All of them stood inside the old rooms, their hooded faces illuminated by the fire.

The arcane fire which burned in the middle of the circle turned green, only for a moment.

The hooded figures put off their cloaks, and looked at each other.

They had succeeded.

A worthy champion had answered their calls.

At last, they looked at the corner of the room, where a young girl stood alone.

The chosen one, who would sacrifice themselves in exchange for this world's freedom.

"Are you ready?"

"I am."

The girl replied in her childlike voice, walking towards them.

Their leader handed a curved dagger to the girl.

"May luck be with you."

"May the brave souls guide you."

They exchanged their old saying. Then, he pushed her through the door.

"Go! Before they find you!"

Just at that moment, a hundred figures darkened the sky.

Fires, ices blizzards, lightning storms rattled the whole place.

The dragon knights, the loyal servants of Behemoth were here.

The girl grabbed the dagger hard, and ran down the hill.

She didn't stop. She had to move to the ritual spot.

"Find the girl!"

A soldier shouted.

"Why?"

Another one asked.

"She has the Elvin blood in her veins! She is going to bring a magic user!"

"The hell?!?!"

It was true. It was thanks to her blood that the resistance called for her.

Sure, it was as a sacrificial lamb, but still, for the first time in her life, someone had said that they needed her blood.

She used to hate her mother for this cursed liquid in her body, but now, she was grateful.

She ran through the thick forest, until she reached the cottage.

It was once her great great grandfather's cottage. He used to create powerful spells here, to overthrow the mad gods.

Placing her feet cautiously, she entered the empty house.

Now, it was her time to do the job.

Her comrades had done their parts.

Right now, if she sacrificed herself, their lives would have been for something.

She didn't want to die, but she was determined to complete her task.

With the dagger, she sliced through her palm, and started the ceremony.

The night dragged on, and so did her pain.

With each cut, with each slice, she felt her life fleeing.

Yet she didn't stop.

Gritting her teeth, she kept on, until she was too weak to talk.

"Please........answer....."-the girl said, drawing another ritual circle with her blood.

Her whole body was scarred, the light of her eyes was fading, and life was retreating from her body.

She took the knife from her belt, and started creating a deep cut on her hand.

Blood poured down, and she tried to scream in pain and agony.

But gritting her teeth, she stopped herself from shouting. Or else; THEY would hear her.

She brought out every ounce of power left in her damaged body, and completed the ritual circle.

"Please......."-she said, and her eyes closed down.

Just at that moment, an entity decided to answer her prayer.

Green flames erupted from the centre of the circle, and a person appeared. To change her long-forgotten world.

The girl, who was now a mere spirit, watched the person appearing.

She somehow knew this boy was kind and compassionate.

She knew that he would cry for her, he would feel guilty for letting her die.

She smiled. She had brought the Champion to the people of Bahlmoth.

She could now leave this world peacefully, knowing that the future was in good hands.

In his hands.

Their sacrifices weren't in vain.

I looked at the clock on the table before getting up.

It was about seven in the morning. Though the sun would be out by now, the outside was dark and gloomy due to the heavy clouds in the sky.

I started getting ready for school. It was my first day of the second semester.

I picked up my bag, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

My mom was standing in front of the stove, and my dad was already at the table. Noticing me, he placed his newspaper down, and gave me a gentle smile.

"Hey, Champ. Already up?"

"I have to go to school, dad."-I sighed.

"Today is his first day of the semester."-mom said, and gave dad a disappointed glare for forgetting it.

"Oh! Totally forgot. Want me to drop you then?"-he asked, pulling the plate of omelets.

"Nah. It's fine."-I said, sitting down.

I took a plate and started eating. I quickly finished the meal, and stood up.

I opened the door of the house, and stepped outside. Cool winds brushed against my face.

"Be careful!"-my mom shouted from behind. I waved her goodbye, and started walking towards the school.

The voices of the cheerful students almost made me deaf as I entered the school auditorium.

Freshmen and the seniors were present, as well as my class.

"Hey, Ryu! Over here!"-one of my friends shouted.

I hurriedly went over to them, and took a seat.

"Today is the big day, huh?"-my friend Touma grinned and punched me on the shoulder playfully.

"Yeah. I'm getting nervous."-I confessed, and looked at the stage in front of me.

A senior was giving a speech to the freshmen.

Claps echoed throughout the hall as the senior left the stage.

