The Aquila

What the hell? I thought to myself, as I opened my eyes.

I felt groggy, and it couldn't have been any more than a few minutes prior that I had fallen asleep. Instead of being greeted by that familiar white ceiling that I had woken up to all my life, I instead saw stone. I closed my eyes, sat a minute or so, and re-opened them.

Still there.

Was this a prank? Did my sister move me outside of the house when I was sleeping?

She did that once, you know. I had forgotten to get her some magazine or something from a convenience store, and the next morning I found myself waking up on the porch. Maybe she was mad that I didn't make her dinner last night?

"He awakes, Your Majesty." A high-pitched, nosy voice announced.

I sat up and immediately felt sick. I didn't know what I was seeing.

I looked around, and I was at one end of a long room. But, I couldn't see hardly anything in it. Everything was so blurry, and all I could make out were some pillars, and I think there were soldiers standing at attention all along the edge of this long, red carpet and over them were huge banners of a variety of different colors with..something stitched in the middle of them.

"Yes, it seems that he has." This time a deeper, coarser voice said.

I looked towards the voices and could just barely see two figures: one was sitting down on a chair on top of some stairs and the other, on my level, had just gotten off his knees before turning to face me. I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus in on them, but it was no use. I could feel them looking at me.

"Please, come closer. Do not be afraid." The deeper voice said.

I went to stand up, but I felt so weak. It felt like my legs were made of jelly, and my arms didn't fare much better when I tried to push myself up. I saw something red flashing in the corner of my eyesight, but I didn't know what it was.

"What's wrong with him? He can barely stand!"

"Y-yes. E-erm, please, forgive us, Your Majesty. The ritual conducted to bring him here was very intensive to the acolytes. They weren't able to provide the hero with any stamina before it clai-"

"He-hero?" It hurt to speak, like I was literally pushing the words out of my mouth.

Where am I?

I trudged along towards the talking figures, dragging my feet. Both of them plead with me to stop walking, but I needed answers.

I needed to know why I was here.

With each step, it seemed like that red flashing was getting more intense. When I did, my vision was flooded with strange transparent objects. They took up different corners of my vision, but it all seemed to be covered by static and went in-and-out like a TV with bad signal.

This doesn't make any sense.

This was a "heads-up display," but you only see those in video games? This wasn't a video game, I wasn't a video game character! I'm just a normal second-year high school student!

This doesn't make any damn sense! Where the hell am I?!

The objects faded away completely. My head was pounding, and I could feel my legs fall out from under me. I tried to put my hands out in-front of me, but I still ended up slamming into the floor.

"GUARDS! Bring him to his room and summon the apothecaries, NOW!" The deep voice bellowed out.

I heard metal boots hitting the floor all around me, and felt myself being picked up before my eyes closed shut.

----------

Well, that was a pretty weird dream.

Dreaming that I woke up in a video game world after a lengthy ritual to summon a "hero"? Usually they give you a cool weapon right out of the gate, and you don't "wake up" on a stone floor in your underwear. Where was my "Welcome to our world!" speech? Wow.

I sat up in my bed and let out what was probably the longest yawn I've had in a while. I felt like I slept for days. Studying really wears me out.

I should really give up those isekai anime shows and MMO's, especially if I'm having dreams about being in one. I chuckled to myself.

If Sagiri heard that, she'd really think she'd converted me over to her side. I wonder what she's up to right now?

Wanting to share this dream with my best-friend, I reached over to the nightstand and felt around for my phone. But where I distinctly remember putting it, I only felt the smooth surface of wood.

"Huh?"

My heart dropped. Panicking, I raced out of bed and looked around my nightstand to look for my phone before I began lifting up the pillows and blankets to find it. Then it hit me.

This wasn't my room, either!

My eyes raced all around the room. There were stone grey walls where there should be normal white dry-wall! The bed was in the center, not along the wall, and there was no desk, no computer, no TV. Just stone walls, a fireplace,and a large elegant desk. The bed was one of those old-timely ones: with those wooden poles that held up a cloth drape.

