In Another World (But It's Terrible)

[Mistborn]

Introduction
Note on previous versions: This isn't the first iteration of this project that I've posted on SV. The hard relaunch mostly owes to me being unsatisfied with how bloated my original vision for the cast was. This version condenses the stuff I liked into something more manageable.

The underlying vision isn't all the different. It is in a certain sense a sendup of the classic Isekai formula, it's a story about a bunch of Japanese teenagers summoned to a fantasy world a given a vast amount of unearned power. It's just this particular fantasy world is a darker place. It's a place where the prospect of magic giving one person the power to topple a kingdom, or a man devouring the flesh of monsters in order to gain power at cost of his humanity are considered not just as milestones on Light Novel Guy's path power and a harem of cliché waifus but as setting elements with troubling implications.

Character Sheet
[TBD]

Worldbuilding Posts Index
[TBD]

 

[Mistborn]

Kurosawa Ayako got up well before her alarm rang. It was rare for her to need it but she kept it set anyway. It made her feel like every day started with a small victory. She had intended to get up earlier but it took her a moment to recall why through the early morning haze.

"Ichinose and Nishimura have class duty today," she recalled. Kiyomaki High had a surfeit of clubs, but few dedicated clubrooms. As a result, most clubs met in regular classrooms, and all to often the students would not leave those classrooms as they found them. The school opted to deal with this by having the students on duty for their class come in early to make sure the classroom was tidied up, alongside running the usual errands. Of course, in this case, it meant Ichinose was being thrown to the wolves first thing in the morning.

It probably wouldn't be a problem but she wanted to be on hand if Ichinose needed to be bailed out. It wasn't enough cause to rush out the door, instead she went meticulously through her morning routine of washing her face, brushing her teeth, applying some basic skincare products and running the brush through her hair the necessary number of times. Some of the girls in the class had more elaborate beauty routines, but Ayako was interested in keeping up appearances, not attracting attention.

When that was done she took a moment to look herself over in the mirror. Dark eyes gazed out from behind glasses with thin metal rims, dark hair that reached her shoulders. Her classmates always said she looked better when she smiled but it always looked off to her when she tried in the mirror. Judging herself ready to face the world Ayako headed downstairs.

No one else was up, which meant that her mother had come home from work late and her father had slept at the office. She made scrambled eggs, orange juice, and toast for herself, and then took the time to make a simple bento of rice, mixed vegetables and hot-dogs that opted not to slice into the typical "octopus" shape. The she made two eggs sunny side up and put two more slices of bread in the toaster and went upstairs to wake her mother.

"Mom, it's time to wake up. You'll be late if you don't get up now." She rapped on the door again. "I made breakfast." That elicited something like a groan of acknowledgment. She returned to her room to pack her bag and change into her uniform, a traditional serafuku design at least a decade out of date, and only slightly improved by the addition of a cardigan. Deeming herself ready to face the world she walked downstairs to find her mom eating breakfast.

"Good morning"

"Good moring, and thanks for making breakfast." her mother said still sounding a little groggy "You're already all dressed so early in the morning?"

"I need to help out someone in my class with something."

Her mother sighed. "I need to tell your father to stop working so late. It feels like we barely see each other these days."

"These things happen. We all have busy schedules you and dad especially. Sometimes those schedules don't overlap."

"We're a family we should be able to make time to spend together." She paused for a second. "This weekend we ought to do something as a family. See a movie, maybe go to that new family restaurant that opened up."

"Sure, that sounds nice." If her mom wanted to see more of her, she wasn't going to object, but Ayako didn't resent her parents for focusing on their own priorities. She even took a small amount of pride in how her independence and maturity allowed them to do so.

"I need to head out or I'll miss the train."

"Have a safe trip" her mother replied.

Ayako stepped out the door ready to face whatever the world could throw at her.

<><><><>

The train that Ayako took to school ran three times between when she woke up and when school started. The first train was irritatingly early even for someone who considered herself a morning person, but it was the one she had to take when she personally had class duty. She usually took the third train. It got her to school about five minutes before the fist bell, which she considered acceptably punctual. Thus, it was rare for her to take the second train as it didn't fit well into her schedule.

Today however the second train brought her to school just in time to run into a somewhat disheveled Ichinose Yuu. Ichinose did not look the part of a high school student: her short statue and the childish cast of her features gave the impression that she was much younger. The disheveled state of her uniform and short dark-brown hair only added to that impression. Ichinose's "cute" appearance led some of the other girls to baby her. Ayako suspected she resented it on some level. Another reason to suppress her urge to adjust the improperly tied ribbon on the girls uniform or wipe off the crumbs and bit of jam still stuck to her face.

"Good morning Ichinose-san, you've got food on your face."

"Uwah!" Ichinose let out a small startled sound and fumbled for her handkerchief, nearly dropping it, before wiping the residual crumbs from her face. "Good morning," she returned the greeting. Ayako opted not to press her on her untimeliness or the state of her uniform. Being strict with a hopeless case like Ichinose would only get her a reputation as a bully. Instead, she followed a step behind Ichinose is she entered the classroom. As she expected, only a single student had arrived before them. A quick glace around the room told her that Nishimura had already tidied up and fetched the attendance book from the teachers' office.

