The classroom door slid open with a sharp rattle. "Ah—sorry, I forgot my books...?" Our homeroom teacher stepped inside mid-sentence, then froze. Empty. Completely, impossibly empty. Desks pushed back. Bags left open. A half-eaten sandwich on Shun's table. The traces of a full class… but not a single student in sight. As if everyone had vanished in the middle of breathing. The teacher took one step inside, the floor creaking under his weight. "Toru Makabe—if this is one of your st—" But the room didn't answer. Only silence. Silence deep enough to swallow the rest of his sentence whole.
...
..
.
The first thing Ren felt was the floor. Cold. Rough. Not the classroom tiles—something older, uneven, almost like stone. His palms scraped against it as he pushed himself up, lungs heaving like he'd just run a marathon. He looked around. Everyone was there—Rika, Itsuki, Daigo, Yui, Noa, Sayaka, Riku… all of them scattered across the room like they'd been dropped from the sky. One second they were in 3-G. The next… this. A cavern? A dungeon? Ren's eyes darted frantically, not for answers, but for safety. He saw Rika first. She was on her knees, clutching her chest, looking pale. He started to crawl toward her, instinct taking over. "Rika? You okay?" he rasped. She nodded weakly, too winded to speak.
"OI! WHERE THE HELL ARE WE?!"
The voice boomed through the chamber, making everyone jump. It was Daigo. He was already on his feet, chest heaving, fists clenched. He glared at the far end of the chamber where a group of robed figures stood holding torches. Daigo didn't look scared—he looked ready to kill someone. "I SAID, WHERE ARE WE?" Daigo roared again. Ren stayed low, moving closer to Rika, but his eyes locked on the robed figures.
"Unbelievable… it truly worked," the leader whispered, ignoring Daigo's shouting. "The ritual succeeded. All of them… every single one." The robed group began murmuring, eyes wide with religious ecstasy. "The King will rejoice at this." "Finally… finally."
Daigo took a step forward, shielding the students behind him. "Quit mumbling and answer me!" The robed leader finally stepped forward, smiling gently, hands clasped together like he was greeting honored guests. "Please, calm yourselves," he said. "You have nothing to fear. You are here because you have been chosen—all of you. The heroes from another world who will save ours from destruction."
Ren felt his stomach drop. Heroes? Saved from destruction?
The robed man continued. "We performed the Summoning Rite to call forth saviors capable of defeating the Demon Lord. And now… here you are." Murmurs rippled through the class. "Heroes…?" someone whispered. "This isn't real," Riku muttered, checking his phone—no signal.
But then Rika snapped. She shoved past Ren, standing up on shaky legs. Her fear had instantly converted into pure fury. "Who the hell gave you the right?!" she shouted, her voice shrill but fierce. "We didn't agree to anything! Do you think we care about your world's problems?!" "Yeah!" Daigo backed her up immediately. "Take us back! Right now!" "This is kidnapping!" another student yelled.
The noise grew louder. The class was spiraling out of control. Ren didn't shout. He stood up slowly, positioning himself slightly in front of Ayaka and the quieter girls, his eyes scanning the exits. We can't fight them, Ren realized. Not here. Not yet.
And then— A sickening sound tore through the air. Like wet cloth ripping.
ZZZRRRT.
Everyone froze. The shouting died instantly. In the center of the room, the empty air twisted violently. Black sparks flew like static from a dying TV. Space bent, folded, and then— snapped.
A figure fell out of the distortion, hitting the stone floor with a wet thud. It was Sora. But he didn't look right. His skin was… shifting. For a second, it looked like he had been turned inside out, his body putting itself back together layer by layer. Muscles knitting, skin stretching over bone, color flooding back into his face in a violent rush. He gasped, a raw, broken sound, and curled into a ball, shaking uncontrollably. Smoke—actual dark smoke—rose from his shoulders.
"Sora!" Ren yelled, instinctively stepping forward. The class stared in horror. "Is… is that what happened to us?" Yui whispered, covering her mouth. "Did we look like that?"
But the robed figures didn't look relieved. They looked confused. The leader took a step back, his smile vanishing. He exchanged a nervous glance with the woman beside him. "That…" the woman whispered, pointing at the shivering, smoking boy on the floor. "That wasn't in the reading." "Why did he arrive so late?" another mage muttered. "The circle closed moments ago." "Is he… defective?"
Ren knelt beside Sora, hesitating to touch him. The smoke smelled like ozone and burnt hair. Sora's eyes were squeezed shut, his teeth gritted in pain. "Hey," Ren whispered. "Sora, can you hear me?" Sora didn't answer. He just breathed. Hard.
Before anyone could ask what was wrong with him— A deep metallic groan spread through the chamber.
CLANG.
The massive stone doors behind the robed group began to open. Everyone instinctively shut up. Two large torches flared to life, illuminating the entrance. An old figure stepped inside. Armor dented, ancient-looking. A heavy cloak dragging across the stone floor. A sword at his hip. His presence felt heavy… commanding. The robed group immediately stopped staring at Sora and knelt.
"Commander," one whispered.
The old knight lifted his head slightly, eyes forming the shape of a frown as he surveyed the terrified group of students, his gaze lingering for a split second on the boy still smoking on the floor. Ren felt a chill roll down his spine. Everything had just become real.