Chapter 1: How It All Began

"Greetings, young denizens of Earth. My name is Seraph, and this is the Domain of God."

These were the words of a stunning Angel, her voice as soothing as honey. The twenty-nine students simply stared, dazed and utterly confused.

Hovering elegantly in front of the pearly gates, she flapped her six wings as she radiated kindness and benevolence toward the confused bunch.

She knew patience was key when dealing with these ones; considering they had been on a school bus barely seconds ago before getting transported to this mind-boggling place

It was a place brighter than daylight, despite there being no sun in sight. Clouds replaced solid ground, and the horizon seemed to stretch on endlessly.

Other than a magnificent gate that stood behind her, there was nothing in sight for miles.

After granting the students a few moments of silence, Seraph geared up to speak once again, but was interrupted by a barrage of murmurs from the crowd.

"W-what's going on?"

"Where are we?"

"Whoa, she's like an angel or something. What the hell...?"

"D-did she just say the realm of God? Are we dead?"

"The last thing I remember was that a massive truck was about to hit our bus. Please don't tell me we...!"

The uproar was no surprise, and Seraph allowed it despite the chaos.

Could anyone blame these teens?

They had been on their way back from a class field trip when they were suddenly caught up in this mess.

"Everyone, please let's calm down!"

A commanding, masculine voice suddenly pierced through the chaotic space.

Instantly, the room fell silent as each student recognized the voice.

As the noise died down, a boy stepped forward, moving with a grace that seemed incredible for a human.

"I get it. We are all confused, but please, let's try to stay calm. Our questions will definitely be answered."

Amid the collective unease, the students slowly nodded in agreement with the boy's words. His smile, both relatable and confident, worked like a charm, easing their worries and diffusing the tension hanging in the air.

With his classmates calmed, the boy, his blond hair swaying, strode towards the angelic figure observing the scene in silence.

"Excuse me, Miss Seraph," he began, addressing the angel. "I'm sorry for the chaos. Could you please tell us what's happening here?"

Seraph smiled at the young man's question. Not only was he strikingly handsome, every inch the picture of human perfection, but he was also very polite.

He seemed to be the only one who possessed the knack to properly address a celestial being like herself.

"Of course," she replied.

"Thank you, Miss Seraph," he said, bowing gently.

"What's your name?" Seraph asked.

"Adonis. Adonis Levi."

Adonis maintained his bow, earning a soft smile from Seraph. She found herself getting quite fond of this human.

"You can lift your head now, Adonis," she said, and as soon as the words left her lips, he complied.

"Listen up, everyone," Seraph began, capturing the attention of the nervous twenty-eight students.

Adonis, though feeling the weight of the moment, narrowed his eyes in determination. He couldn't afford to lose his composure. The fate of his classmates rested on his ability to stay calm.

"You were all on the brink of death, about to crash into a truck. The impact killed your driver and the teachers in the front. But just before any of you could meet the same fate, you were summoned here."

The grim reality hit hard, eliciting small squeaks from some of the students. Adonis felt a lump in his throat but forced himself to remain composed. His classmates needed him to be strong.

Their minds involuntarily conjured gruesome images of the bus's only adults reduced to a bloody mess.

"Don't worry. You're not dead. But if you go back, the same fate awaits—death for all," Seraph continued, her calm tone belying the unsettling nature of her words. The students swallowed hard, fear gripping them as they listened.

Despite Seraph's composed demeanor, her words rattled many. Fear was already settling in among the students.

"If I may?" Adonis raised his hand, offering a respectful smile.

"Oh, Adonis, go ahead," Seraph encouraged.

"I just wanted to ask about the adults. I hope they didn't suffer, and I also want to express our gratitude for saving us," Adonis said calmly, once again diffusing some tension.

"They should be resting well. Their souls are at peace. There is no need to thank me," Seraph replied.

"Haha! Surely you are being mo—

"Excuse me. I have a question." A sharp feminine voice interrupted Adonis' response, redirecting everyone's attention to the speaker.

"My name is Alicia White. The Class Representative of our class, and if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few things."

Alicia announced, her words polite but her tone stern, not even making an effort to hide her suspicion as she fixed her narrowed gaze on Seraph.

"What do you wish to know?" Seraph asked.

"Firstly," Alicia began, her voice confident, "why did you save us from certain death? I find it difficult to believe that only we would be spared while our adult guardians were killed. Apologies, but I find the convenience a bit suspicious."

Alicia's words were blunt, but there was no denying the validity of her question.

The moment she asked it, every student found themselves silently echoing her sentiment.