Of course even if every other student had arrived before her, Nishimura Reina would have drawn the eye. Before everything else she was tall, in some sense the opposite of Ichinose. Where Ichinose looked like someone had dressed up their kid sister Nishimura gave the impression of a college student who had put on her old uniform as a lark. It didn't help that even the largest size of uniform the school issued was still made for someone shorter. Fair skin, strikingly gray eyes, and long oddly light brown hair she habitually wore in a lose ponytail added a wraithlike quality to her appearance.

According to what she had pried from Sasaki, Nishimura had been born in Japan to an American mother and a Japanese father, then shuffled between Japan and America several times due to family issues before finally moving in with a cousin to finish high school uninterrupted. In Ayako's view the girl had never been properly socialized. As a result she left a trail of ruffled feathers and bruised egos wherever she went. Why the previous Literature club president had chosen that ogre of a woman to replace her, she still didn't understand, much less that the other members of the club had meekly acceded to it.

Their entrance to the classroom prompted Nishimura to lift her gaze from the foreign novel she was reading. Much like that novel her expression was a text in a language Ayako couldn't read.

"Good morning, um, sorry I'm late. Nishimura-san." Ichinose said.

"It's no trouble and you can call me Reina" she replied. "Anyway, Suzu would like me to pass something along."

"Takayama-san?"

"Yes, she's asked me to invite you to join the Literature Club, or at least observe one of our meetings. I could give you the sales pitch, of course, but I think it would be better if you approached her about it," Nishimura explained. "Suzu is the type that has a hard time coming out of her shell, so on one level it's encouraging to see her want to scout people for the club. That only holds if she's willing to do it herself, though."

That tracked with what Ayako had seen of Takayama Suzume. The girl scarcely spoke to anyone but Nishimura and presumably the other members of the Literature Club. She found it hard to see Takayama or Ichinose as good fits for the Literature Club's current iteration, though she supposed the two of them were fairly good at academics. Which reminded her.

"If I might interrupt Nishimura-san, you are aware that the presidents of the culture clubs are meeting with the student council today?"

"I'll be there, Kurosawa-san, despite my better judgment," Nishimura sighed "It's just going to mean more pointless drama between the Literature Club and the Print Media Club though. It's not like either club needs anything from the school beyond a clubroom."

In Ayako's judgment, Nishimura had no business complaining. She had aided and abetted the previous Club President Imai Nagisa in pushing the members of what would become the Print Media Club from Literature Club. As much as Ayako might approve of Imai's goal of making the Literature club more academically serious, the way she went about it left a lot of hard feelings. Those feeling would probably resurface at the meeting, so she understand could not wanting to attend. Part of her wanted an excuse to skip out herself.

Almost on cue, Takayama Suzume stepped into the classroom. Her long black hair was tied into a thick braid, as always. She had a habit of hunching in on herself that gave the impression of being short despite her average height. Her usually downcast expression made it hard to notice the green eyes that otherwise might have been a charm point.

Ichinose called out to her, small smile on her face. "Hi, Reina-chan said you wanted to talk to me?"

Takayama's panicked gaze snapped to Reina immediately, who simply shrugged.

<><><><>

Ayako liked to watch the door as people entered in the morning. It helped her keep track of how everyone was doing. A key part of being an effective class representative without being overbearing was being a good observer. It let her anticipate if someone need help or if there was going to be a problem between classmates without seeming to pry.

Sasaki Kyouya was early today his black hair disheveled, though that could be hard to tell given his usual chuunibyou look. Prone to spending most of his time in a parallel world Sasaki wasn't someone Ayako would ordinarily have much to do with beyond needing to hassle him to get printouts back on time. Unfortunately he was one of the few leads in untangling the cryptic knot of frustration that was Reina. He wasn't hard on the eyes, although as far Ayako could tell, he was the type of guy who had difficulty imagining a relationship in 3-D space.

He stopped by Reina's desk to whisper something to her before heading to his own seat. He seemed worried, though Ayako couldn't guess what could have pricked his bubble.

Fujiki Jun was the next to arrive. Unlike Kyouya, his black hair was clean cut and properly brushed. He wore glasses with thin metal frames, the meticulous nature of his appearance reflecting an attitude towards the world Ayako was always glad to see in her classmates. Ayako felt like they had a good rapport even if they weren't exactly friends.

Hagino Daisuke entered the room and opted to linger near Yagami's desk rather than take his own seat. He was one of the tallest of the boys and visibly athletic even through their school's fairly unflattering gaukran uniforms, his dark hair slicked back and slightly disheveled from morning soccer practice. Ayako suspected he was the type to get overly focused on the team and neglect academics, but it was too early to tell. If it came to that she could likely get Jun to help him out, or failing, that help him herself.

