"Urgh…" Angel groaned as his deep blue eyes fluttered open, the throbbing pain in his head pulling him upright. He clutched his temples, shivering as the cold stone floor bit into his bare feet. The dim room around him glowed faintly with archaic symbols etched into the walls, their light casting eerie shadows.
He stared off in a daze, as his deep blue eyes reflected a velvet tunic drifting toward him, its rich fabric catching the glow from the light. He grabbed it, slipping it over his athletic frame, and grateful for the warmth.
'Where am I? And…' His gaze snapped to the figures lying nearby. 'Who are they?'
They were naked, like him, with the same tunics neatly placed beside them. Yet something about them felt familiar. His eyes lingered on the closest figure—a woman with warm caramel skin, gleaming in a soft golden undertone under the light. Her gracefully arched back and flowing blonde hair stirred a memory deep within him, mesmerized by her swaying curvaceous hips.
"Cassidy?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
She turned, her eyes locking onto his. "Angel!" Her melodious voice caught him in a daze, and before he could react, she was in his arms, her warmth enveloping him.
"You smell good," he murmured, his head spinning as her laughter filled the room.
"Even here, I'm still playing third wheel to y'all." A familiar sigh broke the lovers' trance, pulling them back to the present.
Their eyes wide, they spun toward the source of the familiar voice. "Aidan!?" They blurted.
"In the flesh." Aidan chuckled as he stretched, his massive frame unfolding with ease. At 6'2", he towered over most, his square jaw already set in a mischievous grin. The playful glint in his auburn eyes could belong to no one else. "So, any guesses on what's going on?"
"Not really. All I remember is blacking out after that earthquake," Cassidy recalled, instinctively wrapping her arms around Angel's waist for comfort.
"Same here," Aidan replied, shaking his head. "And now we're in this creepy stone chamber. Good old Silverwood High's pride." He let out a dry laugh.
"Hm, yes…" A soft, feminine voice behind him shattered his composure. "Ah!" Aidan spun around, his eyes wide. "Who the—who are you!?"
Only then, did Angel remember that there were three figures, not two. His gaze shifted to the petite woman standing apart from them, now draped in the velvet tunic. Her short brunette hair framed her face as she turned to the group, her amber eyes flickering like distant embers.
"One of Silverwood High's pride," she murmured, her gaze steady but distant, piecing together the situation in her mind.
"Emily?" Angel's voice wavered. He recognized her, but something was… different. His brow furrowed as he took in her slightly unfocused gaze. "You missing your glasses?" he asked hesitantly.
"Mhm, but shouldn't you two put on those tunics?" Emily remarked, addressing the pair with a raised brow. Cassidy yelped, grabbing Angel to shield herself as embarrassment flooded her face.
"They gave them to us for a reason," Emily added, gesturing toward the neatly folded garments on the floor.
"Hah, guess I'm as blind as a girl without glasses," Aidan chuckled, scooping up his and Cassidy's tunics. He handed hers to Angel.
"How can you say that!?" Cassidy scolded, slipping the tunic on behind Angel. "Apologize to her!"
"Okay, okay…" Aidan sighed, pulling his own tunic over his broad frame as he turned to Emily. "I'm sorry, Emily."
Angel ignored their spat, his attention fixed on something Emily had said. "Emily, you mentioned 'they.' What did you mean? Do you have any idea what's going on here?"
Cassidy and Aidan also intrigued quieted down, turning their focus to Emily. Though their faces were blurry in Emily's eyes, she could identify them by their voices and builds. She turned to Angel, before sucking in a breath. "Well all things considered, the first possibility is that I suffered a traumatic brain injury in the earthquake, and this is all a construct in my unconscious mind."
"Hah," Cassidy scoffed, folding her arms and stepping closer, her irritation apparent. "I don't know about you, but I feel very real right now." She clenched her teeth, frustration bubbling beneath her words. Her dad was probably worried sick about her, and yet here's little Ms. Know-it-all unbothered by all of this. Calling her a simple figment of someone else's imagination.
"Hey now," Angel interjected, placing a gentle hand on Cassidy's shoulder. "I'm sure she didn't mean it that way. She's just making a logical guess from her perspective, right, Emily?"
"Mhm." Emily's gaze wandered to the etchings on the walls—shapes entwined in triple-layered circles, pentagrams, and runes glowing faintly in hues of yellow, silver, brown, orange, and black. 'This can't be possible,' she thought, her amber eyes reflecting the light. The intricate designs held her mesmerized.
Cassidy sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I'm sorry, Emily. This place is just getting to me…"
"Uh, Emily?" Cassidy looked up, frowning as she realized Emily hadn't responded. Angel stepped forward, positioning himself between the two ladies. "Is something wrong, Emily?" he asked.
"The second possibility is... bizarrely more likely," Emily said, her voice tinged with emotion.
Angel's curiosity sharpened. "Which is?"
Emily raised her hand and pointed toward the walls. The group turned instinctively. "If these runes are like the ones from fantasy media, then…" She paused, steadying her breath.
"We are in another world."
"What?" Cassidy gasped, her words cutting through the tension. Angel froze, the idea churning in his mind. He couldn't shake the memory of the tunic drifting toward him earlier—the subtle magic of it planted seeds of doubt into him. 'Are we really in another world?' He wondered.
"Hahahahaha!" Aidan's laughter erupted, breaking the moment. All eyes snapped to him.
"Seriously? What's next? You'll tell me we're heroes destined to save the world? Hahahaha."
His laughter slowed as he noticed their unbroken stares. "You can't seriously believe this, right? I mean, this could just be some cruel prank. Those symbols? Just some trick to fuck with us."
"Then how did we get here?" Angel countered, stepping toward him. "That earthquake—it felt like something out of a summoning ritual. Who would stage a prank in the middle of a natural disaster?"
"I don't know!" Aidan scratched his head in frustration. "Say this is all real. Where's the kingdom? The kings? The mages? The royal reception that's supposed to happen in these setups? Why are we trapped in this random stone room?"
"Because..." Emily whispered, her voice cutting through the air like a blade, "it's not over."
"What?" The group turned to her, startled.
She drew in a deep breath. "We're all from Silverwood High. The other thing we have in common is that we're the top five in our grade. That's why we're Silverwood High's pride. But if that's the case, then…"
Emily faltered, shuddering as her heart raced. 'Could it be?' The thought clung to her mind.
"Then what?" Cassidy asked, her voice sharp with anticipation.
"Then there's one more person left," Emily finally said, her voice trembling but resolute.
!
Right then, the runes on the walls flared with blinding radiance, forcing the students to shield their eyes. Bolts of energy erupted like lightning, crackling toward the center of the stone room.
"Ahhh!" The quartet stumbled back, struggling against the surge of energy as gusts of wind whipped through the space. Their tunics billowed in the charged air, the atmosphere vibrating with intensity.
"What the hell is happening now?!" Aidan shouted, his voice straining against the noise.
"Could this be... the fifth member?" Angel surmised, his words barely audible over the chaos.
Through narrowed eyes, Emily caught a glimpse of the clash at the room's center. A small ball of incandescent light had formed, growing steadily brighter as it expanded. Her heart quickened as the light took shape, revealing the faint outline of a human figure.
Her amber eyes lingered on the radiant form, a mixture of hope and disbelief flickering across her face. 'Could it really be you?' She wondered, her breath caught in her throat.
End of Chapter 21