Call of the Hour

Alex's entire body burned from the explosion. The shock was so sudden that he couldn't even realize the pain.

Behind him, the white tiger stood tall, ready to tear Alex apart. Out of nowhere, a wolf came through the raging fire, caught Alex in its mouth, and sprinted away from the scene.

After running far enough from the battleground, Alex's vision began to blur. Barely able to register the wolf's presence, he noticed they were deep in the forest, then Alex fell unconscious.

Soon the mysterious figure stands in front of the way. The wolf was growling in both anger and fear as the mysterious man had a fearsome presence. 

Dark energy was emanating from his clothes as he covered his face with a cloak.

"Back off." The dark aura grew even stronger as he warned the wolf. The wolf dropped Alex on the ground, standing in front of him, ready to face the mysterious man head-on.

The man smiled from the shadows before launching a powerful explosion.

**************

Alex was drowning deep in crystal-clear lime water that glowed with a celestial light. The water was surrounded by smooth, rounded stones etched with hidden carvings of ancient words.

Coughing from the water, Alex immediately stood up. He was breathing heavily as he recalled his near-death experience. Still in shock, he instinctively touched his face and stared at his hands.

"What happened?" somewhat calm, Alex sits down in the pool and chills himself, lying deep in the water.

After resting for a few minutes, Alex stands up. His body was back to normal as if nothing happened earlier. No bruises, no marks, and the skin was glowing anew.

When he looks around the place, covered in mysterious stones, Alex couldn't help but be both curious and cautious at the same time.

The wolf was sleeping on top of the rocks, putting his head on his hands in a loaf position. 

Alex slightly remembers how the wolf saved him. At that time, he didn't know why the wolf was coming at him, to attack him or kill him? He couldn't care anymore as he was already on the verge of death.

'Did the wolf bring me in here?'

Alex walks outside of the water, he notices that his armor wasn't scratched at all till the very end of the skirmish.

Beyond the pond, the water was surrounded by a grove filled with lush, vibrant plant life. Large ferns, flowering vines, and ancient trees with sprawling roots created a natural barrier.

The mysterious man was standing just a few meters away from Alex, he started clapping his hands as he approached Alex.

"Magnificent" The mysterious man seems gleeful as he applauds.

"Who are you"

"You don't recognise me?" The man takes out the hood covering his head. 

It was the human snake from before, who sent him here in the first place.

His face had green gills of the snakes and his canines were long and sharp like a vampire, and dark green slid shaped vertical pupils in his eyes.

"You look different" Alex didn't show any reaction as if he expected it.

"Yes, this is my true human form." 

"So, what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? This is my territory." The man spreads his hands in the air as he talks proudly.

"Huh?" Alex said, bewildered. "So all the hardships I went through before, was it your doing?"

"More or less. I'm surprised you handled the situation quite scrupulously. I thought you wouldn't make much of an impac..." 

"Answer me, did you enjoy making me suffer?" Alex looked furious. 

"I was gonna explain to you the reason but you just interrupted me in the middle of my sentence." 

"I don't care, now explain." Alex utters in a condescending tone.

"Before that let's go to a suitable place. You too can tag along" The man stares at the wolf.

Beyond the grove, the entire place was covered in a swamp full of dark water. Alex and the two were hovering on a small boat sailed by two skeletons on each side. 

There were multiple beings who were humans on the upper half with their lower half being literal snakes hiding under the swarms. 

"Who are they?" Alex could see them quickly through his Sage Vision.

"They are the Nagas"

The entire place had a mysterious and eerie view, with mist-covered water and ancient twisted trees everywhere. 

The boat was rowing slowly and calmly in the quiet environment.

Beyond the trees covering the entire view, there was a 30 meter huge ancient palace, with snake statues everywhere. 

Inside, the man sits on a huge chair at the front of the dining table, the wolf and Alex sat at the side. A group of Naga women comes out with a number of dishes. 

The dishes had weird looking creatures that if humans were to eat, they'd get knocked down just from its awful look. 

The man glares at the Nagas with anger. "What is this?!"