Ueda Eiko walked into the classroom like she owned the place. Her hair was as always dyed a vibrant shade of blonde in violation of school policy. Of course, it was school policy the teacher were unwilling to enforce, which in Ayako's view was worse than not having the rule at all. From what Ayako had heard, Ueda's parents were wealthy, at least to the point where she felt like she could pursue boys and fashion rather than academics. On it's own, Ayako could forgive that, but Ueda was the type to drag other people down with her.

"Heya Class Rep!"

Ayako fought to keep her irritation from showing on her face. Aa far as she could tell, there wasn't any malice in Ueda Eiko, just the sort of unawareness of consequences brought on by a pretty face and well connected parents. Getting mad at her wasn't warranted.

"Good Morning Ueda-san, can I help you with anything?"

Ueda idly wound a lock of hair around one finger. "Shina-chan's birthday is coming up next week, on the 17th​. I'm taking her out to karaoke with some of the girls in the class, I thought I'd invite you since you're always taking care of us."

"I'll consider it." She would consider it, if only to serve as a chaperone.

Ayako caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Omori Mitsuo was standing in the doorway. He was doing his best to loom despite being one of the shorter boys in class, although his absurd bowl cut wasn't helping. His eyes locked on Reina and narrowed.

There were going to be problems today.

 

[Mistborn]

Ly'christem Silanus Alatheus rode from the Imperial Citadel at first light with four of the empire's finest soldiers at her side and her breath streaming behind her in the chill winter air. She kept her hood low, her dark skin was not too uncommon in Novas Urbrem but combined with her pointed ears, indigo eyes, and snowy white hair it made an image that was well know throughout the empire. The journey would not be a long one nor did she expect danger, but Ly'christem did not rise from the daughter of a slave to Court Mage in the service of the Emperor by letting the small details escape her.

It took only half a day of riding for them to reach their destination. Crowning the top of a wooded hill was a flat disk of Starstone nearly the diameter of the great Colosseum, polished smoother than glass, and without any seam or join. It had been built by the elves of Old Avalon in their heyday millennia ago when they ruled almost all of Nazokesh, and the ages since had left no mark. What the elves had called it, or its original purpose, was lost to the Breaking. The human cultures which had inherited the world named it the Altar of the Night Sky for how the black stone drank in the light of sun and moon yet reflected the light of the stars clearer than any mirror and regardless of any obstructions. Even at high noon or on cloudy days the Altar seemed like a pool of starry night somehow poured across the land.

She was not surprised to find the site deserted, even as close as it was to the city. As beautiful as the place was, the surrounding land was marginal and strewn with the broken remnants of a city that had thrived before the breaking. Few visited save the occasional woodcuter and the rare mage who had use for the largest known Void array.

She turned to the man riding at her side as they approached the edge of the disk. The other three were scouting around the perimeter, but their leader had chose to remain at her side. Commander Portius Servius Alatheus of the Praetorian guard was something close to a friend, or perhaps more a rivalry held so long it became familiar. He had the look of someones favorite grandfather, white haired with a face lined by weather, age, and long service to the Empire. He was likely still the best swordsman in the Pretorean guard and now perhaps even the second best Theurgist. In all the years she had known him he had never given her the slightest reason to doubt his loyalty.

It still sometimes seemed like only yesterday that he was a young man and the two of them had fought together to put Emperor Earhart on the throne. Where had those years gone? That could be because of her elven blood. Years did not touch her as they did other women, Emeria willing she would live long enough to see Earhart's grandchildren and great-grandchildren sit the throne, and she would serve them too if they would have her.

The emperor himself still had years left in him and his daughter the Princess had it in her to take the throne when he passed. Yet still, as the years passed, it seemed those who had put the Empire back together in its time of crisis were fading away, only to be replaced by lesser men. It just made her task today all the more important. If all went as planned none of those lesser men would dare challenge the emperor or his successor.

"Commander Servius, walk with me if you would? Putting up an array on this scale is going to be a long and slightly boring task, I find it's helpful to talk while doing it," Ly'chistem offered as she dismounted from her horse.

"So now you want to talk," Portius grumbled as he fell into line beside her. "Then let us continue our conversation from before then. This whole operation still seems to me like a set-up, and so far you've done little to convince me otherwise. The grand summon is one the church's own spells, Celestial Magic. Why would they put something like that it in the hands of a non-initiate, or have you suddenly found religion?"

"Hardly. I'll admit the church is like as not playing false as they always are, but it's doing so for our benefit this time." Ly'christem stopped half way to the center of the disk and fished a book from her robe. Then she sent her will and mana out to the spirits surrounding her. Here like everywhere else the spirits of the seven elements were quietly maintaining the structure of the world, waiting only for a mage to ask them for something more and provide them the mana to make it possible. Her finger left a trail of light as the illusion spell took shape, and she began to draw.

"All the previous times the Summon ritual has been preformed it has been by a member of the Church." she continued. "Naturally as an agent of the church. the Hero has held to the Churches neutrality between human nations. If the summoner is the Imperial Court Mage, though, their loyalty will be to the empire. In a stroke De'ksep Spion grants its closest ally a powerful tool while still adhering to the letter of their law." She checked the diagram in her notes to ensure she had made no errors.

