Princess Alisa held the ruby-adorned golden bowl carefully with both hands, walking slowly toward the ritual area without spilling the red liquid inside. With silent steps, she reached the golden altar at the center of the room and gently placed the bowl upon it.
She stepped back a few paces from the altar, lowered herself onto her knees, and raised her hands as if in prayer.
The red liquid in the bowl trembled slightly… then began to glow.
As if responding to it, the golden runes covering the entire room lit up one by one. Their brilliance steadily intensified before slowly fading away and disappearing.
Alisa began to sing in an incomprehensible "Ancient Elven language," a melody never heard before. Her voice was soft and slightly trembling; though occasionally off-key, it carried an eerie sense of age and power.
The mana in the room gathered into a single point, as if suspended in the air.
The concentrated mana slowly formed the silhouette of a human… its color turning yellow. The yellow deepened, gradually shifting into a rich golden hue.
Then, in an instant, the mana dispersed.
Before her stood a tall young man with slightly muscular build, red eyes, and black hair, dressed in tattered clothes.
Alisa stepped calmly toward him.
"Welcome, hero," she said.
The young man looked around in confusion, unable to comprehend how he had suddenly appeared in such a strange place.
Alisa spoke again.
"My name is Alisa. I am the princess of this kingdom."
However, the young man did not understand her. He said something in a language Alisa did not recognize.
The princess panicked.
"Ah, I'm sorry! One moment, I'll fix that right away," she said.
A white magic circle filled with strange symbols appeared at the tip of her index finger. A brief moment later, it vanished.
With a relieved tone, she added,
"That should fix it," followed by a forced smile.
The young man frowned.
"Where is this… and who are you?" he asked.
Alisa took a deep breath, composed herself, and spoke again with a noble demeanor.
"I am Princess Alisa. The spell I used draws individuals who possess the potential to become heroes. It seems… you have that potential as well."
Her words only deepened the young man's confusion. He brought his hand to his chin, thinking.
Smiling at him, Alisa asked,
"May I know your name, sir?"
The young man lifted his head and locked his gaze onto Alisa.
"…I don't know."
Alisa froze.
The young man before her… did not know his own name.
Although surprised, she chose not to dwell on it. She pressed her lips together slightly and glanced up at the chandelier above. After a brief moment of thought, she spoke.
"Then… I shall give you a name."
After a short pause, she said:
"Valerian."
"Valerian… does that suit you?"
The young man gave as light nod in approval.
Alisa smiled warmly.
"Welcome, Valerian," she said… though there was a faint coldness in her voice.
After a moment of thought, Valerian asked:
"Was I brought here solely because of my potential to be a hero… or is there another reason?"
Alisa's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes," she said. "There is another reason."
Valerian's attention sharpened.
"You must fight the Demon King. That is why we perform hero summoning rituals."
Valerian raised one eyebrow.
"Rituals…?"
Alisa nodded.
"Yes. We have summoned heroes before… but all of them failed."
This statement raised a question in Valerian's mind.
If the Demon King was powerful enough to defeat the previous heroes… why had he not yet destroyed this kingdom?
As if reading his thoughts, Alisa spoke:
"The Demon King is currently bound in the infernal realm by chains. However… those chains will break within ten years."
After a brief pause, she added:
"He killed the previous heroes… even while bound."
The room fell into silence.
Valerian shrugged indifferently.
"Then I suppose my fate is… to die by his hand," he muttered.
However, Alisa did not fully understand his words.
"Anyway," the princess said, smiling again,
"You will be provided with clean clothes and a room."
She snapped her fingers.
The door opened, and three servants entered. Two were young women, and one was an elderly man. The man appeared to be in his seventies, and his posture made it clear that he was the head steward of the palace.
The steward stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Allow me to escort you to your room, sir," he said respectfully.