***
Philadelphia, US.
Year 2045.
"What?! Don't tell me you went out with her?!"
"No, it didn't go well, " replied a man.
"Oh my! How many women have rejected you?" asked the man's friend, a woman.
The man curled his fingers, looking at them as he tried to count. His friend noticed his behavior and guessed that he had dated many women since they graduated from college.
"Only three," the man replied softly.
"Why did you take so long to count if only three women rejected you?!" she snapped, annoyed.
He was Agares Nord, 24 years old, with a slim, muscular build and black hair. He wasn't particularly handsome for his age, though he wasn't ugly either—some women found him attractive, even if it was only three.
His job? No one knew for sure. He was studying economics, but his appearance didn't make him look like a professional accountant.
Agares knows that being a writer might not be the ideal job. Still, it's something he loves. Sometimes, he's willing to give up anything for his obsession, creating worlds through the keystrokes on his computer.
At times, he can be seen working part-time at a convenience store, then as a food delivery driver, then back to writing, then back to another job. Agares doesn't really like boring office work.
The friend beside Agares was Silva. She was a 23-year-old woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and a beautiful face with charming brown eyes. The two had been friends since high school and had been together since graduating from college.
Currently, she worked as a financial advisor at an international company, with a secure career and future.
Ares—Agares' nickname—pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. Luckily, they were talking by the river so he could smoke freely, while Silva could only sigh.
"I think you'll find the right woman if you take your job seriously," Silva said.
"I don't know. Didn't I tell you not to talk about my job when we meet?"
"I'm just giving advice as a friend. I'm worried about your future," Silva replied, her eyes sparkling with concern.
Agares took a deep drag on his cigarette and exhaled slowly, letting the smoke rise high into the sky, carried by the wind.
"No one knows what the future holds. You are my friend, but are you God who knows about my life?" asked Agares.
"You are stubborn. Do all writers have an attitude like yours?!" complained Silva, and Agares laughed loudly at the woman's remark.
"Yes. They become stubborn when editors try to change the plot of their stories."
DING!
A message arrived on Silva's phone. Agares turned his head slowly and continued enjoying the night. Silva gasped; she had forgotten something.
"Damn! I forgot!" Silva exclaimed.
"What?"
"Today is our college reunion. Let's go," Silva replied.
"Reunion? I clearly remember that I wasn't invited," Agares said, politely declining.
Silva boldly took the cigarette from Agares' hand and threw it into the river. Agares was shocked by Silva's actions. But it was clear that she did it to stop Agares' nonsense and get him to come to the reunion.
"Let's go!" Silva insisted.
"Don't you know basic manners? Don't come if you're not invited," said Agares.
"Screw that. You're part of us; of course you have to come."
With no other choice, Agares followed Silva. They took a taxi to a hotel restaurant. There, many people were waiting for Silva—not Agares.
After about 15 minutes in the taxi, Silva and Agares arrived at the hotel. Without hesitation, Silva took Agares to the hotel restaurant on the 20th floor. Agares still tried to refuse.
Silva turned around, trying to tidy up Agares' casual outfit while fixing his messy hair. Silva smiled; Agares' style was good enough to go to that restaurant, even though he looked dull and unprepared.
The elevator doors opened, revealing Silva and Agares who arrived at the same time. Silva stepped out and met many people; there were a total of 26 people in that place with different jobs.
"Silva?" called Silva's friend, Monica.
"Monica?"
Silva went to meet her, while Agares stood at the outer edge of the area. There were a few who knew Agares, but they were reluctant to start a conversation with him first. That made Agares feel awkward.
"Who are you with? Are you alone?" asked Monica.
"No. I'm with Agares," replied Silva.
"Agares? The one who once received an offer from the Department of Economic Affairs? Where is he?" asked Monica.
"He's here, he's in…"
Silva turned and looked around, seeing that Agares was not there. This annoyed Silva, causing her to click her tongue occasionally.
"Where is he?!" said Silva irritably.
Unbeknownst to Silva, Agares was standing alone on the hotel restaurant's balcony, lit another cigarette and enjoying his time alone. The balcony door opened, Agares turned and surprised him. It wasn't Silva.
"Long time no see, Agares."
"Jonathan?" asked Agares.
Jonathan, a 24-year-old man with slicked-back hair and a handsome face, his slightly muscular body covered by a T-shirt, cardigan, and long pants. Jonathan was Agares's friend, perhaps the only one who remembered him after college besides Silva.
"What really happened to our aspiring economist?" Jonathan asked, bringing two glasses of wine.
