《Summoned to Be a Wife in Another World》


 Prologue: The Summoning Circle

    A/N: Hey, author of Goddess of Beauty is here. I''m taking a break from the aforementioned novel to think up of ideas. However, I thought up of this concept, and I really wanted to write a story about it. I think that it''s pretty new and exciting, and I''ll get to experiment with the first person POV. Thank you and enjoy!


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    I have been standing here for the past hour, gazing at the magicians with a watchful eye. My legs have already started to cramp up, but I cannot leave this room, for everything must be done with precision. I cannot afford having the ceremony sabotaged because I couldn¡¯t overcome the hardship of pain.


    A servant comes up to me, bows, and asks, ¡°Your Royal Highness, would you like me to bring a seat?¡± I answer him with a swift reply, ¡°No need. I¡¯m fine standing here as is.¡± While the thought of a seat did sound appealing after standing still for an hour, I could not afford to become complacent. First, a seat ¨C then, a drink. After I fall asleep due to a drug of some kind, who knows what will happen afterwards? After all, today is the most important day.


    You might be wondering what I am talking about. As you may have guessed already from the conversation, I am a prince ¨C a crown prince to be exact. The kingdom that my father rules is the small human kingdom, the Kingdom of Kardowyn, and I am the heir to the throne, Jarvan III of the House of Camden. After my father, who is already fifty, passes on, the throne will naturally be inherited by the eldest son, me.


    Or, that¡¯s how it would usually proceed. However, I might not even obtain the opportunity to rule my subjects, given a decade or two. While I did mention that the Kingdom of Kardowyn is a small kingdom, that isn¡¯t true if we go fifty years back into the past. The Kingdom of Kardowyn had a huge domain that encompassed over half of the Brisgald continent, one of the two main continents. The human race was probably the most successful race¡­ and the most happiest at that time.


    Now, the Kingdom of Kardowyn is only a shell of what it once was. The demon race had begun invading our territory forty years ago. Usually, all that would have been is a nuisance. The human race has established itself as the strongest race for centuries already. It¡¯s not due to any special powers ¨C we don¡¯t have any. Our lifespan is fairly short compared to other races, and while we do have access to magic, we don¡¯t excel at it. No, the reason we are so strong is partly due to our ingenuity and partly due¡­ to our numbers.


    Humans are the most populated race in this world. In fact, our numbers are so high that we comprise about half of all sentient beings. The only other race that can breed as quickly as us is the demi-human race, but they haven¡¯t been given the opportunity to grow since they have been hunted to near extinction. In fact, they probably would have been hunted to extinction if not for the social reforms that happened 200 years ago. The beast race, as they were known back then, was changed to the demi-human race, and there were laws drafted for their protection.


    However, what truly separates the human race from any other, and what elevates us from fodder status to superpower status, is our ingenuity. Anytime that we collectively face a problem, we think up of a way to solve it. If we¡¯re faced with an obstacle that we¡¯re unable to overcome, we invent a tool to overcome it. The human race began as no more than a small faction that was in between the constant wars of the elves and demons. The humans back then struggled to survive. Yet, as humans overcame challenges, their civilisation flourished. About 1000 years ago, we reached a point where we could be called the strongest race in the world.


    You might wonder whether the human race ever tried to conquer any of the other races. Actually, we haven¡¯t. If you want a logical reason, then we could say that the other races are too strong for us if they combine their forces. There is always a fear that the human race can be demolished if the other races really wanted it.


    Yet, that reason does not suffice at all. Most of the races cannot work together in their endeavour to fight the humans. For instance, the demon race despises the elfish race almost as much as they hate us, for obvious reasons. The true reason that the human race never tried to conquer any other is that we have compassion for any other sentient being.


    You might find that statement contradictory, considering I just told you that we had hunted the demi-human race. However, the demi-human race wasn¡¯t viewed as a sentient one until recently. They weren¡¯t able to and still cannot cast magic. Not only that, their appearance bore a close resemblance to animals, due to their animalistic appendages. Only recently did the humans begin to realise that they were actually more intelligent than they looked. To this day, we still hold a guilty conscience due to their mistreatment.


