KNOCK. KNOCK.
I jolted upright, confused for a moment—then it all came rushing back the summoning, the princess, her harsh words.
I stood and walked to the door.
Standing there was a giant—at least compared to me. A man, maybe 6'8" or 6'9", pale-skinned with blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. He was clean-shaven, dressed head-to-toe in black armor covered in dents and scuff marks.
He didn't say a word. Just turned and knocked on the door across from mine.
Sito answered, looking half-dead. Clearly not a morning person.
"It's time. You'll shower first. Clothes will be provided," the knight said, then turned and walked off, expecting us to follow.
He led us down two long, high-ceilinged corridors until we reached a tiled chamber made of pale stone, lit by softly glowing runes. The showers weren't mechanical—of course not. Like everything else here, they were magical. I loved it.
Each stall was separated by black marble walls.
Spherical orbs of water hovered above white pedestals, controlled by glowing blue glyphs etched into the floor tiles.
"When you step in, it reads your mana signature," the knight said. "Adjusts temperature and pressure automatically. It will cleanse you. Clothes will be outside when you're done." Then he left.
The moment I stepped in, the water wrapped around me like silk. I watched as it turned visibly dirty, flowing across every inch of my body. Some areas... too thoroughly.
"Ah hell nah," Sito's voice echoed through the chamber. "This water is molesting me."
I chuckled. "Yeah, and I don't like seeing how dirty that water got."
When it was done, the water gathered into a grimy orb and floated back to the pedestal. I was left perfectly clean and dry.
The stall door slid open as I stepped back. A pile of clothes sat just outside. I picked them up and dressed inside the stall.
Simple clothes: black boots, brown pants, and a white shirt. Basically, the classic isekai starter pack.
The knight didn't wait. As soon as we emerged, he walked off again. We followed him into a courtyard—a wide square of pale concrete, surrounded by flowering trees and lush grass. Along the far edge stood wooden racks filled with training weapons—swords, spears, axes, and bows—all dulled for safety.
Beneath the largest tree stood the princess.
Her armor was gone. Now she wore a loose white shirt tucked into black pants, brown boots laced tight. Her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She didn't look at us with the disgust she had last night. Just... resignation. Like she'd accepted we were all she had.
The escort bowed, then turned and left.
"Do you have a name," I asked, "or should we just keep calling you 'princess'?"
"Talia."
She folded her arms and gave us a once-over. "We'll begin with your status screens. Class, mana affinities, any titles or traits, your current skill, and your attributes. One at a time."
Her eyes locked onto mine. "You first."
I nodded. "My class is Singularity Weaver. My mana affinities are Space and Gravity, my—"
"Wait." Her voice sharpened. "Singularity Weaver? Did you say… Space?"
Her entire expression shifted—confusion first, then something closer to dread then resolve. Her fists clenched at her sides.
"I'm going to tell you a story and I want you to listen very carefully. Only one being in recorded history has ever controlled Space."
She took a breath.
" That creature is the greatest threat to our world."
I blinked. "What creature? Where is it?"
"It didn't resemble anything we'd ever seen before the Rift opened," she said, her voice tightening. "And it's there."
She raised a hand and pointed to the sky.
I followed her hand.
Two moons hung above us.
One was familiar in shape—round, cratered, a dusty mix of gray, brown, and black. But something was off. Cracks ran across its surface like veins of lightning frozen in stone, as if it had only just re-formed.
The other—smaller, jet-black, and oval—drifted beside it like a silent shadow.
"Which moon is it on?" Sito asked.
Talia didn't turn.
"This world only has one moon," she said quietly. "The black one… is the creature."
"That thing must be massive," Sito murmured. "If we can see it that clearly during the day—"
"It's the first creature that ever emerged from the Maw," Talia interrupted. "We don't think it simply passed through like the others. We think it created the Rift. And it's what's keeping it open."
She inhaled slowly, her voice low. "According to our records, it didn't attack at first. It just… rose. Lifted off the ground and floated into the sky."
"We thought maybe it wanted solitude. Maybe it would leave."
Her expression darkened.
"Then the earth began to shake. Violently. And the sky turned black."
She glanced back up, jaw tight.
"People looked up… and saw a massive shadow blotting out the sun. It looked like an eclipse. But the silhouette wasn't the moon—it was jagged. Uneven. It looked like a mountain floating in the sky."
She swallowed.
"It had teleported an entire continent into the air. A landmass that hadn't yet been caught in Vaelora's gravitational pull. It just… hung there. Drifting. Splintering. Breaking apart."
Her voice dropped.
"And then came the worst part. Hours later… the floating continent collided with our moon."
We said nothing.
"It rained down meteors the size of cities," she whispered. "We destroyed the largest. Not all. Some broke through."
She stared at the floor. "One impact near the Southern Trench erased four island nations. Waves taller than towers struck every continent. Ports vanished. Inland lakes flooded. Entire cultures… drowned."
"What about those who have affinities to water?" I asked.
"Those who are powerful enough to prevent such a thing are far and few between."
Her hands tightened into trembling fists.
"But it wasn't just the water. The ash choked the skies for months. The sun disappeared. The oceans boiled in places. The sky turned red."
Silence.
"And then," she continued, voice a whisper now, "from the Rift that monster created… others came. Some we could fight. Most—we couldn't."
"It was the end of the world."
She sighed and looked away.
"That was centuries ago. Since then, the largest fragments of the moon and the continent have fused. And that creature has simply floated there—circling our planet. Watching."
I stared at her, numb. Then said, "Why the fuck would you tell us that? Aren't you trying to convince us to stay and help? Why scare us with something that could wipe out the planet?"
Talia looked at me. An unreadable expression crossed her face—something between pity and resolve.
"I don't want you to stay. I think you should follow your companions and return to your world in 6 days."
My blood chilled. "What? Why? From the way it sounds, you need help."
"We do," she said quietly. "But not from children."
Her voice hardened.
"We thought we were summoning heroes—warriors. Survivors. People who've known blood and sacrifice. What we got were people unwilling to fight and you two who don't understand what a world like this truly demands."
"You don't fully know what you're getting yourselves into. And in one week, when the Circle closes… if you're not on it, we cant send you back."