"If they are willing to go to such lengths, then why maintain such a farce?" Portius said. "We ought to be favored above the other nations regardless. The empire is the shield of humanity, it is us who guard against the Blasted Lands while their petty kings squabble among themselves or consort with ghouls and monsters."

She let her spell complete, and above the Altar of the Night Sky a second array took shape, the first of seven if all went as planned. Anything that could hold its shape could be made into a focusing array for magecraft. Some mages carved their arrays into rock or forged them from metal, less permanent arrays could be made with chalk or ink, some mages even went so far as to tattoo their most used arrays onto their own bodies.

However, nothing imposed a formula on the flows of mana better than an array that was itself composed of mana. Thus an illusion of a magic circle like she had just created could be just as good as the real thing, better in this case. The void element of the illusion would resonate with the Altar of the Night Sky to create an array of arrays. Normally this would be overkill, but the Prelate had assured her that the Grand Summoning Spell could not be overloaded no mater how potent an amplification circle she used.

"There is another possibility." she allowed herself to admit as she drew a vial of glowing blue liquid from her robe. "The church may have lost confidence in the summoning spell. That would explain why they kept the spell in reserve the last time a Demon King arose. They may merely want someone outside the church that they can blame if things go awry." She drank the mana potion in one gulp and shuddered as her body leached the mana from the Infused water.

"You wouldn't be have agreed if you thought the church was setting you up for a fall."

"True enough, but I think I'm prepared to exceed their expectations as well. Before I left De'ksep Spion I got a chance to examine the spell with my Magic Perception skill. I saw void elements inside its structure, whatever they might say about celestial magic being outside the seven elements. Even if the Church fears that Grand Summoning is a path closed to them, magecraft is all about making a path beyond what the gods laid out for humanity."

"Spoken like a true magus."

"Archmagus, actually. Now I have to make six more of those" she gestured towards the array of light, "and that hypocrite of a Prelate had better show up on time, or I'll have to do it all over again".

<><><><>

The hypocrite of a Prelate arrived exactly on time, just as the sun was beginning to rise, his gryphon alighting near the base of the hill the Altar of the Night sky rested upon. Prelate Saja Vortoj was a man in his late forties who showed little of his years. His handsome face was unlined, his glossy black hair was untouched by grey. Even wearing the elaborate grey robes of his office, the lines of his body could be seen, defined and tight as those of a man in the prime of his youth. Was that due to the blessing of the Celestials or a life lived among the best healers in Nazokesh? If Ly'christem asked she suspected, the Prelate would say that they were one and the same.

He had not come alone. Ten gryphons bearing armored men and women who were almost certainly paladins landed around the hill, forming a perimeter. An eleventh gryphon continued to circle the hill. Prelate Saja plus his eleven soldiers brought the number of people to seventeen, a number sacred to the Church. She would have suspected it was intentional if she had told the Prelate how many men she had intended to bring with her, but she had not decided on the number until the morning they had left. It didn't matter; the result would be the same regardless of the number of bystanders.

"I hope your journey was as uneventful as our own, elder brother" Ly'christem said holding to the proper forms of address for a Prelate despite the the man being more than a decade her junior.

"The favor of the Celestials was with us and thus so to was favor of the winds. Rejoice." the priest spread his arms in a grandiose gesture. "The Custoidian has given us his full blessing in our great endeavor. In this time of great need, the seventeenth Celestial has seen our outstretched hand and placed in it our salvation. I see you have not been idle in wait for us my sister. This is good, faith without works is naught but empty pretension."

"If it is all the same to you, elder brother, I'd prefer news of the world to insincere sermonizing. It's always seemed to me that De'ksep Spion knows what goes on in Novas Urbrem before the palace does. If you and the Custodian believe that this is the critical moment, I'd like to know why," she asked.

"Ever the pragmatic, befitting your vocation." The priest seemed to grow more stern, as if the gravity of the situation was finally affecting him. "The apparent peace of the past year is only the calm before the storm. To the west, the Seekers of Eternity and the Syndicate have made something like common cause. The Seekers are still the spoiled noblemen and lovers of luxury they've always been but, they've come to believe the Syndicate's goal of civilizational collapse will keep the light of the church from burning out their hiding places. To the east, the Koine league is once again on the brink of civil war and worse. The inquisitors found a recently turned third generation vampire leading a group of bandits near Nalia which can only mean the ancestor is active again."

Ly'christem nearly jumped when the man on the last gryphon dismounted in mid air to alight with impossible grace next to the Prelate. He spared a brief glance for the new arrival but it took effort for Ly'christem not to stare. Shrouded in shapeless gray robes from head to toe that gave no indication of gender, it wore a hood that failed to conceal mask underneath. The mask was white porcelain without opening for eyes, nose, or mouth. It's only decoration was a filigree pattern of gold that in no way resembled a human face. The Inquisitor gave the Prelate a slight nod that he barely acknowledged before continuing his story.

