There are many legends throughout the world. Some talk of King Arthur and his knights. Others speak of the mysterious group of knights known as Primis, who fought and disappeared into nothing. There are some that speak of the Legendary Cardinal Heroes, and others that speak of the battle between Heaven and Hell that happens beneath everyone's noses.
Some legends are true, others are fantasies. However, they all come from the truth. Time has only altered them from their original truth, and the tale of the Controllers of Time is no different. In legends hardly exist anymore, they speak of those who can change the flow of time with a wave of their hand.
What happened to them, is unknown. Some say they were hunted as freaks of nature. Others claim they were smited by God for daring to bring something not of His creation to His world. Some believe that the devil has their souls, through some unholy deal. And some believe they are still out there, their powers dormant, until they are needed.
The sound of keys caught his ears, breaking his thoughtless trance. Looking up, the young man saw his professor lock the door. The professor was an older man, with graying hair and a beard and green eyes. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie.
"Didn't expect to see you staying so late, Richter," the man told the young adult. He had light grey hair and eyes. The hair was medium length, and was combed back which led to a small ponytail near the end. It looked similar to a hairstyle from the colonial era. He was wearing an open olive drab jacket with a brown shirt underneath. He had black jeans and black work boots.
"Well, I was gonna wait for the rest of the crew to get here so we could bounce ideas off of each other, but they just texted me saying they couldn't make it," the student responded.
"Well, what seems to be the problem?" The elder asked, as they began to walk the halls of the university.
"I don't have the slightest idea what to do. I mean, I can come up with an idea, but I just don't know where to begin," Richter explained.
"Let's start with what you like. What do you like to read?"
The man looked aside. "Manga." He answered quietly.
"Those Japanese comics?" The professor asked. The man nodded. "Ha. Well, I'm not surprised. My grandson reads em, and when I first saw you, I had that same feeling that I had with my grandson." The professor told him. He quickly wrote something on a slip of paper, before handing it to his student. "Give that to the librarian. She's got a special book that I read when I was younger that's like the plots to the manga my grandson reads. It's very rare, so that's why you need the note. Anyways, good luck on your paper, I expect to see it by the end of next week," he said, waving his hand.
Richter looked at the note. It was quickly scribbled down, but he could make out what it said.
Believe in Her, Hero.
He gave a shrug, before walking through the university. It was a fairly large campus, but the sophomore knew his way around. Opening the door, he found himself in a large room, with books on every shelf he could see. Some were fiction, others were fact. However, his goal was for something that was off the record. Maneuvering his way through the library, he saw the bookkeeper.
She was an older woman, late 60s if he had to guess, with grey-blonde hair and dull brown eyes. She was wearing work clothes, and she had on small glasses. Looking up, she saw the grey haired man.
"Ah, Mr. Castellianos, good to see you," The liberian told him.
"Good to see you too, Marylyn," the student responded, "Professor Parker said that I could get some kind of book if I showed you this note," he told her, handing the note to her. For a second, he could've sworn he saw her eyes flash.
"Of course, dearie," she said, reaching under the desk and receiving the book. It was about the size of a textbook, and was made of hardened leather. It was a crimson red, with the title on the front.
The Records of the Four Cardinal Heroes
"Do be mindful, it is extremely rare, so take care of it," she told him, as he picked the book up. It was heavier than he expected.
"Don't worry, I will," Richter told her, "how long do I have until I need to turn it back in?"
"Two weeks, as usual. Although, you can turn it into James and he'll bring it to me. But it can only be through person. I'd rather not place it up there with the regular books."
"Alright, thanks," the young man said, walking out of the library and to the dorms. His dorm was on the second floor, first on the right. Opening the door, he saw he was the only one there.
'Guess they're finishing up their classes. At least it'll give me time to read,' he said, plopping down on the couch and bringing his book to his face. Opening it, he began to read it over.