"Stop calling me that. The person you're looking for is gone," Agares replied, not touching the wine.
"Then who is this person standing in front of me?" Jonathan asked.
"I don't know."
Jonathan and Agares began talking to each other, discussing things that had happened in college. Agares didn't mind as long as Jonathan didn't bring up his work or his life.
While the two were talking, someone appeared with a voice that surprised them. It was Delvin.
"Look! The economist turned loser. I made sure not to invite him because I care about him," replied Delvin, his voice loud and mocking, making Agares angry.
"Tell me, Agares. What have you achieved so far?" asked Delvin.
"Wait! Let me answer," he retorted.
"NOTHING!"
"HAHA!"
Jonathan felt angry because Delvin had insulted his friend like that, something he shouldn't have done since Agares had helped him finish his final project. However, arrogance made Delvin forget everything.
"What do you want, you bastard?!" Jonathan shouted.
"This has nothing to do with you, Jonathan. I'm talking about him, why are you the one getting offended?!" Delvin asked, raising his voice.
Their argument could be heard inside the restaurant, sparking curiosity from many people, including Silva and Monica. They saw Agares being bullied by Delvin and his friends, while Jonathan continued to protect Agares.
"Stop it, all of you!" Silva said firmly, trying to separate them.
"Woah, I didn't expect you to have so much support from them, Agares? What did a loser like you do to make them—"
SLAP!
Silva slapped Delvin hard across the face, shocking him so much it made the glass he was holding fall to the floor. Delvin was completely shocked to see the woman he used to like slap him with such anger.
"What—"
"If you insult Agares again, I won't recommend your company for future collaborations!" Silva threatened, interrupting.
"Tch! What's so great about her? She's just a worthless loser who doesn't deserve your attention!" Delvin snapped, growing angrier.
As the argument continued, Agares noticed the wine glass wavering, even though it hadn't been moving before. Agares knew what was happening.
"Earthquake!" Agares shouted, startling them.
Sure enough! Strong shaking shook the ground as if the hotel was being shaken. People panicked, their faces pale from the sudden earthquake.
Agares ignored their cries, grabbing Silva and Jonathan's hands and rushing to escape through the emergency exit. However, due to the earthquake's powerful magnitude, the building's foundation couldn't hold out any longer.
The hotel roof collapsed from top to bottom, Agares felt the tremors getting stronger. If they didn't leave immediately, they would die.
Right on the floor below, they saw that the emergency door was locked for no apparent reason. Many people tried to break down the door, but to no avail.
"What should we do?" asked Silva, her face pale with several wounds from falling and scraping.
Agares looked up as the collapsing roof began to hit people on the lower floor. Jonathan's head was struck by a large piece of concrete, knocking him out. Agares acted quickly, shielding Silva with his body.
In the end, the building collapsed instantly with a magnitude of approximately 8.9 on the Richter scale. Agares was killed, as were Silva, Jonathan, and many others.
"I told you. No one knows the future," Agares explained in his subconscious.
"Proof? I'm already dead."
"No! You're not dead. This is just the beginning for you."
[Host detected]
[Sacred summoning successful]
[Destination: Grand Altar of the Caer Vireth Kingdom]
[Number of Summons: 5]
Agares's eyes opened wide in shock as he realized he wasn't dead. More importantly, he wasn't in the hospital but on a circular altar adorned with mysterious ornaments.
"What's happening?" Agares asked, startled.
"Tch! The Kingdom of Caer Vireth can only summon five people. What about the other kingdoms?" one of the summoners asked.
"They're the same."
"Oh, really? Well, it's a blessing in disguise for us."
Agares looked to his right and left. He wasn't the only one who had arrived there; there were four others, and they were his friends from college. Jonathan was with him.
He rushed over to Jonathan and tried to wake him up. Reflexively, Jonathan sat up, holding his head.
"My head was hit by concrete. Is this a dream?" asked Jonathan, turning to Agares.
"I don't know. But it doesn't feel like it. It looks like they've done something to us," replied Agares.
Jonathan rubbed his whole body and felt grateful that none of his body parts were missing.
One of the summoners stepped onto the altar. He said something that Agares and the others could easily understand.
"Welcome to the Kingdom of Caer Vireth, our chosen heroes."
"Chosen heroes?" asked Agares.
"Please help us kill the Demon Emperor and bring glory to the Kingdom of Caer Vireth," replied the summoner.
"The Demon Emperor? The Kingdom of Caer Vireth?" Agares asked.
"What does it mean?" Jonathan whispered.
"It means we're in a magical world."