"Why are you doing this to us? We trusted you. You summoned us here, didn't you?"
Samuel blurted.
His hands were shaking relentlessly, his knees like rubber. He covered his mouth with his hands.
Biting his bottom lip. Stuttering.
Heart pounding. At the same time, Samuel saw his friend's lifeless body on the altar.
Limbs are torn apart. Eyes filled with emptiness. Skin pale and dry.
Several more bodies lay scattered around, boys and girls who had giggled in class just the day before.
Now offerings. Sacrificed to their so-called gods.
Monsters pretending to be divine.
The last thing they remembered was the betrayal.
Tears welled in his eyes. His lips trembled. He hung his head low.
"...Even you too, Emma..."
His little sister, still in her school uniform, was now soaked in blood.
She only came to give me my lunch. She wasn't even in my class.
She got caught up in the light that brought us to this world.
But they took her anyway. Just another soul to feed those bastard gods.
"Where did it all go wrong?"
"It wasn't supposed to be like this..."
The moment we got swallowed by the strange circle of light in our classroom and were mysteriously transported into their grand palace...
It all felt like a dream. Like something straight out of a storybook, manhwa, or anime.
A "hero summoning," they declared.
"Heroes from another world!"
"Saviors of our realm!"
We were welcomed by the king and queen like honored guests.
We were applauded by the nobles of this world and cheered on by the servants.
"We need you to save our world," they declared.
Offering us gifts. Food. Wine. Flattering titles.
Lies.
It was all a setup.
We weren't heroes.
We were offerings.
Bait.
Batteries for their gods.
The night before the summoning, we were invited to a "welcome feast." All of my classmates went there early.
Me? I had arrived last.
Glamorously.
I had gotten drunk with one of the captivating servant girls in the kitchen.
Before I could realize it, I had passed out behind the barrels.
By the time I woke up...
It was the next day.
Exhausted.
I had missed the grand procession.
I noticed the eerie silence. No cheering. No music.
In a celebration that was supposed to go on for at least two or three days.
Then I paraded out of the kitchen and wandered for a couple of minutes.
Stumbled into the altar chamber the next morning, and then I saw....
Most of them were already dead.
My friends.
My little sister.
Gone.
Torn apart. All for some sick ritual.
Their "souls" offered up to their gods in exchange for blessings upon their land and power.
While Samuel stood frozen in misery, the nobles and priests circled back, noticeably surprised by Samuel's presence.
One priest gazed at him with cold eyes and uttered, "One survived?"
Another avowed, "He was late... unblessed... unsuitable."
Their queen clicked her tongue, hands on her hips. "A shame. He'll have to be disposed of manually."
Whimpering.
Heart pounding at light speed.
Samuel ran.
He ran through the palace halls, barefoot and dizzy, chased by silver-clad guards.
Desperate for a way out.
Eyes red, tears stinging.
Gasping for air.
He had nothing.
No weapon.
No plan.
No magic.
Just pain.
And rage.
Before he could react, he was pulled in by an unfamiliar figure.
A muscular-looking lady.
Tan in complexion.
"Let go," Samuel murmured, forcefully pulling himself away.
"Please let go," Samuel begged again, desperation in his eyes.
"...Shhhh..."
Her voice was barely audible but urgent. She leaned in closer.
"You're going to blow my cover," she whispered.
She kept glancing over her shoulder. Her grip tightened.
Samuel tensed. "Who are you?" His voice trembled.
"I'm not going to harm you. Nor hurt you," she said calmly. "Rest assured, I'm on your side."
Bottom lip jutting out, he responded, "Why should I believe any of you?"
"Because if it wasn't for me, you'd already be dead," she answered.
"What do you mean?" Samuel asked, voice tight.
"Remember the lady you were drinking with last night?"
"She is my sister. I asked her to purposely get you drunk, to make sure you didn't attend last night's grand party."
Samuel's eyes widened.
"Why?!" he shouted.
"I could have..."
He curled into a fetal position. Unable to move.
Holding his tears back.
She leaned forward.
"I'm sorry for your loss," she whispered.
Her eyes searched his. They were filled with fear and rage.
A long silence passed between them.
Then....clang, clang, clang....the sound of armor and footsteps echoed from the palace hallway.
She stood.
"I'm going to open a gate," she said urgently. "You need to go through it now. It's the only chance you have."
"A gate to where?"
"The Celestial Graveyard."
Samuel narrowed his eyes.
"Where exactly is that?" he asked.
"It's the land of the fallen gods. Gods who died in the Great War of Existence."
"And it's also the only place they can't follow you.
The gods can't track you there. Nor can their guards. None of them can enter.
It's forbidden ground. To all but the dead and the ancient."
"Why am I going, then? If it's uninhabitable?" Samuel asked, tensed.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine. Just wait for me there," she replied.
"How will you find me? I don't even know your name, or your sister's," Samuel said.
"Like I said, we'll find you. But your escape is my priority."
The space behind her began to ripple. A swirling gate cracked open, pale blue light spilling out.
"They're coming," she whispered. "No time!"
"But...."
She yanked him forward.
"Survive," she declared.
Samuel fell through the portal as the world spun around him.
Then....
Silence.
Cold wind.
Dust.
The towering bones of Celestials jutted up toward the sky.
"...The Celestial Graveyard," he murmured.
Roar...
A tall, dark, slender figure appeared from thin air. Eight arms. Razor-sharp teeth.
Roar...
Heart pounding. Trembling.
"...God... where did it all go wrong..." he whispered.
ROAR...