    This leads to the situation today. Human beings could proudly say that we are the strongest race¡­ until forty years ago. The human army that was sent to stop the demonic approach was completely annihilated. The demons seemingly held the same strength as before, which was by no means a joke. We learned how to cope with it, though. However, the demon nobles were on another level altogether. Their power had risen at least tenfold to what it was before. Each of the demon nobles was able to destroy at least a couple hundred of our troops.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.The Battle of the Seneca Plains was the one that kick-started the Sixth Demon-Human War. The previous five wars had all been won by the human race, although the First Demon-Human War was so close that the demons nearly annihilated the entire human race. Since then, every war showed that the difference in strength between the two kept growing and growing.


    This time was different, though. No matter how many armies we mustered to repel the invasion. However, all was for naught as we kept losing battle after battle. The size of the Kingdom of Kardowyn has already been reduced to less than half of what it has been before the war.


    The humans had already become distressed from the events happening in the war and were just about to lose hope when a prophecy came a year ago. The prophecy was delivered by an old woman who waltzed into the castle throne room, bypassing all the guards. The nobles were infuriated by the trespasser¡¯s uncivilised act, but the king ¨C my father ¨C allowed her to speak. Her words contained a message that the child of a summoned hero would contain unbelievable powers that were never seen before.


    The nobles were sceptical of the message and believed her to be a crazy, old hag. However, my father knew that the prophecy must be real. Summoning magic is an ancient magic created by a group of magicians in the past. It was delivered to the king of the newly-formed Kardowyn at that time. The king didn¡¯t need it at the time, though, since the humans were already a powerhouse that rivalled other races. The magic was stored in the royal archives since that day, never to be taken out again, so its existence was a secret.


    So here I am, standing at a room with a summoning circle being drawn by the royal mages. Why? It has been decided by my father that I would be married to the summoned. This is the best way to assure her loyalty, according to him. I do not like the idea, though. Controlling people is an act that I find most despicable. It happens quite often in the upper circles of society, but the thought of it makes me nauseous.


    You might lament my fate because I am forced to wed someone I may not want or may not love. However, this is fine by me. I¡¯m not like one of those princes in fairytales where he has a childhood friend in a princess who grows up and they get married. I spent most of my youth playing with noble boys around my age, and as I grew up, things haven¡¯t changed much. I still hang out primarily with my childhood friends. I don¡¯t even understand how women think ¨C they are very strange creatures.


    This is why I have been sneaking into the royal archives every night to secretly read up on the summoning magic. I am amazed at the extensive research that our ancestors have provided us. They have studied every intricacy of the summoning magic, right to the very detail. Not only can you summon a specific gender, you can also specify the personality of the individual. All that you need to do is engrave certain symbols in certain locations inside the circle.


    I have hatched my plan as I was studying these notes. While the royal mages have been instructed to write loyalty and being docile into her personality, I plan to change that. Why would I need a woman who obeys every one of my orders like some servant girl? If she¡¯s going to be my wife, I need her to act like my wife, not like a whore or a slave. I need her to complement the parts that I¡¯m missing and to be my everlasting partner.


    While I have been finalising the details of my plan inside my brain, it seems that the royal mages have finished charting the circle. I take a glance at it and marvel at its complexity. If I hadn¡¯t been secretly reading the archived lectures, I would not have been able to understand a single thing, other than that this circle is complex.


    ¡°Very good. We will conduct the ceremony this evening. You are free to go, but be sure to come back on time,¡± I lower my voice as I instruct the mages. ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness,¡± one of the mages answers as he bows to me while putting his right hand on his stomach. Every single one of the mages also bow the same way before exiting the room.


    Finally, my plan can come to fruition. I strut over to the circle as I massage my legs. It seems that standing still has taken a toll on me. No matter, though, the important thing is to concentrate on changing the circle. Let¡¯s see¡­ ugh, it¡¯s so complicated.


