The knight and the princess found a cave to catch their breath. "Do you think she can hold them off?" the knight asked with concern.
The princess smiled. "Don't worry, we're talking about Agnolia, the strongest mage we have. She'll handle them just fine."
"Yes, my lady, but I have a question," the knight replied. "Why can't Lady Agnolia summon the hero herself?"
"She may be the most powerful mage, but she needs to be connected to royalty to cast an otherworldly spell," the princess explained. "She could do it since she's a bit connected to me as my subject, but her dark powers might corrupt the one who is summoned. I just hope she comes soon. I feel like all my powers are being drained by this summoning."
The knight went outside and guarded the entrance, holding his sword tightly as he watched the princess.
She drew a magic circle with a triangle inside. Then she took her dagger, cut her hand, and sent her blood dripping into the circle. The circle glowed brightly and began to grow. "Help me, my goddess, find him, find the sacred hero."
Suddenly, she heard grunts and the clanking of swords. "Oh no, some of them got through, and the summoning isn't complete yet!" A masked man entered the cave, grabbed a handful of sand, and threw it on the magic circle.
"No!" she yelled as the circle fizzled and vanished.
The man grinned. "Now no one will come save you, princess. No one opposes our empress and lives." He raised his sword to strike, but a flaming sword stuck into his throat, silencing him. He fell, and the princess, Emile, looked up to see Agnolia.
"Agnolia, I'm sorry. He stopped the summoning," Emile said.
Agnolia studied the magic circle. "No, he is already here."
"But he was supposed to appear here," Emile said in a shocked tone.
"Yes, but the guard wasn't able to stop his coming; he was only able to change his direction. Don't worry, I will start the location spell, but I need to link to your goddess's energy. You know I don't worship her."
At that moment, the knight entered, battered and bruised but alive. "What do you need, my ladies?"
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Tsuoma struggled to open his eyes. When he did, he found himself in a desert. He wondered how he got there. He tried to remember what had happened, but his mind was blank.
He suddenly felt someone trying to take something from his hand. He gripped the person's hand, stood, and pinned the figure down, shocked to see it was Teruki.
"Teruki, what are you doing here? Did you die with me? Is this the afterlife?" he asked, rushing his words.
Teruki placed a finger on his mouth. "Quiet down, Tsuoma. Just try to figure out what happened to you. That's it. Calm down, lose yourself, and remember."
He suddenly held his head as images began to flash inside his mind. Then he remembered.
In a void of white, the space was beautified by luminescent stars. A boy with his eyes closed floated in the emptiness. He suddenly jerked awake and saw himself floating.
"Welcome, hero," a voice as calm as a quiet sea said. He heard it from every direction.
He touched his body and was shocked to discover that his body was still intact. This wasn't the afterlife. So where was he?
"You are in the Ethereal Plane, where spirits arrive before going to their final destination, and I am the goddess of reincarnation and summoning, my dear boy, Tsuoma."
Tsuoma was shocked. How did she know his name and what he was thinking?
The feminine voice chuckled. "That's the first question you'd ask. I will first remind you why you are here. Now, relax, calm your mind, and remember."
He held his head as images began to flash, and then he remembered.
"My best friend killed me." He knelt down and wept.
"It's okay. You have been given a second chance. You can't return to your home world. Instead, I will transport you into a fantasy world of magic. What do you say to starting over as a hero in another world?"
Tsuoma thought about it for a few minutes and then accepted.
"Very well, my boy. You can choose one occupation in the other world. You will gain the abilities that come with it, all of its strengths and weaknesses. You can be a mage, summoner, warrior, holy knight, human, or even a supernatural creature…"
"I choose my sword," he said, cutting her short.
"What? A crude weapon like that can't do anything in that world; magic rules there. You have to be a holy knight to wield a sword. I can forge you a new one that befits this new world."
Tsuoma gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. "It's my sword or nothing. I can never, ever part with my sword."
The goddess saw his determination in his steely eyes. She had never seen someone so devoted to a single object.
"Very well, I will grant your wish. And since you are not a selfish one, I shall grant you something else to help you survive in the next world. Choose among these three:
Instant Grappling of Magic: This means you will immediately know how to use magic.
Geographical Knowledge: You will gain a magical eye to know all about a place.
Holy Knight Physiology: This grants you the powers and abilities of a holy knight, along with the use of powers related to me."
