Dawn of an Era

When Jarred woke up, it was early in the morning. In the beginning, it was the yawns, then the eyes opened a little. Slowly his memories started flooding in, and when he was finally awake, he threw down his blanket, jumped out of his bed and ran towards the door.

"Where do you wanna go, Jarred?"-Ren

"Ah, Ren, you are here too, and Elm...looks like the others are here too. I was a little worried thinking what happened back then. So, where are we now? This certainly doesn't look like a hospital." Jarred spoke in a rave in his confusion. "And whats with that getup? Were you two always into cosplay?"

"Jarred, calm down and listen very carefully. This may sound very unreal, but...we are in a different world"-Elm

"Different...world...like those games and manga that are currently very popular." Jarred laughed in a sarcastic tone. "Is that even possible, in the slightest of the chances? Hey, are you two plotting something?"

"We were also thinking the same way when we woke up, Jarred. But we are really in a different world now." Elm tried to convince him. "These ears, eyes, clothes are all real. I think Ren and I became 'Elves' when we came here."

"That otherworldly light in our classroom was the one who brought us here."-Ren

"You should look out of the window, Jarred. Think that will be more convincing."-Elm

Jarred rushed to the tall windows which were on the other side of the room. They have beautifully decorated long curtains and coloured glass.

He pushed the window open and looked outside. What he saw was a beautiful city with white stone buildings of medieval Greece style, bustling streets with goods being carried by carts pulled by strange animals, and all sorts of people of different races. Slowly, he realised that this level of the prank was not easy to pull for anybody.

He was sure now. He looked up towards the sky, and the sun appeared bigger too. And the clouds were shining with different hues of light blue and gold. Strange birds could be spotted flying high in the sky. And, in the far of the distance, he could see beautiful snow-capped mountains.

Ren and Elm had regained consciousness a day earlier. But, they too had been asleep for two days straight. When they woke up, they found themselves in a castle and were told by the maids and butlers assigned to them that they will have an audience with the king when all of their friends wake up. They were given permission to take strolls inside the castle. But they decided not to leave their private quarters until everybody woke up. So, they spent the day talking with the maids and butlers to acquire some information about this world.

----

They had their lunch with Jarred in their dining hall, and later in the afternoon, everybody woke up. There were seven of them- Jarred, Ren, Sorrel, Oliver were the boys and Elm, Calla, Jasmine were the girls. They have been good friends since middle school.

Unlike Jarred, Ren, Elm, the others were frightened and sad when they came to know the reality before them. They had no idea if they will be able to return or not. The girls started crying thinking about the ones they had left back on earth.

Jarred and Elm tried their best to help their friends in controlling their emotions. At last, Jarred decided to give a motivational speech. "Listen, guys. It is indeed certain that we are in a different world right now and there is no way of knowing whether we will be able to go back or not. But we are currently in a castle, and these people are treating us as guests. So, for a start, we shouldn't have any problems getting a little used to this world. Fortunately, this world seems very similar to those fantasy worlds with swords and magic. So, I am sure that together with our knowledge and friendship we will be able to face any difficulty that comes our way. Exciting adventures and interesting people are waiting for us out there. Let us live a fulfilling and successful life here."

Though some fear and anxiety were still there, the prospect something new and different from their dull, mundane life instilled hopes and excitement in the hearts of the youngsters, and they became restless to find out more about this world. Everyone raised their glasses with a "Yayyy" getting their mind and body ready for the days to come.

That evening they were summoned to have an audience with the king. They were dressed in beautiful expensive clothes by the maids and butlers which made them look like prince and princesses from the fairy tales.

Although they were pretty nervous standing before the big door leading to the audience hall, everything just vanished as soon as they entered inside. There were rows of soldiers and knights wearing beautiful shining armour who were standing on both sides of the red carpet which led to the inner parts of the hall. The hall itself was beautifully decorated with shining crystals and gems and layers of gold covering everything in between. Towards the other end, there was a long table on a pedestal, and five important looking people were sitting behind it on luxuriously decorated chairs. Several maids and butlers were serving them wine and sweets. Guards were standing behind them along with some other people who were probably eminent ministers. There were long desks on both sides with several people drinking wine and whispering. They were more guards and maids and butlers behind them, catering to their needs.

The group of seven were escorted by a knight, an archmage and several maids to the hall. When they were in front of the pedestal, the six people sitting behind it stood up. The other people sitting below also stood up following them. Then, one of the five who was standing to the far right addressed them.

"Greetings, my dear friends from another world. My name is Yarrow. As you can see, I am an Elder Dwarf. I am the leader of the dwarf colonies of Wisteria. And here are the other leaders of the kingdoms of Wisteria. Allow this old man to briefly introduce them. Starting with Lady Fallugia from my right here, she rules the city of Phacelia. Next is king Agonis El Von Chrysanthos, king of Westasia, where we are at present. Then, King Gazania, king of the demi-human colonies of Wisteria. And the last one is King Korg, ruler of the orc cities of the north."

