Jason woke up on his bed, covered by a soft, blue light pulsating from strange symbols surrounding his body. He reached up to touch one and the symbols dashed towards him, wrapping around his body before he could even scream. He sat there mummified as the symbols grew dim. The light eventually died and the symbols broke away, leaving nothing behind.

Jason woke up once more, but this time he awoke to the sight of a lavish throne room. Pillars of gold shot up to the ceiling, with a red carpet leading up steps to a throne made of a lustrous metal he had never seen before. On the throne sat a slightly overweight man with a beard that appeared to be in his late 40’s. He gave off an aura of nobility, yet devoid of haughtiness. Jason looked to his right to see two more people, a man and a woman, wake up as well.

Raising his arms with a joyful expression the king proclaimed, “Welcome Heroes, to the kingdom of Creon!”

Before the three could say anything his joyful expression turned serious and he suddenly bowed down: “I’m extremely sorry for dragging you three here without your consent, and if there were any other option I would’ve chosen it instead, but now that you are here please listen to this old man’s request.”

The King explained that there are countless species on the planet, and they have coexisted on the same continent somewhat peacefully. All types of species are interspersed throughout the land, but humans are the predominant force in the north, and the elves are the predominant force in the southern woodlands. There have been a few wars between races, but others stepped in to help mediate before they got too out of hand. A few years ago, a large island appeared out of nowhere north of the continent, and from it, a race calling themselves the Forlorn. The other races tried setting up relations with them, but were instead attacked, and some species were almost exterminated. The Forlorn had been pushing further and further into the human’s territory, and they were out of ideas. That’s when the king discovered a ritual in the royal archives used to summon beings from a different world. These beings would be given extra abilities, which the king hoped could be used to combat the Forlorn.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

During this explanation all three of them had looks of amazement on their faces. The king looked towards the heroes with a hopeful expression: “So now you know the dire situation we are in. I will not lie, it will be dangerous for you three if you agree; however, you should have been gifted with abilities that we will help cultivate to provide you with a level of safety. And of course no one will force you to help, but know this: even if you try to run away, eventually, the Forlorn will catch up, and you’ll be dragged into this war sooner or later. So what do you say heroes, will you help us? Will you become beacons of light to illuminate the path to victory and triumph?

The heroes looked at each other. The other two heroes said yes almost immediately, and then all eyes turned to Jason.

He smiled and said, “Of course!”