《Enterria》


 Prologue: And so it begins...

    - Prologue -


    Literary class had begun and Jerry, like usual, sat next to the window, not minding the teacher¡¯s ramblings and looked through the windows empty-minded. He watched the blue sky that was partly hidden behind a tall building that was also other classrooms. His eyes averted to the tree in the center of the grass court and watched the leaves swaying peacefully in the weak breeze of spring. The sun was at its peak and shined its light through the glass illuminating the classroom and the some students inside, eagerly taking notes coming from the teacher¡¯s mouth. A tall old men in his fifties, reciting a passage from a book whose title was drowned in Jerry¡¯s memories. He had a checkered buttoned shirt and black pants, fitting of a teacher¡¯s attire. The man was also slightly bald; on the sides of his head was short gray hair leaving an empty space at the top.


    Jerry broke away from his trance when the teacher¡¯s voice resounded clearly in his head.


    ?Jerry! Would you be nice enough to tell us about your day?? the bald teacher asked in an ironic tone.


    The class laughed in unison, some even applauded. The teacher quickly told the students to calm down and shush. Jerry did not answer and looked embarrassed. And so the class continued. The teacher not wanting his student to be distracted from his class asked Jerry to explain the passage that he had just read.


    ?Well¡­ From what you have just read, I suspect the author has some sort of sympathy for the savages because not only do they live in harmony with nature but they also have the same disdain as the author towards the corrupted and greedy ambitions of the men that have put their feet upon their lands.?


    A small bit of laughter came from the class. The professor shushed them and looked at a smug-face teenager sitting at the bottom right and said:


    ?Andrey, I incline that you would see me later when class is over?


    He continued:


    ?That was excellent Jerry! But you forgot that not only the author was sympathetic with the tribe chieftain, he also agreed on the point given. You should remember that the author himself was a religious man and that the chieftain¡¯s speech contained some elements that corresponded with some doctrines from his religion.?


    Just when Jerry thought it was over because he did not listen to any the ramblings, the bald man continued:


    ?And from what he said, which is some form of auto-criticism, the author is learning that nothing is natural and that everything is based on tradition and the ways they interact with each other.?


    Just when he thought it was not going to end, the bell rang and his classmates had already packed everything and left their chairs in a quick pace leaving their teacher hanging on his last words of the session. On the contrary, Jerry took his time to put his books inside his worn-out bag and was the last to get out.


    He was walking down the corridor to the next class when he was suddenly pulled against his will by the collar and was sent flying backwards towards the ground. With his glasses fallen out from the sudden pull, he couldn¡¯t see clearly and only saw in front of him as he was sitting on his bottom, four faint silhouettes standing almost three meters away from where he fell down. They were faint but he already knew exactly who they were. One approached him and his face was clearer now as the blurred men was getting closer: a wide shoulders and tall teenager, almost double the size of Jerry. He would usually be seen as a very handsome men if not for the grimace he was making, contorting his face in an almost comic way.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ?Intelligent thing y¡¯said in there, worm. How about y¡¯share me some of those knowledge, right guys?? He asked, looking back at the three man.


    The three teenagers nodded and said almost the exact same thing as their supposed leader.


    ?Well? Did some cat got ya tongue??


    Jerry got back on his feet and punched the men in the gut but because he was still feeling dizzy from the earlier event, he couldn¡¯t muster any strength to give out a strong punch and even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t even scratch the iron wall that was the teenager¡¯s abdominal muscles. Within seconds, he was hit back straight across the face and went flying towards some closets on his right, making a loud metallic sound upon impact. Some passing students just stood there shocked and some just ignored and walked away with quick steps from the scene played in front of their eyes. And no one dared to intervene as Jerry suffered the kicks and the punches to his stomach and groin by four mens much stronger than he was. Soon enough, a teacher, the old literature one, made the intervention and just when he was about to bring Jerry to the infirmary and the four others to the principals office, a voice spoke up from the mass of students gathering around to see what the commotion was about.


    ?Mister Ly, I saw what happened. It was Jerry that started the fight, he punched Andrey in the guts so it was in an act of defense.?


