Yumina Takanashi sat by the window of a commercial airliner bound for Tokyo, her heart filled with excitement. Visiting Japan had always been her dream. Aside from her parents being originally from there, she heard a lot of incredible things about it. As an unapologetic otaku, the thought of finally setting foot there made her cheeks flush with anticipation.
The flight would take several more hours, but that didn't bother her. She wasn't afraid of heights and had come prepared, with her tablet loaded full of anime episodes to pass the time.
Around her, the plane was filled with all sorts of passengers, families, tourists, businesspeople, and students. Among them were a few who stood out:
Jay Park, an 18-year-old American martial artist with a confident grin and restless energy.
Shiro Tachibana, also 18, a quiet Japanese programmer with headphones always hanging around his neck.
Brock Bullet, a massive man in his thirties, a model and bodybuilder with muscles that could crush a coconut.
Aila Woods, a young woman in her twenties with golden hair and the casual grace of a singer.
Damon Bowers, a sharply dressed businessman in his thirties who radiated calm authority.
And about thirty others.
For the first few hours, the trip was smooth, just a regular flight.
However, some hours later, a turbulence could be felt. A faint rumble shook the plane. At first, no one paid much attention, but soon, the turbulence grew stronger. The entire cabin began to tremble.
The sky outside was now choked with thick clouds. Nothing could be seen beyond the windows.
"What's happening?" a passenger muttered nervously.
"Relax," another replied. "It's just turbulence. Happens all the time when we pass through clouds."
But the shaking only grew worse. Lightning began flashing through the clouds, illuminating the cabin in bursts of white-blue light.
"What the fuck? A storm? But there was no signs of it a minute ago?"
"It's like it appeared out of nowhere..."
"Someone call the pilot!"
A few seconds later, the intercom crackled to life.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. It seems we've encountered an unexpected storm. Please remain calm, our aircraft is fully equipped to handle situations like this. We'll reach Tokyo safely."
Some passengers sighed in relief, while others exchanged worried glances.
Yumina was calmly hearing music with headphones on. She didn't think much of the situation. Even if something were to happen, what could she do? Absolutely nothing. Even she knew that a plane falling would mean a 99% chance of death for everyone involved. So it was best to not think much about it.
Minutes passed. Then more minutes. The turbulence seemed to fade, and conversation slowly returned to normal. People started reading, chatting, or dozing off again.
Until...
A blinding flash of light suddenly engulfed the entire plane.
It was so intense that everyone instinctively covered their eyes, screaming in confusion.
"What the hell?!"
"Are we going to die?!"
"Is the sun falling on us?!"
Seconds later, the light abrupty subsided. The passengers gradually opened their eyes. The first thing they noticed was that the sound of thunder and lightning from the storm disappeared.
At first, no one dared move. Then Aila, trembling, glanced out the window, and screamed.
"What's wrong?!" someone asked.
"L-look outside... we're on the ground!"
People rushed to the windows, and what they saw defied all reason.
The plane had stopped moving. It was sitting on solid land. No runway, no city, no airport, just a vast grassy plain stretching as far as the eye could see, with a distant forest painted against the horizon.
This was completely unthinkable. How could a plane that was moving at 900 km/h suddenly stop with no regard for the law of inertia and simultaneously reach the ground when it was in the air seconds ago?
Brock stood up, his booming voice commanding attention. "Someone get the damn pilot out here! He's got some explaining to do!"
Shiro muttered under his breath, "Were we... drugged?"
Damon chuckled dryly. "I'm afraid not. This feels a bit too... consistent for a hallucination."
Jay frowned. "Then what do you think happened?"
"I think," Damon said, smiling faintly, "we just experienced something supernatural."
That word, supernatural, hung in the air. Nobody wanted to believe it, but no one had a better explanation either.
Then, with a metallic click, the cockpit door opened.
"It's the pilot!"
But the person who stepped out wasn't the pilot.
He was a middle-aged man with a grand, curled mustache and dressed in an outfit straight out of a medieval fantasy.
Brock blinked. "What the actual fuck? Who are you?"
The man placed a hand on his chest and gave a polite bow.
"Greetings, travelers. My name is Allot, loyal servant of King Charles. I have come to guide you on your journey."
"Where's the pilot?" Jay demanded.
"Ah, the one who flew this metal bird? Sadly, as the oldest among you, he could not survive the transition."
"Transition?" Damon asked.
Allot smiled calmly. "Yes. The blinding light you all saw, that was the moment you were transported to another world. Another universe entirely."
A heavy silence followed.
Then the passengers burst out shouting.
"What are you talking about?!"
"Another world?!"
"This is insane!"
Many passengers were baffled by what this man has just said. This was inconceivable. Another universe? This meant that they weren't in Earth anymore. And that they would potentially never see their loved ones again.
Despair suddenly began to sink in their minds.
Damon raised his voice over the noise. "Prove it. Prove we're not on Earth."
"Gladly," Allot replied. He lifted his right hand. "In your world, magic does not exist, correct? Then this demonstration should suffice. Arvueru."
He snapped his fingers.
In an instant, ten random passengers transformed into trees, roots bursting through the floor, branches scraping the ceiling, fruits growing where faces had been.
Gasps and screams filled the air. Some passengers fell to their knees. Others pressed against the walls, trembling.
The smell of fresh bark and sap filled the cabin.
"As I thought," Damon murmured, eyes wide. "It's real."
Allot gave a satisfied nod. "Indeed. But there is no need for despair. You have all been chosen, transmigrators, as we call you. The mana of this world has already blessed each of you with unique abilities."
"Abilities?" Shiro asked cautiously.
"That's right. Most of the times when someone transmigrates into this world, they are immediately suffused by the mana that encompasses this universe. This, in turn, awakens your bodies to abilities that you didn't have before."
"How do I know what kind of power I have?", asked Shiro.
"I'm glad you asked. Normally, it takes time for these abilities to manifest, but..." He smiled and clapped his hands. "Allow me to expedite the process. Revelaru."
A gentle wave of light spread from his palms, washing over everyone in the cabin. For a moment, each passenger's body glowed faintly, like fireflies flickering to life, before the light faded away.
"There," Allot said. "You now possess a general sense of your abilities. Explore them, test them, and grow stronger. The more you fight and survive, the more you will evolve."
Everyone heard his speech with contemplating silence. Half of the remaining passengers still didn't like the situation they were in, but the other half was somewhat glad to at least experience powers that they previously only saw in movies and books.
Waking up from all the commotion, Yumina slowly opens her eyes and puts her headphones down.