"More pressing is the south where Demon General Echlin Cathair has his two primary rivals under siege in Skulvane. It's only a matter of time before they bend the knee. Once that happens, the remaining stragglers will fall in line, and Echlin Cathair will be named the 36th​ Demon Lord. He will mobilize against humanity as soon as his power is secure. Given all this we in the church fear the Gestalt empire will be unable to hold the center. Especially when the succession comes sooner than most assume, but you knew about that already."

Ly'christem froze at that. How did the Church know? They had been so careful. Combined with the presence of an Inquisitor, it was hard not to see a veiled threat. With effort she schooled expression and brought her thought back into order. "I suppose the need is greater than I anticipated. The array is prepared; if you have the spell, we can begin as soon as you are ready."

At that, the priest reached into his robe and pulled out a golden ball the size of an apple, a spellbomb. He fiddled with it for a moment and the sphere seemed to unfold, revealing a ball of golden light. Without thinking Ly'chirstem activated her Magic Perception skill to better examine it. The sheer complexity of what she was looking at nearly made her head spin. She could not believe the church's doctrine that the spell had come straight from mind of a Celestial, but it must have taken dozens of mages decades of painstaking effort to interlink so many magecraft formulae and a method of solid-state magical storage no artificer had even imagined. There was a part of her that still wanted to take the spell back to the capital and spend the rest of her life studying it.

It was not to be. Instead, she accepted the orb with sweating palms and walked onto the altar. As soon as she stepped into the control circle, she could feel the whole array almost come alive. She first interlinked the Grand Summoning spell with the control circle and then interlinked the control circle to each of the secondary circles. The array would have a circle for each of the seven elements with the Altar of the Night Sky serving as the void circle.

As far as Ly'christem understood the spell it had three parts: a scrying component which would reach "beyond the stars" to find the hero candidate, the summoning component which would bring the hero to Nazokesh, and a final component which would empower the hero above their normal capabilities. Of these scrying was void magic; the second was the nearly lost spacial magic which had been theorized to fall under the void's domain as well. The final component was likely a Mind effect but could extend into the domain of any of the elements, necessitating an array for each of them. The overall design was similar to the magecraft "tree of knowledge" diagram, with the seven elements creating a ladder to the domain of the celestial. However, the dominance of the Void element in the ritual meant that there was no better place for it than the Altar.

She lost track of time making the final checks on the array but the position of the sun told her it had not been that long. "All arrays are calibrated and I've detected no interference between them and the spellbomb you've provided. If there are going to be any problems it will be on your end, Prelate." At that the paladins and soldiers snapped to attention. The inquisitor who had been seeming to watch her the whole time gave no reaction.

"There is no need for doubt, child. You hold the Celestials own work in your hand," the Prelate said. "If you are ready you may begin the chant."

In magecraft, chants or incantations were only used for self-hypnosis to focus the mind's intent on the working. In the case the incantation would be the key to unlock the completed spell. She began reciting the words she memorize over her weeks of preparation. "Princoj de la ĉielo la infanoj sub via prizorgo petegas vin malfermi la akvokonduktilon denove. Nia horo de granda bezono venis kaj tial ni ofertas al vi ĉi tiun nian manaon, por ke vi povu atingi preter la steloj por alporti al ni nian savon. Benu viajn elektitojn per la potenco kaj la volo transpreni la ŝarĝojn de la mondo. Aŭskultu ĉi tiun nian pledon, faritan en la nomo de la deksepa."

As the last word left her lips the world seemed to lurch. The spell unfolded from its place between her hands, it did not trace upward as she had expected, but "away" in a direction that was not conventional and made her head hurt to contemplate. She tried to follow the path of the spell with her magic perception but swiftly found herself drowning in a river of information. For a brief moment, she saw a world that was not Nazokesh. She felt faces pass before her vision, more faces than there were people on her world.

When her vision cleared there were more people on the Altar, more than she had ever hoped for she quickly realized. Nine she counted, nine summoned heroes when Patriarch Beno had been sainted for managing to summon five. She looked over them. They were dressed with a regularity that suggested military, but looking again, they seemed too young for that. Oddly most of them were seated on some kind of odd chair with an attached table. The four boys were wearing stiff black coats with gold colored buttons and similarly black trousers. The five girls' outfits were tailored in complicated pattern with a strange extended collar of blue fabric secured by a red cloth alongside a kilt-like garment that was nearly scandalous. Their lower legs were covered by some kind of extended cloth shoe that molded to their shape in a way that seemed impossible.

Disregarding their physical appearance, she examined their spiritual bodies with her magic perception. She could see written cleanly upon their spirits the lattice patterns that indicated the presence of innate magic, more intricate than any she had ever seen. These were almost certainly the legendary "Extra Skills" the church records spoke of. Most were dim with inactivity, but brief flashes here and there suggested they would not stay that way. That of the girl with her hair woven into a long braid seemed particularly active, but it was the lighter haired girl that caught her eye. She was taller than many men, her clothes poorly fitted despite their intricate tailoring, and her spiritual body was practically crackling with activity. She stood from her chair her attention fixed to the point the spell had unfolded from. She took a tentative step forward muttering something in a language Ly'christem could not understand.

