The summoning part 2

"Welcome, mighty heroes. Welcome to the floating kingdom of Velgrath."

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a massive domed ceiling.

What the…?

Where am I?

As I slowly got to my feet, I realized I was not alone. Two other high school kids, who looked just as disoriented as I was, were also standing up. One was a girl, the other a boy. The entire room looked like something straight out of a medieval fantasy setting: stone pillars, a vast chamber, polished marble floors. And standing in front of us, were several men dressed in priest-like robes.

Wait. Hold on a second. Did he just say floating kingdom?

The last thing I remembered was passing out on the stairs while heading to my classroom. I’d been confused about what was happening to me even then. But how did I end up here? I didn’t know any of these men, and I didn’t recognize the architecture. As if reading my mind, the blonde-haired girl beside me spoke up.

"Who are you people?" she asked. "And why are we here?"

There were only three of us: me, the girl, and another boy with blue hair and glasses standing on her other side. We were all dressed in school uniforms, mine was a standard white-collared shirt and trousers, the girl wore a simple blazer and skirt, and the blue-haired boy had on a fancy-looking suit.

One of the elderly men in robes stepped forward. He was dressed more lavishly than the rest, giving him an air of superiority.

"My name is Elder Roland, and I understand your disoriented state, dear heroes," he said, holding up his staff and bowing his head slightly. "You must have a million questions about your current situation, and all will be revealed in due time. But please…" He raised his head. "Walk with me, so I may begin answering some of them."

A pair of large wooden doors swung open behind him, pushed by knights who had been standing guard. The three of us exchanged uncertain glances before, not knowing what else to do, followed soon after.

"You three great heroes were summoned from your world to help us," Elder Roland began as we stepped into a corridor leading outside. "We performed a sacred ritual to bring you here. You are destined to save us from a coming disaster, one that threatens to consume and destroy everything in this world."

We walked in silence, listening closely. Most of the lower-ranked priests led the way, while the two knights escorted us from behind.

I had a lot of questions. What did he mean by ‘summoned from our world’? Was he talking about Earth? Was this some kind of alternate reality?

The boy with blue hair began bombarding him with questions, hardly giving him room to breathe.

"And why do you keep calling us heroes when we don’t have any powers? Also, this disaster, what’s that about? Is it an invasion or something?"

We eventually stepped out into a massive open courtyard, and like my other two companions, I was suddenly at a loss for words.

We were really floating.

I couldn't believe it.

The land beneath us hovered high above the clouds, hanging somewhere in the deep blue sky.

But that wasn’t all.

Entire islands, some with stone skyscrapers, others with towns and castles, floated far above the ground, suspended by a force I couldn’t begin to understand. Magic, maybe?

Above us, giant birds I had never seen before circled lazily, their feathers, a blazing golden-red with soft orange plumage and long purple tails.

"Whoa…" I breathed, staring at the creatures. "Are those…?"

"Phoenixes."

I nearly jumped. The blonde girl from earlier was suddenly standing beside me, eyes locked on the birds. I hadn’t even heard her approach.

"I've only ever read about them in stories," she said softly. "I’ve dreamed of seeing one since I was a little girl, even though I knew they weren’t real."

I wasn’t sure what to say. Talking to girls had never been my strong suit. Back in my previous world, I always seemed to come across as creepy and weird. Now, with what felt like a second chance at life, I wasn’t about to repeat the same mistakes, like letting my gaze drift to her chest instead of her face.

But she really was cute. Very cute.

"What is this strange world?" she asked, lowering her gaze before looking directly at me, her soft blue eyes studying me with quiet curiosity. "How are there castles floating in the sky? How are these birds alive? Am I... am I dreaming?"

I still didn’t know what to say. She was pretty. A girl. And she was talking to me. That sort of thing had never happened before, and I absolutely didn’t want to blow it.

"You don’t talk much, do you?" she tilted her head to the side.

".!"

I was an idiot. My mouth hung open, but actual words refused to come out.

"That’s okay," she said with a smile, straightening up. "I’m Elizabeth. What’s your name?" She extended her hand in greeting, still sporting that playful grin. I shook my head quickly to snap myself out of it, then reached for her hand.

"It’s David," I finally managed to say, shaking her soft, warm hand. My gaze met hers for a moment, and neither of us spoke. But then, Elder Roland’s voice drew our attention back to him.

"The moment you were transported to this world, you were granted unique abilities by the gods to aid you in the coming fight."

All of our mouths fell open in collective shock.

"Wait," the other boy jumped in. "You’re saying we have like, powers? Really?"

"Hm." Elder Roland nodded. "But whatever that ability might be, will only be revealed once we reach the Institute of Magic and Training."

The three of us exchanged confused looks.

"The institute of what?"

Just then, a loud honk blared from somewhere behind us. Jumping a little from the panic, we turned, and our eyes suddenly widened in astonishment.

A large, floating vessel was gliding its way toward the mini island we were standing on. The sight of the flying metal boat coming in our direction completely took our breath away. Things like that only ever existed in fantasy worlds. This was definitely some kind of alternate reality.

We kept staring up in amazement, and as soon as the ship landed, we boarded with the priests and knights. Elizabeth stayed close to me the entire time, occasionally glancing my way with a smile. The ship rose into the air moments later, moving away from the island where we had arrived. I guessed this really was our life now.

Of all the times I daydreamed about waking up in a fantasy world someday, I never imagined any of it actually coming true. Although I was outwardly portraying a calm, cool demeanor to Elizabeth, inwardly, I was like a little kid in a candy store. I was ecstatic to be in a place like this, and I couldn’t wait to see more. And the Institute of Magic and Training, now, that sounded like the perfect place to start.