I ran over to the window and saw a huge city far below me. No suburban houses or tall office buildings in the distance, just tiny little houses and shops that looked like they were ripped straight out of a medieval European town. This can't be real. It isn't real. I tried pinching myself, because that wakes you up from a dream, right?

I could hear a door creak open behind me, followed by a gasp.

"Please forgive us, Lord! We didn't know you had just awoken!"

"No wai-" They ran out and closed the door before I could get a word in.

I just had a moment to think about what I needed to do next before I could hear a couple of men clearing their throats outside my door, and then knocking on it.

"Uh, Hero? The maids told us that you're now awake. Are you dressed yet? Do you need help?"

"N-no, not yet! G-give me a few minutes!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

That bought me a minute or two, tops. I looked out the window again, and I obviously couldn't jump out of it, since we were easily hundreds of feet in the air. Maybe if I jumped, I'd wake up? Lots of dreams end with you feeling like you're falling, but something told me that I didn't want to see if that would work.

I scanned the room again, and there were also some dressers,wardrobe, and closet, but nothing too-

"Hero? W-we're going to come in, okay? Don't be alarmed!" The man had said through the door.

"No, please don't!"

Nevertheless, the door began to open. I flew over the bed and opened the closet, and found...my clothes? I didn't question it, and just threw on the blue track-suit of my school. I thought about just going back to where I'd been, but just flung myself into the closet and closed the door.

At-least if I'm caught, I won't be naked.

I felt around the darkness and felt my shoes on the floor, and slipped them on.

"Huh? Where did he go?" One of them said in a slow drawl.

I sat in the darkness of the closet for a minute more, but the man who sounded much less dumb than the other must've figured it out, and the door started to slowly open. I forced it open the rest of the way and crawled under the soldier.

"Puh-please wait, my Lord! We're not a threat to you!"

Unable to comprehend my luck I had in evading this rube, I began to laugh as I got past him and returned to my feet.

"Sucker!" I kept laughing as I turned the corner, and ran straight into the breastplate of the other one before bouncing back like a pinball.

I was more stunned than hurt, so I got back to my feet pretty quickly. But at this point, both these monstrously tall soldiers, clad in silver armor with thick black clothes underneath and armed with swords, were now in my path.

"You hurt him! How the hell are we going to fight off the Darkness if you kill him before he even leaves his room?!"

"Nuh-uh, I didn't hurt him! You spooked him first!"

They bickered among themselves, before eventually getting down on their knees and bowing down, foreheads touching the ground.

"Please, forgive my idiot friend, Hero. He doesn't know his own strength. And forgive me for not announcing myself properly."

Seeing these trees supplicate themselves like this was embarrassing.

"I-it's fine, really."

They got back up to their feet, helmets clutched in their arms. They both seemed fairly young, like they couldn't be much older than I was. Maybe by a few years. Their heads, the only thing not covered by fabric or armor, held some recent scars. Maybe they got it in a battle? They both began to smile at me.

"So, you're the one everyone's talking about? You're younger, and smaller, than some of our leaders...but I guess that's just because you're such a skilled warrior that you don't need to be very big at all! Big things come in small packages, right?" They both began laugh, I think they wanted me to join in. I'm not sure what to think about all this, this doesn't feel real. I feigned a small laugh.

Prophecy? Warrior?

"Anyways, Hero, now that you're awake: the King would like an audience with you. We've been guarding your room and will escort you to him now. Those maids you saw went to notify His Majesty. Please follow us."

I nodded back at them, and they both stepped aside to allow me to leave the room. They closed the door behind us, and led me down a series of hallways and stairs. The halls were were all lined with candles with long red carpets down each corridor, interesting paintings were hung on the walls. Occasionally they'd shout "Please make way!" with the people we passed gawking at me, as if they were looking at something amazing.

I didn't understand anything. They all uttered to themselves, with "hero" being said in their conversations. They all kept calling me that: from the the soldiers leading the way to the people that were in my "dream," if that's what it was at all. The more I walked behind these two, the more it felt that it wasn't, and the more uneasy I felt.