    The voice belonged to a black haired girl. It was the class president; a slim but healthy looking girl that bore an unprecedented attractiveness mainly due to her voluptuous body that was further emphasized by her school¡¯s uniform. She had cold black eyes that reflected the clear image of the pitiful that Jerry had found himself in. There was no warmth, no empathy, no anger, no violence, no sympathy, in those pair of eye sockets.


    ?Oh! Is that right miss Dara? Is an act of self-defense means that you have to beat a classmate even when he is down? Is that in your definition miss Dara? How about you also see me in the principals office??


    Dara was not fazed and followed the four teenagers to the end of the corridor, turning right before disappearing in sight. She looked at Jerry one last time before drawing a sinister smile on her immaculate face.


    Mister Ly was about to help the young men up when he saw him walking down the opposite corridor like nothing had happened. He followed the youth and called out:


    ?Hey! Jerry! Get to the infirmary, I¡¯ll have a talk with you later.? He said before walking down to the principals office.


    Jerry did not go to the infirmary. Instead, he went to the rooftop and lied down on his back as he felt against his school¡¯s uniform the hardiness and roughness of the white ground underneath him but he did not mind and put his hand around his head. He looked at the sky and reached out for it with his hand, he did not try to grasp it instead he felt like he was touching it, feeling it against the palm of his hands. It was soft and gentle; it cleared his mind of everything he went through merely ten minutes ago and it erased the pain on his guts and the bruise on his arms. He felt a slight breeze blowing against his cheeks, taking away the tingling pain of the punch he received. And than he closed his eyes and breathed in the air through his nose, filling his lungs to the brim, and blew it out through his mouth. He learned it from when he was younger and it was always effective after a rough day, especially after a day like this. All of a sudden, a blinding light struck his pupils, he was not blinded by the light but he swore that he was seeing through his pupils as if it was almost transparent. He thought that it was funny how he was seeing through his pupils and started smiling. He stood up, with his eyes still closed and looked around searching for the source of the light. But strangely, wherever he was looking at had the same brightness. He suddenly felt a shock to the head that forcefully opened his eyes. He turned around and saw Andrey with his four minions.


    ?Oy! Worm! Where the fuck are we?? He asked, clearly annoyed and agitated.


    Jerry took a long and weary sigh. He shook his head and looked around. To his most utter surprise, all he saw was white space from one end of the horizon to another that seemed to stretch forever without limit. Than he caught sight of some students that he recognized and the school staffs in the distance including the principal that was being helped getting off his bottom by his secretary. Everyone seemed to be aghast not knowing of the situation they found themselves in. And out of nowhere, a gentle and sweet voice started ringing in all of their minds: ?Welcome heroes! I welcome you to our world!?

 Chapter 1: Enterria

    - 1 -


    A women with undeniable charm and beauty stood in front of a shocked and awed crowd of students and school staffs. She wore a tight white dress that showed clearly her curves and her developed cleavage. Her neck was wrapped in a transparent silky fabric that was floating from her upper body down to her legs. The whiteness of her skin was comparable to snow and it further intensified the deep blue irises in her eyes that complimented her blue silk-like hair floating in the air as if she was emerged underwater. She landed her feet onto the invisible white ground and spoke in the most gentle and soft voice, making the mens and womens in the approximate area blushed without control: ?I welcome my heroes to Enterria, I hope the travel was not too troublesome?


    No one spoke a word and looked at the women as if it was their first time seeing one. Andrew had his mouth hanged completely opened for everyone to see, even the usual cold Dara had a look of astonishment and amazement. The staffs were no exception, the principal had forgotten his beautiful secretary next to him and scanned the goddess¡¯s body like it was his last and the literature teacher, a certain mister Ly who usually kept perfectly his composure in school, was looking around searching profoundly to get back reason. Other students, just like Andrew, was looking at the naked feet goddess like dogs waiting for a treat, some with their tongues out as they drooled on their own body without having any consciousness of what was happening.


    ?I sincerely apologize for having to summon you in this place. The magicians seem to be having a hard time finding the correct patterns to send you to their magic circle¡­ You seem very confused, perhaps you do not know what magic is.?


