"What just happened?" Saito Takashi woke up and found himself in an unfamiliar location out of nowhere on the ground. "I remember a bright light in my room just before preparing to go to work...But I don't..." Looking at his surrounding he can see that he is in cave. Some basic furnitures as bookshelves, tables, chairs and the likes were placed and candles were lit all around."Just where am I exactly?" Saito stood up and notice a weird pattern on the floor where he was just unconscious before. "Was I drugged by some cult?" It looked like magic circles he always saw in movies or games

 

"Getting killed by some weird cult hmm."

 

Needing to know more at what just happened. Saito checked and found that the cave wasn't that wide. other than the room he was in before, which was most likely a study there was only two other room. A bedroom and a kitchen. While he didn't find anyone, he guessed that someone must have just left, with the candles still burning brightly and hot soup he found on top the table in the study.

What worried him was that when he was investigating the study, he noticed that all the books were in a language he couldn't pin point from what country it originate from and whats worst was that he couldn't find an exit.

 

He tried to find any secret passage of some sort but to no avail. But there must be a wait out, clearly the person who captured me and the one that lit all the candles left recently. Theres also the matter with the air. Its flowing naturally, but I can't find a source no matter what. 

Nothing else to do, he thought that it was best to investigate all three rooms in a more detailed manner.

The bedroom was a small it only had the bed and one small cabinet beside it what was inside was just a mask and a few writing materials. While the kitchen had three cabinets all containing food. other than the breads there things that looked like fruits but he couldn't identify them.

 

The study was the last room he investigated. A robe was hanging on the chair. On top of the table lays a silver ring, three books and a soup that recently lost its warmth and there was only one bookshelf, but it was filled with books.

The three books really did contain language that he didn't know of. There was a difference in not being able to read the language and not being able to identify it. Saito was considered quite smart a "Straight A student" his classmate would call him back in the day. He'd seen quite a few language but nothing like this.

 

"Did I really got kidnap by some weird cult?"He couldn't come with anything but perhaps some crazy cult with their own made up language really did kidnapped him and was planning to sacrificing him or something.

He inspected the ring next. It was a beautifully crafted silver ring, words were craved on it in alphabets. "Hexerei"

This was the only letters that was in alphabets but he didn't know what it meant. For all he knew it could have been a name.

Saito wasn't fond of accessories or the like. But something, just something compelled him to try it on. Maybe it was because it was such a quality product, maybe because it was the only thing that had alphabets on it or maybe he just magically felt like it, and thus wore it.

 

Immediately after wearing the ring, a strong feeling of nausea hit him, before he knew it his legs already gave up on him and he was on the floor, breathing heavily like a fish out of water as he slowly lose consciousness.  

 

When he woke up, the soup on the table was already ice cold and the candles didn't seem like it melted at all. He wasn't sure how long it was out for. For all he knew while he was laying there like a deadman somebody could have come inside the cave.

He got up to survey his surrounding and he did indeed find something out place but not what he had expected.

"Huh? I can read these?" For some reason all the books was now readable. The letters still looked gibberish but he could understand said gibberish for some reason. "Space - Time Magic Theory" "A World Beyond" "Tales of heroes" Those were the tittle of the books that was laying on top of the table.

Shocked that he can now read the letter on the cover he began reading through the book to see if he could understand any of it.

Skimming-through, "Space - Time" was just too complicated to understand without context, while "A World Beyond" Speak of theories on multiple world in another plane and Tales of heroes are stories of heroes from old that came from another world.

 

 

While its true that Saito can now read these books it doesn't mean he could "understand" them and he was still bewildered on why he could suddenly read all of this. He might have considered someone did came into the cave while he was still unconscious and switched the books, but that didn't explain why he still sees the characters the way they are. The only thing that he could think of next, that might lead to this situation was the ring.

But removing the ring didn't change anything. He could read the letters but for some reason he felt unhinged without it. He felt naked without the ring anymore for some reason so he decided to keep it for now.

 

He still needed answers though. Logically speaking Saito could have guess what had happened based on the three books on the table but, he didn't want to believe it. Who would have? For magic to exist and another world at that. It couldn't actually be that he was summoned to another world right?

 

"But maybe.. I can start again and forget about before." Saito hated himself for thinking like so.