The announcer came up, and requested the audience to calm down.

"Now, we'll hear a speech from our school's top student, as well as the winner of several prestigious awards, Ryuzo Itsuki!"-he announced, and I stood up.

It was my big day, my first time giving a speech in front of this many students.

I was proud, to tell the truth. I held my chest high and went to the stage.

The announcer gave me the script, and I fixed the microphone a bit.

Then, I started my speech.

"Hello, fellow students.

My name is Ryuzo Itsuki, and it's an honor..........."

I couldn't even finish the sentence, when the ceiling of the auditorium started cracking.

A wave of panic rushed among the students, stunning them for a second. Everybody tried to run out, creating a mess.

The ceiling couldn't hold any longer. It broke down with a large sound, along with a dark green gigantic being.

It fell down on the ground, and turned its blood-red eyes towards me.

Someone yelled for help, and the creature turned it's attention to that student.

And then, all hell broke loose.

Fire came out of its mouth with every breath, burning everything around it.

My friends, juniors, and seniors, all turned into a pile of ashes.

And I saw it in the light of the fire.

It's razor sharp teeth were shining with the red flames, it's green scales were shaking with its movement.

Its eyes were flickering with rage and hostility, and they were red, just like its breath.

It was a dragon.

Suddenly, the front door, which was blocked by debris till now, blasted open.

Several people in white knight armor entered the room, swords in their hands.

They rushed towards the dragon, and an intense battle started.

"Ryu! This way! Hurry up!"-I heard a voice calling to me.

I looked around to find its owner.

It was Touma, my best friend.

"Come on..........."-he couldn't finish his sentence, as an arrow pierced his heart, tearing it apart.

His lifeless body fell down on the ground, twitching for a moment.

And then it became still.

"DON'T!!! STOP IT!!!"-a scream came out of my mouth.

I grabbed my head with anger and frustration, unable to do anything.

Tears came rolling down my cheek.

Suddenly, the intense battle stopped.

I looked up, and saw all of them looking at me. The knights, and the dragon.

"Get him!"-one of the knights shouted. The Knights rushed to me.

At the same time, the dragon let out a volley of fire.

I saw the fire reaching me. I closed my eyes and waited for my death.

A painful, torturing death.

But it didn't come.

I slightly opened my eyes, and saw the knights looking at me with horror.

The dragon seemed stunned too.

I followed their gazes, and looked up.

A bright golden circle, filled with strange symbols was floating over my head.

"H-he is a wizard!"-a knight shouted.

The dragon, losing interest in me, turned towards the guy, and ate him whole.

Before I could decide what to do, a strange light engulfed me, and darkness came down before my eyes.

[A unknown amount of time later.......]

I opened my eyes, and saw the night sky over my head.

But something was different.

Very very different.

I rubbed my eyes to clear the blurry vision.

And then it hit me. The moon. There were two of them.

Two moons. One green, one yellow.

I hurriedly sat up, and analyzed my surroundings.

I was in a dark cottage, or what's left of a cottage.

The walls on the left and front were broken into pieces.

I placed my hands on the ground, and felt something in my palm.

I looked at the object, and almost felt a heart attack.

No, not the object. It was just a simple staff.

The thing which stunned me was the human figure lying beside it.

I rushed to the figure, and pulled it over.

It was a girl, probably in her teens.

Her whole body was scarred and damage, and she had lost a lot of blood.

I placed my ear on her chest.

There was no beat.

She was dead.

I screamed out in horror, and started shaking her body, in hopes of waking her up.

But she didn't.

"Damn it! Wake up!"-I shouted again, violently shaking her body.

Something fell down from her clothes.

It was a letter.

I picked it up, and started reading it with shaking hands.

"Dear wizard,

Thanks for answering my summon.

I may not be there to greet you when you arrive, so I'm writing this later.

You may be confused, or horrified, or angry.

I understand. I really do.

I have brought you here, tearing you apart from your loved ones, to a totally unknown world. For my selfish request.

I can understand if you hate me.

But before you decide anything, please take the staff in your right hand, held it up, and speak these words:

            Lé Dafàlo Sèstafia

I hope for your wellbeing, and survival.

Sincerely,

Lara."

Confused, I decided to do what she said.

I took the staff in my right hand, held it up, and spoke the words.

The vision felt like I was punched in the face.

One moment, I was standing inside the cottage, and in the another, I was standing on a hill, looking at a large kingdom.