Their knight escort hinted them to introduce themselves too. They told each of their names starting from Jarred. When they had finished, the butlers had arranged chairs for them, and they followed suit after the kings. All the other people present in the hall did the same too.

Then king Agonis told them about their current situation. For a start, he first talked about the tales of the past.

Long ago, there were the seven Gods who ruled over the different parts of the world. They were the Human God, the Dragon God, the Elven God, the God of the sprites, the Demon God, the Demi-human God and the God of the Angels. In addition to them, there was a Guardian, who fulfilled the role of helping everybody and preaching wisdom; and an Evil God, who use to destroy everything as per his whims and fancies. He was a very notorious and cruel God. After many years of severe atrocities, the seven Gods became fed up with him and waged war against him.

The Evil God had the High Undead as his followers. They were powerful and immortal beings.

For many years, wars ravaged the world, and many people died. And at last, the seven Gods successfully defeated the Evil God and all of his high Undead followers. But, the damage had already been done. Four of the seven Gods perished in the war, and the Guardian was severely injured too.

He passed away shortly after. But there are records which say that, before his death, he predicted that the Evil God will someday return to get his revenge.

And, according to the historians, the time is near. Days are changing. The strong monsters are becoming more and more active. Violent storms are raging in the coastal areas. The volcanoes are tearing apart the mountains, and the sea has been trying to engulf the land. As if the world itself is getting ready for the birth of an Evil God.

The Gods have long left this world. And the Godlings, the ones who have inherited the powers of the old Gods, are not strong enough to fight for the cause. Still the people of Wisteria have tried to nurture and develop the Godlings by opening special academies for them. But, they are yet to show any significant results. So, they used the ancient summoning techniques to summon strong and intelligent beings from another world to help them.

The summoning ritual randomly selects the summoned ones. But still, the king and the rest of the people apologised to them for causing troubles for them by bringing them here from their homeland. He promised to support them in every way he could.

All the five leaders requested them for their help to protect their people from the coming dangers. As the decision, was entirely in the hands of the seven.

Jarred was very excited after hearing the stories. He had played many fantasy games, and the thirst for adventure was tearing up his throat. He looked into the eyes of his close friends from his school and saw a similar resolve in them. This strengthened his confidence and resolved further, and he had made his decision.

"Your Highness, we have decided to help the people as far as our capabilities allow us to. We will definitely save them from any evil."-Jarred

"But there are a few conditions of our own."-Ren

"Ren, what are you saying? His Majesty has already promised to provide us with any support that we desire."- Jarred

"Calm down Jarred. These things can not be taken so lightly," said Elm. She and Ren had realised the fact that there can be a hidden meaning behind words. They stared straight into Jarred's eyes, and he soon realised their intentions too.

"I will be straight then. As we are from a different world, our morals and laws might be completely different from this world. So, our first condition is that the laws and ethics of this world shouldn't be forced onto us. Secondly, we don't have any strong moral obligations to the people of this world. So, in desperate times, neither my friends nor I will choose them over ourselves. Thirdly, our privacy and 'individual will' must be respected."-Ren

"Hahaha...I am impressed Ren-dono, though this was well under my considerations." exclaimed king Agonis. "As you all are from a different world, you might face some difficulties adjusting to this world. I understand. In the case of extreme situations, we shall have discussions with you all and the scholars of this world before making any decisions. But, please try to follow the laws as far as possible. As for the second condition, we promise that we will never hold you all responsible for the problems of this world. You all are free to make and follow your own decisions in life-threatening situations. And, of course, your privacy will be respected. Not only that, you all will be given high respect by all the people of Wisteria. Will that do, 'people from another world'?"

""Yes, Your Majesty.""(all seven)

"So be it then. I, as the high King Agonis and as the leader of the Council of Five, at this moment, announce that as per the laid conditions, you all will be known as the 'Holy Knights of the Old Gods' and save the people from all evil."

----

The next morning, they were summoned by the royal Priests into the inner parts of the castle. The Knight Melva, an experienced trainer of knights, and Lady Heather, a retired elf sorceress, guided them. They were basically chosen by the Council of Five to teach the basics of magic and combat and other common knowledge to the recently appointed Holy Knights.

They arrived at a church like building at the back of the castle.

There they were received by the Priests and were led indoors. The interior looked extravagant in its decorations with various paintings. There were rows of benches leading to a pedestal and with a tall statue behind it. One of the priests explained that it was the statue of the Guardian. The statue was of a man wearing long robes, and the head was shrouded entirely with a hood. No matter how much they looked, the statue seemed to be of a grim reaper, without the scythe, but extending his hands towards the people like an angel.