In a world that is threatened by the Waves of Catastrophe, four heroes from different worlds are summoned to stop them. Each wield a legendary weapon. Either a sword, a bow, a spear, or a shield. Some believe the four heroes are believed to be reincarnations of the previous heroes, while others think it's the weapon that ties the previous heroes together.
'That's weird. I could've sworn I heard of those specific weapons from somewhere," Richter said, thinking. It hit him. 'I heard of these in my dreams. I didn't question it, but it doesn't make sense that I knew the four weapons that would appear.' Shaking his head, he continued to read. Apparently, there was some kind of bio on each of the heroes. He just skimmed through it, until he got to the Shield Hero section.
It was blank.
"What the-" Richter was suddenly cut off by a blinding light that engulfed him. The couch he was sitting on suddenly disappeared, as he entered freefall. Hitting the ground, the young man passed out.
Two hooded figures entered the dorm room. The identity, nor the gender of the individual, couldn't be determined through the black hood.
"Unlocked. At least it saves us some time," one said, as they scanned the room. The room was in pristine condition. On the floor, however, was an open book.
"So, do you think you chose correctly?" The second figure asked. The first grabbed the book and looked at the page.
"I don't think," they said, as they looked at the page. It showed a grey haired man, raising a shield against a horde of monsters, while someone out of frame prepared a sword swing behind him.
"I know."
Apparently, recovering from passing out takes a couple of seconds. That, or he only blacked out for a second. Either way, he was groaning from his position on the ground. Using his shielded hand, he pushed himself up to a standing position.
Wait, shield?
Looking at his left forearm, he saw a metal shield. It was made of a light grey material, with a green crystal in the center. It didn't have a strap, yet it hung from his arm. Shaking his arm, it didn't budge.
Looking up, Richter found himself in a dark room, with the only sources of light being from the glowing symbol he was standing on, and the doorway. There were figures standing at the doorway. Each of them had on a cloak and a hood over their head, with the exception of one, who had short brown hair.
Looking around the rest of the room, he saw three figures standing on the symbol. One was a man taller than himself and who had blonde hair in a ponytail, an open red jacket, and a white shirt underneath it. He had a necklace on, auburn eyes, and had brown pants. The most surprising thing was what he had in his hand. It was a long spear, with a white shaft and a red circular crystal in the head of the spear.
The next one was a guy with black hair and blue eyes. He was about Richter's height and was wearing a zipped up blue jacket with a black shirt underneath. He had black pants and had a sword in his hand. The hilt was made of a white material, while the blade was either a dark grey or a light black. In between the hilt and blade was another circular crystal. This time, it was blue.
Finally, the third one was a boy with blonde hair and green eyes. He was shorter than the grayed hair man, and had a green schoolboy's uniform. In his hand was a golden bow, with the circular crystal being in the place where you would put an arrow.
"Brave heroes, please save our world!" The unhooded man asked.
"What?" The four responded.
"What do you mean 'save our world'? Save it from what?" The guy with the bow responded.
"The story is long and confusing. In short, you four are the legendary heroes, and you were brought here by an ancient ritual," he told them. Everything clicked in the head of the shield bearer.
"My God," Richter whispered.
"Our world is on the brink of destruction, and we require your aid to save it. Please lend us your strength," the man pleaded, bowing.
"Forget it."
"Imma have to agree with him."
"If you can send us back, maybe we'll talk."
The other three responded. First the sword, then the bow, then the spear. Richter was snapped out of his mental freak out by their words. He looked at them in confusion.
"You brought us here without our consent. Don't you feel the least bit guilty?"
"Plus, if you send us back without any reward, this whole thing was for nothing."
"How willing are you to accommodate us? Depending on your answer, we may become your enemies."
They said in the same order again. The Sword Hero raised his weapon to them.
'Christ, can you guys be any more demanding?' Richter asked.
"Good sirs, before we discuss things further, I suggest you have an audience with our great King. There, you can negotiate for a reward," the man told them.
