Here’s my new series it’s called Vessel. It’s very early stages but I feel its pretty fun enough to share it lol Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
As for a synopsis… A very capable but cynical and judgmental person gets summoned into a world of magic where they struggle with a bad hand?
Prologue: The Summoning
Standing where stale air once filled was a well-built middle aged man in full white armor with a milky blue gem embedded between his brows.
“Are the crystals in place?” He said asking for a status update on his most trusted Archmage’s meticulous planning.
“Yes your excellency the summoning circle is complete. Dornak says the mana field will continue to be at peak polarity for the next hour. At your command we can summon the four heros.”
“Good.”
He stood on an elevated platform placed to give a better view of the inscriptions on the marble below him. With steady steps he turned around with his face holding a determination to face the possibilities that may come from activating the culmination of a decade’s work.
Will I fail here? Will I watch the kingdom my father and all my forefathers built up crumble under the weight of this war? Will I be written as the final king, the one who couldn’t lead what was passed onto him?
Such thoughts filled his head but his hands held steady and his mind focused. He had a wide breadth of experiences under his belt as the supreme commander of an army fighting a decade long war.
Gathering his final thoughts he clearly spoke.
“Finally, it is time to turn the tide of the war. No longer will we have to turtle against the Aegria Empire.”
“Execute the spell!” He shouted to the dozens of mages below.
At the heed of their king’s voice the deep grooves on the marble began to glow blue as mana filled into them. An intricate magic circle descended in the air above the slab. Although deep underground the King and the Archmage knew that lights would appear in the clouds above the castle and alert the watchful eyes of their neighbors.
Regardless, they were prepared and pressed on as ancient words and divine symbols coalesced inside the magic circle conjoining into a beautiful painting. Slowly spinning the spell circle began to get brighter, the mages applying the mana grew pale but their experienced hands and mana control held while they sweat bullets.
“Shatter in the leyline crystals! Now!” Dornak yelled at the peak of the spell’s brightness.
Four mages all simultaneously destroyed white fist sized crystals in their hands summoning a blizzard of white mana clouds. Quickly the flurry of four treasures that had been guarded for centuries disappeared, their mana and traces of divinity were sucked into the magic circle the white clouds clumping together to form outlines of four indistinct figures.
“Let us witness what heros the Goddess has gifted to our era!”
A flash of blue light blinded the room letting out an ear piercing screech as reality tore to allow these foreign bodies in.
Once the light and sounds subsided stood a group of youths. Standing there with wide eyes bewildered by the sight before them. Is this a dream? Is what they were all thinking seeing the old styled masonry and banners on the wall of unknown nations telling them they were in an unfamiliar place.
“I’ll speak to them first father.” A beautiful girl with long flaxen straight platinum hair spoke in sweet voice. She had been quietly watching from behind the king the entire time observing making sure as to not distract the casting in any way.
She strode forward with the conviction befit of an empress the many gems in her purple dress shimmed and shook with each step of her heels drawing all eyes to her.
“O’ Heros of our era!” She cried out clearly.
“I, princess Arietta, beseech you! Aid our people in our desperate times!”
The pleading voice of princess Arietta flowed out in a sweet honeyed tone of a beautiful woman in dire straits. As the eldest she had learned long ago how to ensnare hearts without the use of magic. Using only her abilities gained from hours in front of the carnivorous eyes at noble gatherings and even more time spent alone in front of her favorite mirror.
“Umm, like what are you talking about? I kinda don’t know what you’re talking about where am I? Who are you?” One of the summoned, a young girl with long blonde hair, said puzzled.
A ditzy girl. You’ve been summoned and you address the situation as if you’re spectator!? Hmm, stupid and pretty girls like these can help me convince the rest. Princess Arietta quickly assessed the first voice.
Breaking his awe the tall man with black hair and tanned skin who was also summoned spoke in a cautious tone, “Heros? Aid? Who are you people? Where are we?”
“Haruto, Satou w-where are we?” Another woman spoke in a panicked voice her body beginning to shake. Her amber eyes darted around but always returned to rest on the two handsome men beside her.