A voice spoke up, but I couldn't find the owner.

Long ago, in the world of Bahlmoth, all races stood alongside each other, prospering and advancing steadily. The seven continents, Lavender, Shanghol, Ragna, Valhala, Shelton, Tarra, Ravenford- were peaceful and advanced, in every sense.

With the help of magic, they created huge towns and castles together, defying what people would call, common sense.

But one day, the progress stopped. The civilization on this planet had already reached the point of advancement.

Yet, they craved for more.

To answer their wishes, seven Gods emerged. Each from a different race, and each excelling in certain magic.

They promised progress and happiness under their leadership.

And in a thousand years, they had proven themselves quite well.

But the peaceful days didn't last for long.

The seven Gods were different from each other, but on two things, they agreed.

First, more than one God couldn't exist. It would destroy the world.

Second, all of them were rotten to the core.

To prove their superiority, they fought among themselves, drowning the continents in blood and war.

The seven races, humans, elves, dwarves, dragons, fairies, werewolves and vampires, agreed that the gods had to be removed.

They joined forces, and created a large army to overthrow the first God, Bahamoth.

Bahamoth was a human, and was considered the weakest among the Gods.

But they didn't know the depth of his powers.

It took a long time, but eventually, Bahamoth succeeded in defeating the allied army.

But it had weakened him to a certain extent.

The Gods, learning a lesson from this, decided to ban the use of magic throughout the planet.

And to make sure the races never trusted each other again, they planted moles between them, creating distrust and chaos.

The races finally collapsed.

Their morality turned rotten, and they became immoral.

The Gods promised them riches and rewards if they followed them.

And they did.

As a result, the races became corrupted, and rotten, just like their leader.

But still, a few people had hopes inside them.

They studied for hundreds of years, trying to find out a method to lift the ban over magic.

And finally, they found the solution, a summon.

The Gods had banned magic, but only for the seven races living in this world.

They didn't consider the possibility of a summon.

And finally, they succeeded in summoning the worthy one.

The one who would unite the races, and the one who would destroy the so-called Gods.

YOU.

I was watching the events unfold as the voice narrated the story.

I turned and looked behind me.

A girl in robes was standing, a sad smile on her face.

"Hello, wise one."-she said, trying to calm me down.

"Where am I?"

"I think you know the answer."

"I do. Why me?"

"I.......don't know."-she turned away, looking at a mountain instead of me.

"You don't know?!?! Don't mess with me!!!"-I screamed in anger.

She just stood there, sadness on her face.

"Everything I knew, I believed, turned to be a lie! And You think I would trust you? After what my friends suffered?!?!"-I shouted again, tears rolling down my cheeks.

This was way more than I could handle.

This was past me.

Me, savior of some unknown world?

Like hell!?!!!

"I know you hate us, I know we are selfish. Yet, I want you to fight, for us."

"For you? I decline."-I said, my voice hard with disgust.

She looked desperate.

"I know you have been through a lot. But if you can defeat the Gods, you'll gain a large amount of their power. Using that, you can go back, from your world."

"My......world?

"Yes. Your world."

I thought for a second.

I didn't know anything about this world, about its residents.

"But....I don't know anything about your world."

"Alas, I cannot help you with that."

"What?"-I looked at her in disbelief.

She summoned me here, and now she couldn't help me?

"You heard me right, wizard. I am but a shadow of the girl who brought you here."

"The girl who brought me here?"

The face of the girl lying on the ground came inside my mind.

"What happened to her?"-I asked, afraid. I already knew the answer, or so I thought.

"She sold her soul to the devil, to bring you here."

I just stared at her, shocked and scared at the same time.

The girl sold her soul to the devil for me.

She chose a fate worse than death for me.

For me.

A stranger died for me.

I grabbed my head, and sat down, shaking.

My throat turned sore, and my tongue felt dry.

The girl, or the shadow looked at me, uncertain about what she should do.

She finally decided to speak up, hesitating.

"Don't blame yourself for her.....my death."

"How? She died for me. For summoning me. No one can change that fact."-I whispered, looking down.

"If you really want to atone, fight."

"Fight?"

"Fight. For her, and for those who are oppressed."

"B-but........I don't know anything..."

"Doesn't matter. Just try your hardest."-she said in a soothing tone.

I nodded, and felt the light fading.

When I looked up, I was again inside the cottage.

