Chapter 1 – The Day Everything Changed
Today is February 17, 2025, and no… it's not just another ordinary day.
I'm at a hospital, sitting next to my father. My heart is racing like I've been running for hours, and even though I'm smiling, I'm falling apart inside.
My name is Damien Cross. I'm seventeen. Black hair like the night sky, red eyes that people often say look unreal.
But today, for the first time in a long time… I'm not the center of anything.
"I can't wait to meet my sister, Dad," I say, my voice shaking, trying to sound composed—but my body's trembling.
My father smiles. That kind of smile only someone on the edge of tears can manage.
"I can't wait to see her too, son."
A nurse peeks out from the delivery room. Her face shows exhaustion, but there's a soft kindness in her eyes.
"You can come in now."
We walk in together. There she is—my mother, Camila Rosario, holding a tiny baby wrapped in a blanket.
Everything that matters in my life… is right here in this room.
No magic. No miracles. Just something stronger—this moment.
My father covers his face. He's crying.
I... I have no words.
"Can I hold her?" I ask, my voice cracking.
I feel so small—and yet so alive.
"Of course, sweetheart," my mother whispers.
I hold her gently. She's so delicate, so warm. Her eyes open slightly, trying to make sense of this new world. And I cry.
Because she's perfect.
My father hugs me, then carefully takes the baby in his arms. I walk over to my mother and wrap her in a quiet embrace.
She's crying too—silently, like she always does.
My family... they're my everything.
I love them more than words will ever explain.
My father, Axel, is thirty-five. Tall, strong, with that sharp look that cuts through any lie. He started practicing HEMA at eleven, just for fun, and comes from a hard-working family. We were never rich, but we never lacked what mattered either.
My mom, Camila, is Puerto Rican. She grew up in rough neighborhoods, surrounded by gang violence—but she shined like a diamond in the dirt.
Snow-white skin, red eyes like mine, and curly chestnut hair that never stays still.
She's short but fierce, always has been. She loves computers and programming—stuff I never understood, but she made it all look easy.
And my sister...
Her story starts today.
Mine, however, is about to fall apart.
---
Three days have passed since her birth. We're all back home.
My life is back to normal—but I'm happier than I've ever been.
I talk about her nonstop with my friends. Show them pictures. They all congratulate me.
Of course, the jokes show up too.
"I'm setting an alarm for 18 years from now," one of them says.
Classic.
I've always been charismatic. Never lacked friends.
And today, nothing can ruin this happiness.
Or so I think.
School passes like any other day. I eat lunch with my friends. We laugh. Everything feels right.
When I get home, I greet my parents with a kiss on the cheek, then go to my sister and kiss her forehead.
She's sleeping peacefully in her robotic cradle, gently swaying on its own.
I take a shower, shave, trim my nails.
It doesn't take long.
When I return to the living room, my parents are watching a novela.
My baby sister is still swaying quietly, fast asleep.
"Ahhh... I forgot how exhausting babies can be," my mom says, leaning on my dad.
"Hehehe... reminds me of when Damien was a bab—" my father begins, looking at me.
But he doesn't finish.
I blink—
and everything goes black.
---
A loud buzzing pierces my ears. I feel like I'm drowning, being torn from my own body.
I open my eyes. Everything is blurry. Voices swirl around me. Murmurs.
I can't understand a word.
To my side, a woman waves a glowing staff.
The tip pulses with light.
Golden light surrounds me.
The voices become clearer.
And then...
The woman... she starts aging.
Right in front of me.
It's like thirty years are stolen from her in seconds.
To my right, I see a boy and a girl sitting on the ground.
Blonde hair. Fair skin. Icy blue eyes.
They look alike—siblings, maybe.
They're speaking a foreign language.
Japanese, I think.
And then suddenly… I understand every word.
"What's going on? Where are we?" the girl says, trembling.
"Big brother... I'm scared."
*CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.*
Someone's clapping.
I turn forward and see a man sitting on a stone throne.
A golden crown, flowing robes that look like they're from a medieval history book.
He rises and speaks in a tone so rehearsed it sounds fake:
"Welcome, heroes. Thank you for answering our call. You have been summoned to save this world from the extinction of humanity."
I'm still on the ground. I can't move.
The air reeks—like a room packed with unwashed bodies.
I want to scream.
But the boy next to me beats me to it.
"What the hell is this? Where are we?! Why does it smell so damn bad?! Who are you people?!"
The man on the throne raises a hand.
"Please, dear hero, lower your voice. I'll answer everything once you stand."
The blonde boy looks at me.
"Get up, kid."
I stand up, still in shock. I extend my hand.
"I'm Damien Cross. From the U.S."
"Ren Tanaka. I'm seventeen. This is my sister Yui. She's fifteen. We're from Japan," he replies with a forced smile.
"Nice to meet you," I say.
But I can tell his smile is fake.
"Let's ask that old guy what the hell is going on," Yui mutters, voice shaking.
Ren pulls her into a protective hug.
A nearby guard yells:
"Watch your tongue before the king!"
The king signals him to be silent.
Then stands, voice grave.
"My name is Alaric Dorneval, King of Elaris. As I said, you have been summoned because six months from now, humanity will enter war against the elves and demons. Without you... we cannot win."
"You said magic!?"
Ren and Yui yell at the same time, eyes lit with excitement.
But not me.
I'm frozen.
I know what magic is. I've played games. Watched anime.
But this... this is real.
My chest tightens. My voice cracks.
"How do I go back home?! I want to return!"
"Calm down. Isn't this exciting? Magic, swords... it's like living in a dream," Ren says, smiling.
"What about your family? Your friends? Don't you care?!"
Ren looks down.
His smile stays, but his eyes… they say something else.
"Our parents died in a car crash seven years ago. We've been in an orphanage since then. Never had friends. It was just the two of us.
Games. Anime. That's all we had."
"There's no way to return to your original world," the king adds.
"At least... not one we know of."
Something shatters inside me.
I freeze.
Mom.
Dad.
My sister.
Three days.
I hear nothing else.
Just static.
Someone takes me to a room—luxurious, like a prince's chamber in some fantasy drama.
The moment the door closes... I break.
I cry.
I scream.
I punch the table.
I flip it.
Shatter the mirror.
"Why...? Why now...? Why here...? Why me...?
MY SISTER WAS BORN THREE DAYS AGO!
THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!
I WANT TO GO BACK! I DON'T CARE ABOUT MAGIC OR ELVES!
I HAVE A FAMILY!
I HAD A LIFE!"
Blood. Glass. Fists.
I collapse on the bed—
and cry myself to sleep.