    The first step is to write in a personality that would understand me. After all, if my wife cannot understand me, how will she be able to solve my problems or suggest solutions? I erase several symbols on the circle and write in different symbols in different locations. The process is slow because every symbol needs to be written with precision. If the location is off by a few centimetres, it could have a totally different meaning.


    The process of rewriting the symbols takes me at least a couple of hours. The labour is extremely tedious, but I manage to successfully rewrite them. I don¡¯t think any of the mages will notice any change, since they had to follow the notes to write in the symbols. Their experience with summoning magic is nil ¨C in fact, I¡¯m probably the person who understands summoning magic the most in this kingdom, thanks to my nightly escapades.


    Delighted with my work, I step back to take another look of appreciation at my hard work. Now that I think about the symbols I wrote once more, am I sure that I¡¯m not summoning a boy in girl form?

 Chapter 1: Atomization

    A/N: Back, back, back with another chapter. I''m surprised that the prologue already received 2000 views, seems like the audience migrated from my another fiction. I''m trying to find the tone of the story, and I think this chapter came out beautifully. I played on my cliches as well. What do you think? Thanks, and enjoy the read.


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    I drag my feet against the concrete sidewalk as I hold the straps of my backpack. I stretch my head as I look upwards at the dark grey clouds, which are steadily floating by. It seems that a thunderstorm will soon begin, so I need to hurry if I don¡¯t want to be caught dripping wet. I sigh as I increase my pace just so slightly, from a snail¡¯s pace to a turtle¡¯s.


    When did all this begin? I do not know. For some reason, the world seems to have been coloured in tones of grey for several years already. It¡¯s as if life has been sucked out of everything, and all that¡¯s left is this dull and monotone colour. Of course, I don¡¯t mean literally. I¡¯m not colorblind, or at least, not yet.


    I¡¯m talking about the boredom of living in a modern world. People would probably hear my words and exclaim, ¡°Are you crazy? The standard of living is higher than it has ever been!¡± Perhaps that is true, but what is the point? Where¡¯s the excitement of living in this society?


    Society expects you to go to school, learn, and then find a job, preferably a high paying one. Then, you proceed to repeat the same, boring task over and over until you die of old age. Boring¡­ boring, boring, and once again, boring! When I was a kid, I was new to this world, and I discovered new things. I got to explore and dream of grand adventures, of heroic displays, of courageous acts. But now that I¡¯m grown up, I have no more new things left to discover, left as a washed out shell with no ambitions and no hope.


    Oh, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. I am Leon Strauss, a second generation immigrant born from a marriage between two German parents. I¡¯m a third year university student who¡¯s studying chemical engineering. Though, ¡®study¡¯ is a term that I use very loosely, considering that I don¡¯t even go to classes. I already know everything there is to know about it anyways.


    I wonder why I was born into this world ¨C into this era. We humans have already become disconnected from the feeling of danger. Back in the Middle Ages ¨C in that war torn era ¨C people had to live with fleeting thoughts of death daily. Even during the peaceful times, peasants had to live with a heavy heart, not knowing whether the harvest that year would be successful or not. Nowadays, everything is given to us, from food to luxurious items, as long as we have the money for it.


    Even the face of war has changed from a traditional view to a more modern one. Ancient warfare was all about courage and might. If one was skilled, he lived to tell the tale. If you fought valiantly like a certain Spartan, your name will go down in history as the name of a hero. Modern warfare is about technological advantage instead. One can be located hundreds of kilometres away from the enemy and snipe them with a cowardly press of a button. It¡¯s no surprise that people have become critical of warfare in the recent years, even plebeians can feel the massive advantage a country has when it can take down an enemy risk-free.


    I sigh once more as I trot down the street walk, passing a nearby park. As if by some divine instruction, I couldn¡¯t help but stop and become overwhelmed by feelings of nostalgia as I turned my head towards it. This park holds a special meaning in my heart as it symbolizes my childhood. The hours I spent playing here was like I was exploring a whole new world. I wonder if the pit that I dug out, looking for treasure, is still there after all these years.