    She briefly explained what magic was but only few was listening because the rest was too busy contemplating her beautiful body. When she finished her explanation, she introduced herself to the crowd:


    ?My name is Isidore, the goddess of human. My mission is to send you, the heroes, to aid our world from the corrupted monsters and demons that are depraving our existence¡­?


    There was a short pause and she looked at the students slowly closing in on her. She continued:


    ?You see, I send you here to help your summoners. They are currently struggling with the summoning magic and I happened to be available to help them. As for now, I am keeping you here to make their tasks easier. If there¡¯s any questions, I am happy to listen.?


    She clapped her hand as she finished her sentence, smiling as she looked around for any raising hands. One courageous person among approximately thirty spoke up. It was Ly, he looked straight in the goddess¡¯s eyes and asked:


    ?Do you think summoning us to another world without our concession is something morally right to do?


    - I am aware that it is not the right thing to do but with desperate needs comes desperate measures. Our world is slowly being consumed by the darkness and the source of it all is the demon king. That is why we plead to you, the heroes, to vanquish the origin of all evil.


    - But these are students! How could they bear arms?? The teacher asked, not seduced any longer by the goddess¡¯s aura.


    The goddess turned to the mass of students and averted her eyes from the literature teacher. She than spoke in a sweet and toxic but powerful voice that sent butterflies to everyone¡¯s ears and wheels of war to their feet:


    ?You were not summoned here without power! Each and everyone of you has the innate power many times stronger than any ordinary human. You were not chosen by chance but it is destiny that chose each and every single one of you! I know you are all terrified, to be sent here without notice, to leave your loved ones behind but here you can do so much more! You have the power to mend the injuries of the world, to cure the sick, to help the poor, to fight against evil that are the demons and their leader, their king! You have the power that many envied to have, that many would kill to have, even kings, even gods! Down there, there is nothing¡­ There is only misery and sadness.?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The beautiful face was drenched in compassionate tears as she looked up to the white sky. She continued:


    ?Down there, there is nothing¡­ But with you, the heroes here, there will be peace. And when you have finished your task, we will feast on your victory, celebrating days and nights of your winnings, drinking to our contempt! And your statues will be erected from the earth for eternity, to remind the people and future generations you have saved that you are true heroes. The memories of you will forever be ingrained in the core of Enterria!?


    The speech had ended, leaving a deafening silence fill the white infinite space and yet there were till lingering echoes of her voice resounding in their souls. And slowly there was a clap, than two, than five, than twenty and there were cheers and there were yells and there were screams from all sides. But soon, the screams and the yells and the cheers died down and womens started crying their eyes out and mens were holding tightly their fists as they tried to hold back their tears.


    Jerry was not impressed by the discourse despite also wanting to cry for no particular reason and kept some distance away from Isidore while his classmates and teachers were surrounding her like a pack of wolves desperate for a drink of fresh water. He looked to his right and there stood Dara, the class president, her back turned away from the loud commotion, with her arms crossed, she was looking in front of her, towards the white horizon, without emotion. Than to his left was professor Ly, in the same posture and look as Dara was. He looked at himself and found out that he also looked the same. He shook his head and tried to change from the way he was standing, to the way he was crossing his arms, to the location where he was looking. Suddenly he thought how stupid it was to do these trivial things just in order to look more unique and stopped his shenanigans.


    ?Please don¡¯t cry¡­ You are all my children and I do not wish to see my children cry. As sad as it is for me, I must leave you for now. Please don¡¯t worry, you will see me very soon. But for now, you need to listen carefully to my instructions. In the next moment, you will be summoned to the Royal Palace and from there, you will be briefed of your ultimate mission. It seems it is time for us to part ways¡­ We will see each other again, I know¡­?


    Her voice was slowly carried away along with her body as it turned transparent before morphing themselves into shiny specks of dust flying upwards and dissipating in their flight.


