"By the way, what's your name?" I asked the cat girl.
"My name is Xylvia," she said. "I'm one of the many therianthropes in this world."
"Oh...so that's what you guys are called. Anyway, where exactly is this palace that you're taking me to?"
"See for yourself."
Xylvia pointed at a huge, round building. It was covered from top to bottom with what looked like jewels. The exquisite structure shined brightly in the starry night sky as if it were a jewel itself. This truly was another world.
"Stunned?" Xylvia asked.
"Well, I'm definitely awake now." I said nodding my head.
"Well, that's pretty much every newcomers first reaction. Now come on, the summoner is waiting."
Two guards stood at the entrance of the palace. They noticed us walking up the steps.
"State your names and business." one of them said in a strict tone.
"Oh come on guys," Xylvia smiled. "You should know who I am by now right?"
"No excuses Xylvia," the other guard said. "Familial rules. Now please state your name and business."
"You just said my name though"
"Uhh...Hiro Satomi." I said to him.
"And you even pronounced it right…" Xylvia continued muttering.
"Scan Individual: Hiro Satomi." guard #1 said.
When he said that, a bright blue circle with complex writing all over was hovering above his hand. It looked rather ominous, but didn't seem dangerous.
A small ray of light suddenly shined at my eyes. It didn't stun me though. I just stood their looking at the beam of light without any problems. Eventually, the light flew back into the magic circle which then disappeared from above his hand.
"Alright then, head on inside," guard #1 said. "Our Goddess will be waiting for you inside."
Goddess huh…
The guards then opened the doors that led into the palace. I didn't know what was waiting for me inside, so I was a little anxious. But even so, I still wanted to keep going. I wanted to move forward because this time I was actually motivated. The excitement of being in this new world was killing me with joy. I wanted to explore every inch of this wondrous land. I could go on exciting adventures as many times as I wanted. But first, I needed to see this summoner. After that, I would be free.
The inside of the palace wasn't as glamorous as the outside was, but it was still a wondrous sight to behold.
"So, Hiro was it?" Xylvia asked.
"Yeah?"
"What do you hope to do in this new world? Wait lemme guess: Defeat the demon lord, become a hero, build a harem of women or men, and open a drugstore for whatever reason?"
"I want to go on exciting adventures and explore every inch of this wondrous world."
"…Well that's a first."
"What do you mean?"
"Usually, people want to do the most generic stuff whenever they get here. They also usually end up dead. However, I've never heard of someone wanting to go on adventures before."
"Why do they end up dead?"
"Most of the time, they die in battle after two minutes have passed, sometimes it's by their harem's jealousy or by…other means that I won't explain, and sometimes people become addicts by their own drugs and get themselves killed in ways that I won't bother going into detail about."
"Well I guess that you can call me an exception or something?"
Do people just completely lose their common sense when they come here? I know it's a fantasy come to life scenario, but it's not like you're invincible.
"I wish I could go on adventures," Xylvia muttered. "But, I don't want to go alone. I'm not even sure where I would begin. I'd be so lost."
"Isn't that the point of adventures though, to get lost," I said to her. "If you knew where you were going all the time, it wouldn't be an adventure anymore. It would just be a routine."
The great hallways of the palace had huge pillars that touched from the ceiling all the way to the floor. They were colored a light blue and shined brightly throughout the halls.
"Whoever this goddess is sure likes to leave an impression." I said, admiring all the little trinkets decorated along the walls and floors.
"It's a little excessive to me," Xylvia sighed. "I don't really see a reason for her to have all this crap."
After a few exchanges of unprofessional criticism, we came across a big door with what looked like emeralds and rubies covering the exterior. The interior was covered in a glassy and, of course, shiny substance.
"Even on the doors?" I asked.
"You'll get used to it." Xylvia said.
"So now what?"
"Just knock."
With nothing else to think of, I knocked on the door loudly five times before I backed away slowly. As I expected, the door opened slowly into an even brighter room. But somehow, this room stunned me with surprise.
"Woah..." I said under my breath.
