Kaito's head was still spinning from the sudden transport. One moment, he had been at the traffic signal. The next, he was standing in a vast hall, surrounded by soldiers, strangers, and the heavy scent of incense and steel.
He glanced at the others who had been transported with him. One of them, a tall man with rugged features, asked the soldier "Do you… speak English?"
Soldier said "English? What is that?"
The man's eyes widened. "Then… how did you understand what I just said? Which language is this?"
Soldier shook his head. "I don't know… I just… I understood you. But I don't know how."
A tense silence fell over the group. The air was thick with confusion and unease. The soldiers around them shifted nervously, gripping the hilts of their weapons.
Before the man could respond, a figure stepped forward from the far end of the hall. A priest, dressed in flowing white robes adorned with intricate golden embroidery, approached.
"You do not have to fear," the priest said, his voice soft but carrying effortlessly across the hall. "We will not harm you. We speak Valtherian, our native language. Yet somehow… your language has been translated into ours in a way we cannot explain. Only the characters differ the meaning remains the same. The outsiders' words… and our words… they are one and the same."
The man tilted his head, utterly perplexed. "Wait… so you're saying… we're speaking the same language, but it looks different when you write it?"
The priest nodded. "Precisely. How this has happened, none of us knows. It is a mystery even among the learned. But it allows us to communicate with you for now."
The explanation was strange, almost unbelievable, but there was something in the priest's calm tone that made the man pause. Perhaps he had no other choice but to accept it for now.
"Soon," the priest continued, "you will understand everything. But first, you must begin your journey here. We have prepared rooms for each of you."
The priest paused, then extended his hands slightly toward the group. In his palms hovered a small, radiant sphere of light a magic ball, glowing with an inner energy that pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat.
"Before you go to your rooms," he said, "each of you must place your hands upon this magic ball. It will bind you to the energies of Aldoria and record your presence. Everything you do, every choice you make, will be noted in the great records."
Kaito exchanged nervous glances with the others. One by one, they stepped forward. The tall man placed his hands on the sphere first. A gentle warmth spread through his palms, tingling with a strange energy. Then came a young woman with fiery red hair, a boy no older than Kaito, the girl he saved and several others.
When it was Kaito's turn, he hesitated. His eyes flicked to the glowing sphere, its light reflecting in the walls around him. Taking a deep breath, he extended his hand. The moment his fingers touched the surface, a surge of warmth ran through his arm. It wasn't painful quite the opposite. It was as if the energy was alive, testing him, assessing him, acknowledging him.
Kaito felt a strange connection, not just to the ball, but to the space around him. The soldiers, the hall, the priest, even the other transported strangers all seemed linked by this same magical thread. He withdrew his hand slowly, unsure what had just happened, but feeling the faint vibration of power lingering in his body.
The priest watched quietly as each newcomer finished, his expression unreadable. Kaito noticed a quill in the priest's hand, hovering above a large parchment. He seemed to write rapidly, yet silently, as if recording their essences directly into the paper. None of the outsiders could see what he wrote, and no one dared to ask.
"Very well," the priest said once all eight had touched the ball. "You are now bound to the energies of Aldoria. Your rooms await. One of my soldiers will accompany you to ensure you settle in safely."
A tall soldier, clad in silver armor with a calm expression, stepped forward. "I will help you," he said to Kaito, bowing slightly. "Follow me, and I will guide you to your quarters."
Kaito nodded, still trying to process everything. The room he would call his own in this strange, new world… he had never imagined anything like it. Every corner of the hall, every torch and banner, even the polished marble floors, screamed of power and purpose. It was a world that had rules, history, and mysteries far beyond anything Kaito had known.
As he followed the soldier, Kaito glanced back at the priest. The man's serene gaze seemed to pierce right through him, as though he could see every thought, every hesitation, every fear. A part of Kaito felt reassured, though he didn't fully understand why.
The soldier led him through tall archways, past corridors lined with tapestries depicting battles and heroes of Aldoria. Kaito noticed other soldiers moving efficiently, bowing slightly to unseen figures, and wondered what kind of kingdom he had been thrust into. Each step felt surreal, as if he were walking in a dream that refused to let him wake.
Finally, they arrived at a door carved from dark wood, inlaid with silver symbols that glowed faintly. "This will be your room," the soldier said. "You will find all you need here. Rest, recover, and prepare. Soon, the council will meet with you. There are matters of great importance to discuss, and your presence is expected."
Kaito hesitated at the threshold. Beyond the door lay the unknown, a space that was at once inviting and intimidating. He could still feel the faint tingle of the magic ball in his palm, the invisible thread that connected him to this world, to its energies, and perhaps to something far greater than he could imagine.
"Thank you," he said quietly, bowing slightly to the soldier. The man nodded, a faint smile breaking his stern demeanor. "Remember, Hero… the world of Aldoria is vast, and it tests all who enter. Learn quickly, trust wisely, and you may yet survive."
The soldier turned and left, leaving Kaito alone with his thoughts. He slowly stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. The room was modest but comfortable a small bed, a wooden desk, a chest at the foot of the bed, and a small window that overlooked the sprawling castle grounds below. Sunlight streamed through, illuminating dust motes that danced in the warm glow.
Kaito sank onto the bed, his mind racing. Everything that had happened in the past hours from the accident in his world to this sudden transport felt unreal. Yet the lingering warmth in his hand, the words of the priest, and the soldier's instructions were real. They demanded acknowledgment.
As he stared at the ceiling, Kaito couldn't help but wonder what kind of world had he been brought into? Why him, and why the others? And most importantly… what powers, if any, lay dormant within him, waiting to awaken in this strange new place called Aldoria?
For the first time in his life, Kaito felt a spark not of fear, but of possibility. The path ahead was uncertain, filled with danger, mystery, and power beyond his understanding. And yet… for the first time, he sensed that this world, however strange, might offer him a chance to belong, to grow, and perhaps… to become someone worth remembering.