'She has a point!'

"I see... well, allow me to clarify," Seraph replied, her demeanor unwaveringly calm.

"The twenty-nine of you have been chosen for a purpose. A world in distress has summoned you to aid them. Following your briefing, you will be transported there"

Her words landed like a bombshell, evoking varied reactions among the students.

Some were shocked to their bones.

Some were merely confused.

A few were astonishingly trying their hardest to stifle the excitement that was clearly written on their faces.

"So you didn't save us. You're simply transporting us?" Alicia's voice held a hint of disappointment, her lips forming a small frown.

"Correct."

"That doesn't sound very benevolent."

"I did mention there's no need for gratitude toward me."

Tension surged between Seraph and Alicia, escalating rapidly until Adonis intervened.

"Please, Miss Seraph, can you tell us more about this other world and why we are being summoned there?"

This question completely shifted the focus of the students who were already beginning to panic.

Everyone suddenly began to get curious about this "world" that was in distress.

Once again, Adonis had managed to steer the conversation back on track. Seraph's smile widened slightly as she shifted her gaze and glanced at him.

"The world is named H'Trae, and its denizens are under a major threat from an opponent they can not win against. In their desperation, they resorted to Inter-dimensional Summoning. You twenty-nine were chosen because you would have died regardless, and so no viable resource was pooled from Earth."

A few struggled to understand what Seraph was saying, but the meaning behind her words couldn't be any clearer.

None of the students present could complain about being summoned, since they would have died anyway.

Regardless of whether they chose to be appreciative, the undeniable truth remained—they had been granted a second chance at life.

"What kind of trouble is this world Tria facing??" Once again, Alicia asked, her tone still laced with suspicion.

It seemed she still held a great amount of dislike or distrust—perhaps even both—towards Seraph.

"It is not my place to say. When you arrive at H'Trae, all you need will be revealed."

Seraph's swift and blunt response carried a weight that seemed to ripple through the surroundings.

It was evident she had reached the limit of her patience, causing an instant hush to fall upon the group.

"You are all here, in this domain, for one reason and one reason alone." Seraph continued, breaking the silence.

"I am to prepare you for your journey to H'Trae. It is a world filled with many unknown wonders, but also great danger. To ensure your survival as well as the fulfillment of the role of your summoning, each of you will receive Skills and a Class ."

While the words she uttered sailed over the heads of a few students, almost everyone in the room knew what "Skills" and "Class" entailed.

"You will be choosing your Skills based on the Karma you had just before you were brought here," Seraph added.

"E-excuse me... but did you just say Karma? As in the amount of good deeds we did in our lives?" A voice from the crowd questioned, a hint of disbelief lingering in their tone.

Though the voice was somewhat low, Seraph was able to hear every word.

"Not exactly. Every person has a maximum of a hundred Karma from the moment they are born, but the number decreases when you do bad deeds to others or if people see you in a bad light."

In simple terms, the more likable a person was, the higher their chances of having a near-perfect Karma.

The opposite was also true.

"One after the other, you will approach me, and I will show you the list of Skills and Classes available to you based on your Karma. Once a person has chosen a Skill or Class, it can not be chosen by another."

A small commotion erupted among the students, and understandably so. It was essentially a 'first come, first served' scenario.

"Why don't we start with the three who bothered to ask questions? Adonis Levi, Alicia White, and... the last one." Seraph announced.

Adonis was already close to Seraph, while Alicia stood at the forefront of the rest of the students As for the last person that was called, he was clustered among his classmates.

"Excuse me. Coming through." the boy grunted as he maneuvered his way out of the crowd of students around him.

Many eyed him with envy, as being among the first to choose held considerable weight.

When he finally made it to the front, the angelic lady shot him a quizzical look.

She seemed to expect another impressive or striking individual but instead found an overall average-looking boy.

Seraph didn't linger on the average-looking boy for too long, however.

"Step forward, you three," she commanded.

The unexpected trio—a perfectly handsome boy, a strikingly gorgeous girl, and an average nobody—stepped forward and approached Seraph.

"Adonis, Alicia, and... uh... what is your name again?"

Seraph's eyes fixated on the boy in question, drawing the attention of many.

Even Adonis and Alicia were staring at him.

This unexpected attention which the boy had never experienced before this, made him take a few seconds to compose himself before responding.

"My name is Rey. Rey Skylar."

*

*

*

Thanks for reading the first chapter of this novel.

If you enjoyed it and would like to see more, you can add it to your library.

I'm in a contest and would like to win, so your support is much needed and appreciated.

Cheers!