The girl was still lying there, lifeless.

I wiped my tear off, and decided to bury the corpse.

It took me the whole night to do that, but eventually, it was done.

I said a quiet prayer for her soul, and grabbed the staff.

I didn't know whether I could do it or not.

But I had to try.

I looked around and saw a path leading through the forest.

I followed it as fast as I could, holding my staff tightly.

I didn't know any spells, nor did I know about this world.

To be honest, I was scared. Scared that I would die.

Scared that someone would die again, for my sake.

My thoughts got interrupted as a small light emerged from the darkness.

I looked closely and saw that it was the way out of the forest.

I hurried down, only to be met by a horrifying scene.

In front of me, a village was burning.

People were running and screaming.

Among them, a few people in armor was laughing.

They were killing kids and elders indiscriminately, and dragging girls from their houses to satisfy their carnal desires.

The whole scene was inhumane, at the same time disastrous.

Suddenly, I saw a girl running towards me, chased by two men.

Before I could even see her face clearly, she grabbed my legs, and started crying.

"Please! Save me! Please! I don't want to die!"-she screamed and cried, wetting my clothes with her tears.

The men stopped at a few yards distance.

Both of them were wearing chain mails and helmets.

One of them grinned looking at me.

"Well well, what do we have here! Another wannabe hero!"-he laughed, taking out his sword.

His companion laughed, and adjusted his spear.

I couldn't move.

My whole body felt numb looking at the murderers in front of me.

Just like the time back in the school auditorium.

One of the men suddenly stepped forward, and smacked me in the face with the hilt of his sword, sending me flying.

I crashed with a nearby tree, and sharp pain coursed through my whole body.

I felt something wet on my head, and touched it.

It was blood. But I had more pressing concerns.

The men advanced towards the girl, and grabbed her hair.

They pulled her up, and punched her in the stomach.

The girl's hand fell down beside her body.

They started ripping her clothes apart.

The girl tried to resist, but didn't have enough energy to do so.

They stripped her naked, and pushed her on the ground.

Then they started removing their own clothes. I didn't take me a moment to realize what they were going to do.

They were going to rape her.

Panic took control of me. I couldn't let them do it, not in front of me.

Blinded with rage, I ran towards them, attacking them with my staff.

The first one didn't expect my attack, so my staff hit him on the face, making him fall down.

The other was ready by the time I reached him.

He punched me in the face, followed by a jab in the stomach.

I fell down, groaning.

The girl's eyes widened with horror.

I followed her gaze, and saw the man picking up his sword.

He walked to me, and kicked me in the chin.

He kept kicking me until I was unable to move.

Then he again grabbed the girl, and held the sword on her throat.

"You brought this on yourself, brat!!!"-he steadily adjusted his sword, tearing her throat apart bit by bit.

The girl screamed in pain.

Rage took control of me again.

I looked for ways to save her, or at least kill her instantly.

The bandit was going to kill her in the worst possible way.

Suddenly, an image came inside my mind, filled with words.

One by one, the words took shape, and formed a line.

I closed my eyes to concentrate on the image.

It was a spell, or it looked like one.

I still had my staff in my hands.

I grabbed it, and stood up.

The girl was now sobbing, and the bandit still held the sword on her throat.

I took a deep breath, and started the incantation.

"BY THE POWER GRANTED ME BY MY LORD, I CALL UPON YOU, I COMMAND YOU TO SHOW YOURSELF, AND TURN THIS PLACE INTO ASHES. BRING THE LIVING TO THE WORLD OF DEATH, AND SATISFY MY RAGE! COME, ZELDA!"

Nothing happened.

The bandit and the girl, both looked at me like I was some kind of a fool.

Suddenly, a howl erupted the whole scene, and a strong wind started blowing.

The clouds and smoke started clearing with the wind, and the clouds became clear.

A large figure came out from behind them, it's icy white scales glittering in the moonlight.

It came down on the ground, two huge wings on it's back.

It opened its mouth, and two sets of sharp teeth appeared.

It was a dragon.

Just like the one at the school auditorium.

The dragon looked around itself.

The bandit, who was holding a knife on the girl's throat, shrieked in fear and threw his knife towards the dragon.

The knife couldn't even penetrate its scales. Seeing that, the bandit dropped the girl and ran to the forest to hide.

The dragon looked annoyed at this behaviour.

It opened its mouth, and a breath of ice came out of it.

