
Rank: 1
First Advancement: N/A
Second Advancement: N/A
Third Advancement: N/A
Skills:
Active:
Golden Spear (Rank 1)
Passive:
Lesser Angelic Vitality