Rumble* Rumble*
"Looks like it started raining, can we share your umbrella?"
"Of course! Just give me a sec, I'll pack my things up quick."
"Well, hurry up a little bit. It feels a little uncomfortable to be in the same room with that guy."
"Hey, that's rude of you. He could've heard us."
"Who cares about what he feels? C'mon let's go."
Throwing the rest of the stuff on the table into the girl's bag, the other girl who made the mean comment grabbed her wrist as she pulled her out of the classroom.
Sitting in the corner of the classroom, my eyes were locked in on the rain occurring just behind the windows. Of course, the words of the two girls earlier reached my ears clearly, but I'm used to it already.
"I guess it's time I leave. There's still laundry at home to do, after all."
Standing up from my seat, I started packing the books that were laying randomly on my desk.
My hand stopped as I tried to reach for the flipped history exercise book. The page was as empty as it could be, even though the answers to the question were already written on the whiteboard before school ended.
'I'll just copy it off from someone's book tomorrow. Not like I cared much about it.'
Coming out of the thought, the book and the rest were thrown into my bag as I started heading towards the door.
"Still, the rain is quite heavy. I don't think my umbrella is big enough to keep me dry."
I murmured as I walked down the stairs, taking out the umbrella that I would bring with me wherever I go.
Stepping into the rain, the droplets immediately landed on the roof of the umbrella before sliding off towards the ground. The small splashes quickly wetted the edges of my pants, but the discomfort is bearable.
'Another day passed without achieving anything. Will it be the same even after I leave this school?'
A boring thought popped up in my head as I took out my phone that I snuck into school. The teachers probably already caught me doing so long before, but I guess even they given up on me.
"Stabilize the mana flow! Failure is not an option! The fate of the kingdom lies in this summoning ceremony!"
'Hmm? Who was that?'
The voice of an old man shouting entered my ear. Turning around, I tried looking for the source of the sound, but all I could see was dark houses on both side of the streets.
'Must've been my imagination.'
"Stay strong, Royal Mage Andrius! The summoning formation is about to reach its success!"
"Royal Mage Andrius? Is it an anime character? I guess I wasn't the only one who watches them without lights on."
Giving no thought to the weird things that are resounding in my head, I continued on the way home with my head kept down, eyes glued to the bright screen.
RUMBLE* RUMBLE*
The thunder roared ferociously as daylight seemed to return for a moment, before falling back to darkness.
The change in my surroundings prompted me to look up towards the sky, and that, is when it happened.
RUUUUUUMMMMBLEEEE
The lightning struck me, my phone slipped out of my hands as I tripped in shock, trying to evade what seems to be lethal.
My butt hit the ground as I groaned in pain. My attention, however, was quickly dragged away onto the golden formation shining dimly beneath me.
Unrecognized symbols rotated within the formation, like gears in a machine. An electricity-like energy was also coursing through the linings, pumping it with power to function.
The shock and confusion took control of my mind for a few seconds, but that much time was already enough for change to take place in the formation.
The dim light coming off from it suddenly intensified, blinding my eyes as they were forced to shut tightly. Through blurry memory, I reached for my phone and tried to get off the ground.
Just as I was about to run away from the range of the mysterious formation that randomly appeared, the feeling of motion sickness suddenly pulled on the leg that I was extending forward, halting my movements.
Followed by it, the prickling pain from the intense light even with my eyelids closed slowly faded away.
"Ooh! The summoning ceremony was a great success! We've managed to summon 5 heroes, with just the 8 of us royal mages!"
The voice of the old man that mentioned the name 'Royal Mage Andrius' earlier sounded in my ears again, with much more clarity compared to last time.
I was startled by the sudden loud noise that seemed to be next by my ears, causing my eyes to open wide to get a hold of the situation.
In an enclosed room shaped like a cylinder, 8 men dressed in red cloaks with gold strip lining down the edges surrounded the raised platform that I was on. The voice that spoke earlier came from an old man whose head wasn't covered by the hood.
The old man had short white hair and beard, with wrinkles all over his face. Despite the unconcealable excitement radiating, his eyes still possess a sharp glint that hinted a his dangerousness.
Overall, he should have been even more handsome than he is now during his youth.
"W-where the hell are we?! Who are you people? How did you guys brought me here?"
I turned to my side, towards the teenager who seems to be around my age. His trembling voice revealed his nervousness facing the current situation, and the same goes to the remaining three that are with us.
'Looks like I'm the quickest to calm down.'
I complimented myself after making a childish comparison. My eyes immediately shifted onto the old man that was walking towards us, who seemed to have something to say.
"Now, please calm yourself, Lord Hero. As confused you may be now, things will be slowly explained to you all after this. For now, let me, Royal Mage Dwark, welcome the 5 heroes summoned from a world above us, to the Phoenix Empire!"