“Today we’ll be learning about hyphens, dashes, and the like” Mr Atlas tells the whole class, eliciting a grown from everyone. Especially from me, we already covered this in my last school, but whatever, I’m used to this happening at least once at a new school. And I guess I understand why everyone else is annoyed, at what point besides essays will we ever use this. Mr Atlas does not seem amused.

“Quit your whining, the only one who actually has a reason might be upset is Mark, and no that does not mean you can get out of notes kid” Damn, so close. Well, I guess I could use a refresher anyways...

...something doesn’t feel right, I can’t tell but it’s like the air around me is shifting. No not the air, the… I can’t explain, it’s like a sound that you’ve heard all your life suddenly changes pitch. No one else around me seems to notice the change, but it keeps getting stronger, like it’s building up to something. I have to let them know.

“Mr Atlas, something’s wrong” I say as I stand up, the feeling getting more powerful. I can hear it now, a deep humming sound.

“Mark, what are you talking about?” “Yeah demon, start talking sense” “Is it your power acting up?” Those and more questions, a lot of them more mocking than curious. I can feel it now, a pulling sensation, not in a direction, but like everywhere at once, and inward at the same time.

“You don’t understand, something’s happening, something ba-” The world flashes white, and then I black out.

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I slowly come to in a place I don’t recognize. Large white walls going up incredibly high. As I sit up I see that everyone is here, also waking up. We seem to be on a large golden carpet, and a group of people are around us. A bunch of robed people who match the colors of the room, and two people in front of us.

First is a man that gives off a noble aura, like Mr Atlas does. But where Mr Atlas has the air of someone who has seen many events, this man seems to have caused a lot of events. That and the shining crown and purple robes that he wears brings me to the conclusion that this man is a king. I know, genius.

Now for the other person. She, well, I can only describe her as a goddess. That’s not because she’s beautiful, though she is. It’s because she’s glowing, not in beauty, though she… I’m not explaining this well am I? Well let’s just say that there is literally a golden glow coming off from her body. She is wearing a red dress, and has blond hair.

This seems awfully familiar, like I read this somewhere in a book. Wait… don’t tell me this is-

“Welcome heros!” Oh… ok. I get it, I’m insane, my brain broke in class and this is just me being delusional. Well, I mean, if I did go insane, why not roll with it?

“Where are we?” I ask calmly, not to the king, no. I ask the goddess, I would bet my money on her being the real power behind all this. Just a hunch.

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“Why ask me? Why not the King?” The goddess asks me in return. This confirms it, she isn’t even looking at the King, not acting deferential to him at all.

“You seem much more powerful than him, not the other way around. I think you are more knowledgeable about all this”

“Ha ha ha, I like you kid, you’re perceptive. Yes it’s true, I am in charge here. You can call me Algera, Goddess of light.” She confirms it, and I can hear a gasp around me. I forgot that the others were listening to this whole thing.

“Um, Mrs Goddess? Why did you bring us here?” What is that I hear? The stuck up Sara Withers, asking questions, not demanding answers? Now I know I’m insane.

“Ah yes, the reason for your summoning. Well you see, I wish for you to fight for me.” How cliche can you get?

“What do you mean, ‘Fight for me’? Who are we supposed to fight?” Please don’t say Demon King, please don’t say Demon King.

“I want you to fight a being known as the Chain Emperor.” Well, it’s not the Demon King, so I guess it isn’t all bad.

“What can you tell us about this ‘Chain Emperor’” Oh, there’s Mr Atlas, asking the important questions. I was wondering this too.

“He is a being of immense power, a demon-like existence. Wherever he walks, disaster follows” Wow, the goddess, Algera, sounds scared of this thing. What could threaten a divine being.

“We have someone like that too” Shut up Sara, don’t you dare.

“Oh, and who might that be, then?” Uh oh, I don’t like that tone of voice…

“It’s Mark, he breaks things just by being near them” And there she goes, let’s just hope the literal Goddess doesn’t smite me. I don’t think that is something I want to experience.

“Oh? Which one of you is Mark then?” I have a bad feeling about this, but she’ll find out even if I hide, so might as well.

“It is me, Goddess” She looks at me, and I don’t like the look on her face. She starts sniffing the air around me. Her look worsens even more, into a mix of hatred, disgust, and horror.

“YOU! How did you sneak in here you monster! This place is warded!” This is bad, what did I possibly do to her. Guess I’ll experience smiting after all. What a way to go, summoned to another world, then smited by a goddess… smote… smitten? Well, it doesn’t matter much anyways, I’m gonna die.

“DIE!” Yep here it comes, wonder how this whole smitting thing wor-

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A flash of light, too bright to be natural, swarms around me. But I don’t feel dead, not like I really know what that’s like, but it probably isn't this. As the light around me fades, I am greeted by an amazing sight. There is a whole world in front of me. It isn’t Earth though.

There are five continents only, and four of them are centered around one big one. The four are in the north, east, south, and west. The one in the center is at least twice the size of the others. In the middle of that is a large glowing light, I’m gonna bet that’s where I came from.

The planet is spinning slowly, as time goes on. But hold on… it’s slowing down? Soon it stopped completely. Now it’s going the other way, and I somehow know it is time that is going in reverse. The planet blurs as it turns faster and faster. Years go by in an instant. Suddenly it stops.

Gravity seems to remember that I exist and starts to pull me down again. I’m falling towards the western continent now. As I gain speed only one thought goes through my mind. ‘How am I going to land?’ The ground approaches rapidly.

‘Oh shi-’