Prologue

The sky was dark with rain cloud filling up the blue sky. A girl who was wearing a hoodie looked up to see the sky slowly darkening and frowned. Only her face was seen. One could see her blue eyes and straight black hair that emerged a little from within her hood. She was no older than 16. She looked at the time on her hand and mused.

“6 pm, way beyond curfew time for me and I didn’t bring my umbrella….”

She looked at her hand and saw two 100-yen coin, altogether 200-yen. She just sighed tiredly as she looked to a store near her side. She entered it and went for the counter. A young boy, a high-schooler from the look of his face, a part-timer probably working to buy a PS2 that had just come out last month. It was the ongoing trend as she had heard many of the kids talking about it while they walked towards their school. He looked at her and asked politely.

“How may I help you?”

She did not reply as she looked at the little things in the counter like stacks of pen, chocolates, etc and finally found what she was looking for. A white pack was there sitting in the farthest part of the counter. She stretched her arm and hand while trying to catch it. After her 3^rd attempt she finally caught it and placed it in front of the boy. He took it and looked what exactly the girl was buying. He frowned as he read.

“….Seven Star, cigarette? Aren’t you too young to smoke?”

Quite a hypocrite, considering his age was the same as her's. However, she did not mind and said.

“I may look like a midget but I am 5 years your senior, boy.”

She lied. She had just turned 16 but who knew? Students like the boy who worked part-timers were pretty gullible when they think you are older than you looked. Some of them even bowed to apologize. The boy in front of her just frowned but shrugged before saying.

“175 yen please.”

She gave him the two coin while he gave her a two 10 yen and a 5 yen. She took it and kept it inside her left pocket. She also grabbed the packet of smoke and kept it in her right pocket as she walked out of the store. She then felt a drop of water falling on her nose. She looked up to see the darkened sky and ran to her destination. She traversed alley ways, some blocks and finally arrived to a bridge. She went under it when it started to rain lightly.

She looked at a cardboard house and the beggar in front of it. The beggar saw her and smiled.

“Did you bring it?”

She nodded and threw the pack of cigs to him. He caught it deftly, showcasing that he just wasn’t some ordinary beggar. He sat down and gestured her to sit as well which she did. He opened the cigarette pack and took one cigar out. He kept the pack inside his stitched pocket while taking out a matchbox. He used it to light the cigar and slowly drew the smoke in before letting it out in front of her. Her face scrunched up in displeasure as she waved her hand to clear the smoke. She spoke out in displeasure.

“Anything about the yakuza I was talking about?”

The beggar just grinned and shook his head.

“No news whatsoever. He knows that my information network is keeping him tabbed. He is young but he is not a fool. But he can’t do anything to me as there are many other yakuza organizations in this city who rely on my information. He is still new to this business otherwise he will be destroyed soon if he did not know how to navigate in this city. You know girl? I give you my information for cheap because I owe a favor to the ones who take care of you, otherwise few thousands would be the least price for my information.”

She nodded as she asked.

“Do you know what he will do next?”

He just shrugged.

“Well, I got only paid for one question.”

She scowled as he just smirked.

“Then I will give this one for free. Despite being new he has many high connection, he might as well had used something already. Hehehe from the looks of it, he is clearly obsessed with you; why don’t you reciprocate his feeling? You might as well be his wife and live your life in luxury.”

Her scowled deepened which answered his question as he guffawed even harder. That bastard simply wanted to get a rise out of her misery.

“No need to give me death glare lass, go back to your place. It’s going to rain hard.”

She just stood up and looked outside. It was gradually raining harder. She looked at him as he just waved and she ran out scowling. It took her 30 minutes, many left and right turns when she finally reached to a gate. An iron gate which creaked as she pushed it open. A little further was a big poorly maintained church which also acted as an orphanage. She entered the church through the door and was greeted by rows and rows of old squeaky benches. There was an alter in the front with an angry looking woman in nun attire standing near to it.