“I’m not sure Hiromi… excuse me can you explain whats going on?” Said the other handsome boy, Satou, beside the brown eyed girl. Satou too had blonde hair, but his was noticeably darker especially at the roots.
“Ughhh, my head. What happened? What desperate times?” Another voice joined in. A black haired boy with exceptional posture and thick rimmed glasses.
“Eh? Is this a dream? What’s going whose this beauty?” Said yet another teenage boy who was the most muscular of the group as he gazed at Princess Arietta.
After a few more voices of concern a thin framed youth with hair covering his eyes spoke in a meek voice he had been laying on the floor holding his stomach with his clothes in disarray, “What is this? Where am I?”
Shakily the thin youth stood up but still distanced himself from the rest of the summoned heros.
“Your highness there’s…” Dornak closed in next to the king talking in a low voice at the obvious issue at hand. Their spell had summoned much more than four!
“Say nothing of it.” The king replied in quickly in a hushed tone behind the princess as to avoid being heard.
Finally speaking up the king walked forward “Heros, we will meet you in the throne room, my daughter please lead them there.”
“Very well father.”
From the summoned people all but one were wearing the same styled of clothing. It was a grey schemed school uniform with the girls wearing a skirted version.
The single person not wearing the uniform was the blonde girl who had spoken first. Her clothing was much more casual. She was wearing black jeans, a white tucked in t-shirt, and a small pastel pink purse with a repeating design on the leather.
Knowing she had to keep the group in front of her in control Princess Arietta relaxed her pained face into a gentle expression. Looking natural as she did it her eyes immediately softened and watered. Her pink lips moved to create the perfect gentle smile.
The youths before her stood no chance in resisting her immediately feeling their hearts at ease. How can a such a gentle beauty do us harm? They thought and felt no danger from her. The group instead, man or woman, felt an attraction platonic or not.
Without the resorting to the use of magic she had enchanted them. Besides she didn’t want to risk offending them. She knew there were too many unknowns if the goddess had blessed them with resistance against being charmed through magical means they would instantly know and a rift that can never be fully healed would be formed between them.
“I know you are all confused but please I must beg you to follow me. In a more comfortable place we will explain all that we can to you and I pray you can understand.”
Following her words and sensing a comfort in the authority when they too have many unknowns they followed her with no feelings of discontent.
The group exited the large stone doors of the ancient room into a narrow spiraling staircase up. They had been in the deepest most forbidden areas of the castle they were in.
Leaving the locked off area passing multiple levels of guards they arrived at the main corridor that led to the throne room.
Contrasting the dark and brooding room they were summoned in, here were large windows letting through vast amounts of warm light illuminating the red carpet laid down the center of the grey stone.
No inch of the halls they passed had a spec of dust or dirt and where lined with golden decorative furniture as many servants and maids worked to keep everything clean. Not trained like the guards many couldn’t help sneaking glances at the group when they stood aside while looking down when the princess would pass.
Surrounded by a troupe of knights the group followed silently into the throne room. It was a large place with an elevated portion at the far end from the door they entered. On top of the elevated portion were four chairs with a beautifully draped backdrop of silver and purple. Sitting on one of the inner chairs was the king alone.
Standing below the steps to the right of the throne was Dornak along with a two new faces. One, standing to the left of the king, appeared middle aged with short red hair and bushy brows with a scar that ran along from his right cheek to the back of his head. The scar intersected his right ear where half of his ear was missing.
The other new face was besides Dornak he was thin man with a hook nose and thin metal glasses wearing a gold embroidered white robe holding a thick leather bound book.
“Umm you said it would be more comfortable but there’s like no chairs for us.”
“Heroes please kneel before King Raydell.” Said the frail man ignoring the blonde girl’s comment.
Never having learned to greet royalty everyone looked at each other unsure what to do. Some giving bows instead out of habit to their elders.
Seeing their discomfort princess Arietta spoke, “please, your holiness, there is no need for that. Our heroes are still confused.”
“As the princess says there is no need, let us explain the situation foremost.”
Like his daughter the king changed the air around him instantly turning it into a righteous one.
“Heroes our kingdom welcomes the Goddess’ chosen!”
