On the day of the summoner's first selection in the summons temple, a male figure approaches the crowd.
Lieutenant Haru, lieutenant to the captain of the second squad, stands before them ready to assign today's task. "Good morning everyone, as you all know, this is the first selection for the yearly summoners recruit. I stand before you with the announcement of the day's task," The crowd of summoners applaud.
The task involves the search for hidden relics, with their location already marked.
For this hunt, a team of three will be formed. Using the names obtained from the entry, all teams have each relic they are to retrieve in separate locations. In a loud voice, Haru said "To make it to the second selection, you'd have to excel in the first. The rules are simple, return before dusk with your teammates and your relics!".
Haru exited the crowd while the names of the team members were displayed on a board.
Moments later, most teams had set out; however, few summoners remained.
Due to the normality of second thoughts during the recruit selections, few summoners desert. After a while, a male pale-looking youth with bruises on his face and a katana sheathed, sprints hurriedly into the temple's premises. He meets up with them breathing heavily, "Oi you're late, what's your name?" says one of the remnants.
The pale boy replied "Uh...my name is Daiki Yuta, where are the other summoners? Is the event over?"
Yuta notices the board and sees their names on it, he hastily approaches it in search of his name. Tense, as he goes through them, luckily he spots his name directly under the group heading "team C" with two other names below his.
He now understands that teams were formed, by how it was presented, it was clear that those names below his were his teammates, but he did not know who they were. Yuta was then approached by someone, a young female whose skin is flawless, and her hair as orange as the sunset, complemented with a seafoam green kimono, matching the colours of her eyes.
She gently walks up to Yuta and asks "Excuse me, are you by any chance Daiki Yuta?" Yuta, completely mesmerized by her beauty, nods agreeing to her question.
She proceeds to tell him she's a member of his team and informs him of the task they were assigned. Yuta apologizes for his late arrival, she replies with a smile on her face "It's nothing to worry about, as long as you show up".
"Do you have any idea who the third member is?" Yuta asked.
Behind him replied a deep husky voice "Enough with the chit-chat". Yuta turns around and sees a surprising figure, a tall dark-skinned male, with a straight face and an intensely serious look in his eyes. In his hand a map is being held, He opens the map saying "Let's get down to business, we're already late on schedule, no time to spare". Yuta and the young female draw closer to take a look at the map.
The task orchestrators handed out maps to each team or its present member, for the teams to know their destination.
Alongside the map, they were given an ancient artifact used for portal opening. This artifact is in a redesigned form of a gauntlet. When equipped, the user can summon portals to destined locations.
"As team leader, you'll hold on to these items, here, put on the gauntlet," said the third member.
Yuta replied, "Team leader? How am I the team leader?"
"On the team setting over there, your name came before ours, meaning you're team C's leader," said the third member
"Oh, I forgot to ask your names," Yuta said.
The Young female replies, "My name is Gin Lily of the Gin Clan, Daughter to General Gin. You can call me Lily".
"The General Gin? Awesome, You can call me Yuta, Nice to meet you". Yuta said with excitement.
Yuta proceeds to ask the other team member, "What's your name?"
"Call me Kanji", Kanji said with a serious look on his face.
Both Yuta and Lily burst out with laughter,
"Kanji? As in the writing?" Yuta said while laughing.
Kanji feeling insulted frowned " Joke all you want, remember you're joking on our time" he scowled.
Yuta says transiting out of laughter, "Alright, Alright, Let's head out!"
Lily jumped up with a smile"Yay!" She said The map is now in the hands of Yuta. He opens it up and spots the location marked.
Yuta: It seems we'll be searching for an orb, and the island we're heading to is off our land, it goes by the name Xurainne.
Lily: Beyond our land?
Yuta: That's probably why we were given the gauntlet, to use a portal.
Kanji: If you're afraid, don't worry, we'll just go in and out.
Lily: I'm not afraid.
It was about time to set out, all preparations done. Yuta equips the gauntlet and whips out his hand and yells "Portal Summon!, Xurainne peaks!". Immediately, his palm begins to emit a magnificent green aura, flowing on the surface of his palm. It then spreads out into space, revolving and creating a doorway to the other side. The aura's done emitting from the gauntlet as currently, the portal is before them.
Lily: Is it done?
Kanji: It seems so.
Yuta: Let's get going then.