“Sister Fubuki…”

Sister Fubuki just looked at her sternly before sighing.

“Dear Lord, Kimiko!…. Just what am I going to do with you? Do you know what time it is? 7 pm!”

Kimiko just looked away in shame. Sister Fubuki just went closer as she crouched and looked at her.

“O’ heaven, just look at you! You are drenched! Just where and why did you go in this rain?”

Kimiko just looked to the side, refusing to meet the pleading eye of the Sister, as she said in a low voice.

“To run some errand.”

Fubuki just looked at her sadly while patting her head.

“You don’t need to do this for money, Kimiko. We are responsible for your well-being you know. Hurry to your room to change your clothes. I folded you towel and kept it on your bed. Be sure to be quiet as the other kids are already sleeping.”

She thanked Fubuki as she went upstairs slowly. She opened her door carefully and walked inside. The room was small with barely enough space for 1-meter wide bed but considering she had almost nothing with her, it was enough. She only had few clothes, a photo, a piggybank and some copies and books from her younger days before she dropped out from 1^st year High-school. She was the only one who lived alone because she was nearly an adult while the others were younger kids. They all huddled together in a big room while she slept alone. She was always alone, even kids usually stayed away from her as she really did not seem to connect to kids who were 10 years her junior. She looked the only thing she considered her precious thing; a faded picture of a young couple with a baby in the middle.

It was a picture of her parents before an accident took them away. From there, her life swirled downwards. Her parent’s relative took most of her possession away and sent her to orphanage. She started her study and studied up to 1^st year of High school until someone took a fancy to her. Why did he fancy her? Because she was the only one who actively resisted his advance. A cocky man who was the leader of a Yakuza family. Harassment was a constant and she had to leave the school because he pulled some string with the Principal.

Now she was here. She smiled ruefully.

“I guess it can’t get any worse, can it?”

She changed her clothes into her nightgown after drying her soaked hair with a towel. She felt a thirsty due to the fact that she jogged her way to the Orphanage. She slowly got out of the room and tip-toed to the kitchen at the end of the corridor. She took her glass and drank two glasses of water to quench her thirst. As she was returning she could hear muffled voices from the room of the Sisters. There were two sisters taking care of this old and worn out church; Sister Fubuki and Sister Rachael. Kimiko pressed her ear to the door to hear what they were talking about so silently.

“We can’t go on any longer.”

The voice belonged to Sister Rachael. She seemed to be stressed out by something.

“I will try to do something. I will ask the Mayor for his reason to cut off the funds. We barely live by with the help of the fund but now? Who will take care of the orphans?”

Sister Fubuki seemed to be worried as well. Suddenly Kimiko remembered the word that the begger informant had given her.

“He has many connection…”

Kimiko just stared at a distance. She questioned to herself like always.

“Why…?”

*Pit pat*

Tear dropped from her eyes as she clenched her fist. She silently went to her room and closed it. Then she went to her bed and used the pillow to muffle her scream of frustration.

“Why me?”

“Why do these things always happen to me?”

“There are many girls in this world, why did he had to choose me?”

“Why does this world hate me so much?”

“First it took away my parents, then my only friend, then my school and now? It wants to take what little happiness I have left?” 

That night, for the first time, she cried herself to sleep.

The next morning was hazy. She woke up quite late with her long hair all tangled up. She was yawning out a bit while her eyes were slightly swollen. The sun had already risen as she looked through the window. She looked at her watch and it was 9 am.

“Oops..”

She changed her dress to the one she had worn before; grey hoodie and black tights. It was a bit worn out but it was the only thing with her that wasn’t patched. The kids would already have breakfast so she looked at the piggybank near her. She got out of the room with few 100 yens. She decided she would eat out of the Church. She went to the bathroom and washed her face. Then she slipped out of the door of the Church without raising the sound as she sprinted across the lawn. She watched the children play in the garden while the Sisters were looking out for them. They saw her but before they could say anything, Kimiko sprinted out of the gate. A bit of a dick move to the people who took care of her for 13 years.