Tsuoma pondered the use of all three abilities. Gaining magic instantly wasn't a bad option, but what if the magic he gained was limited? His sword would disappear since he would become a mage who didn't need a sword. If he became a holy knight, he would only be able to use magical weapons and armor, making him little more than a human with weapons. But if he chose Geographical Knowledge, he could use it to his advantage; he would be able to plan an escape immediately. That seemed a better weapon, and he could keep his sword.
"I choose the second skill. Geographical Knowledge."
The goddess nodded. "Very well, Tsuoma, your wish is granted."
A white light surrounded Tsuoma, and he gradually began to get sucked into it.
"I will be watching you. If you need my help, send me a summon anytime. Farewell, brave hero, and let your new adventure begin."
Tsuoma opened his eyes and discovered he was lying on the sand. His blue eyes roved around the desert. He wondered how he had gotten there. His long, brown hair was in a ponytail. His muscular frame made creaking sounds as his bones rattled against each other. His long legs struggled to get him up. He traced his hand along his back and discovered a sword bag slung over his shoulder. He removed it and saw his sword inside, glowing with the ray of the sun. He was sure it was the goddess's work. He grinned, put it back on his shoulder, and surveyed his surroundings.
His blue eyes glowed, changing into a gold circle with thirty-six parts and a black dot still intact. His eyes moved all over the desert, and he saw a place with a sandstorm and monsters attacking each other. Farther on, he saw a city and began to salivate at the prospect of eating something. His eyes moved again, and he saw her. He wasn't sure, but he knew it had to be her. She was on him, a trait like Teruki's.
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"Teruki, Teruki, wake up."
Teruki awoke to the sound of a woman's voice. The voice was calm, like a quiet sea. She saw herself in a white plane, just like Tsuoma had been. "Why didn't you leave him?" the goddess asked.
Teruki's stare was fierce. "Wherever he goes, I go," she replied.
The goddess was speechless. She was quite surprised with how Teruki had appeared in the celestial plane, it was strange: Teruki's soul was intertwined with Tsuoma's, a strange thing for her to witness. "Fine. I will allow you passage to where he is, but what do you want to take to the next world?" the goddess said, conjuring a cup of water. She passed it to Teruki, who slurped it in one gulp. She cleaned her mouth before replying. "I choose to be a mage who wields the sword."
The goddess waved her hand. "Your wish has been granted. Now go, and prosper in the new world."
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"I can't believe you followed me, Teruki," Tsuoma said as he stood upright.
"Who cares?" she replied. "As long as I get to be with you and take care of you, that's enough, right? Besides, you said you'd never leave me, and we'll always be together."
Tsuoma sighed as his geographical eyes flashed. "We are about to get attacked by… what the hell is that, an elephant-horse?"
"What I mean is that we're about to get crushed by a dual-species creature. It has an elephant's head with tusks and a trunk, but a horse's legs," he explained.
Tsuoma drew his sword, took a stance, and prepared to attack the beast. He took a breath and stood in front of Teruki. "Start making up spells; I'll keep it busy with my unparalleled sword skills."
Teruki groaned as she started creating a spell. She had to try; she had chosen to be a mage, so she needed to create spells. Lots of red magic circles floated around her as she assembled them. The beast was getting closer.
Suddenly, the beast appeared right before them and used its trunk to grab Tsuoma, who didn't have time to raise his sword. The beast hit him on the floor several times, creating small craters, until a massive fireball hit it hard, making it release Tsuoma, who struggled to stand on his feet.
"Fire Bomb!" Teruki chanted as more fireballs hit the beast, but they had little effect.
The duo was shocked. Tsuoma got his sword out and used it to slash the beast, but he only managed to make a small cut, which enraged it. The beast raised its legs, stomping them on the floor and kicking up a blinding cloud of sand.
"Light golden lances!" From above, a large golden magic circle appeared, and from it, many lances fell on the beast, pummeling it down and raising a lot of dust. The beast was dead.
Tsuoma and Teruki looked behind them to see a young boy of Tsuoma's age with others, some younger and some older. Tsuoma was shocked that he hadn't seen them with his geographical eyes. The lead boy, who had short green, wavy hair and blue eyes, wore a cloak concealing his shirt and trousers. He pointed to the dead beast, smiled, and said, "That costs one hundred dalfs."
Tsuoma and Teruki could only look in shock.