He said in the tone of ruler who has always lived knowing his blood was chosen by the Goddess and was a king favored by his people.
“Young heros, you have been brought here for a reason. A just and right reason, you are the final bastion of hope for our suffering populace who is enduring a massacre by the Aegria Empire.”
Colorful lights began to glow before the youths coming together to form a recreation of a slaughtered town. Perfectly simulating the smells, sights, and sounds.
Instantly it felt as if the summoned youths had been transported once again. The smell of burning wood mixed with the taste of blood. The dirty air passed over them while the cries and wails of old women and young children being burned or slain in mass entered their ears. The chained fathers and sons soon to be made slaves yelled pitiful roars unable to do anything forced to watch in torture as the enemy soldiers had their way with their wives and daughters.
Tied by their necks and arms with mouths gagged unable to end their own suffering many could only watch with bloody tears as they waited to be branded by the pouring of a molten blue liquid. The liquid would seer into their skin into a crest enslaving them into a future with no escape. The gags had been added after many had paired up to rip each other’s throats with their teeth.
“Blerghhh!”
A few of the youths couldn’t handle the sight of such obscenity falling to their knees letting out the contents of their stomachs.
Gauging the reactions he wanted the king pushed on with the righteous need for justice.
“Their twisted emperor knows only cruelty. Forcing the hands of their peaceful neighboring lands to buckle into their control. We have long fought a defensive war, but our total loss is near unless we obtain help. That is why we and the Goddess has summoned you to put an end to this injustice.”
“Our Goddess has chosen all of you in hopes you will join hands with us to stop the bloodshed and suffering we are facing.”
More virtual scenes continued to play each a different city but all shared the same ending.
“What you showed us? Is all that totally real?” The blond girl was pale in disgust.
“Yes young heroine these images are very real! And more atrocities like these are occurring at this very moment. However, your words of worry lessens the pain in my heart and more importantly gives me hope.”
“Because all of you have been blessed by the Goddess with an abundance of magic and strength far above what a normal person of this world can have at your age. Each of you were also picked by the Goddess to become Saints and Saintesses revered across our kingdom as the symbols of divine justice!
“As it should be for those chosen by her grace.” Said the frail man nodding his head fervently agreeing.
The shocking images and their lifelike recreations had completely stupefied the youths. The shock was great enough to make their summoning to this foreign world and the confirmation of magic feel trivial. It was an instinctual empathy from seeing extreme suffering that allowed them to overlook the details of the bizarre new world they had been brought to.
Finally cracking the brown haired girl let her tears loose “everyone, w-we have to help them!”
She cried out with reddened eyes.
“Those kids who can’t even talk getting… getting…” She couldn’t finish the awful sentence.
“If we can help how can we allow such a thing to continue…”
The King Reydell gave a solemn look to the small group before him. Seeing it as an opportunity to strike while the emotions were peaking. He needed their help without them the capital they were currently in would face the same end in a few years time.
“Heroes with your granted powers I the king of Reyellia, Reydell, beg you. Help us.”
Getting up from his throne Reydell stood up and began to bow, his knees bending as he was going to prostrate.
“You’re excellency! Please get up! The king can only prostrate to the Goddess!” Dornak hurriedly said urging king Reydell to sit back onto his seat.
Everyone was silent for a moment.
“I agree with what Hiromi says.” Speaking up was the tall youth with tanned skin.
“Haruto…” Hiromi beamed with a pure smile seeing her friend want to lend a hand.
“I also think we should help.” Added the boy with dark blonde hair.
“Satou…” Hiromi turned to her other friend seeing him agree too.
The youth with glasses spoke “if Hiromi, Haruto, and Satou think so then it makes sense to help our classmates.”
The rest all began to nod their heads following the pace the three had set.
“Class president, everyone we can do this. We can help these people.” Hiromi’s smile was no weaker than the princess’ as the classmates became more enthusiastic.
“It’s only right, if I can help then I’ll do it.” The blonde haired girl spoke up.
Hiromi turned to her.
“Thank you. Ah, forgive me I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Hikida Hiromi and your name?”
“Aheni, Aheni Williams but please just call me Eni.”
Argent 