 

If magic do exist. Then perhaps that was the way to escape, some kind of teleportation magic. "Space - Time" might contain such knowledge but right now it was too much far Saito with such limited knowledge. Hoping to find something more simple he heads for the bookshelf. 

 

It felt like a few hours had passed, but he couldn't really tell.

In the end there were only five books that he didn't have a problem reading because either it was simple enough or straight to the point.

After reading these books it might help him to understand other books in return and find a way to escape. He needed to leave this cave as fast as possible. If air wasn't limited, food and water was.

 

"Tales of Heroes"

"The sixteen warriors"

"The World's Archive"

"The Core of Mana"

"True Elements"

 

After reading trough the books. "Tales of heroes" was what I expected from the tittle, it tells of people being summoned from another world by royalty longed passed and how they defeated the monster of their era, every stories had some kind of royalty summoned them.

"Was I summoned by a royalty?"

 

"The sixteen warriors" was a tale of heroes too, but unlike before it seems that all of them were native of this world, and while Tales of heroes was an anthology. This book was only telling one story. 

They came from many race to Humans, Elves, Beast and Djinn. "Well that confirms other race do exist." It was one of the few rare cases in history where the strongest people in the world knew each other and were friends. Together they had adventures and heroic tales but most of them were killed in their final fight against a monster, a disaster named "Morder." A beast, a giant, a being that was told in countless stories as a way to make kids scared came to life. It took everything they had to win.

 

"Based on whats written here it didn't happened that long ago. There seems to be a few survivors from the battle."

 

"The world archive" was something else. It lists of location, their population, whose in power, lands that longed had gone through the test of time etc... The book dates back centuries. The last entry was just one week ago.

"Either it passed from generations to generations or maybe the one who wrote it was of a race with long lifespan."

Either way it was gonna be useful for when he finally leave the cave. For example, He already knew where the cave was and not far from here was the - Forest of Disappearance - One of the few untouched forest in the world for a strong mysterious creature that produce fogs made it it's home.

Not to mention other strong monster also resides in the forest that prey on anyone who enters it. But these monster never leaves the forest. As long as I don't lose my way, based on whats written here, the monsters I'll meet won't be a problem to handle

Whats interesting was that one of the sixteen warriors survivor lives inside the forest.

 

The final two books were to only books that discuss the principle magic in level that he could understand.

 

"The Core of Mana" explains how to find where the heart of the individuals mana was so to speak. Everyone have mana flowing through them but to use magic to its full potential having mana flow through the core would make them stronger. On top of that it also teach the fundamental step to feel mana outside of ones body too.

 

"True Elements" taught what this world consider basic magic until advanced, using four of the basic elements. Fire, Wind, Earth and Water. Its seems that the Elves and Djinn are the most proficient in using magic. While human scarce in between when it comes to talent in it.

 

"These topics are out of my understanding but I feel like I could understand if I just try hard enough." Its wasn't like pondering any longer would help, Saito begin studyings the books in earnest. In the back of his head he was sure it was because of the ring. 

 

 

"The core doesn't have a designated spot, it differs from individuals to individuals - races to races... Every races have a different type of mana but even that still continues as a theory... Flowing mana starting from the core and end it with the core will... Mana and spirits are different source of power, rarely anyone can make spirits flow expect for the Elves... Loss of mana could lead to...Djinn blood magic are closer to my research that I expected..."

 

 

"Elemental magic even the basic could be used well depending... different chanting is required... Not many humans have the knowledge to the use magic at its purest form... Its possible to obtain such ability with enough understanding and work... For the first four original elements is the easiest to master... Not all elements that exists are in this world."

 

 

He couldn't tell how long had passed since he started. At most it would have been two days based on his internal clock. He took out the writing materials in the bedroom to use them in his study.

 

Checking on the masked that was bedside it he can see it was well crafted just the like the ring. "Was the one living here an outcasted royalty?"

 

The knowledge contained in this cave didn't feel like something that would circulate publicly. If anything it must have been somekind of sage that locked himself to research magic. Allot of the books here were written by the same author. At least that was what he guessed based on the hand writing.

Though it hasn't been long since he was found it himself in this predicament. He had gotten used to living in the cave, air seems to be flowing properly but he couldn't find where it was coming from, food and water could last awhile and the candles never goes out.

 

Before long, Saito started to read other books on the shelf with his new found knowledge.

 

After a week, Saito Takashi took his first breath of fresh air in another world.