She knew her way as she weaved between people to a stall which sold cheap ramen. She ordered the cheapest one as well to fulfill her stomach. The taste was bland but it was filling her stomach well and was warm. However, she looked distracted as a thought occupied her head.

‘What should I do? To stop him from cutting off the fund?’

Just as she was musing while eating, she felt herself be grabbed and yanked away. She fell down and kicked the offending person from beneath her. The man who had grabbed her was caught by someone as he straightened up. Her eyes widened as she snarled in rage.

“YOU PEDOPHILE!!”

The man simply smiled, showing his disgusting yellowed teeth. He was around the age of mid-twenties. His face was horrendous as many acnes littered his face while his goons were surrounded him. Probably the one who caught him while Kimiko kicked him.

“Yes it is me. Missed me, darling? By the way, pedophile is such a crass word.”

She shivered in disgust at the pedophile. The man in front of her was the one responsible for her current situation. The people surrounding them parted away so as to not to get in the way of their business. Cowards, the lot of them. She snarled as she spat her words venomously.

“Never will I ever miss you, fucker!”

The man seemed to revel in her disgust as he shivered in, what looked like, pleasure. He swaggered haughtily as he spoke.

“Yes, I just can’t get enough of your expression. That lovely little snarl and how I wish to twist you into my pet will be a sight in of itself. You do care for your Orphanage right? If so, then knell and submit to me. If you did, then I might consider refunding that decrepit Church of yours.”

Her face suddenly turned into worry at the mention of her home. It quickly turned fierce as he was the one responsible for it. But every glimpse of her face seemed to enthrall the man as he questioned her.

“What is your answer? Be my woman and live in lavish lifestyle or…. There is no ‘or’. That is simply your fate from the day you crossed my path.”  

She simply ran away while the shop owner said nothing to the Dine and dash scenario. Probably, wishing the Yakuza to go away. The ugly man just sighed as he commanded his goons.

“Get her. Whoever brings her to me will get a million yen! Today I shall make her mine.”

His goon whistled and cheered as they ran after her. After several minutes of being chased she was finally cornered in a dead end alley way. She looked front only to see 5 of his goons blocking the only way to escape. She had no training whatsoever to take them on. They just looked at her as if she was some kind of misbehaving pet and the thought of being in his mercy, disgusted her to the core. She smiled wearily.

‘Better to die than be broken.’

Without any hesitation she took a pocket knife, a knife she always brought everywhere with her, from her hoodie and aimed it at her throat. But before she could do anything the ground beneath her glowed and suddenly she was gone, leaving a pocket knife behind.

---

Kimiko felt like she was suddenly in a high-speed roller coaster as she tumbled here and there with the blue light works. She was sure that the moment when everything turned normal; she would barf out all the food she had just eaten. Then the vertigo ended and she found herself in an old looking room with what looked like stone built room. It had many bookshelves crammed with books, tables stacked with paper, quills and pens and what looked like a chandelier. There was a weird circle with many different kinds of symbols below her and smoke was coming out of it. An old man with a long grey beard who wore a robe with a book in one hand was staring at her in utter surprise. The other people, his colleague by the same dress code, also looked at her with wide eyes. Then a pandemonium broke out in the room. The old man seemed to laugh before he shouted happily.

“Hahahahaha! I was right! This is the circle that I have created which can summon Heroes from another world!!”

‘What?’

But before she could voice out her thought, suddenly the door to the room banged open and several people came in wearing armor like they did during the time of Kings. She wondered why the heck were they cosplaying? They seemed to talk to each other and to the robed people in small voice. They all pointed to the old man and her before they ran out of the door. Then she was alone with the crazy old man and the cosplayers. One of them came before her to grab her. She flinched, causing her to stumble and fall on her butt. But the man in armor seemed to not mind and simply yanked her. She yelped in pain as she tried to pull her hands away from him. But it seemed that his grip on her hand was simply too strong.

“Hey!”