Then she collapsed, and someone screamed.

 

[Mistborn]

There was a moment when she nowhere, when she didn't know her name. The last thing she could remember was seeing the boy and turning to follow his furious gaze to the girl with the light brown hair.

Then world returned and it was all wrong, the discontinuity unraveling her thoughts. The winter sun replacing halogen lights. The bustle of the school instantly giving way to sleeping forest. The smell of winter air and pine needles, feel of the snowflakes settling in her hair. The ground she stood on was elevated giving her a commanding view of the forested hills and the snowy plains further beyond. Kurosawa Ayako looked down and saw beneath them a sea of stars trapped in smooth black stone.

She looked back finding the girl was still there at a desk rendered strange and out of place by it's surroundings. The girl, Reina, stood and took a tentative step forward. She said something in English that she didn't catch at first authoritative then hesitant. Then she collapsed.

" Reina-chan!" someone screamed and only after she saw the blur of black hair did she connect it to Takayama Suzume. She was at Reina side feeling for a pulse, the relief on her face told her what she needed to know. Ayako looked around taking stock, nine students including her, everyone who had been in the classroom including Omori Mitsuo whose hand was still trying to grip a door-frame that was no longer there.

They were not alone. Men and women in gray or burgundy cloaks were arranged along the perimeter of the strange platform. At its' center was a girl in Burgundy robes, her dark skin a stark contrast to hair as white as the falling snow, judging by her face Ayako couldn't imagine she was older than her late teens.

"Your comrade should be fine, I am told the Grand Summoning is a taxing experience," She said, her gaze swept across Ayako and her classmates. "I am Ly'christem Silanus Alatheus and you have been summoned to this world from beyond the stars to save the world from the perils that threaten it."

"So this is a parallel world?" Asked Sasaki standing up from his desk.

"Indeed, I was not aware that your world was aware of the concept, that simplifies matters somewhat," Ly'christem continued, "the spell that brought you here seeks out those with potential and brings them this world, to Nazokesh where their affinities can be manifested as unique magical capacities. The burden you have been brought here to bare is daunting, but rest assured you have been armed with the capacity to succeed."

"If you brought us here then you send us back?" Asked Fujiki.

Ly'christem turned towards him. "I'm afraid that's not possible the spell-"

"Not immediately of course but I am sure something can be arranged in due time." One of the robed men around the perimeter cut her off as he strode towards them. The man had the same dark skin tone as Ly'christem but his hair was black, Ayako judged him to be in his mid thirties though retaining the build of a man in his prime. When Ly'christem turned to face him Ayako noticed that her ears came to a slight point.

The man continued. "I am sure this greatly troubles you, this is not your world, not your war, you would not choose this destiny for your selves. I am sure the imperial palace will shelter you until you are able to find your path."

Kyouya opened his hand a look concentration passed across his face. A ball of fire flared into existence in his palm. Ayako couldn't help but lose her train of thought again. That wasn't possible.

"I would suggest waiting for more controlled circumstances to experiment with your new Skills," Ly'christem said. "I suspect that the girl fainted because she pushed her new capabilities too far too quickly."

At that Kyouya extinguished his flame. That's seemed to break the spell, several of the students tried to speak at once. Their voices overlapping until once question won out.

It was at that moment that Ayako understood what had been setting her on edge, why she was so hesitant to speak out. Neither Ly'christem, nor the man or even the other students had been speaking in Japanese, yet regardless she had understood perfectly.

Still Ayako spoke, the words that she had no memory of learning feeling alien on her tongue. "This is absurd you can't just drag us here and expect us to 'save the world', what about school, what about our parents."

Ly'christem turned to glare at the grey robed man. "This isn't what you promised."

<><><><>

Ayako clung to the Gryphon as it swooped down to the massive castle. The fortress was built on and seemingly from a rocky outcropping at the confluence of two rivers with walls and towers seamlessly flowing into the natural looking outcroppings of rock. Seven thin stone bridges connected it to the three surrounding banks giving the castle the look of a massive insect. Clinging to the banks around those bridges was a city, a small one by the standards of Japan but a city all the same, it was like a picture from a history textbook brought to life.

Saja Votoj held the reigns from behind her on the saddle that while designed to accommodate two people at need did not do so comfortably. As the beast alighted on a wall connecting two of the inner towers Ayako practically threw herself onto the stone. As the other Gryphons landed the other students who had also been riding tandem with one of the soldiers in the gray cloaks dismounted as well with varying degrees of grace. All save for Reina whose unconscious body had been tied to the saddle and was gingerly carried off by two women dress in gray robes.

The last Gryphon landed the only one carrying a second passenger that was not a student. The mage girl, Ly'cristem had chosen to leaver her soldiers to make their own way back and fly with the Prelates party.

"I've sent word ahead, wing three of the nineteenth floor of Animus Tower has been readied for occupancy. You will be presented to the Emperor two days from now," Ly'cristem said. At her gesture a woman in burgundy livery stepped from a doorway leading into one of the towers that anchored one section of the wall. "This is Oktavia Falx she will see to your needs".