"Alright."
"The least we can do is hear them out."
"It doesn't matter who we talk to, what we want is gonna stay the same."
The three answered in the same order, They all left and followed the mages. First was the sword, then the bow, and finally the spear. Sighing and shaking his head, Richter followed. As they ascended a staircase, they looked outside of a window. They were in a place that resembled a Medieval city.
"So we really are in another world," the bow hero said.
"The air's a lot less humid than back home," Richter whispered.
"Come on, let's not keep the king waiting," the sword hero told them. The others nodded, before getting back to their walk.
Eventually, they found themselves in the throne room, which was a long room with two thrones in front of them. There were knights around them, each with a pike. There was a man sitting in the throne on the heroes's left. He wore a purple and white robe, with white clothing underneath. He had golden decorations around his neck, alongside a crown with a purple jewel in it. He was old, and had purple eyes and a white beard and mane. The other throne was empty. To man's left was a second man, who wore a black and reddish purple suit. He had grey hair.
"So, these four young men are the Legendary Cardinal Heroes. Welcome to my castle. I am King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, the king of Melromarc. I will explain the situation, but first give me your names," the bearded man said.
The Sword Hero stepped forward. "My name is Ren Amaki, I'm 16 years old, and a high school student."
"I'm Motoyasu Kitamura, I'm 21 and a college student," the Spear Hero said.
"I guess I'm next. I'm Itsuki Kawasumi, I'm 17 and a high school student," the Bow Hero answered.
"Alright, I'm Ric-"
"I see, so Ren, Motoyasu and Itsuki," the king said, cutting off Richter.
'Screw you, too,' the Shield Hero thought.
"Excuse me, your majesty, but you forgot the shield hero," Itsuki said.
"Ah, my apologies," the King said, "Go on ahead, shield hero."
"Thanks," he said to Itsuki, "I'm Richter Castellanos. I'm 19 and, like Motoyasu, I'm a college student."
"Now then, I believe it to be best to explain why I brought you here," the king said. Richter narrowed his gaze, as he appeared to be ignored by the king. "My country, and the entire world is headed to the brink of destruction. Ancient prophecies talked of the Waves of Catastrophe, apocalyptic events that could destroy the world. The wave attacked us almost three weeks ago. While our knights were able to hold them off, it will return in one month's time. However, they also spoke of how to combat the waves, and that is where you come in. They spoke of the Four Cardinal Heroes, who have the strength to end the waves once and for all."
The four heroes processed the information, thinking. Nodding, Ren stepped forward.
"Alright, I get the jist of it," he said, pointing his sword to the ground, "but you don't expect us to fight your war for free, do you?"
"Of course not," the man to the king's left answered, "When the Waves are dealt with, you will be compensated handsomely."
"Well then, I see we've come to a mutual understanding," Motoyasu said.
"But don't think for a second you can control us," Ren continued.
"Exactly," Itsuki said. Richter rubbed his forehead.
"Since we have reached an agreement, could you four go on and check your Status," the king said, catching Richer by surprise.
"Status?" Itsuki asked.
"You guys must be dense. It's in the bottom left corner of your vision," Ren said. The three looked around. "Once you find it, focus on it."
Narrowing his gaze on the icon, it expanded, becoming a type of menu. It showed his name, alongside his age, his class, his health, magic and SP. It also showed his stats,
including his attack stat of 1.
"You gotta be kidding me," Richter whispered.
"We're only level one?" Itsuki asked.
"Can we even fight like this?" Motoyasu asked. "What is all of this, anyways?"
"It's called Status Magic. It's exclusive to the Cardinal Heroes," the unnamed man said.
"So, what's step one?" Ren asked.
"You must set out on an upgrade the legendary weapons," he answered.
"Wait, they don't come maxed out?" Richter asked.
"Why don't we wield other weapons until these become useful?" Motoyasu asked, twirling his spear.
"I guess we'll have to figure that out as we go along," Ren responded.