It's breath instantly froze a large portion of the forest, along with the bandit.

The girl screamed at the horrifying scene.

The dragon turned to her and opened its mouth for another attack.

I jumped in front of her, trying to shield her. I couldn't let her die, not after everything that has happened.

I waited for the breath to freeze me, but nothing came.

After a few moments, I looked back, and saw the dragon sitting there, yawning.

"Is she your subject, Master?"

A voice boomed inside my mind.

I looked around to find the person but saw none.

The dragon looked at me with its sparkly blue eyes, as if it was measuring me.

"Are you not familiar with telepathy, Master?"

It spoke up, and I found the owner of the voice inside my head.

The dragon. It talked.

I looked at him, surprised and confused.

"M-master?"-I tried to say in a shaky voice.

"Yes. Or would you like me to call you something else?"

"I'm your master?"

"Apparently so. You summoned me here."

"S-summoned you?"-I suddenly remembered the spell I used earlier.

I took a deep breath and said-

"Z-zelda?"

"At your service."

He lowered his head in a gesture. It took me a moment to realize that he was respecting me.

Suddenly, I heard a lot of footsteps coming towards us.

The other bandits were coming. Apparently, the one I knocked out took advantage of the chaos, and brought his friends.

But all of them stopped on their tracks, seeing the massive beast in front of them.

The dragon just growled, but didn't do anything.

The men approached him cautiously, but he still didn't do anything.

They regained their courage seeing that, and turned their attention towards us.

The leader rushed towards me, with an axe in his hand.

But just as he entered within five meters from my location, another cold breath came out from the dragon's mouth, freezing him wholly.

After that, it went back to its previous uninterested form and yawned.

The other bandits lost their will to fight.

They ran towards the protection of the forest.

"Should I pursue them?"

Zelda's voice echoed in my head.

"No........"-is what I wanted to say. But just at that moment, I remembered their behavior against the villagers.

Those scums didn't deserve any mercy.

"Kill them all."-I hissed.

Zelda made a face which almost looked like a grin. Without another word, it flew up, and turned its head towards the forest.

It took a deep breath, and a light appeared in front of its face.

Suddenly, the light turned into thousands of ice spears.

All of them were facing the forest.

Zelda finally let its breath out.

The ice spears moved at amazing speed, piercing every bit of forest in their path.

The moment they collided with the ground, it froze up, and exploded into small ice particles.

Whoever was unfortunate enough to be in that area was as good as dead.

The bandits weren't a threat anymore.

Hearing a shriek, I turned back, and saw the girl. With the threat gone, she was conscious of her naked body. I pulled off my shirt, and covered her with it.

Suddenly, I heard a dozen footsteps coming from behind me, their owners hidden behind the thick smoke of now dying fires. They couldn't be the bandits.

Cause, after all, I killed them all, didn't I?

The footsteps drew near, and came out of the smoke cover.

It was the villagers who survived.

I tried to walk and greet them.

But darkness covered my field of vision.

My whole body felt numb, and I fell down, unconscious.

[Hours later.........]

I opened my eyes, and pain spread through my body.

I let out a deep breath, and looked at my body.

I wasn't wearing my school dress. Instead, my whole body was covered with some sort of rug and bandages.

I tried to sit up, and at the same time, the door of the cabin I was in opened.

A young girl entered, and saw me on the bed. She turned on her heel, and ran out, shouting something.

My head wasn't stable enough yet, so I didn't get a word she was saying.

I analyzed the interior of the cottage.

Surprisingly, it was still intact, even after the bandit attack.

The only pieces of furniture in the room were my bed, a table, and a wardrobe. My staff was leaning against the wall in the corner, and my old clothes were on the table. Except for the shirt I gave to the girl.

Suddenly, the door opened again, and an elderly man entered this time.

Judging by his appearance, he was in his late sixties.

He was wearing a simple outfit, and had a stick in his hand to support himself.

"Oh! You are awake!!!" -he exclaimed. I was pretty sure that he could see me from there.

"Yeah........where am I?"

"In my home. I'm sorry that I couldn't manage anything finer."

With that, he kneeled down, his eyes on the ground. The people behind him did the same. I was startled at this sudden change of behavior. But before I could protest, he spoke up in a stern tone.

"O' great wizard! Thank you for protecting our town from the bandits. For your assistance, we are grateful from the depth of our hearts. You may demand anything. We will be sure to give you what you want as long as it is in our power. Our lives are yours to command."