But, without a doubt, it was a statue of the Guardian. In fact, it was the only real statue of the Guardian among all those that have been discovered. It was excavated some hundred years back when the basement of the church was being dug to insert the virgin crystals as a relay point. A stone tablet was also discovered near the statue which informed the scholars that this was the actual statue of the Guardian.

The Holy Knights were led down to that basement, where the relay point was installed, for their identification process. They were surprised after seeing the strange crystal formation and the white smoke like substance that was seeping out from its base. Lady Heather gave a simple explanation that the smoke like substance is Ynni, the natural Astral Energy; with a promised to explain in detail later. There they did their identification one by one. The crystal cards came out respectively sometime later.

They didn't understand much that was written there. But, when they showed it to the people present there, everybody was surprised. They knew that the summoned beings are strong, but such results still surprised them. Especially, when they were told that the summoned ones had no prior experience in using mana.

First up was Jarred with the highest level among them. In fact, it was higher than most of the Godlings of the country of the same age.

Name: Jarred

Level: 589

Race: High Human

Age: 17

Sex: male

Note: This ID was made at the Westasia Royal Capital relay point. The ways of using

this card and the terms and conditions are on the other side.

And also being a high Human, the priests were sure that he was destined to be a great knight. Moreover, his card was red in colour, which indicates that his mana was more suitable for strong fire and ice-based magic.

Next was Ren, whose level was quite high too.

Name: Ren

Level: 522

Race: Dark Elf

Age: 17

Sex: male

He also had a promising future as a knight. His racial characteristics were apparent in his brown skin and white hair. And his card was golden in colour. It represents the strong lightning based properties of his mana.

The others had comparatively high levels too.

Name: Elm

Level: 488

Race: High Elf

Age: 17

Sex: female

Her card was silvery in colour. The colour represents the storms. Basically, her mana has strong water and air like properties.

Name: Calla

Level: 513

Race: High Pixie

Age: 16

Sex: female

Her card was white in colour, as most of the sprite races. It means that she can become proficient in anything if she practised.

Name: Oliver

Level: 469

Race: High Demi-human(Felis type)

Age: 17

Sex: male

His card was bluish in colour. The colour represented the endowment type which means that his mana can endow various properties on crystals and magic metals or his own body.

His friends were sure that Oliver was hiding his tail after knowing about his race. His cat ears were also entirely concealed by his hair. But, alas, he couldn't hide it anymore, and everybody started laughing after seeing his tail. Oliver sure was quite angry. But his anger subsided when the ladies called him cute.

Name: Jasmine

Level: 439

Race: High Human

Age: 17

Sex: female

Her card was green in colour. She could become excellent in alchemy based works or healing if she trained.

Name: Sorrel

Level: 480

Race: Elder Dwarf

Age: 17

Sex: male

His card was brown in colour like most of the dwarfs. It meant high proficiency in using earth magic. The proficient earth mages can even produce precious magic metals out of thin air by converting their mana into matter.

Although Sorrel was an Elder Dwarf, he looked almost human but with a bigger skull, large pointy ears and brown eyes and hair. Ren and Elm seemed no different from a human too, except the greenish-yellow eyes, long pointy ears, attractive faces and their beautiful slim figure like that of supermodels. Only Calla was a little different with her short stature and beautiful white eyes and hair, which had a faint glow. It appeared to be very out-of-the-world to her friends.

Melva-san was very excited after looking at their levels. Unintentionally, his grin surfaced on his face as he was thinking of the training routines to mould them into mighty warriors. This terrified the girls. But lady Heather reassured them that she will definitely keep a check on Melva-san.

After that, they were back in the church. The high Priests explained them about Astral Energy and its two types, Mana and Ynni. They also gave lectures about the use of mana using small demonstrations. Everybody's eyes sparkled as they saw real magic for the first time in their life.

Each of them was told about the fundamental nature of their mana, and for their first lesson, everybody tried collecting a small amount of mana in their hands. It glowed beautifully after being collected and concentrated at a point. It looked surreal, mostly to the girls, but the boys were expecting such developments from the knowledge of games.

But at some point, the small ball of mana of Calla started getting hotter, and she screamed. Heather-san rushed for her help and quickly absorbed the raw mana with a 'virgin crystal' which she had pulled out of her small bag.

Heather-san was praised for her quick actions and judgement; although she denied it by saying that it was because of her years of experience in guiding students. She was, in fact, a former teacher in the Royal Elven Academy.

The lectures were stopped for that day, and the Holy Knights returned to their rooms.

----

They couldn't just suppress their excitement, and everybody started discussing loudly after they reached their rooms. A fresh new world, new bodies and the new found powers were curling up their blood. New places to travel, new foods to eat and exciting new adventures were calling them. How can they just sit idly?

They decided to go down to the city in the evening. After lunch, they met with Melva-san and Heather-san and took permission from them. But, Heather-san said they shouldn't go alone for now. So, both of them accompanied the Holy Knights in their first visit to a city in another world.