They followed Oktavia through a maze of passageways, up and down stairs until they found themselves in a large curved room. Two of the walls were studded with doorways abutting what if the open doors were any indication was ten identical bedrooms. The longest wall was curved with wide windows that looked out onto a small balcony. The center of the room what dominated by a large table that was set with a plate of fruits and cheeses along with a pitcher of ice water and nine glasses. Oktavia did not follow them into the room, opting to wait at the door.

Omori walked over to the table, sat down, then picked up an apple, buffed it with his sleeve and bit into it. One by one the other students sat as well, Ayako was the last to take her place sitting between Sasaki and Ichinose.

"I'm pretty sure no one in this worlds speaks our language, that's why we have this weird translation power." Omori said in Japanese. "So if we remember to speak Japanese then we don't have to worry about people overhearing us."

"That seems kind of paranoid Mitsuo-kun" Sasaki said, but he said it in Japanese regardless.

"This is another world, we know next to nothing I don't see the harm in being cautious." Omori said.

"They can't really expect us to fight, c-can they," Ueda said her voice shaking.

"I don't see why we can't, being summoned didn't just give us some new languages," Hagino said. To punctuate that he grabbed an orange from the plate and held it in his open palm, his arm did not move but none the less the orange jumped into the air, as it fell back into his hand it stopped just above his palm.

"Hagino-san, Ly'christem-san said not to mess around with our Skills," Ayako admonished him. Couldn't he realize that this was a deadly serious matter? Especially after what had happened with Nishimura.

"Yeah don't do that," Fujiki said. "Still that said can we refuse? The mage girl seemed a little desperate."

Hagino let the orange fall back into his hand and started to peel it.

"What if just one of us accepted?" Sasaki said. "I talked with my escort while we were flying, he said that while the summoning brings more then one person sometimes the Hero title is singular, they only absolutely need one of us."

"That's not an encouraging thing to hear, it's better to be essential than superfluous," said Omori. "As long as these people think they need us that gives us a certain level of security."

"If they're situation is really desperate can we afford not to get involved? If the world is in danger or something then it's won't matter if we try to stay out of danger ourselves." Ichinose said, to Ayako the girl seemed calm, she had expected her to be freaking out more than anyone else. She had a good point as well.

"Is it really alright for us to have this conversation without Reina-chan," Takayama said softly. Part of Ayako wanted to say that now was the best time to have this conversation, but that wasn't something she should say.

"It's not ideal but this is a crisis situation, we can fill her in when she wakes up," Ayako said.

"What we need is to give them some kind of definitive answer that doesn't get us sent into combat immediately." Sasaki said. "Why don't we try killing two birds with one stone it looks like these "skills" are an unexplored bomb if you don't know how too use them. Why not say we need to understand what sort of powers we have before we make any serious decisions? That way we can kick the can down the road, and if we feel like we have to refuse we'll at least be in a better position."

That took Ayako by surprise. It was a surprisingly rational plan of action, she was having trouble finding fault with it.

<><><><>

As they stepped into the throne room Ayako felt distinctly uncomfortable in her new clothes despite or perhaps even because they had been specifically fitted to her, a gold accenting tunic in the burgandy color that this country seemed to drape everything in. They had spent yesterday preparing for this moment and trying to learn what new capabilities the summoning had armed them with, but Ayako still felt frantically out of her depth.

The cavernous hall was floored with marble and hung with banners depicting what Ayako understood was the imperial sigil a golden eagle on a field of red. The hall seemed oddly empty with just a handful of guards and a few people wearing elaborate togas that Ayako assumed were highly ranked functionaries in the empire. She was able to recognize one of the soldiers that Ly'christem had with her when they were summoned as well as Saja Vortoj.

When they had made their way to three-quarters of the way across the room they spread out to stand shoulder to shoulder in a line the way Ly'christem had taught them. Sitting on the throne before them was was Emperor Erhardt Tiberius Alatheus, a heavily built man with fair skin and red hair touched with gray, his toga was died purple and heavily ornamented with gold. The circlet on his brow had seven gemstones set into it, one for each color of the rainbow. It was a motif she had noticed often since she had been told that the magic most people used had seven elements that were each associated with a color. Ayako couldn't help but think "Roman Emperor" when she looked at him, she wasn't sure that was a good sign.

"These nine have been called by the Grand Summoning ritual that I have performed, though they may require more training than we anticipated before they are ready for battle Prelate Saja has confirmed they have Extra Skills. We also have confirmed that three of them posses exceptionally rare titles," Ly'christem announced. The spell the brought them here had done more than transport them just as they had said, they all had not only magical power that they were only starting to understand but also knowledge of techniques they had no recollection of learning. Knowledge that qualified them for "Titles" according to Saja's appraisal skill.