    With a moment of deliberation, I lift my foot slowly with a desire to sate my curiosity. But I¡¯m not able to take a single step as a soccer ball rolls in front of me and it bounces onto the road. Oh, I remember the times when I accidentally kicked the ball a little too strong. I would then run to retrieve it from the area like a SWAT team rescuing hostages. Similar to what a girl, who just whizzed past me, is doing right now. While I did compare the activity to a dangerous mission, it really isn¡¯t dangerous at all since cars barely ever come by on this street, especially during this hour.


    Deep in thought, I barely notice a truck swerve around the corner of the intersection and blast its engines loudly as it accelerated down the road. It was a peculiar trailer truck ¨C grey in colour, painted on the side of the trailer were the letters ¡®Reincarnation Inc.¡¯ I do not remember a company with such an odd name ¨C perhaps it¡¯s a video game franchise of some sorts. I know that the girl in the red dress is in no danger at all, since the truck was quite a distance away. Yet, as I take a glance to her direction, I notice her hold up the patterned soccer ball up to her chin, with her brown hair, braided into twin tails, shaking along with the rest of her body. Her brown eyes are fixated onto the truck, as if though she was mesmerized by its beauty. I guess the general term that would be applied to her would be ¡®shackled.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but be slightly amused by the incident, as it was all too similar to several light novels that I have read. I chuckle as I find myself in the same situation as the protagonist, albeit a bit older than a regular one. I ponder whether I should jump out and save the girl, as it would bring me no benefit at all. Yet, my heart is beating loudly, and my leg muscles creak as I rush out onto the open street, filled with adrenaline.


    I wonder why I jumped out in the end. I had no obligation to save someone, and people wouldn¡¯t blame me if I remained the observer. However, I couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that this is my destiny. Did I want to be accepted by society after all? No. I simply wanted to enjoy the thrill and experience some danger. I wanted excitement in its pure and simple form ¨C where the result was unknown.


    Cries of ¡°Help!¡± and ¡°Someone, call the ambulance!¡± ring out through the air. It looks like my time has come¡­ except that I am perfectly fine. The adrenaline rush made it seem like I was floating on air as I dashed out and just barely managed to grab the girl and roll out in time. The truck breezed past me as I felt cool drops of liquid splash onto me, which I assumed was mud. I wonder what all the commotion is about. I take a peek over my right shoulder and immediately regret my decision as I resist the urge to vomit.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Aw, shit. It looks like I¡¯m not the only one who had some heroic tendencies. Lying in the middle of the road is a corpse of a boy that looks like he should be in high school. His severed head has rolled over to the side of the road while his mangled body in the middle of the road is totally unrecognizable. Various organs are thrown into different locations, while his intestines are strewn around in a pool of blood. The truck didn¡¯t show any mercy to the teen as it shifted all its momentum towards him during the impact. Sorry, kid, it looks like your death was completely in vain.


    I drop the girl on her feet and scurry off the scene before the police come. While I may be considered a hero by some, I certainly do not want to tangle with the police. I may be held up enough that I won¡¯t be able to avoid the rain. Nearing an alley, I lean against the wall as I catch my breath. I slide my hand over my kneecap and a jolt of pain assaults me ¨C it seems that I scraped my leg during the truck incident. As I get a water bottle out of my backpack to alleviate the pain and disinfect the wound, I hear a scream of help emerging from the alley. I hastily throw the water into my backpack and scram to figure out the problem.


    In the alley are two people, one man and one woman. The woman has long, black, silky hair that ran down to her waist, touching her businesswoman¡¯s uniform. The man is wearing a beanie and worn out clothes that could be mistaken for mere rags. He is brandishing a knife in his right hand, prepared to swing it down at the young lady at any given moment. There is that feeling again ¨C the feeling that surges through you when you feel excitement pulsating through you.