    Moments later, a dim light gathered around Jerry¡¯s body. He looked around and saw the same light on his classmates. The next thing that immediately caught his eyes as he opened them was a white bird flying peacefully under the morning sky; the clouds seemed to follow its movements as they accompanied the bird¡¯s dance while following the same flight trajectory. Jerry contemplated the whiteness of its feathers, its black beady eyes on the sides of the tiny head, the small beak that fell down at the tip and the width of its wings that it proudly showed the world. But with a quick sound of the wind, a metal arrow struck it deep in the gut. Jerry painfully followed the falling silhouette with his eyes until it touched the ground in a thumping sound. The blood started soaking the white feathers and soon there was only a bloody mass of flesh. A soldier clad in metal armor with a long bow on his shoulder ran to the scene, raised the dead animal, clasping it in his right hand, and in his left hand the arrow he shot, and screamed joyfully to his companions some twenty meters away.


    Jerry felt his heart beating out of his chest. But it quickly subsided when a deep voice resounded in his ears, so was everyone else¡¯s. The voice was gentle and small but in no way was it weak. Jerry turned to face the person carrying the voice and saw a full-body armor standing almost two meters tall.


    ?Heroes¡­ Please follow me to your carriages, you will shortly be transported to the palace.?


    And that was all he said for the while journey. Otherwise, he stayed silently following the twenty or so carriages of heroes from behind while riding on his abnormally muscular horse, looking occasionally around with a mechanical turn of the head for reasons unknown to everyone but himself.


    As the carriages were about to depart to the Royal Palace, Jerry peeked out the window and looked back to where he was summoned. It was a large circle platform that was on top of a square one and the only way down were some steps placed in the middle of one of the square platform¡¯s side. Multiples blue lines were crossing the circle platform in ways that they were forming strange glyph-like figures. Than in the corners of his eyes, he saw bodies in blue cloaks laying lifeless underneath all sides but the one they descended through. He watched as a man picked one of the dry corpses up and was about to throw it into a cart when his head was forcefully turned around by a hand, setting it straight where his eyes could only look at Dara sitting across him on the opposite sits. The hand belonged to a handsome soldier sitting in the same carriage. They said that it was for security reasons. And so until they arrived at the Royal Palace, all Jerry could possibly look at was Dara¡¯s cold-hearted expressions and hypnotizing eyes.

 - 2 -

    - 2 -


    Jerry looked up to the ceiling as he was laying comfortably on his large golden bed. His pillow was soft and the mattress was bouncy to his liking. He touched his silk shirt with the tip of his fingers and remembered the hot spring he had entered two hours ago and the joy of the warm water against his skin. He took the time to skim with the corners of his eyes, the gracefulness of his wide room: the light blue walls were surely treated with absolute care, the floor was entirely covered by a feather-like carpet that gently tickled the sole of his foot as he walked in barefoot, a painting of the beautiful grass plain hanged on the wall to his left, a glass door to his right that lead to a nicely decorated balcony allowed in the dim blue moonlight to shine partly the room and other miscellaneous and meticulous decorations that seemed endless. However, what caught his most attention was a small night table placed next to his bed where stood a handle on which a glowing white orb was floating right above. The light from it, reflected in Jerry¡¯s irises, was mesmerizing to the point that he intentionally tried to grab and take a hold of it in his embrace but his hand passed through with ease leaving the orb still hovering in the air. Seeing that his actions gained no results, he gave up and set his head back to the pillow recalling his most unusual day.


    Jerry remembered before their entrance to the city of Isla, they had passed through large farms tended by some young and handsome man swiping their sweat off with their forearm. He heard some shrieks coming from the girl¡¯s carriages in the front. These mens were physically extraordinary: strong and lean muscles showed through their tight gray shirt and they were much taller than the average men from his world. Each and every single men working in those farms were angels under the skin of a human ¨C they bore blue intense eyes that would hypnotize any teenage girl, curly blond hair that swayed in the summer wind as they gave effort to their work, narrow cheekbone and chin the perfect man. Jerry however found something very discomforting as he skimmed their appearances and it was that they resembled each other so much, he found it painfully difficult to distinguish one or another. But the thought quickly faded away when he was faced with a magnificent view that struck his eyes with astonishment: in the middle of a giant plain, following the end of the paved road stood a giant fortress so immense that everyone in the carriages had a vertigo caused purely by excitement. The walls surrounding such a fortress stood almost one hundred meters high as it circled the center of the city at a radius of two kilometers. And in that center was the most eye-catching building and the most beautiful infrastructure: a giant palace bordered by tall towers and buildings that reached the clouds, towering even the walls themselves.


