As the group entered the cafeteria, the usual buzz of students eating, talking, and laughing filled the air. But that peace was quickly stopped when a loud voice broke through the noise.
"Hey!, watch where you're going, idiot!" Axel's voice rang out with unmistakable authority, he stood in the middle of the aisle, glaring down at the student who had accidentally bump into him, causing the student food tray to spill all over max's uniform.
The student, a nervous looking boy, stood still frozen not able to move, his face flushing with embarrassment. "I-Im sorry, Max. I didn't mea----"
Axel cut him off with a sharp stare. "Didn't mean to? do you think that matter's you me?" he looked at his uniform seeing the food drip and stain to him as he thinks throwing a food at someone is a great disrespect" Do you know who i am?"
The boy stammered, unable to get a word in as Axel continued his tirade."Of course you don't. People like you never know anything. Maybe if you weren't so careless, we wouldn't be in this situation."
Dylan, who had been walking beside Caius, rolled his eye when he heard the commotion. He wasn't the one for drama, but Max's voice was impossible to ignore, with a quick glance Caius, stepped forward casually approaching max.
"Axel what's the problem here? " Caius said "This loser here spilled food on my uniform and they should know that staining my uniform is a disrespect to me" As Caius sigh and looked at the student that Axel is yelling "just go, Axel has anger issue he wont go after you dont worry."
Axel's face twisted into an expression of irritation as Caius let the student go. He stepped forward, his voice rising. "What are you doing?! He needs to pay for my uniform!"
Caius, however, was unfazed. He glanced at Axel with a cool, steady gaze."Just eat lunch with us today. It's my treat. Let it go, alright?"
Axel's eyes flashed with frustration, but before he could retort, Alisan, always the calmer one, stepped in, her voice surprisingly gentle but firm. "You need to work on your anger issues... and your face," he added, the last part with a teasing smirk.
Axel opened his mouth to snap back, but the weight of Alisan's words made him pause. For a moment, he just stood there, glaring at the ground, trying to regain his composure. Eventually, he muttered something under his breath and finally nodded, albeit begrudgingly. "Fine. But I'm not letting this go."
With that, the group made their way to the corner of the cafeteria, finding an empty table. Caius and Dylan fell into their usual banter, talking about something silly that had happened in class earlier, while June and Alisan continued to scold Axel, who, despite his best efforts to look uninterested, couldn't hide the slight reddening of his cheeks.
"Seriously, Axel, you can't keep doing that," June said, her tone firm yet caring. "You've got to learn to control your temper."
Axel glared at his food, poking at it with his fork. "I don't need a lecture right now," he muttered.
Alisan raised an eyebrow, her voice surprisingly soft. "We're just trying to help, Max. You won't get anywhere if you keep pushing people away with that attitude."
Axel didn't reply, focusing on his plate, but the tension in the air had softened—at least for the moment.
Suddenly, a soft glow caught Caius' eye. He blinked and looked down beneath the table."Guys, what's this glowing circle below us??" he asked, his voice low but filled with curiosity.
Everyone turned to look, and a strange silence fell over the table. There, beneath their feet, was a faint, shimmering circle of light. It flickered and pulsed, as if calling their attention.
Before anyone could say anything else, the glow intensified, casting an ethereal light around them. The glow was so bright now that it was nearly blinding. For a moment, everything seemed to stand still, as if time itself had paused.
Then, without warning, the light surged, expanding rapidly, until it enveloped the entire group. The cafeteria around them blurred, as if the world was spinning and shifting. Their bodies went rigid, as though invisible forces were holding them in place, making it impossible to move.
A bright flash exploded from the center of the circle, and in an instant, everything went white.
The sudden glow that had enveloped them became blinding, and before they knew it, everything around them shifted. The bright flash filled the cafeteria, and for a split second, everything froze.
When the light finally dimmed and the world came back into focus, they were no longer sitting at the corner of the cafeteria. Instead, they found themselves standing on cold, polished stone floors beneath a towering ceiling. The walls around them were made of dark stone, adorned with tapestries and banners that seemed to tell stories of ancient battles and royal victories. The air was thick with the scent of incense and the faint flicker of torchlight from the sconces on the walls.
A long, grand hall stretched out before them, the opulence of the room far beyond anything they'd seen in their world. At the far end of the hall, upon a raised platform, sat a large throne. The throne was intricately designed with gold filigree and precious gemstones, and upon it sat a regal figure—King Alaric of Drakmire. His sharp gaze moved over them, as though assessing their every move.
The group stood in stunned silence, looking around in disbelief. They had gone from the familiar, bustling cafeteria to this grand, unfamiliar throne room in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
June, eyes wide with confusion, was the first to speak. "What just happened? How did we… where are we?"
As Axel already on edge, scanned the room warily, his voice filled with frustration. "This is insane. One minute we were eating lunch, and now... where are we?."
Dylan, never one to panic, grinned and shrugged. "Well, I always wanted to see a castle. Guess the universe is giving me what I asked for."
Caius, on high alert, surveyed their surroundings and saw the king sitting on his throne
Before they could process further, the deep voice of King Alaric echoed through the hall. "You are not in your world anymore. You have been brought to Eldorath."
The king's gaze fixed on them with an air of solemn authority. He rose from his throne slowly, his armor glinting in the low light. "Welcome, Heroes. You are in the Kingdom of Drakmire, and fate has led you here."