2 Chapter 2 - A New Beginning

"We...we did it!"

"The summoning, it worked!"

"Quick, check if the masters are alright!"

The blinding light started to fade away and I started to notice the environment around me. I seemed to be in a temple of sorts surrounded by three men donning dark robes, very reminiscent of mages. But...what do they mean by summoning? Why am I here? Where am I?

"Oh...it's the Master of Defence. Alert the Queen. Tell her to set the plan in motion. What about the other four masters?"

"I don't know. The other masters must have been spawned elsewhere."

I didn't understand a single thing going on around me. All I knew was that I had a bright white shield with a blue line of light down the centre strapped to my right arm, a lightweight white gauntlet strapped around my left arm and that I was a master. Wait, that phrase feels familiar to me.

"Master of Defence, huh?"

It's from the popup mentioning a summon back at the net cafe! Is this it? Am I actually a Hero? This is every Otaku's dream come true! Now I just needed to understand more about what's truly going on here. I turned to the three robed men who were discussing something about a misplaced summon.

"Uh, hello? Can I ask why you summoned me and where I am? Just to fill in the details."

"Yes, of course, Master. We have summoned you here in Gladia's Temple near the King and Queen's palace, which are in the capital city called Melena. You see our country, Athenia, is under grave threat. In fact, not only our country but the whole world is under threat. We face several demonic armies spawning in Hell that are poised to attack this world and this country every 3 weeks. The power they wield is immense, unlike that of conventional armies. We have summoned you and four other Masters to fight against this unholy power. The rest will be explained to you by our grand King and Queen."

"For now, please follow us. We will take you to the other masters and the King." The robed men motioned forward.

This is it. I'm finally a hero, and my fresh start begins now! As I exit the street I see the capital city of Melena bustling with life. The grand and royal architecture reminds me of the pictures I've seen of the Roman Empire but the royal golds and reds made it unique. The market was a stereotypical market with blander colours however it was bustling with life and, just from this one market, you could tell that this country, or at least the capital, was prospering economically despite the demonic invasions the robed men mentioned.

"I still can't believe it...this is all real. God is really looking out for me, huh?"

I started to enter a grand palace made exclusively of gold and diamond. The stairs themselves probably cost a fortune. I made my way into the grand halls, which depicted what seemed like old battles and heroes, with both female and male figures though which was interesting for a seemingly older society like this one and, after a minute long walk through the hallway, I made it to the throne room.

The throne room was a massive room with an elevated platform featuring what seemed to be two thrones, with the side of the throne room featuring massive windows allowing in ample amounts of sunlight. The room featured bright white, dark blue colours along with little bits of gold, although the gold was far more predominant as you got closer to the two thrones.

One of the thrones was painted gold and red while the other was painted gold and purple. In the former was seated what seemed to be a King while, in the latter, seemed to be seated the Queen. In front of them seemed to be an elite armed guard, wearing heavy blue armour and wielding massive great swords that held what looked like an aura of magic. The Queen waved them off. She stared at me for a few seconds with what seemed to be a...condescending look in her eyes.

"Approach, Master of Defence."

I thought these two were going to be what kickstarted my grand journey into heroism. What I didn't know was that they would kickstart the exact opposite. I didn't have a clue of what truly awaited me in these grand halls.