    Ly, who stayed in the same carriage as Jerry and was sitting next to Dara, poked his head out of the window, looked at the city for a while and wiped his glasses with a piece of cloth as he breathed warm air onto it to make sure that the scene before him was not a mirage caused by the hour long journey. He took a deep breath and gave a long and weary sigh. He said to himself:


    ?What the hell??


    Jerry thought the same and so was Dara who feigned indifference but she too wanted to see. She chose to keep her composure.


    They arrived at the palace in spectacular fashion: as they passed through the giant¡¯s door, mass of people of all age surrounded them and gave hysteric cheers to their heroes, some even threw flowers on the carriages while crying tears of happiness and a group of troubadours was following them playing their instruments with all their might leaving no room for silence in the unanticipated parade. Bars were opened and mens were drinking their fills, their beer in their right hand and a women in the other, they toasted to honor the arrival of their saviors. The road to the palace was wide, bordered by some simple wooden houses each placed next to another. They were fairly organized and Jerry deduced, in the loud music of the parade, that it was for spatial purposes so that there would not be empty space or small valleys to go through. He looked to Andrew that was drinking a glass of beer offered by a bearded and burly man at the entrance of a bar whose sign was ¡°The Twenty Goats¡±. Ly shouted at him, telling him not to drink but the drunk boy did not seem to listen. A florist interrupted Ly¡¯s shouting when she shoved a basket of yellow flowers in his hand as she smiled gently at him turning him slightly redder than usual. Even the silent and cold Dara couldn¡¯t resist scanning with her bright eyes, the busy and joyful crowd singing songs and howling cheers. Jerry looked at the houses and saw mothers with their child in their arms, waving their hands at the students and teachers, blowing imaginary kisses to some flustered young boys. Mens were throwing their hats in the air and some womens even briefly showed their breast under their frail undergarments to certain excited teenagers. The streets were colorful and there was not a single person in rags or old clothings. But in the midst of this debauchery of a festival, Jerry remembered the grab of a young child onto his sleeves. He tried to fight against it but his arms felt so powerless under the hold of the little girl that he abandoned all struggles. She pulled him over to her eyes and let them speak to his. He did not see her face, nor her hair, nor her clothes or her hands but he caught a glimpse of her dark-brown eyes which expressed an unimaginable sorrow and sadness in the span of a millisecond. For it to last for such a short time, a normal person would probably forget about it the next morning but for Jerry, who¡¯s an odd one by nature, it was a haunting image that would occasionally recur in his dreams for the rest of his life.


    <hr>


    Their first meeting was inside the Royal Palace, a hero from another universe and the most beautiful princess in this world exchanged their gazes for one another when an abstract spark of heat lit up in their heart and hot air swept though their bodies: they fell in love. Or that was what in Jerry¡¯s imaginary story-telling of his first encounter with the princess.


    When they descended from the carriages, they were escorted to the throne room where the king and queen were awaiting for their appearances. They stopped before a wall, as tall as the last one and maybe thicker, and passed through a barred metallic door after being inspected by some soldiers. They went through their clothes and possessions. Some that carried their bags when they were summoned was unwillingly ordered to drop them through sign languages. Everyone noticed immediately that no one knew what language the humans in this world were speaking.


    Jerry had thought that they were taciturn and through strict discipline, had refused to speak to the heroes. He recalled the songs and the melodies sang by the crowd earlier in the festival and noted that he also did not understand the lyrics of the songs.


    It did not matter much and they were guided through the courtyard where there was a number of trees on which a red and pulsating fruit hanged on one of the branches. Than they stepped through a wide room with giant colorful windows that lightened the smooth and copper floor on which there were depictions of man in swords cutting through ranks of enemies and knights hunting down dragons in their heavy armor and other heroics tales of heroes and monsters that were mildly confusing to the guests. Such paintings strangely warmed the hearts of most of the students and incited them further to pursue their uncanny roles.