Eventually we reached a large room with two heavy, wooden doors flanked by two soldiers standing at attention, but they were different than the ones that had led me here. They wore a uniform of maroon under their shiny gold armor, as opposed to the dull silver that the others had. A large bird design on their armor, with its wings extended to either side and two lightning bolts seemed to cross behind it. Their helmets seemed to cover the entirety of their heads, with a "beak" coming out to a point at the front and a red feather extended upwards from the back. Alongside aside a sheathed sword, they carried poles with spikes at both ends, alongside a axe at the front and a hammer at the back. It was pretty intimidating! I'd never seen anything like that outside of a museum.

As we approached, the two men pushed the doors open. As we entered they stood at, again, attention in-front of the open doors.

"The Hero and his escorts have arrived!" They bellowed before leaving the room, closing the doors behind them.

I knew this room – this was exactly the same one I was in!

It was extremely long: a red carpet began about a quarter of the way into the room towards the other end, flanked at both sides by eight guards each, identical to those outside. Poles with torches stood alongside the guards, and stone pillars extended upwards into the air, reaching an intricately carved and painted stone ceiling. Seven banners hung the ceiling: each had different colors and a different animal were stitched into the centers of them. The room opened up just past doors to either side, with long benches in-front of huge stained-glass windows.

People sat on the benches, and I could hear them all speaking – the room almost made their voices louder than there should be for such a small number of people. They quieted down as soon as they saw me, and stood up.

We slowly walked along the carpet towards the figures on the opposite end. My stomach churned and I just wanted to stop and turn around, but I couldn't help myself. It seemed like my legs were not my own, and I felt compelled to keep moving. Once we got to the end of the carpet, the men in-front of me got down on one knee at the base of the steps.

"We have delivered the Hero as requested, Your Majesty."

"Indeed you have, and the Kingdom thanks you. Please return to your original posts."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The men got up and turned back the way they came, throwing me a wink before they passed by.

There were three people sitting down in-front me of me. In the middle there was an elderly man: he had a smooth face, and looked easily to be about seventy years old. He wore a silver crown with valuable jewels of all-sorts of different colors, and was clad in white and maroon clothing with a deep red cloak covering his shoulders. To his left: there was a young girl who looked like could've been my little sister! Probably about fourteen-ish,with unnatural blue hair that extended down to her waist. She wore a blue and white dress with floral designs stitched throughout. It looked like her chair was sitting lower to the ground than the old man's.

The woman to his right sat in a similarly-sized chair but it seemed almost too small for her. She was exceptionally tall, even seated. But I felt uneasy looking at her. She was beautiful – much more beautiful than anyone I've ever met. She didn't look significantly older than me, and a stream of blonde hair that seemed to almost glow hung down from a ponytail, and her dress was a masterwork of red, blue, and purple. But, whereas the King had a relaxed look on his and the younger girl was nearly ecstatic, it looked like she almost hated me? She was looking at me straight in the eye, and had been doing so since I stepped foot in here.

If her eyes could kill, then there would be nothing left of me.

I looked away, for my own safety, and started scanning the figures standing behind them. There was an assortment: some in robes, some in fancy attire, some in intricate armor – but the chairs broke everything up and I couldn't focus too much on any of them before the elderly man began to speak.

"Hero, before we begin: I would like to say that me, my daughters, and the Kingdom as a whole are overjoyed that you were able to recover from the Summoning Ritual used to bring you here!"

So that "dream" I had...it really was real, wasn't it?

"It was an ancient ritual, and we could only decipher certain passages beforehand. The acolytes who volunteered to perform this rite..." He paused for a moment. "I couldn't give enough thanks for their efforts. They performed beyond the bounds anyone could have reasonably expected of them just by bringing you here. Unfortunately you came to us quite weak, and this week had been a perilous time for us all."

That was a week ago?!

"But now you here are here!" He stood up and threw his arms up in the air, the cloak flying backwards. The slight smile he had transformed into a look of pure unadulterated joy. "And the Kingdom of the Aquila can breathe freely, for we have a powerful ally against the coming Darkness!" He had a deep voice, and a powerful one. The very walls seemed to amplify every syllable he spoke, bouncing off each other to make each exponentially louder. The crowd began to cheer, and the two sisters stood up and their hands join the older man's. The young one was cheering alongside the people below, but the other seemed to just have an empty smile.