"You think this is something a human can eat?" 

"I'm so sorry, young master, we will fix this right away," the female maid said, her voice trembling as she saw the man's anger.

'Young master told me to prepare a dish suitable for humans, so I made the best I could. But I don't know what humans eat... what should I do?'

Behind her, the evil maid stood with a sly smile. 'Serves you right. This is what you get for stealing all my spotlight. I wonder if the young master will execute her after this.' She gave an evil grin behind the curtains.

When the maid went to ask others what food would be best for a human, the evil maid handed her a fake book about humans, which was actually about northern barbarians, something she had no knowledge of.

In a state of panic, she was about to discard the whole meal when Alex raised his hand toward the dish and started eating it. "It's actually tasty, despite its strange look."

Within 3 minutes Alex finishes all the food.

The man looks at Alex with disbelief. "Isn't it dangerous for humans to eat such food?" 

"Don't mistake me for normal humans" Alex just calmly wipes his mouth with a handkerchief like a noble.

The wolf, seeing Alex finish all his food, quickly ate his own portion, as if not wanting to fall behind.

"Now that I think about it, you haven't told us your name." Alex points the fork towards the man. "Just who are you, people were referring to you as a young master, now is the perfect time to explain."

"Very well." The man clapped loudly, and the entire room was empty. The guards, the maids all vanish immediately.

"What I'm about to say is gonna shock you, so listen carefully." 

*************

A young little kid was carrying a bronze coin in the middle of the huge crowd. The market was vibrant and noisy from people.

"Mister, Mister" The young kid, quite short, was barely trying to jump to get the attention of the shopkeeper. 

On a hot day, the tired shopkeeper waved a hand fan desperately, trying to get some air. His shop was filled with handcrafted items, including figures of fancy people holding swords, shields, spears, arrows, and more.

"Oh young lad, what can I get for you?" He finally notices him. 

"Mister, can I get the masked hero's statue? Here I have the money" 

"Hmmmp" The man touches his moustache as he sees the coin. "I'm sorry young lad but this money is not enough, you will need 4 more bronze to get it." 

Upset, the kid starts walking out of the shop. But his sadness quickly goes away when he sees a group of people crowding in one place. 

"Did you hear, the empire was successful in the summoning ritual."

"What really, after 5 years they finally succeed in another one?"

"This is such an assuring news"

"We are gonna be saved"

The little boy was listening to it with passionate eyes. "The heroes, new heroes...!"

**********

The entire palace was extremely busy, maids and guards were running everywhere in total chaos. The king along with the royals were rushing towards the hall. 

"Is the news true?" The king utters in a rush. 

"Yes My Lord. They are waiting for us."

As they opened the huge door about 10 times their size, all the highschool students were just standing there normally. 

"After so long, finally. Christopher goes and tells the magicians to bring the crystal ball." The butler rushes immediately upon the King's sudden order. 

"Welcome to Marilyn, I am King Adones." 

The supposed heroes were dressed in modern school uniforms, the supposed heroes with no hints of any medieval attire or any sign of overflowing mana or superhuman physique.

All the students looked confused not knowing what to say. Behind them, an old middle aged man stands up and approaches the King. It was their teacher. 

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Sir Adones. I am Robert. I am sorry but may I know where we are." They were all dressed in old medieval battle armor, and the guy named Adones was wearing a fancy royal dress with a huge crown on his head, so naturally Robert and the students were confused. 

"Don't tell me, we're in a different universe" One of the students wearing glasses holding a book stands up. 

"Eric, don't interrupt when elders are talking. Robert glares at his student.

"Yes you are right we are in a different world. I am sorry for explaining it any sooner but we need your help"

"There is a race called the demons. For the past seven years, they have been in constant conflict with us humans, and now they have started advancing toward our borders aggressively. So, we had no choice but to seek the strength of other worlds."

Behind them stood a young boy with cold, dead eyes, leaning against the wall and listening to them calmly. Beneath his cool, collected persona, however, was a person seething with pure anger.

It was Ethan. The once cheerful boy had stopped smiling completely.