The roar of chanting echoed through the underground chamber.
More than two hundred Royal Court Mages stood around an enormous magic formation that covered the entire floor.
Ancient runes glowed one after another, spreading brilliant blue and gold light across the vast hall.
Every mage had one hand raised toward the center of the formation.
Mana poured from their bodies like rivers.
Some trembled.
Some coughed blood.
Others had already collapsed from exhaustion, their robes soaked with sweat.
Yet none of them abandoned their position.
At the center of the formation stood an elderly man dressed in white robes embroidered with silver runes.
Grand Archmage Seraphel.
The greatest mage in the Kingdom of Aerithia.
His long white hair fluttered despite the absence of wind as he raised an ancient crystal staff toward the ceiling.
The gemstone at its tip burst into radiant light.
His aged voice echoed throughout the chamber.
“By the covenant forged in the Age of Origins…”
“We offer our lives…”
“Our mana…”
“And our hope.”
“Open the Gate Between Worlds.”
The massive magic circle answered.
BOOOOOOM!!
A deafening vibration shook the underground chamber.
The outer rings of the formation began rotating in opposite directions while thousands of glowing runes rose into the air like stars.
Mana flooded every corner of the hall.
The pressure became so overwhelming that several younger court mages collapsed unconscious.
Outside…
The entire Royal Palace trembled.
Inside the throne room, ministers looked toward the floor beneath their feet in alarm.
“It has begun.”
King Aldren slowly stood from his throne.
He walked toward the enormous balcony overlooking the capital.
The city of Lumina stretched before him.
Its white walls reflected the afternoon sun.
Children still played in the streets.
Merchants still welcomed customers.
To the people below…
Today looked like any other day.
But the king knew the truth.
If the ritual failed…
None of this would survive another year.
A knight hurried into the throne room before kneeling.
“Your Majesty!”
“The western fortress has fallen.”
Silence filled the room.
One of the ministers closed his eyes.
“…Again.”
The knight lowered his head.
“The survivors report that the Demon Lord’s army never stopped advancing.”
“They overwhelmed the fortress before reinforcements arrived.”
King Aldren clenched his fists.
“How many?”
“Nearly four thousand soldiers…”
“…did not return.”
The throne room became deathly quiet.
Every report was worse than the last.
Five years.
For five years the human kingdoms had fought against the Demon Lord.
Every battle ended the same way.
Victory came at an unbearable cost.
Defeat cost entire cities.
King Aldren looked toward the distant western mountains.
Somewhere beyond them…
The Demon Lord continued expanding his dominion.
“Our armies are reaching their limit.”
No one disagreed.
The Grand Archmage had searched every ancient ruin, every forgotten temple, and every surviving record.
Only one hope remained.
The Hero Summoning Ritual.
A ritual forbidden for centuries because of its enormous cost.
The palace shook once more.
BOOOOOOM!!
Golden light burst upward from beneath the palace like a pillar connecting heaven and earth.
Citizens flooded into the streets.
Some fell to their knees in prayer.
Others stared at the sky in disbelief.
The clouds above the capital began rotating.
A gigantic magic circle slowly appeared across the heavens.
It was so enormous that every person within the kingdom could see it.
Back beneath the palace…
The Grand Archmage slammed his staff against the floor.
CRACK!!
The gemstone shattered.
Mana exploded from the broken crystal.
The remaining court mages cried out as they released every last drop of strength into the ritual.
Blood dripped from the Grand Archmage’s lips.
His voice, however, never faltered.
“Hear our plea…”
“Heroes beyond this world…”
“Cross the endless void.”
“Answer our desperate call.”
“Save this land from ruin.”
The magic circle erupted.
For a single instant…
The barrier separating worlds cracked.
Far away…
On another world called Earth…
Six golden circles appeared simultaneously.
One appeared in New Delhi, India.
Another in Tokyo, Japan.
Another in Beijing, China.
Another in New York, United States.
Another in Jerusalem, Israel.
And the last in Seoul, South Korea.
Six ordinary young people froze as glowing runes spread beneath their feet.
Traffic stopped.
People screamed.
Phones were raised to record the impossible sight.
Among them stood a nineteen-year-old young man carrying a worn black backpack.
Aiden Valen.
He had just received another email informing him that his latest job application had been rejected.
He stared at the glowing symbols beneath his shoes.
“…What is this?”
The runes expanded rapidly, forming a perfect circle around him.
Across the world, five others experienced the same phenomenon.
Haruto Kisaragi looked up from a crowded Tokyo crossing.
Li Wei dropped the books he had been carrying through Beijing.
Daniel Carter stumbled backward outside a café in New York.
Maya Ben-Ami shielded her eyes in Jerusalem.
Seo Ji-ah froze in the middle of a sidewalk in Seoul.
None of them understood what was happening.
Then every circle erupted with blinding golden light.
The light swallowed them completely.
Aiden instinctively reached forward, trying to grab anything within reach.
His fingers met only empty air.
The sounds of the city disappeared.
The weight of his body vanished.
Everything became silent.
Then…
Darkness.
Back in the Kingdom of Aerithia…
Six pillars of golden light descended into the Grand Summoning Hall.
The exhausted mages slowly opened their eyes.
The Grand Archmage looked toward the six brilliant pillars, a weary smile forming on his face despite the blood running down his chin.
“…We succeeded.”
As the light slowly faded…
Six unfamiliar silhouettes became visible within the ancient magic circle.
The heroes from another world had finally arrived.