The armored man seemed to grumble in minor annoyance.

“Be quiet, otherwise you will be executed!”

Kimiko stared in confusion. Damn it! She did not what was going on! Then a scream startled her. It was laced with confusion as well, just like she was.

“What? What is going on!”

It was the old man as he backed away.

“What are you doing!”

She looked to the side at the old man as he stumbled and fell to his back. The mad man had said something about Heroes. She looked downwards as she thought of a very impossible scenario.

‘Wait a damn minute! I…… was summoned? You can do that? That genre was real? Isekai do exist?’

whoosh

*Slice*

But before she could ponder, she heard a ripping sound and something wet hit the side of her face. She touched her face with her hand as something slippery and red graced her fingers. It smelled like iron and her hand was shaking. Just like in the movies when a man gets cut with a slicing object or something. Kimiko had seen such a movie in her friend’s house before she passed away. She looked to her side and saw another armored man, who was  different than the others. While the solders wore iron forged armor that was grayish in color, this one was wearing a black cape and dark bluish kind of armor. He had sliced the old man on the chest with his sword. The old man gurgled as his own blood choked him.

“….W..hy?...”

The caped man simply stated coldly.

“According to Amrita Empire law: Any form of experiment on the summoning of Heroes, without the consent from the Temple of Origin, is rewarded with Death. Thank the Death Goddess that you are swiftly taken out. Otherwise, you’d be tortured to death. Though I have to ask why? You were a genius old man who taught another rising genius, Solomon. Why commit this felony?”

The old man just laughed trails of blood spattered the ground.

“You…. know….. that the Temple….. is going… to lose….. You all…. Are just….. too arrogant…. to…. see that…..However….. you were….. waiting for…. Me to… do this, weren’t you? …… It’d be too….. convenient that….. you arrived…. just when…. the savior….. was summoned….”

The guard just shook his head as his voice turned cold.

“Yeah, someone wanted to deal with you then your protégé. Thought that you were a threat to Amrita and her interest. And that little girl is no savior. Remember old man, we are not going to lose against some Demon King. Amrita Empire has already sent 30 million troops to aid the Temple. We will overwhelm him and kill him off. Let him tremble before the might of the largest Empire of Vesperia.”

The old man just coughed as his eyes turned weaker and weaker but one could hear he say few words before he died.

“Pride…. Cometh… before…. The…. Fall….. Oh Amrita!.... how…. I have….. failed you….”

Kimiko’s heart chilled when the blood coated armored man looked at her. She could not see his eyes through his helmet but knew it was probably analyzing her. The guard who was in front of her asked the caped man who seemed to be his superior.

“What should we do with her?”

She was scared of the man who killed others so nonchalantly. She was shaking because she thought that she was next. She was pretty sure she would have leaked in her pants. The man just wiped the blood off of his sword before the sheathing it. He just looked at her before shrugging, casually dismissing her as a threat.

“Don’t know. She is supposed to be this ‘Hero’ or something. Bring her before the Emperor and let his majesty decide her fate.”

This was how she found herself in front of a huge hallway laced with marble and chandelier with hand cuff on her hand as well as chains on her feet. In front of her was a 20 feet Throne with a man sitting on it, who looked very menacing and intimidating. He had a rough black hair with a hook nose, small eyes and a scar that started from the left side of his chin and ended to his left forehead. He wore more militaristic kind of clothes with medals on the left side of his chest and a big bastard sword on the right side of the Throne. At the side were a group of people who wore gaudy and tacky clothes. She felt like she was in a zoo with people squinting their eyes to look at her. Then she was rudely shoved onto the ground before the caped man himself kneeled in front of the man. He snarled at her.

“Kneel before the Emperor! This is your first as well as the final warning and respect him! Love live the Emperor!!”

The Emperor just raised his hand to keep silence as silence reined in the room. He spoke in a gruff voice.

“What do we have here, Colonel?”

The scary man, who was a colonel, just raised his head as he spoke.

