Upon reaching his apartment building, Minato got out of the taxi's back seat and handed the driver 5,000 yen with a polite nod before retrieving his bags. The weird-looking book was tucked safely under his arm.
He then started walking slowly toward the staircase; the loud rumble of the departing taxi made him cover his ears, but eventually, it faded behind him.
He cautiously walked up the stairs until he reached his room door, and then he put his bags down for a moment before taking out his keys to unlock the door.
When the door opened, he picked up his bags again and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him quickly, placing his bags on the floor, then he went to the kitchen, took out a bottle of water and drank it, before he headed into the bathroom.
After showering, he then came out of the bathroom in his pajamas and sat down on the edge of his bed, too tired to move for a while.
Minato picked up his phone and checked the time; he sighed briefly.
"I forgot, tomorrow is Saturday. Ahh... thank God, now I can relax."
Suddenly, he became curious and picked up the book the elderly woman gave him.
He traced his hands across the golden title...
[THE REALMS OF ETERNITY]
"Hmm, nice," Minato murmured while rolling over to his back. He then proceeded to open it; immediately, a cloud of dust fell from the book pages as they opened for the first time in months, if not years, Minato couldn't quite tell.
The book pages were yellow and rough, filled with old handwriting and sketches. Some words were already faded, while others were still visible.
Minato turned a few pages slowly, trying to make sense of the strange language mixed with drawings of strange maps and symbols.
Cough... cough...
"Shit..." He used his left hand to cover his nose from the dust in the atmosphere.
"Looks like some kind of fantasy novel… let me see," he whispered, frowning his eyes a little but still reading on. "I think this part is in Japanese."
[IN THE BEGINNING, THE ONE IN ALL OF US, CREATED THE REALM OF ETERNITY, WHICH HAS FIVE DISTINCT CONTINENTS.
THE CONTINENT OF BLOOD, RULED BY THE EARHART
THE CONTINENT OF THARJAL, RULED BY THE TITANS
THE CONTINENT OF THE REALM TREE, RULED BY THE ELVES]
"Elves." Minato's eyes widened the moment he read that part, hugging his pillows tight as he continued reading.
After reading for about ten minutes, Minato noticed something very strange. Most of the remaining chapters were written in strange languages he couldn't understand. But only one chapter stood out completely from the rest.
[THE ART OF SUMMONING]
He furrowed his eyebrows, leaning in closer to the page. Unlike the other chapters, this chapter was completely readable; the words were in Japanese and clear, as if they had just been written recently.
Minato adjusted his posture on the bed and began reading the chapter's first lines.
The text explained detailed steps and preparations that could be done, strange circles to be drawn, words to be spoken, and offerings to be placed. Some of the instructions were complex, but the meaning was clear enough for him to follow.
At the bottom of the page, there was a note written in what seemed like blood; the letters were smaller than the rest...
'THE SUMMONING BETWEEN SPECIES OPENS THE PATH BETWEEN REALMS. ONCE BEGUN, IT CANNOT BE UNDONE.'
Minato raised his eyebrows and let out a hypocritical laughter... "Sounds like something out of an RPG Game…" he exclaimed, shaking his head slightly. But still, his eyes stayed glued to the book's page, curiosity pulling him deeper into the instructions.
He then leaned backward against his apartment wall, staring at the instructions on the page.
"A summoning, huh? …This is all probably just nonsense... A work of fiction," he uttered, closing the book halfway through. For a moment, he considered putting it back in the bag and forgetting about it. Plus, he was tired, and it was already late.
But his eyes kept drifting back towards the texts. It was the only chapter he could read properly. His curiosity bar was at an all-time high.
"…What's the harm in trying?" he whispered, opening the book again... "I mean, it's not like I would lose anything if it was fake... plus I could maybe summon an Elf girl... Who knows?"
Minato started laughing pervertedly... "Hahaha."
He then stood up from his bed and cleared a space on the floor beside his bed, and then followed the instructions step by step.
Using a strand of his hair and his university marker, he tried to draw the strange circles and symbols as best as he could on his apartment floor...
But when it became time for the summoning chants, he hesitated, then he exhaled and started reading the words out loud.
[Chants]
"IN TRUTH AND IN SPIRIT, IN DEATH AND IN LIFE, I, MINATO KATANA, HEREBY OPEN THE GATEWAY BETWEEN REALMS.
I CALL TO YOU ACROSS TIME AND SPACE.
STEP FORTH THROUGH THE CIRCLE OF ETERNITY I HAVE DRAWN, AND STAND BEFORE ME IN THIS REALM.
BY THE BOND OF WORDS AND BLOOD… I SUMMONED THEE!"
His last words echoed throughout his apartment, but nothing happened, which made Minato let out a shaky laugh, scratching his head.
He then threw the book 5 feet away from him in disappointment.
"I feel so stupid trying this bullshit…" Minato yawns and falls on his bed, rolling around... "God, Today sucks, I..."
Before Minato could finish his sentence, a sudden dark red light glowed from the symbols, then went still, then glowed again, but this time it was stronger and brighter. The atmosphere in his apartment grew heavier, pressing down on his chest.
His floor, chairs, and tables trembled lightly under the pressure. The circle he had drawn started flickering violently; its lines became alive, shifting and correcting themselves into a perfect symbol.
A little hum filled his apartment; dozens of voices whispering in a language he couldn't understand.
Minato quickly got out of his bed and ran straight towards the circle in order to clean it, but before he could reach or attempt what was in his mind, it exploded, sending him flying backwards.
Cough... cough...
Before he could stand up, his eyes widened in shock; right in front of him, a person was standing in the circle, covered by the smoke of the explosion.
"Big brother, stop it, I am not in the mood for your annoying pranks."
Minato froze.
"Big brother?" he repeated while catching his breath, his eyes completely locked on the person in the circle.
But then the smoke in the center began to fade, slowly revealing a female with yellow hair and red eyes, and an hourglass figure standing inside the circle. A silhouette at first, but then it became clearer, shoulders, arms, and finally the whole body.
Minato's heart pounded as she looked straight at him with confusion...
"WHO ARE YOU?"