"He has arrived!"
An old man in white robes exclaimed, his eyes full of reverence, his voice quivering with a mix of awe and joy.
"The Hero is here!"
"We succeeded!"
"Oh Feraos! Thank you for blessing us!"
"Lord Feraos!"
"O' Noble Hero!"
"Nerathis will be saved! We will be saved!!"
That man wasn't alone; all the people around him exclaimed just like him.
Their eyes were full of awe and reverence as well.
'Huh…?'
Kael frowned in confusion.
He remembered seeing that strange circle that had appeared beneath him, he thought that it was some University gimmick, but then suddenly, the Circle started shining brightly, blinding his eyes. He covered his eyes with his arms and the next thing he knew…
He was hearing these voices.
Slowly, Kael opened his eyes and the moment he did, he froze.
"W-Where is this place…?"
He questioned out loud, his eyes displaying his shock.
He…
He was in a completely different place!
'I didn't feel anything…'
He frowned.
He was in front of his University Gates a few seconds ago, how in the hell did he appear in a completely different place that he didn't even know about?
It was as if he was teleported here.
'Wait… I teleported here…?'
Kael blinked in surprise.
However, before he could think too much,
"O' Noble Hero!"
A zealous voice attracted his attention.
His eyes finally fell on the scene in front of him and…
'What in the hell are these guys doing…?'
Around twenty dudes in white robes were kneeling before him, their foreheads pressed to the ground.
Kael was questioning everything he was seeing.
First, he was teleported to some random place he had never been to before, and now he was being greeted by… these folks?
Had 'normal' divorced him or something?
First, it was the dreams and the-
'Wait…'
Kael suddenly realized something.
'These dreams are getting too fucking real.'
He cursed in his head, but then, he sighed.
'At least it is a bit different this time.'
As he calmed down, Kael looked around, knowing that all of this was his own imagination, he couldn't help but be impressed.
He was in a grand, circular hall, its walls were made of polished white marble. At the center, there was a massive translucent crystal. The air here was very different from the impure, polluted air back where he came from.
Above the domed ceiling were some paintings depicting different beasts roaming freely alongside four ethereal figures. Those four figures were painted with painstaking detail.
Kael also noticed that he was standing at the very heart of this hall.
It was a circular platform made of white marble, engraved with what looked like some... magic runes?
The runes were glowing faintly, it indeed left a magical impression.
Around the Hall, there were four towering statues,
A Dragon.
A Lion.
A Serpent.
And a Phoenix.
'Quite detailed.'
Kael praised in his head.
"The Hero of the Prophecy!"
Suddenly, a voice called out, attracting Kael's attention.
The man raised his head and Kael was finally able to see him, an old man with white hair and a beard, just like other people around, he was wearing white robes that had a badge on the chest. The badge depicted two hands that were joined together, praying to a God.
One look was enough for Kael to know who these people were,
Priests.
"I understand your confusion and disbelief. You have every right to feel this way, being summoned to this sacred place without warning. But I ask that you place your trust in the Divine Order.
Allow me to offer clarity and reveal the purpose behind this summon." The Priest spoke.
'Oh?'
Kael turned towards the Priest, looking forward to whatever the dude had to say.
"I am Pope Altheran of the Church of Feraos."
The Priest started by introducing himself.
"We, the faithful of this church, devote ourselves to the worship of Lord Feraos. It is through His divine blessing that we were able to summon you, the Hero, to this sacred place."
Pope Altheran continued, Kael listened carefully. To think his imagination would extend this far, he even got that old way of speaking correctly.
"Before you arrived here, you must have heard a voice. That was Lord Feraos, our Primal God—the eternal guide who watches over all.
It is by His Divine Will that you have been chosen to bear the sacred burden of becoming the Hero, the protector of our world, Nerathis.
I understand that such revelations must weigh heavily upon you, especially as one who does not hail from our lands.
Yet, O blessed and noble Hero, I humbly beseech you..."
The Pope suddenly knelt, pressing his forehead to the floor again. His voice trembled with strong emotions as he pleaded,
"Please, save Nerathis."
Other priests present followed, copying the Pope's actions.
"O Great Hero, please save Nerathis!"
They spoke in unison, once again, their foreheads pressed on the floor.
Kael was taken aback as he witnessed this scene, in his mind, he couldn't help but question.
'Is it just me or do these people really love their floors?
Actually, who cleans this place anyway? That guy needs a raise.'
Soon, however, he shook his head as he got the answer.
'No one cleans this place, it is a dream, it is supposed to stay clean.'
"…"
"…"
As Kael thought of that, silence fell over the Hall. While the Pope and the Priest continued to show their admiration for the marble floor, Kael was frowning.
'When is this going to end?'
Most of his dreams only lasted for a minute or two at most, but this one…
It seems like this is an exception.
'Am I supposed to do something to wake up?'
He did try opening his eyes and waking up, but that didn't work and while he did think of slapping his face, that just sounded outright stupid.
'Fuck it, Mark will wake me up soon anyways, let's just see how far this plays out.'
"I am a Hero?"
He questioned as he raised his eyebrow.
"Chosen by the Great Feraos himself."
The Pope answered confidently.