As the blinding light fades, I gain a clearer view of my surroundings: a spacious, enclosed chamber with walls of bare stone, adorned with dimly lit torches. Beneath me, a large summoning circle pulses faintly.

Looking around, I realize I'm not the only one here. Around twenty mysterious individuals, dressed in black hooded cloaks, stand surrounding me, holding wooden staves and chanting mystical words I cannot understand. It seems that they are the magicians who summoned me.

“Hello? Where... Where am I?” a confused female voice speaks in Japanese.

My gaze shifts to the left, drawn to the origin of the voice. There, I see a young girl with a high black ponytail. She's dressed in a school uniform, her backpack still clinging to her frame, her eyes full of panic. I recognize the badge on her clothes; she's from a public high school in Tokyo.

Then, the circle glows once more, and this time, not one, but three more people arrive. The first is a teenage boy, also in a school uniform, but with hair of a rebellious shade of red. Next, a young man in a Domino's pizza delivery outfit appears, still holding a pizza box. Finally, the last arrival is a child. She's very small, about four or five years old, clutching a melting ice-cream cone in her hand.

“Mom… Mommy? Where are you?” the child’s voice breaks, tears cascading down her cheeks. 

The high school girl rushes to her side, her arms offering solace to the distraught child.

In the end, five people, including myself, were summoned. Now, the child is crying, the girl has assumed a defensive stance, and the guys are standing, with confusion evident in everyone's eyes. From where I stand, I can feel their heartbeats rising and their breathing quickening. Obviously, they are afraid.

Yet, unlike them, my heart isn't racing with fear; it's pounding with exhilaration and anticipation.

“Anna, I’m here…” I whisper to myself.

Her name has always been precious in my heart. After years of searching and trying, I've finally made it to this world. Yes, to this cursed world, the one that stole my dear little sister from me.

5 years ago, 2045…

It all began in the infamous Akihabara. That morning, my twelve-year-old little sister and I, a twenty-year-old Canadian, went there as we had moved from Canada to Japan for my studies. Anna had always been an anime fan, so she was bursting with excitement at finally being able to buy her favorite magical girl figure. She was like a child in a candy store, and seeing her smiling so happily made my heart flutter. Meanwhile, I wasn’t really an otaku, but I had always wanted to experience maid cafés. Everything was fun and we had a great time. 

But when we were on our way home...

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind erupted from nowhere. I looked up; the sky had morphed into shades of gray.

“Huh? Why is it cold?” I muttered, noticing my breath turning to icy mist. This phenomenon shouldn't occur in the midst of summer. “Is there a storm coming that I didn’t know about?”

As I was still confused, wondering what the heck was happening…

“Brother!!!”

It was Anna’s voice.

I whipped around, dumbfounded by what was transpiring right before my eyes. A circle of intricate runes and symbols materialized beneath Anna’s feet, glowing with a light so intense it nearly blinded me.

“Anna!” My voice was a desperate cry, hands reaching out to her. But I couldn’t get close. An invisible barrier had sprung up between us. Anna’s frightened, confused eyes locked onto mine.

Then, the light around her intensified, winding around her like golden snakes. It was like some sort of celestial fire consuming my sister, pulling her away from me. She levitated, her body beginning to fade within moments.

In a desperate attempt, I lunged forward, every ounce of my being yearning to rescue her, but to no avail. No matter how much I slammed my body against the barrier, I couldn’t get through. At that same moment, Anna was in terror, her mouth uttering silent screams, tears cascading down her cheeks as her form dissipated before my very eyes. 

With a final, blinding flash, both she and the radiant circle disappeared. My sister was taken from me, right before my eyes, and I was powerless to do anything about it.