    I throw my backpack to the side and ready a boxing stance as I scream, ¡°Hey, you!¡± I could see the man turn his head, startled, and then turn back towards the woman. After what seems like a moment of hesitation, he begins a bum rush towards while changing his grip from a stabbing position to a piercing position. As he reaches a distance of a meter between us, I bring up my left arm and use it to deflect the knife. However, I¡¯m not able to fully deviate its path as it plunges towards the left side of my torso, just above the hip bone.


    I tumble towards the brick wall as the man rushes past me, kicking up dust. I clutch my hand over the area he stabbed in, checking to see if there are any wounds in the location. The woman hurries over to me and kneels in front of me, saying, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! It¡¯s my fault that you got stabbed!¡± I just return a grin as I pull out a Nokia phone from the pocket of my jeans. ¡°No worries, lady! The phone blocked the knife¡¯s edge. Damn, a scratch¡­¡± I tell her as I examine the phone¡¯s damage with my thumb. I could swear that I heard her mutter, ¡°This¡­ the plan¡­¡±, but I dismiss it as the ramblings of a victim who nearly appeared in the headline of tomorrow¡¯s news.


    I strut over to the backpack and pick it up, motioning the woman goodbye. As I exit the alley, I think about the blood boiling incident that has just occurred. The excitement of facing a foe and beating him is one that cannot be replicated unless one puts himself into danger. Maybe I should become a vigilante that cleans crime throughout the city, like a certain DC comic character. That is certainly an amusing and interesting thought.


    I do not notice that I am already near my house. I just need to walk another block or so, and I¡¯ll be standing in front of the doorway. As I approach the house, a glowing blue circle appears beneath my feet. Surprised by the appearance, I try to dodge whatever is incoming, but it¡¯s as if though my feet are chained to the ground. I struggle to move, as the circle glows brighter, but I cannot, no matter how much I try.


    As I resign to my fate, and think of the various ways of greeting aliens, I hear a, ¡°Watch out!¡± and I get pushed away by two hands. Rolling away, my eyes are fixated on the high school teenager who just possibly saved my life. He lands in the middle of the circle with a thud ¨C no, a crack ¨C indicating a broken neck. As the light blinds my eyes, I bring my right arm over to cover them from the intense luminosity. I could feel the light die down in the very next moment and unravel to see a shocking scene.


    Holy shit! The kid was incinerated ¨C no, he was vaporized! There isn¡¯t a single shred of evidence that indicates that he even existed in the first place. Goodbye, kid, I¡¯ll give you a prayer once I reach home ¨C oh, and I need to give one to the other kid as well. I dust off the jeans with my hands, feeling the coarse material, when I hear a shout from behind me, ¡°You!¡± I lazily stand up and turn around to see the same woman that I saved from the knife wielder. ¡°Do you need¡­?¡± ¡°Why are you still here?¡± She interrupts me as I politely ask her a question. Whoa! What¡¯s her problem? ¡°I send a truck after you ¨C that failed. I make you face a mugger ¨C that failed. I even used a summoning circle ¨C and that failed too! What will it take to finally transfer you?¡± She rambles on like an insane lunatic.


    Not good. I can face deadly threats, but mentally ill people are beyond my scope of problems. I hastily draw out my Nokia phone and prepare to call 9-1-1, but she notices my movement and chants something in a strange language. I become paralyzed as if though I am patient with multiple sclerosis. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to use this as it will bring you pain, but you leave me no choice,¡± she exclaims while snapping her fingers.


    Suddenly, a very sharp pain assaults my body. It¡¯s as if though my very whole being is being atomized into very small particles. I notice a golden colour that appears at the bottom of my feet and starts to expand upwards to my torso. I want to yell out viciously in pain, but my vocal cords feel as if though they were cut by a surgeon with a scalpel. The golden colour completely covers my body, and before I have lost conscious, I could hear the woman say, ¡°Now, disperse into light!¡±