He said continuously, not taking a breath. He finally stopped, and looked up.

I was uncertain of what to do.

"Well, listen, Mr......."

"Gilmund."

"Mr. Gilmund. I don't think I'm well suited enough to be your king. I want to ask a favor, if it's alright."

"Of course, my lord. Whatever you wish. All of the girls in our village are eagerly waiting to satisfy you, all of the bards are waiting to entertain you. All of the soldiers are waiting to risk their lives for you."

"What? No! I don't mean that kind of favor. Just provide me with an armor and a sword, as well as some knowledge about your world."

"Knowledge? Surely my lord knows better."-he said, and I tried to think of an answer. Seeing my desperate attempts to come up with one, he decided to drop the topic.

"Very well, my lord. I'll be preparing for your request. Please take some rest, and change into these clothes. Pick whichever you like."

He gestured toward the wardrobe, and a boy opened it.

A number of fresh outfits were already there, ready to be used.

I nodded, and they left the cottage, closing the door behind them.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts. The villagers were the first friendly faces I saw in this world.

A lot of questions gathered inside my mind.

How did this magical power work? Who was that girl? Who are the seven gods? Why was I chosen? How can I get back to my world?

I knew the answer to some, but not all of them.

Sighing, I got up from the bed, and checked the wardrobe for an outfit suiting my tastes.

After wasting fifteen minutes (or so, according to the clock on my wrist), I finally found one.

It was a scholar's robes. The outfit had a shirt, a pant, and some armor.

The shirt was long sleeved and white.

The pant was pitch black and shiny. The outfit almost looked like my school uniform, except for the shoulder pads and armored gloves.

I put the outfit on, and headed out with my staff.

The village was recovering from the damage it had suffered. People were running with logs and parts in their hands. A few houses were still burning, though the fire was almost out.

I started walking, holding the staff with my hands for support. My body didn't fully recover from the strain, though it was improving gradually.

The people working looked at me as I passed them, grinning and waving their hands.

Though all I did for them was muttering some weird and embarrassing words in front of a whole gang.

Maybe that embarrassment was written on my face, as a voice behind me spoke up.

"You look....reddish. Do you have a fever?"

I looked back and saw the girl I saved yesterday. In the sunlight, I could see her astonishing features.

She was beautiful, with long shiny black hair. My mother always thought that my hair was shinier and darker than anyone else, I wonder what she would say if she saw this girl?

Her pale skin matched with her light green eyes, and the simple outfit she was wearing was not enough to hide the elegant and perfect curves of her body.

And by the simple outfit, I meant my shirt.

"Beautiful......."-I murmured, and she looked at me with questions in her eyes.

"Oh, sorry. You are still wearing my shirt......."-I said, eyeing her.

She blushed, and looked down.

"I didn't have time, with all these."-she gestured towards the broken houses.

"I didn't get your name."-I suddenly said. I wanted to know her better, even if a little.

"It's Satsuki."

Her name sounded like a Japanese. But I didn't pry into the matter, and gestured towards the wreckage.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"You've already done enough for us. Don't push yourself."-she said with a soothing voice. I realized that her voice was beautiful, just like her face.

"Besides, your dragon and elder Gilmund is waiting for you."

"My dragon?"

"The white one you summoned."

"Thanks for letting me know. Where are they?"

"Go straight. You'll see the town hall. You can't miss it, not because it's big or something, but for the giant dragon sitting behind it."

I chuckled at her joke, and started walking to the town hall.

It only took me a few minutes to reach there. Apparently, the village was smaller than I previously thought.

I saw Zelda yawning behind the building, looking more magnificent than ever.

It closed his mouth seeing me, and grinned.

"Zelda?"-I thought. I myself was surprised at my cool behavior. I was doing okay, despite the fact that I just got summoned into a war-filled universe, and had to defeat seven super powerful Gods.

"What do you require, Master?"

"What gender are you? He or she?"

"We dragons don't fall into any of those terms. It's complicated, but I think I am masculine."

"So a he?"

"If you would like it."

Zelda, who was now a 'he', turned his head towards the sky.

"I sense some of my kind."-he growled.

"Your kind?"

"Dragons. Five of them."

"Are they like you? I mean, sentient beings?"

"No, they give off some weird aura. I can't be sure until they come closer."