They all turned and looked at the temple before walking through. Briefly, the portal closes as its last traveller crosses to the other side. Moments after, the remnants were given new teams by the task orchestrators, as time's long gone, anyone who shows up afterwards won't participate anymore due to extreme lateness.
Catching up with Yuta, Kanji and Lily. These three arrive safely in Xurainne. And then behold, a vast environment consisting of large rocks laying on its surface, and has no sort of life growing on it. While marvelled at this environment, it was time to get down to business.
Yuta voiced out while squatting, "No! Not now!" Placing his hand on his head as he slowly goes down.
Lily asks "Are you okay? What's going on?".
Not wanting to hold them back, Yuta tried to cover up, telling them it was just a feeble headache. Meanwhile, it was much more, which has been reoccurring to him recently. Yuta gets up, and they wandered towards the specified area located on the map. They headed west, the land was excluded. Or so it seemed, they got closer and closer, and then suddenly the sounds of footsteps were audible.
Kanji grabbed Lily and Yuta, pulling them behind a huge rock, as he heard voices which were close by. Still in hiding they sighted troops, all dressed the same, except one. A muscular man wearing nothing on his upper body but a furry robe, which covers most of his tattoos. He had empty eyes, eyes with no irises or pupils, making them completely white thus making him blind. On his left shoulder stood a bird made with nothing but stones and rocks. With him was the orb, deemed blue orb matching the description on the map Yuta and his teammates had with them.
Silently debating either to retreat or steal the orb from the troop. Kanji insists on advancing, while Lily insists on retreating, as the current situation isn't part of the task. But still, the final decision rests on the team leader, Yuta.
"Let's head back," Yuta spoke out.
Kanji with a let-down look on his face, accepted the decision Yuta made. As they were about to exit the area, kanji quietly tried peeping at the troop, wary of them being noticed. Shockingly he sees not a single soldier where they previously gathered, turning back to alert Yuta and Lily.
These three find themselves surrounded by the troop and its commander. Yuta, Kanji and Lily were dumbfounded at the current situation, though they observed that the troop weren't set on randomly attacking. At least not until an order was given by their commander.
The blue orb is still held onto by the troop's commander, the presence of the relic ignites Kanji's mindset on obtaining it from the troop, as the target relic is right in front of them. But it's not the same for Yuta and Lily, for these two, escaping such an approach is currently their priority.
"Be on guard, we don't know what to expect" Kanji tells both Yuta and Lily.
They both respond in unison "understood"
The commander makes the first move, gently taking a few steps towards them, he suddenly stops and asks "Who sent you?"
No response came from either of them, the commander with an apparent grin says,
" Silence... A truly disrespectful thing when asked a question, maybe I'll make an example out of one of you"
Lily and Yuta guards still kept up, Kanji says to the commander,
"And what could a blind man do against three summoners?"
The commander deeply inhales before replying to Kanji in a loud tone, "I will show you what a blind summoner of my tier can do to three young kids, for I am Graetus, the golem summoner and a commander in the land of Theran.
Kanji took some steps back as fear crossed his eyes, knowing powerful summoners who had battled their land in the past. And the golem summoner appears to be a dangerous summoner who has achieved the god tier.
Graetus now talking in a calm tone, "Now I ask again and this time I expect an answer, who sent you and why are you here?"
Yuta speaks in urgency, "We're summoners from Yami, on a quest to obtain a relic, it seems to be the one you hold currently"
Commander Graetus replies, "I see... sending children to acquire such a valuable item, you lots have no idea of the power within this orb. Your death shall be simple, for I am merciful towards children. Soldiers, apprehend them!"
Kanji, Lily and Yuta took defensive stances, right after Graetus gave the order, As currently, their lives are on the line, with summoning circles in front of each soldier, they begin to close in on Yuta and his teammates.
Clearly at a major disadvantage, unexpectedly a ranging wall of fire surrounds these three, melting anything closing beyond it. Consequently burning a few soldiers, while some avoided the flames with quickness. Kanji with a loud voice tells Yuta and Lily, "My flames won't hold them off for long, let's think of a way to defend ourselves and use the gauntlet's portal back home!".
The flames got superheated, and it began affecting them within it, and Kanji had to put it out.
After that, they saw the rest of the soldiers horrified, while Commander Graetus valiantly stood there unfazed.