    As they continued through other glamorous rooms that could only be described as angelical and rather vibrant, they walked through a long corridor where numerous steps echoes on the wide walls of the palace and the shuffling sound of the guards armors resonated in their ears. And by the time they reached the end, a giant golden door came into view. The door opened and let through a blinding light as their eyes were met with a large space that could definitely fit one-hundred people with ease. The awed students and teachers kept walking in a straight line as they gazed around in astonishment. One of the knights that followed them signaled the group of heroes with his grave voice and knelt down on his knees before the king and queen. Everyone did the same, not wanting to be left out. The king raised his hand and responded in a deep voice, giving them permission to stand up. Suddenly, a wave of mens and womens in flashy clothes came into close contact with a confused group of summoned heroes, touching them, exploring their clothes, tasting them with their eyes as if they wanted to be blessed with their heroes presence. A women and a beautiful one, dressed in a flamboyant robe that reached her knees, her face hidden under a mask made out of feathers, approached Jerry and slowly caressed his chin with the back of her hand. Surprised by the softness of her fingers, he yelped out carelessly leaving a humorous impression in the court. Some nobles discreetly talking in the corners, laughed at the young boy on a mocking tone, some of his classmates did the same, even pointing their finger at him as they covered their grin with the palm of their hand. The same women would later that night go into Jerry¡¯s room and offer her body to him.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    The king was a stern old man with long gray hair that curled down to his neck. He wore a spotless buttoned shirt with green pants and a thick and furry mantle that stretched to the floor. Sitting in his throne, he observed the group of heroes with black severed eyes. His expressions unchanged and unmoved. Next to him was the queen, his wife, a voluptuous woman that fit perfectly with the word ¡°royalty¡±. Her deep blue eyes showed a powerful sense of pride but they were in no way arrogant and defenseless. She was a strong woman as it was shown by her well-toned muscles under her blue mantle and a skin colored gown that squeezed tightly around her hip. Seeing her next to such an old rag of a king, everyone thought she was his daughter. But they felt sorely wrong when a young girl around the age of sixteen gave her blazing entrance to the throne room through the golden door. With her blond hair that was tied in a twin tail and blue eyes that came from her mother, she elegantly walked to the middle of the room as the silent crowd gave way to her passage and greeted her parents like a princess would. She stood next to her father and whispered some words that brought some laughter to his lips.


    The room went silent, awaiting for their king¡¯s orders. The old man stood up from his throne and ordered something from one of his subject. The man dismissed himself with haste and returned in the same manner bringing back with him a dozen of mens in cloaks. They surrounded the heroes and started chanting incomprehensible words. A large circle of light appeared under their feet and disappeared as small specks of flame entered their bodies. And slowly and steadily, they found themselves more understanding of the language that came from the king¡¯s dignified voice:


    ?Ah! Heroes! Do you understand me now?? He asked amused.


    His voice filled with power and wisdom, shocked the listeners. They looked at each other as if agreeing to what he said and all nodded at the same time. The king looked happy and joyful. He drew a wide smile on his face and continued:


    ?Well done! Heroes, I kindly welcome you to our kingdom, the kingdom of Isla. I am Anguis Dagen and this my queen, Earlene Burilda. And here is my beautiful daughter, Yenene.?


    The blond princess giggled lightly when she was introduced. No men in the room could resist her attractiveness. Not even women.


    ?I notice that you all seemed very exhausted after the journey. Why don¡¯t you take a rest for the day and take a long bath? I¡¯ve already prepared everything for your stay.?


    Upon speaking those words, he looked to one of his knights and signaled them with a nod of the head. They surrounded the group and accompanied them to a large manor to the far right of the courtyard where they had passed through earlier. Each of them was then assigned to a specific room and was given a key to their proper room.