"Excuse me, but.." I tried to speak, but I couldn't hear my own words over the crowd. Fortunately, the elderly man saw my mouth moving.

"Ah, yes. Excuse me, Hero. Please go ahead!" He bade the crowd to quiet down before sitting down himself. I could feel my mouth going dry

"Excuse me, but, why am I here? And who are you?" These questions seemed to cause the man's and the younger girl's face to stiffen up. The older one's face just...didn't. He rubbed his face with his hand, cleared his throat, and began to speak.

"I apologize, Hero, I seem to have let my own excitement get the better of me. I am the monarch of the Kingdom – King Robert S. Antioch." He gestured to to his right. "This, is the next-in-line to the Throne and my eldest daughter, First Princess Meine Antioch." She didn't avert her gaze, and now I was really getting creeped out. Gesturing to his left. "This is my youngest, and my most darling daughter. She's second-in-line, Second Princess Isabelle Antioch." She slightly bowed, and then closed her eyes and smiled.

That's just adorable. She's just like sister..in public.

But that's not the first time I heard "Darkness" used as a name. I feel like I'm not going to like what comes next.

I'm getting serious isekai feelings from this, and it doesn't feel like it does in the anime.

I was getting lost in my thoughts that I almost didn't notice them staring right at me. Was it my turn?

"Ah. Uh, here I go: my name is Daisuke Yoshida, and I'm 16 years old. I'm a second-year high school student."

"A very prestigious honor I'm sure!" The King laughed.

"Hah...yes, it is." I nodded, and prepared for my nose to grow three inches.

"Good, good. Now, the reason we've summoned you here." He cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable.

"Our world, including this Kingdom, have known nothing but peace for nearly all of our recorded histories. Countries other than us have had some internal strife, but between our borders no army has ever marched against another. In that regard, we have been exceptionally lucky and our people live quite better than anyone in the surrounding lands. Our Kingdom already has everything we need, so we've never felt the need to have our Army serve as conquers, but rather as protectors. They all train if war were to arise, but none did. Some of my advisors even suggested we put the money set aside for military use into other projects." The King chuckled, emptily.

"A month ago, roughly, the entire world was covered in darkness...this country included. The bright blue sky was stained red. Days passed with no change. We were all afflicted with even worse calamities: clouds were summoned, and the air permeated with the smell of blood. Farms were destroyed, livestock poisoned. The seas became turbulent, and entire fleets of relief meant to aid our beleaguered allies simply disappeared."

I glanced at the daughters at his side. The eldest held her gaze off in the distance, occasion looking back me. The youngest, Isabelle, kept looking off to the side. It almost seemed like her eyes were beginning to water up.

"A week after the skies darkened, great rifts tore open and horrible monsters of all varieties appeared. Great winged beasts, multi-headed dogs, undead monstrosities, among others. They beset all of the countries, ours included, all at-once. Our brave warriors and adventurers were able to hold them off, barely." The King started to look up at the banners as he spoke.

"The other countries...didn't fare so well. Like I said, strife wasn't an uncommon occurrence in those countries. While their forces, or warring armies, were able to set aside their hostilities to fight these new invaders they still weren't able to fight off these monsters. Once they conquer areas, they put the willing as well as the unwilling to work in summoning even more fearsome creatures."

He looked towards Isabelle, and she was barely able to hold back tears. She saw us looking at her, and went started sobbing. The eldest wasn't doing much better.

"Forgive my Isabelle, Mr. Yoshida. Her...my beloved wife, the Queen Autumn Antioch, fell victim to these monsters." He pointed towards a huge portrait hanging on the wall to my right. She was regal personified. Her hair was a dark shade of purple, and her sharp features radiated authority. She reminded me of the Meine. "She was in the capital of Swetland, to the north, to head a ceasefire between the two warring families and...when Swetland's best warriors fought their way the city to rescue her, blood and blades laid about, but nothing else."