"Seems I underestimated you, I expected you to fight back, but with minor force. I'll have to partake in your execution", said Commander Graetus.
Suddenly, the ground began to rumble, the rocks making thunderous noises as everyone felt the tremendous shaking on the surface. Two summoning circles then arise on the earth, glowing with the fading aura like rubies.
"Looks like he's about to summon something", Kanji yells towards Yuta and Lily, Yuta instantly draws out his katana from its sheath, taking a stance as he wields it.
"So one of you is a swordsman, no matter, I doubt your sword can slash through stones", says Graetus.
Two giant golems slowly emerge from the circles, rising to an enormous height, these giant golems possess the exact red eyes as the stone bird which stood on the Graetus's shoulder. In a fading manner, the summoning circles disappeared.
Graetus: Behold, my servants of destruction!
Yuta: What are those? They're freaking huge.
Kanji: They're golems, it's my first time seeing one in real life, I'm not sure we can take them. Lily...what are your abilities?
Lily: I'm certain my abilities don't work here, I don't sense my form of energy around, it's useless
Kanji: Shit, it seems it's just you and I, Yuta.
Yuta: Do you have a plan?
Kanji: I wouldn't call it a plan, but I will hold off those golems, while you find a chance to take down the golem summoner.
Lily: What about the orb, do we take hold of it?
Kanji: of course, if escaping would be easy, we would not need to defend ourselves, right now our choice is to survive and somehow retrieve that orb.
Kanji: if we're lucky, the gift of that orb might save us.
Yuta: Be careful, Kanji, even if he looks blind, there seems to be a reason why he's able to see us.
Kanji: he sees through his golems.
Lily: That explains why they spotted us, that stone eagle on his shoulder.
Kanji: Indeed, Yuta... stay close to Lily until you see a striking chance.
Yuta: alright!
The immense shaking ceased, and the soldiers who survived the firewall began retreating behind Graetus, avoiding interference with the golems. "Attack them", Graetus yells to his golems, as they slowly commence, walking towards Kanji.
With every step they take the surface around them trembles. Kanji races ahead sending out long ranged flames from his palms, aiming at the head of the golem on his left.
The golem's head and places close to it, turned red as an effect of Kanji's heated flames, leaving not enough damage to cool off within a while.
"I have an idea," Kanji thought "I'll have to boost my firepower and melt its leg"
Kanji closes up on the left golem, gathers enough firepower, and then focuses the attack on the shin-like part of the golem, also dodging smashing attempts from the stone monster and gradually increasing the attack, it becomes intensely hot.
Hot enough to melt the golem's leg forming a magma-like substance, it then collapses. Melting its other leg while it was crippled, Yuta and Lily in a momentary joy, were happy to see Kanji take down a golem. He melts the head of the fallen golem, consequently eradicating it.
After that, he then rushes towards the second golem, as Yuta sights Graetus was no longer guarded by any of his golem, he sees a chance. Conjuring his energy around him, a light-blue aura circulates around him.
Leaving Lily, he then blitzes towards Graetus, fast approaching Graetus he swung his katana at him, but Graetus dodges swiftly and then serves Yuta a heavy right jab to his gut, stopping his movement. Graetus punched Yuta's face, maintaining his grip on his katana, he was able to scratch Graetus's arm merely enough for blood to gush out. Left unbalanced, Yuta got a hefty hit sending him quite a distance away from Graetus.
He fell and rolled to a stop, gasping for air, he couldn't instantly get up, the reason being he was in immense pain. Then stroke again, the commotion in his head, but this time even worse. "not again, it's even more painful than normal" he thought while touching his head.
Spitting out blood and his body bruised, he keeps attempting to get up. Not wanting to give out, Yuta picked up his katana and slowly stood up. Graetus smiled as he took off his coat and tied it to his waist.
Graetus: I admire your courageous spirit, but it brings more meaning to futility.
Yuta: I'm not done yet!
Graetus: Well then, it's time I end this. Can't let a child lay a hand on me.
The pain Yuta felt was visible in his eyes, breathing heavily, he then made his energy surge through him, and blitzed directly at Graetus faster than before, lunging at the orb, as close as he reached.
Unexpectedly, he got hit by a moving boulder at his sides crushing and breaking his right arm also shattering the gauntlet which he equipped.
Loses his katana, and stumbles on the ground. Lying unconsciously, not getting up, not moving an inch.