"How much time do we have?"

"An hour or so, maybe less."

Hearing that, I hurriedly entered the town hall, and searched for Gilmund. The villagers had to evacuate, as I didn't know whether our 'guests' were hostile or not.

I found him in the library, reading an old book.

"Ah! My lord......."

"We don't have time. Escape, NOW."

Gilmund just eyed me worriedly for a moment, and then rushed towards the door.

I stepped outside, and overseed the evacuation.

The men looked for tired and frightened than they looked in the morning.

They hid in the forest, and kept an eye on me and Zelda, who were now standing in the middle of the village.

Soon, five small figures appeared in the blue sky, turning bigger and bigger every moment.

They finally reached us. Zelda was right, they were dragons, but different from him.

These five dragons had riders on them, human riders. The dragons followed their commands, but in a robotic way. They looked like they were brainwashed.

Their leader dismounted and came to me, a hand on the hilt of the sword.

"Are you the wizard?"-he hissed in a low tone.

Zelda suddenly took a battle posture and looked at the guy sternly.

He was almost two times bigger than the dragons those guys brought.

The leader looked at Zelda, and softened his voice.

"I ask you again, are you the wizard?"

"I am."

"Then I ask you to come with me, with your dragons."

"To where?"

"To Lord Behemoth. He has commanded you to come, and you shall respond."

"Very well."

Hearing my answer, another man came down from his dragon, with a chain and blindfold in his hands.

He came with them towards me, and Zelda hissed, making him stop.

"What's the meaning of this?"-I asked, trying to hold my anger.

"You have to come with us, in the chain. You have no choice but to comply."

"I refuse."-I growled in a deep voice, a voice that even frightened me.

"If you refuse, this village will be turned into ashes. You have no choice but to comply."-he said again, this time with more pressure.

Rage built up inside me, and I felt like I was about to explode.

Suddenly, a voice whispered inside my mind. It wasn't Zelda.

"He who has answered the call, I give you two paths to follow. The path of red, which embodies rage, hatred, and violence. You'll feel more power, but lose a certain portion of your humanity. People will fear and respect you, but whether they would love you or not will depend on your action. And again, you may choose the path of green, which shows kindness, healing, and respect. Though you'll be weakened to a certain extent, people will follow you more desperately, and you'll find inner peace."

"And I have to choose between two?"

My question was answered with silence. Accepting that as a yes, I looked at the knights in front of me, and then turned my gaze to the frightened villagers hiding in the forest.

Taking a deep breath, I decided on the path.

"I shall accept the path of red, embodying rage, hatred, and violence."

"Very well."

My whole body suddenly felt lighter, and I felt my mind sharpening. I looked at my hands. They were glowing with a red light.

A magic circle appeared below me, and I felt a rush of information passing through me.

Pieces by pieces, memories of different ancient wizards filled me, and I felt powerful, invincible.

I looked at the knights, and grinned.

I held up my staff, and incited three arcane words-

"Dersálvà Magnéfira"

Wind started blowing, and the whole sky got dark and cloudy.

A ritual circle appeared on it, emitting red light.

A figure emerged from the circle, who looked like a devil.

It had long spiked horns, and red glimmering eyes.

Its mouth was formed in a shape of a smile, revealing a lot of sharp, pointy teeth.

It looked down at the humans under it, and spread out its hands.

Fire came down, melting the knights in an instant, along with their dragons.

After that, the creature vanished in the thin air, as if it never existed.

The sky cleared within a moment, and sunrays fell down on my face.

Just when I was about to go back, the whole sky started shimmering, shaking violently.

A face appeared in the sky. It looked much like a human.

His hair was blonde, and his skin was pale. He was quite good looking, except for his eyes. They were shining in a bright white colour, giving him a ghostly appearance.

He looked at me, and smiled. It wasn't a friendly one.

"I see. You've chosen to defy me."

"Behemoth?"

"LORD Behemoth, you insolent fool!"-he screamed with rage. But in a moment, he regained his posture.

"You have defied me, boy. I hope you're ready for what comes next."

"I think YOU should prepare yourself, no?"

"What?"

"Yeah. You are the weakest of the seven Gods, right?"

"Seems like there will be no negotiation. I bid you good luck. Only one of us may survive."

"At least we agree on something."-I grinned, and Behemoth's face disappeared.

I stood there, just looking at the empty sky.

I messed up, pretty badly.