The King stood up, tears in his eyes, and began walking down the stairs to the middle of the room.

"Please, understand Hero. These banners you see?" He pointed up at them. "These aren't from the noble houses of our own. The Lion, Eagle, Bear, Wolf, Shield, Shark, and the Aquila? These are from every country in the land. We stood steadfast in the face of madness, and what was left of the governments and militaries of those other countries, which all fell but us, have fled here. We aren't merely the Kingdom of the Aquila at this moment in time, we're the sole light shining in the sea of the Darkness."

He started towards me, collapsing on his knees as he got close. I was shocked – this man who held so much power was begging me for something?

"Those who own certain tomes chronicling the last time this happened, over a thousand years ago, announce in their cults all across the world that we have entered the 'The Time of Ending.'" He inched closer to me, grabbing my hands. "But those same texts state that the Hero of that dark time, your predecessor, with his last breathe struck down the Demon General that had conquered the world in its entirety. He banished that beast, and with him his dark armies, into the hellish void they poured out of. The prophecy spoken by the acolytes from every country, now in this city, state that you will be the fire that drive off these monsters before they bring about the end of everything – humans, demihumans, everything."

His words were getting faster and faster the more he spoke, and the stoicism in his voice was giving way to panic until he finally he caught himself. Looking around the room, he stood up and cleared his throat before heading back to his throne.

Ah.

How am I supposed to take this?

That...was a lot to take in just now. A sudden appearance of horrible monsters, wanton brutality in all corners of the globe, ancient prophecies, a "hero" that's supposed to save the world from certain destruction? All I could do was stand there like a deer in the headlights as I listen to this very real person infront of me tell all the horrible things that have happened elsewhere and what they want me to prevent here.

How do I even re-

"Unfortunately, since every other country has fallen, we're now also the sole target of an entire world's worth of madness. They have tried to invade our country, and nearly succeeded, in-fact. We were able to gather a massive army to beat it back, lead by a man of great spirit and courage. It was a hard-won victory, and it cost someone very dear to us as well." He gestured to Meine. She was glaring at with increasing intensity – with so much intensity that I feel a hole being burned through my body by her. Was that why so she was angry? Did she hate me? I wasn't involved in that person's death.

"It is a temporary victory, and we can expect the the enemy to attack again in the near-future. Please tell us that can we rely on your aid against the enemy - to fulfill the prophecy and save our world from being overrun by these monsters!"

Could I really say no?

I didn't know the first thing about actually fighting in a war or the first thing about combat! I only knew what I did from the video games I played. Replaying the events of that "dream" in my head – or least what I could remember – I knew that I could see that heads-up display, so maybe the same rules could apply?

I would need to look through that sooner or later.

But even if I did say no, would that do anything but disappoint everyone here? It sounded like they only knew bits and pieces about the process it took to bring me here, and after all the trouble they went to bring me here...

Did those acolytes really die bringing me here? And the King's face was sweating, despite it being chilly in here.

I looked at Isabelle, the little girl that reminded me of my little sister. She had only just barely started to let up on her sobbing, and her white face was now washed-out with red. Is this how Haruka would react if she lost me? She's normally so mean to me, but I couldn't even imagine...

I looked at the crowd, who seemed like the people from the other countries the King spoke about. They all wore different colors and different style clothes, but their faces told me the same story. You could taste their worry just about. They all stared at me, intently, like their future was hanging on the words I would say next.

They did need my help, badly. Everyone did. I didn't know how I could give them this help, but I owed it to them to try, somehow. If for no other reason, than to go back home. I thought of Sagiri: what would she think of all this?

So it's decided.

"Yes, I'll help you. I'll help you fight off the armies attacking your world."

The crowd started cheering even before I even finished speaking. The King relaxed back into his chair, sighing a breathe of relief. I could see a smile even breaking in Isabelle's face, it felt like just seeing her wide smile return eased my anxiety about this situation.

I looked back the King and he seemed to be almost laughing, barely able to contain his excitement.

"You'll have the full support of the Kingdom, and any supplies of our allies, in every aspect. We have a special suit of armor and weaponry just for you, but unfortunately the magic used to fit it to your body is still incomplete."

