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Thursday, XX/XX/XXXX | 15:21 |

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Ivan stared in bewilderment at his surrounding. What on earth these people doing in a dim-lit place? Not to mention the ecstatic cheer they made when Ivan and the rest arrived, as if they saw some kind of exotic animal for the first time.

The room was lit by candles, no lamps in sight, and it made him felt like this place was so broken down they couldn't afford electricity. Due to how dark it was, he couldn't see clearly who was who, but he felt that there were more than twenty people in this place.

He squinted. What the heck are they wearing?

From the nearest people he could make out in the dark wore... robe and armor? Were they filming a show? If that was true, then what about that weird light? How did it suddenly transport them to here... wherever this was?

"They're talking in a weird language..." Andre whispered, eyes alert and wary.

Of course Ivan felt the same. After mysteriously appeared in a strange room surrounded by armed strangers who spoke in a different language, their talk could mean anything...

"You think we can get away?" Ivan whispered back.

"Not sure. It's too dark and there could be more of them outside. It'd be suicide to try something funny..."

The girl with glasses tugged her friend's skirt shakily, "Call the police, Anya! Call the police! We're gonna die! These people are crazy...!"

"Don't rush me, Mei! I can't concentrate with you like this! You're making me nervous!"

"B-But...!"

"Ahem!" a soft soprano voice joined in, silencing them all. Light footsteps echoed in the room and as the owner approached them, the room gradually lighted up.

Walking towards them in between the weirdly-dressed people as if she was Moses who parted the ocean, was a woman of pure white. Her hair was silvery, almost white, her skin was as white as snow with icy blue eyes, and pink lips. Dressed in a white garb with golden embroideries, this angelic-like woman exuded unmatched elegance.

She smiled, "Can you understand me?"

Mei gasped loudly, "She spoke in our language!"

"Calm down, miss. I'm not going to hurt you..."

"Who're you, then? What do you want from us? And what's wrong with these people? Where is this?" Anya bombarded her with question, which sounded more and more like an accusation with her sharp tone of voice.

The woman raised her hands, "One question at a time, please. For starter, my name is Lemerista. I am the High Priestess from the Cathedral of Mashiach Al-Daggala. It's thanks to His grace that we can understand each other with ease."

What the actual fuck...?

"High Priestess?" Ivan repeated aloud, confused. "What's this; tarot?"

As soon as he said it out loud, Ivan found himself laying flat on the ground face first with one arm behind his back, bound by a hand that was certainly not his. He screamed in pain when the hand tightened its grip.

"How dare you insulted the High Priestess of our God?! Do you think her holy title and the cards the witches use are the same?!" suddenly came a rough man's voice behind him. "Know your place!"

"No, please! Release him!" the said High Priestess ordered, "The children of the Mashiach are merciful and must not punish those who are not enlightened! Please, ease your anger! He doesn't know!"

The man appeared disgruntled to release Ivan, but he still obeyed his boss nonetheless. Ignoring the throbbing hand mark on his wrist, Ivan slowly sat, aided by Andre.

Now that he was at a better position than before, he recognized the man who pinned him down, returning to his original position. He was dressed head to toe in a white armor, but Ivan couldn't miss the diagonal scar on his nose through his Y-slit helmet.

The two exchanged hostile glare.

"Once again, I'm sorry if this does not make sense to you all. First of all, we summoned you heroes from the another world to aid us in our time of need," she began, ignoring their obvious confusion. "This is the world of Valandia, and you are standing in the summoning room, in the Kingdom of Leventia."

In her disbelief, Anya dropped her aiPhone and yelled, "No, you're lying, right?! This is just a prank, isn't it?! Where's the camera?! Magic doesn't exist! You and your world... whatever it is, it isn't real! We demand you to bring us back!"

Lemerista slowly closed her eyes, as if doing so could ease her distress. "No, my dear. This is real. Everything you said is real, especially magic. Let me prove our existence to you..."

The woman gracefully lifted one hand at eye-level, finger pointed at the ceiling. "By the will of the Mashiach, I command the divine fire to appear and lay waste on my enemy!"

As if her finger was a lighter, a white fire appeared out of nowhere!