RANG! RANG!
The school bell rang again, for the second time, signaling the start of the first period.
Samuel stood up from the stack of papers he had just finished sorting out. "Excuse me, Mr. Hayama. I need to get to class now. It's already The first period."
His teacher, Mr. Hayama, looked up from his laptop and gave a small nod. "Good work, Samuel. Thanks for your help. And Remember Don't forget to hand that report to your homeroom teacher later."
Samuel hastily nodded. "Got it," he responded politely before making his way out of the teacher's office.
The hallways buzzed with students heading to their classrooms. A few Students waved at Samuel as he passed.
"Yo, Samuel! Morning!" a boy in his class called out.
"Hey," Samuel replied casually while walking.
The two walked side by side toward their classroom, briefly chatting about an upcoming math quiz.
Inside the classroom, Samuel went to his seat by the edge of his class, facing the window, hung his bag on the chair, and sat down with a soft sigh. The Morning sunlight peeked through the window panes, casting a gentle warm orange light ray on the Greenboard. The classroom smelled faintly of wood polish and chalk.
Class began shortly afterward The teacher stepped in and greeted the class. "Good morning, everyone. Let's continue with our math lesson. Yesterday we covered quadratic equations. Today we're going to look into their real-world applications theory. Open to page 128."
The teacher wrote a maths problem on the board:
"If the height of a ball thrown upwards is modeled by the equation h(t) = -5t² + 20t + 3, at what time does it reach its maximum height and velocity?"
"Samuel, can you answer this one?" she questioned while resting on her desk.
Samuel blinked for a second, in confusion then stood. "Uh… Right. So, to find the maximum height and velocity, we need to find the vertex of the parabola. And That would be t = -b/2a. In this case, a is -5 and b is 20, so… t = -20 / (2 × -5) = 2 seconds of fall distance."
The teacher nodded, pleased. "Correct. Sit down."
Samuel did relentlessly but was also a bit relieved. The class carried on for a while, with the teacher calling on various students and going over examples and problems.
Time passed quickly, and soon enough the bell rang again, this time for lunch.
Samuel stretched backward in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck. He reached into his bag to pull out his lunch but paused.
Eyes terrified.
Expression changed.
He searched again, more thoroughly this time.
It wasn't there.
He frowned his brows and muttered, "No way… I forgot it?"
Then a few of his classmates called him.
"Hey Samuel, your little sister's looking for you," one of them exclaimed.
Just then, Emma walked into the classroom, holding a neatly wrapped lunchbox in both of her hands. Her long black hair swayed as she moved across the classroom. She wore a smug grin on her face.
"Big brother, You forgot your lunchbox," she uttered teasingly. "Mom brought it here for you. You're lucky she was in the area."
Samuel hastily blinked. "Wait, Mom came all the way to school?"
"Yep. Dropped it off and went right back home," Emma responded, placing the lunch on his desk.
Samuel gave a sheepish smile. "I will tell her thanks when we get home."
An awkward silence.
Samuel looked at her.
But Emma didn't leave right away. Instead, she sat down on the empty seat beside Samuel.
He raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in your classroom?"
Emma leaned back in her chair dramatically, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "I already spent half of the lunchtime walking here. Might as well eat here."
"Half? That long?" Samuel narrowed his eyes.
"Yep. And besides, your classmates don't mind," she replied cutely, then turned toward Yuta. Eyes watery. "Right, senior?"
Yuta caught off guard, turned bright red. "Uh—uh, no pressure. You're welcome to stay, Emma."
She giggled and looked back at Samuel. Murmuring. "See? I'm loved."
Samuel rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Just don't cause trouble."
"Yay!" Emma cheered, giving him a quick side hug.
"Relax, it's just lunch," Samuel responded, grinning a little.
He unwrapped his lunchbox, the aroma of freshly cooked food filling the atmosphere. The sight of the neatly packed rice, fried chicken, vegetables, and fruit made him smile openly.
"She even packed strawberries," he murmurs, impressed.
He picked up his chopsticks and was about to take his first bite when...
RUMBLE.
The classroom shook violently.
A loud crack echoed as the glass windows began to shatter.
Emma stood up abruptly, and her eyes widened. "Big brother...!"
Desks and chairs rattled as panic broke out in the hallways. The floors trembled beneath their feet. Samuel stood to protect his sister, but before he could move...
A red, glowing magic circle appeared beneath their classroom.
The center pulsed with crimson energy. Strange markings shifted like ink.
"Get away from it!" one of the students shouted.
Too late.
The floor under Samuel's feet gave way.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs. Students screamed. The classroom collapsed, and the entire class was sucked downward into the circle as if gravity itself had turned on them.
A deep rumble echoed as the floor gave out, breaking into another classroom below. Screams, wood splintering, metal clanging, stones falling, and then...
BOOM.
A blinding light exploded outward from the magic circle.
Destroying the whole classroom and the one under.
Then, silence.
Dust and debris, drifting slowly in the atmosphere.
Everything was still.
Then a voice.
"Big brother… Samuel… wake up… please."
Samuel's eyes fluttered open. His vision was still blurry. He blinked twice, clearing the dust from his lashes.
Emma knelt down beside him, dirt and debris in her hair. She was covered in gray dust, but her eyes were locked onto him with fear and relief.
"Emma?" Samuel croaked.
Around them, his classmates groaning in pain, slowly regaining consciousness. Their uniforms were torn and dirty. Cuts and bruises marked some of them. Small bits of wood, glass, and dust floated around the area, carried by soft residual winds from the teleportation.
They weren't in the school anymore.
The ground beneath them was Rocky. cracked, covered in moss and unfamiliar symbols. A high ceiling stretched overhead, held by pillars of carved marbles.
An open dome revealed, a sky the color of a fading sunset, crimson.
Samuel stood slowly, steadying himself as he helped Emma up. He turned to see his classmates all looking just as confused and terrified.
Then a voice, deep and commanding, echoed from the far end of the temple.
"Stand proud, young ones. You have all been chosen by the gods. Chosen to be heroes, to bring peace. To give hope to the people of this world."
They turned in synchronization.
Several figures in ceremonial robes stood at the steps of the altar.
Samuel's heart raced. He stepped in front of his sister instinctively.
The man at the altar took another step forward, his expression solemn and proud.
"You have been summoned to our realm. The gods have called you here. You are now our champions."
Samuel and his classmates stood frozen.
"What… what is this…?" someone whispered.