Saja Vortoj stepped forward holding a bundle of cloth. "Of course there is one final thing that must be confirmed. Though all of you are heroes chosen by the Celestials the holy sword Lightbringer only has one wielder at a time." He unwrapped the bundle to reveal a sword that seemed carved of a single piece of glass. "We must test for attunement, when your name is called please put your hand on the hilt."

This had been the most contentious part amount the students ultimately they ultimately chosen to draw lots to see what order the would go in.

She approached the throne until she was standing along side Ly'christem. "Ayako Kurosawa," Ly'christem said, "Druid and bearer of the extra skill Star Wing." Saja had been unable to tell her what her skill was supposed to do, and while he was adamant that 'Druid' was a rare and powerful title he was unable to explain what she was supposed to do to use those powers.

Saja Votoj held out the sword to her and Ayako placed her hand on the hilt, she was almost relieved when nothing happened. She stepped back to her former position.

"Kyouya Sasaki, Blademaster and bearer of the extra skill Blazing Soul." Kyouya was one the few students whose extra skill Saja understood though Ayako still didn't. He had fire magic that was different from other fire magic somehow. The Blademaster title was fairly obvious, even Kyouya has seemed surprised when Saja had placed a sword in his hands.

When Sasaki gripped the hilt of the sword it flared with brilliant orange light. As he took the blade from Saja's hands it burst into flames. Some part Ayako expected that but her heart still sank, the greatest responsibility in this world had been just placed in the hands of someone fundamentally unsuited for responsibility.

"May the Celestials guide your path," Saja said, "sill the other heroes must be presented, if you could extinguish Lightbringer so we might continue."

Sasaki extinguished the sword and as he stepped back into line Fujiki stepped forward.

"Jun Fujiki, Artificer and bearer of the extra skill Shifting Sands." The Artificer title was one that Saja had said was rare it apparently indicated a great facility for creating magic items, his skill was apparently some kind of time power but he hadn't been able to get it to work so far.

Takayama was the next in line, she still looked like she was trying to fold into herself but given the circumstances it was had for Ayako to blame her.

"Suzume Takayama, Adept and bearer of the extra skill Timeless Singularity." Adept was seeming the one of the more common magic-user titles and Takayama had been able to replicate several spells that Ly'christem had demonstrated but her skill was another one that they didn't understand.

Nishimura stepped forward still seeming slightly unsteady on her feet. She had awoken the day after they had been summoned, Ayako suspected that something was still wrong with her but she had yet to say anything about it.

"Reina Nishimura, Psion and bearer of the extra skill Rune Perception." Ly'christem had reacted strongly when Saja had given the name of her skill it was apparently very similar to a skill she had only better in some way. The Psion tittle was also seemed to be a big deal, according to Saja there had been no known Psions on Nazokesh in centuries. That seemed like a demerit to Ayako in much the same way as her 'Druid' title was, whatever powers they had seemed dead letter if there was no one around who could explain how to use them.

Hagino at least seemed confidant as he stepped forward.

"Daisuke Hagino, Knight and bearer of the extra skill Force Armor" On Nazokesh 'Knight' seemed to refer to someone with knowledge of magic that strengthened and protected the body which Hagino had been able to demonstrate, Force Armor had also be fairly easy to understand it was some kind of short ranged telekinesis that automatically protected him from attacks.

Ueda on the other had seemed more lost than she had even seen her, though that likely meant that she was one of the few people here reacting to this situation rationally.

"Eiko Ueda, Bard and bearer of the extra skill Memory Adept." Bardic magic allowed its users to influence the minds and emotions of others by singing, Ly'christem claimed it was considered a very primitive form of 'magecraft' when Ueda had tried it out Ayako hadn't really felt much but there had been a distinct sensation. The name of her skill implied it had something to do with memory but it was still unclear what it did.

Ichinose stepped forward without a hint of the childish timidity that she had expected.

"Yuu Ichinose, Cleric and bearer of the extra skill True Infuse." Cleric was the title given to individuals with a moderate proficiency with 'Celestial Magic' it was apparently common in Saja's church but extremely rare elsewhere. True Infuse was according to Saja one of the most documented extra skills on record allowing the possessor to repair, alter, enchant and even damage both people and objects that they touched. One of the last heroes summoned before them had the exact same skill.

Ayako could not help but watch carefully as Omori stepped forward, even before they had been summoned she had expected trouble from him.

"Mitsuo Omori, Warlock and bearer of the extra skill Essence Drain." The Warlock title implied possession of 'curse' magic, another branch of magic that Ly'christem considered primitive. The Essence Drain skill was another one that Saja had recognized it allowed one to become stronger by stealing the life from others, but it remained untested given the obvious danger of using it on a person.

"You have done well Lady Ly'christem," the Emperor said. "As for the young heroes, I believe we can expect great things from you. That said Ly'christem has told me you have come here from a land at peace, forgive us if you can for calling you to a world of war and monsters."

"The Demons of the Blasted Lands will be united around a new ruler in less than a year," he continued "Once he has secured his title as Demon King, he will almost certainly invade the Empire that I have dedicated my life to protecting, scorching the earth on his march to De'Ksep Spion. Should the holy city fall the world will fall with it."