Isekai Gone Wrong

When Itsuki regained consciousness, the world around him had changed drastically. The light was gone and the alarms had been replaced with silence. Amane and Shin, who had been underneath him just moments before, were gone. 

Itsuki pushed himself off of the ground and took note of his surroundings. He sat in what appeared to be the long-destroyed ruins of a cathedral. The walls and ceiling had long ago crumbled, leaving him open to the dark and cloudy skies above. He only surmised its original purpose from the broken and battered pews that littered the area near him. 

The only exposed stone left was directly underneath him, where a ritualistic glyph appeared to be burned into the floor. It let off a faint green light, as if it was cooling off after having been set ablaze. Where was he? What was going on?

"You, there. Hands where I can see them!"

Itsuki swiftly turned towards what was likely once the entrance to this building. There, he found that about twelve soldiers in disheveled plate armor were actively flooding into the room. The one that had barked the order stood firm, clearly wearing the cleanest and nicest set of gear. The others were quickly moving to surround Itsuki as well as the circle that he sat within. 

"Alright," Itsuki put his hands up without conflict, still baffled as to what was transpiring. "I mean no harm."

"I'll be the judge of that," the lead knight spat as he approached closer, stopping just shy of entering the circle. "We saw the light from the streets and came to investigate. Care to tell me what you're doing? Activating the summoning circle is a capital offense!"

This lead knight then drew his sword, causing Itsuki to panic and fall backwards and put out a hand in desperation. 

"Wait, wait!" Itsuki exclaimed. "You're making a mistake! I have no idea what's going on here!"

"You accuse Knight Damon of making a mistake?" the lead knight questioned, his arrogance evident and his posture defiant. 

Itsuki's brain scrambled for an answer. He wasn't sure what was going on. As his mind worked to process the series of events that had led to this point, one thought poked it's head above the rest. He and Amane had read tons of manga together back at the cafe, and there was one plot thread that had popped up periodically. It seemed ludicrous, but so did this whole situation. 

"I think...I've been brought here from another world," Itsuki stated aloud, trying to thread his thoughts together. "I don't know who summoned me, but surely I must be here to help with something? Some plight that's been causing you trouble?"

It's the only reason - rational or irrational - that Itsuki could manage. Knight Damon's expression was hidden underneath his helmet, but his stance was firm. Having assessed the situation, he stepped into the summoning circle and quickly closed the distance to Itsuki. Before there was any time to react, the knight had cut clean through Itsuki's shirt and the surface layer of skin on his torso. 

"What the hell!" Itsuki screamed out in pain, his hands trembling as he looked over the open wound. "Why would you..."

"He's telling the truth," Damon announced, addressing his guard more than Itsuki himself. "Look there, on his chest. He's God-Marked."

Itsuki took a moment to process through the pain. While the blood was starting to run down his chest, there was a large tattoo-like marking that hadn't been there before. A golden insignia that appeared to represent the head of a dragon. 

"See? I told you," Itsuki formed words through the pain. "I was summoned here to help with something. Now, why don't we..."

"Silence, heathen!" Damon's voice echoed over the ruins, immediately silencing Itsuki's plea. "The Fallen Lands recognize your ilk for what they are. Many 'heroes' have been summoned and have not only failed, but continuously brought disaster to our doorstep!"

Having assessed the situation and feeling assured of the situation, Knight Damon sheathed his sword and began to head towards the old cathedral entrance. 

"Bind him in chains and let's drag him back to the prison," he commanded. "We will hold a public execution in a few days."

"What, no!"

Itsuki then went into full panic. Through the pain and the confusion, he stammered backwards and tried to get to his feet to escape. A fruitless attempt, however, as guards launched at him from all sides and quickly incapacitated him. 

By the time he awoke, he was once again in a completely different place. From the damp odor and his immediate assessment, it was clear he had been thrown in a cell. His arms and legs were both shackled by cuffs, and he was lying on an musty pile of straw. The only light coming in was the faint flicker of candlelight from outside the cell, illuminating the dank and unkempt space that was to be his until his execution. 

He sat up and pulled his knees to his chest. His instinct was to scream and yell about a mistake, but that was pointless. When his parents died all those years ago, he had learned that an emotional outburst would achieve nothing. All he could do was parse through recent events and come to terms with his fate. 

Having been undressed down to his undergarments, the golden dragon insignia was clear underneath the scabbed wound on his chest. The knight had referred to it as a 'god-mark' and they had found him lying in a recently-used summoning circle. As ludicrous as it sounded, it was clear he had been transported to some other reality - but it was a long-dead reality that no longer trusted the heroes that came. It was like a solemn, twisted rendition of the heroic manga that he and Amane used to read...

Shin and Amane - Itsuki's mind came back online as fear swept through his body. They had not been in the summoning circle when he awoke. Had he been the only one transported, or were they somewhere here as well? They weren't subject to the same fate as him, were they?

"Hey, whoever's out there!" Itsuki called out, making his way up to the cell bars and grabbing hold of them for support. "I need to know, has there been..."

Before he could finish, a metallic baton slammed against the bars, crushing his fingers against the cell bars. It had not been enough force to break anything, but there was an immediate recoil as a yelp left Itsuki's mouth. 

"Back against the cell!" the guard commanded, stepping out from the shadows. "You are a dead man walking, you 'need' nothing. Now shut up and get your back against the wall. There's nothing that says I can't torture you until they behead you."

The inflection in his voice - cold, irritated and sadistic - was all Itsuki needed to hear to retreat back into his cell. He was not a fighter, and he certainly wasn't in a situation to negotiate. Not knowing what happened to the others would torment him, but it wouldn't be for long. Either they had been spared this fate and remained back in their world, or they had already been done away with. Either way, it seemed he wouldn't be alive long enough for it to matter. 

"There you are, slave-girl!" the same knight barked, responding to the sound of a distant door opening. "What is that you got? Why would you waste good meat for the prisoner?"

The voice that replied belonged to a girl. Her tone was soft and gentle - an anomaly in this land. 

"it's meant to provide some basic nutrition," she murmured. "I just thought that..."

The sound of a loud slap silenced her words. Itsuki didn't need to see what had transpired to know. He clenched his fist, angered by the cruelty of these so-called soldiers. 

"I'll be taking that," the guard spoke after a moment. "Go bring the filth his stale bread. I'm stepping outside for some fresh air."

Itsuki listened as the guard stepped out and closed the door behind him, his armor giving away his movement. A couple of moments passed before a new figure stood at his cell entrance. A girl in ragged and disheveled clothes, a large red mark across her cheek from the guard's hand. She was maybe a year or two younger than him, her otherworldly green hair held back by a tattered ribbon. 

"Here you go," she knelt down and passed the stale bread through the cell bars. "I'm sorry about the way you're being treated. Some of us still believe in heroes, but the knights want nothing to do with it."

As their gaze met, it seemed like he had found the only kind soul that existed in this wasteland. Her emerald eyes were hollow and solemn; long-since acceptant of her fate as a slave. Deep within them, however, he saw a glimmer of something more. 

"Thanks," he crept forward and took the bread from her hand. "My name is Itsuki, and yours."

Despite her solemn demeanor, she managed a heartfelt smile after her initial surprise. Something as simple as being asked for a name was apparently a treat for her. 

"Yuna."