"Somehow, this never gets old." Xylvia said.
The room was a bright purple with blue crystals hanging on top of the ceilings. The same color as the magic circles that those guards summoned. The walls were covered in paintings that I can only assume were representing the history of this world. The floors were made of glass that were stained with a bright red color. But out of everything that I laid my eyes on, one thing caught my attention the most.
At the center of the room, there was a bed with small stems on all four corners that supported a small ceiling above the bed. There were bright, gold curtains on the sides. Everything else was colored like a white cloud. The sight was both wondrous and strange.
"Prepare yourself Hiro." Xylvia said.
"Why?" I asked a little concerned.
"Just be ready."
I didn't really know what to expect, so I backed up a little and held up two fists as if I were a street fighter. Xylvia walked up to the bed and drew back the gold curtains. I was expecting some kind of monster to come crawling out from there, but I was dead wrong.
What emerged was a beautiful woman wearing absolutely nothing but the bedsheets she covered herself with. She had long, black hair and deep, red eyes. Her legs were long and really filled out. Most definitely plump and soft to the touch. And her breasts, which were kept partially hidden from her crossed arms, were definitely ones that would make a weak-minded man faint. She was definitely a site to behold.
The woman stood there looking me from top to bottom. She then got up from the bed, letting the bedsheets fall off her exposed body and started walking to me.
"I'm glad to finally meet you," she said in a sweet voice. "I hope that I can finally grant you the life you've always wanted."
"So you're the one that brought me here?" I asked as formally as I could.
Right now, I'm looking and speaking directly to a literal goddess, someone with power, authority, and dignity. Well, maybe not dignity.
"A polite one I see," she giggled. "There's no need for formality."
"Well I tend to be respectful when I'm…face to face with an immortal goddess from a world that I've never been in before." I said.
The woman took a few steps forward to as if she were trying to get a better look at me or something. She then gave me what looked like a smile of approval or something.
"You don't look half bad summoned one." she said.
"Thank you? Um, may I ask for your name?" I asked.
"Oh where are my manners. My name is Gleam. I am the goddess of this beautiful world. I used my powers to summon you here into another world filled with wonder and dreams."
Hearing all of this was overwhelming me, but it also felt a little satisfying.
"Why was I summoned to this world?" I asked Gleam.
"I felt that you were calling me," Gleam said, twirling a strand of her hair around. "You were cornered, pressured, and eventually hopeless. You had no faith in your life, all hope lost. You hated everything. The early morning alarms into the cold showers, then the long walks and countless nights of studying. You wanted to escape from it, tell your parents and everyone in that small town how you really felt. But you were afraid. Afraid of what they would say, of letting them down. Despite being so quiet, your anxious thoughts speak volumes."
"I just don't want them to be sad," I said, my eyes looking at the floor. "I've given them hope. I don't want to take that away."
"I see," she nodded. "Well, how about you go and talk to them?"
"Wait, you can send me back?"
"Of course I can. If I have the ability to bring you into this world, then I should have the ability to send you back."
"It's really that simple?"
"Sure is. I can even send them back permanently."
Hearing her say this made me think. I could get sent back if I wanted to, but there was nothing waiting for me on the other side. If I stayed here then there would be endless adventures I could go on, but what would my parents think? I mean, I'm staying here regardless of what they say, but I at least wanna end it with them knowing about my true goals.
"Can you give me a day?" I asked her.
"Yes, but only one day. I can't keep teleporting you through different worlds all the time. It requires a tremendous amount of energy that is fully regenerated every ten years. So after one day, you either stay here or stay there."
"Ok, got it." I said.
Gleam then took a few steps back and summoned the magic circle above her hand
"Best of luck Hiro," Gleam said as I faded away. "Please be sure to talk to them."
"Hey, Hiro," Xylvia rushed over. "When you get back, there's something I want to ask-"
She was cut off. When my eyes readjusted, I was standing at the entrance to my school. I don't think there was ever a time where I walked away from this school, but I never thought doing so would feel this good.
Even if this was a dream…