    <hr>


    Senseless moans were coming from the wall across his bed and Jerry couldn¡¯t sleep a wink. With a small bulge underneath his black pants, he tried to hide his embarrassment and ignored occasional temptations to touch himself. He recalled that Andrew¡¯s room was next to his and was reminded by one of his usual depraved remarks before he stepped into his room with a young brown-haired women in his arms. He remembered seeing her in the throne room. Than moments later, when he laid his body down on his bed, there was a knock on the door. He reached the door handle and poke out his right eye around the door. A black haired women was standing outside in her transparent night gown. She looked straight in his eye and asked if she could enter. Jerry did not want to be rude and invited her in. She looked around the room and made some polite thoughts on the decorations around his room. He laughed because he couldn¡¯t understand what she was talking about. Than they introduced each other as they sat on the bed. Her name was Lili. When asked about her last name, she gently chuckled like it was the most absurd thing she had heard in her life and said she did not have any and that last names were only given to nobilities. Because the atmosphere was awkward and a long silence had established between them mainly because Jerry was too shy to ask what she meant by ¡°only given to nobilities¡±, she softly put her tender hand onto Jerry¡¯s and asked him if he wanted her. He did not understand her words and asked what she meant. She showed him as she slowly took off her undergarments by stripping a small knot on her right shoulder but before they dropped to the ground Jerry firmly grabbed her by the same shoulder surprising the young women as she stared deep into his pleading eyes. She was shaking barely noticeable and Jerry was calming her down as he stroked her silky hair. She giggled and her small and frail voice resonated inside his heart. She timidly asked him to turn around so that she could put back her clothings. The confident and prideful facade she had shown earlier was now replaced by the genuine expression of a brash and innocent girl. She asked him to turn back and lifted up her transparent skirt for him to see as she drew a grin on his face. Jerry¡¯s heart pounded without respite and his head was starting to warm up.


    ?Bye!? She said before running out of the door and disappeared within the darkness of the corridors.


    That was the last word he will hear from her in a very long time because the next morning, he will not see her. Nor will he the day after tomorrow.


    The moans had stopped, reaching its climax and Jerry felt his heavy pupils closing down on themselves. That night, he dreamed of the night he did not pass with Lili.


    <hr>


    Everyone was once again gathered in the throne room. There was tension in the air and every souls present in the room knew what was about to come next. The king stood up from his throne and like a proud father, he presented his daughter in front of his heroes hungry eyes.


    ?Heroes! I plead you to listen to my selfish request¡­ For about three-hundred years, demons have been menacing this kingdom, killing our people. They have taken everything away from us, our treasures, our wife, our children! The demon king has been assaulting our front lines like never before and we are at the brink of death.?


    A moment of pause, the king looked down to his feet and rose his head up with eyes full of determination. He placed his arm on the princess¡¯s shoulders. She touched his right cheek with the back of her hand as if consoling a child. He continued his empty speech:


    ?So heroes¡­ Will you be so kind to help us in our fight against evil??


    A hurricane of ?hoorays? came from the audience and a single sentence rose up from the ranks of the military:


    ?Long live the king! Long live the queen! Long live the princess! May the heroes strike down evil!?


    The cheering lasted for a minute without rest, giving courage to a group of teenagers who could barely lift a dagger to stab a dummy and whispered promises of glory and wealth for the victorious. The king raised his hand and within the chaos, he spoke solemnly without ever forcing his voice:


    ?Heroes! Will you give an oath to protect our kingdom of Isla? To defeat the demon king? To save our wifes and children from calamity? If you do, say ??Aye?!


    - Aye!


    - Then from today forward, you are the protectors of Isla! The heroes of human! The saviors of the world!?


    Another wave of hysteric cheers rose from the crowd as some took off their hats and threw them in the air. Some of the students who, in the spur of the moment, kissed tenderly their lovers in the middle of the joyful atmosphere promising each other whatever there was to promise.


    Three people however did not join the orgy: Jerry who was always the odd one, Dara who couldn¡¯t bear the noisy crowd and Ly whose reason brought him back to reality. Three individuals barely noticeable except for Ly and particularly professor Ly who was currently being watched. But each had their own corners as if destiny had chosen three perfectly similar lines to never cross their path. But three different adventures that will carry their own effects on the world as a whole.