The Summoning

Jax Mcgee

“Don’t be dumb! And stay on the damn trail!” yells a booming voice from within the house that Asta just ran out of, but she was already too far away to hear Her silver-blonde hair glints in the sunlight as she moves, the braids that had taken hours to create, already loose Even though she’s walked this path hundreds of times, Asta’s still mesmerized at how the houses and bustling town turns seamlessly into the wild forest A slight tingle runs through her as she passes through the protective barrier, I’m officially on my own, she thinks. The ground is still damp from the last rain and while stopping to take a drink, Asta catches her reflection in a nearby puddle. Little bits of deep brown mud are splattered all over her clothes and skin, some even made it into her hair. Tasked with collecting herbs for her moddy, Asta scans the forest floor for the telltale leaf patterns and berries that she’s learned over the years helping her mother collect these same plants

While stopping to appreciate the first flowers after the long winter, Asta sees a bird hop into the nearby bushes Despite her moddy’s disapproving voice in the back of her head, Asta follows, hoping to see some baby birds, or at least eggs. Searching through the brush, Asta's hands become sticky and wet from the mud. Instinctively, she wipes them on her tunic to get rid of the unpleasant sensation. Realizing what she just did, Asta thinks, Oh shoot, moddy’s gonna kill me when I get home, this was new too... oh well, I’ll just say I fell. Asta stands up and turns around to head back to the path and realizes she can’t see it anymore. Her hands start to shake and her pointed ears perk up as adrenaline floods her body Everyone knows dark fae and ogres roam this forest, or even worse, humans Hearing a twig snap behind her, Asta whirls around to find a large object coming down on her head With one hit, she crumples to the ground and masked figures surround her. Rough footsteps in the mud became the only trace that Asta was ever there.

Blinking into consciousness, Asta begins to recall what just happened when interrupted by a sharp pain in the back of her head where she was hit Looking around Asta sees unfamiliar people in long dark cloaks, all wearing masks, to conceal their identity On the ground in front of her was a series of patterns and shapes interconnecting, covering a large area. The figures were taking care not to disturb the diagram, going out of their way to step around it. Asta coughs when smoke suddenly hits her lungs. It has an almost sweet taste and she instinctively starts running through the possibilities of what her kidnappers could be burning. Annoyed by an itch, Asta reached up to scratch her neck and realized her hands were tied behind her. Glancing down revealed that her ankles were bound in a similar fashion and yelling to get her captors’ attention didn’t do anything as she found she was silenced by magical means Panic starts to set in and Asta can feel her breath start to quicken once more What the hell is going on here? And why did they take me? she frantically ponders To try to calm herself down, Asta tries the grounding techniques her moddy taught her, but only becomes frustrated when they don’t immediately work.

“Finally! It is ready!” a booming voice calls out. Startled out of her thoughts, Asta turns her head, along with everyone else, to face the figure who spoke. “No longer do we need to be contained to this mortal plane! Ozymodius will reward us for our service and grant us eternal happiness while they rule this realm!” the figure continues to proclaim Slowly putting the pieces together in her head, Asta realizes that she’s probably part of this deal, and odds are, it won’t be fun

“Grab the child and we shall begin!” Everyone starts chanting in an unfamiliar language, while a few grab her and, in their excitement, toss Asta into the diagram harder than they meant to. The lines on the ground start to glow and the chant grows louder. Asta begins to feel a connection to somewhere that isn’t on her plane of existence. She starts to feel herself being sucked into this other realm. It must be a trade, what’s-their-face needed someone to replace them so they could come here, or at least that’s what these weirdos think Consumed by the strange feeling of existing in multiple places at once, Asta barely hears someone call her own name Gaining some awareness when the chanting turns into yells of surprise and anger, Asta sees her moddy taking on multiple cultists, her moddy’s swords a blur in the blueish light of the glowing diagram.

“Get out of here!” yells her moddy, when Asta meets their eyes for a brief moment. Overtaken by fear, something strange awakens in Asta and suddenly she’s in a damp cave. What the hell just happened?! What’s going on? How did I get here? Is moddy gonna be alright? So many thoughts and questions rush through Asta’s head, barely heard before another one replaces it. Confused about what just happened and terrified, tears start falling from Asta’s face. She doesn’t realize until they fall off her face and hit her legs beneath her Startled by the sensation, the tears pause for a second and then come back stronger than ever before After crying herself to sleep, Asta wakes up the next morning and makes a plan Realizing she’s now on her own, Asta’s survival instincts kick in and she calls upon the knowledge that her moddy has given her. Finally confident enough to leave, she starts her lone journey.