“Your majesty, we found that the [Sage] Bernold had committed a crime of Summoning Heroes on his own and she is the result of it.”

The room seemed to erupt in murmur and discussion. The emperor just looked at her and shook his head before raising his hand to silence the crowd.

“What happened to him?”

The colonel explained.

“I executed him for violating the law.”

The Emperor just sighed as he gestured the man to go on.

“So why have you brought her here?”

“So as to decide what should be done to her, your majesty.”

The Emperor just stayed in silence as he seemed to ponder. Kimiko just gulped, thinking how ironic that her fate was to be decided by a man as well. She was feeling a bit lost as well, could she even go back? Was there a way to even go back? Did she even want to go back? The Emperor commanded.

“Bring her status over here.”

The colonel nodded before grabbing her by the hair as she instinctively tried to defend herself. Then he took out a knife as Kimiko turned stiff, her eyes at the knife which was coming closer.

“No!”

She struggled as the colonel grunted. She then felt a stinging pain on her cheek. He had smacked her on the cheek with his gloved hand. He said with the same cold voice.

“Stay still otherwise this is going to hurt you more, little girl.”

She whimpered as she did so. He nicked a little of her hand with a knife as a drop of blood formed on it. He brought out a big paper from somewhere (Magic? She thought) and dabbed it on her blood. Then suddenly words started to form on the paper. He, unceremoniously, let her go as she curled herself on the ground to make herself smaller. He took the paper to the Emperor who looked at it.

“Pretty average…. [Unique Skill]? [Devour]. Able to take a skill or magic from the target? A skill fit for a thief not a Hero….”

The crowd burst into laughter as she curled even further. The Emperor looked at the little girl with no emotions in his eyes.

“I have decided your fate, little girl.”

Her body shook a little. Was she about to die?

“You are to be trained in the art of combat.”

The crowd murmured in disbelief. The Emperor banged his hand on the arm of his Throne before standing up.

“Silence! She is to be trained and to be put into battle. She will be fighting for the Amrita Empire. We do not need Heroes, only soldiers. She will be put into good use!”

What? She will be trained? One of the member of the crowd voiced his confusion.

“Who will train her? And what about the Temple?”

The people in the crowd looked at each other in disgust. The Emperor spoke.

“She will be sent into the Border Town under the supervision of Captain Petra. I know none of the others will train her due to the prejudice of foreign blood annexed into Amrita during our Bloody Campaign before the Demon King arrived. No need to deny that there is no discrimination going on. Only Captain Petra and her squad can train her properly without them discriminating her. Captain Petra's record is impeccable as she valiantly defended the Border Town from [Demons] and [Cultist] alike. She was already on her way to become a General if not the intervention of someone just because she was of foreign blood."

He looked pointedly at the figures sitting in the crowd as the person shifted uncomfortably. He continued on.

"She is going to be an asset in the future and I don’t need someone else hampering her growth. Send her to the Priscilla Border Town. As for the Temple? I will deal with them about this botched Summoning.”

Then she was yanked by her chain. It was the asshole from earlier. But she felt a little faint from all this fiasco and him doing such thing added more needless stress. He scowled as he looked at her.

“Move, your fate has been decided.”

‘Such an asshole!’

Then she was again rudely pushed from the place as she walked away a little faster, not wanting to be pushed. As she went out of the door a boy entirely garbed in white and yellow with a staff seemed to enter the place. Though he wore a white hood she could see white long silky hair coming out from the hood. Then she was led to a dining hall where she was given bland food and then shoved into an old carriage after finishing her food. Her cuff and chains were removed by the normal guards before she was sent inside the carriage. She massaged her wrist and leg. Then the guard locked the door and said something to the coachman as he nodded.

‘Welcome to a foreign world where people need a Hero, huh? What a load of Bullshit! Burn this place to the ground for fuck’s sake, I don’t give a shit!’

This is just a prologue. The chapters will be published later on in the future but not before I have published more chapters to my other story. Yup her personality was like this.