Now I was getting excited! I get my own armor and weapon? Great! Games usually force you to obtain your own things as a beginner.

"It belonged to the previous hero – an ancient relic of an ancient war. Most people didn't believe it existed anymore. However, a temple – The Cult of the Chosen – reached out to us the night you arrived. Somehow, they knew you had come. We allowed them to get your measurements while you recovered, and we'll lead you to them once the time is right."

"Also, since you can't merely be expected to sleep in your armor, or eat it. Any other equipment you may require, room and board outside of the castle, as well as party members and any other necessities will be covered fully by our coffers." He turned to the figures at his back and waved them towards me.

"We will provide a royal stipend of 600 silver per month. We can increase this as needed, but we estimate that this should be more than enough for anything you require. You'd have to come back here each month to receive it, however."

A woman, a servant or maid perhaps, in a blue and white dress came out from behind the King and his daughters, and walked towards me. With a large leather bag in-hand, he walked right up to, bowed, and presented me the bag. I took the bag from her and was a little taken aback by how heavy it was, so I held by the top with one hand supported the bottom with the other.

"So, if there's nothing else to talk about, and one has any questions, then I'll conclude this meeting." The King stood up, and gestured for his daughters to follow suit.

"On the behalf of the Kingdom of the Aquila and the surviving members of our fellow countries, I give you many thanks for your future aid in our quest to free the world of the Darkness. Feel free to explore the castle and the town below as you wish, and I'll send criers below to announce your arrival shortly. Tonight we shall have a feast to celebrate this joyous occasion, and you will meet some of those who wish to join your party. That is all."

We bowed, and I began go back towards the doors when I suddenly felt myself being grabbed from the back. It hit with so much force that I almost fell forwards and I stumbled for a bit.

I turned around to see what it was, and saw Second Princess Isabelle. She was hugging me so tightly that it felt like I was going to be snapped in half.

"Th-thank you, Hero! I'm so happy that you're going to save everyone!"

My face was getting hot.

"Hah, no please, i-it's nothing!"

She let up when I started to lightly push her back, and started to look up at me.

God, Haruka would be so mad right now. She just hates it when there's another cute girl around me. She wasn't very tall at all, maybe coming up to about my chest, so I had to crouch down a little bit to get on her level. I put my hand on her shoulders.

"I'm going to do anything I can to help. I promise." Am I smiling? I felt genuinely happy right now, and I wasn't sure why.

"Re-really?"

I nodded.

"Thank you so much!" She went to hug me again like before, but I ended up falling backwards on the carpeted floor, dropping the heavy coin-bag. Her face went red, and we both started laughing.

"Isabelle!"

A woman was yelling from the throne-side of the room. Meine, who was learning from a doorway to the right of her chair, was scowling me at me. Maybe I should ask her tonight why she's so mad at me?

"I'm coming!" Isabelle jumped up and started for the door. Before entering, she turned back and waved at me.

"Bye-bye, Hero!" I waved back at her, picked my bag of silver, and got back up to leave.

The ornate guards opened the door for me and closed them behind me.

It took a little while, and I think I made some wrong turns here-and-there, but eventually I arrived back to my room. At some point during the meeting with the Royal Court they put up a sign on the door saying "DAISUKE YOSHIDA."

Entering the room, I put my bag-o'-coin on the nightstand beside my bed and just threw myself on the bed. I felt a little jealous: this bed was so much more comfy than the one in my world. Instead of the roughness of the synthetic sheets, everything felt so silky smooth and I feel like I could lose myself in these pillows. I start giggling like an idiot, rolling around in my bed.

I was a hero, destined to save the world from hideous monsters? This wasn't like the MMO's I played, it was the MMO's I played and I was going to be given OP equipment and a bunch of money right at the beginning!

"Yahoo!" I jumped out of bed and ran the window, and screamed at town below.

As if anyone could hear me, but I imagined everyone was just thrilled about it like I was.

I heard my door open, and there was a woman standing in the door way, arms crossed.

"What are you laughing so hard for?"