"Looks like we gotta get some training in, and fast. Then, we can set up a party an-" Itsuki began.
"One moment, brave heroes," the unnamed man said. You must recruit allies separately, as the legends speak of how the weapons repel each other's growth." At that point, they received a notification explaining that EXP won't be gained if the legendary weapons are too close to each other.
"He's telling the truth," Richter said.
"Due to how late it is, please rest here for tonight," King Melromarc said. "We shall hold a feast in your honor and we will send out a message for adventurers to aid you on your quest." At this point, a woman in a dress approached the four heroes.
"Please follow me, great heroes," she said, before turning to leave. The four looked to each other, before nodding and following her.
The feast was, at the very least, not unpleasant.
The food was extremely well made. It was better than most things Richter ever ate. The only problem was the stares he received from everyone attending. It made sense, considering he was a Cardinal Hero, and he had a hair color that was unique, to say the least. But, the food made up for that.
Currently, they were in a fairly large room, with a few pieces of furniture. Itsuki and Motoyasu were on the couch, while Ren had his back on the wall, looking downward. Richter was sitting on a chair, and was currently looking through his stats.
Richter Castellanos Age 19 Level 01
Class: Shield Hero
Weapon: Legendary Shield
Equipment: Otherworld Clothes
HP: 175/175
MP: 25/25
SP: 45/45
ATK: 1
DEF: 50
AGI: 12
DEX: 10
Skills:
?
?
"Wait, what?" Richter asked. "Hey, you guys have an unknown skill?" He asked, catching their attention.
"One sec," Itsuki said, "it says none for skills."
"Same here," Motoyasu replied.
"What does it look like?" Ren asked.
"It's 3 question marks," Richter answered. Ren responded with a shake of the head. Richter shrugged. "Well, I guess I got some kind of special skill. I guess that's neat," looking over his status again, a new thought came to him. "This seems way too much like a video game."
"That's because it is a video game," Motoyasu said. "It's just like Emerald Online."
"Must be a Japan exclusive game, because I've never heard of it," Richter told him.
"Wait, you aren't Japanese?" Itsuki asked.
"Nope, born and raised in the states," Richter told them.
"Either way, you're wrong, Motoyasu," Ren said, "it's like the VRMMO, Brave Star Online."
"Wait, VRMMO? I know I would've heard something about that," Richter said quietly.
"We don't even have VRMMOs yet. Besides, it's a console game called Dimensional Wave," Itsuki said.
"Okay, okay, wait," Richter said. "Ren, you're not BSing us on this VRMMO stuff?" He responded with a shake of the head. "Okay, let's try some common knowledge."
"Alright, which countries won the second world war?" Motoyasu asked. "On three. One. Two. Three."
"America, Britain, and Russia."
"Germany and Japan."
"Italy and France."
"There was a second world war?"
The four said at the same time.
"Wait, what?" They all said in unison.
"This doesn't make sense. How could we have different histories?" Itskui asked.
"Well, I think I know," Richter said, catching everyone's attention, "Before I was summoned here, I picked up this book from the library. The Records of the Four Cardinal Heroes. And in the opening piece, it said that four heroes from different worlds were to be summoned. Which means..."
"We're from different worlds," Itsuki said.
"So, Richter, you only have a book resembling this world?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, but I only got about five pages into it. When I reached the part about the shield hero, it was blank and that was when I got summoned," Richter told them.
"Well, in that case, let big bro Motoyasu help you out," the spear hero said, "You're the shield hero, so that means that you would be considered a shielder class. Which means that you're basically screwed," he said bluntly.
"Wait, what? Why?" Richter asked.
"The shielder class is only used by newbies. I mean, it's good for aggro control and defense, but not much else," Motoyasu explained.
"You're kidding. What about you two and your worlds?" Richter asked.
"Shields suck," Ren answered bluntly.
"Yeah, sorry," Itsuki said.
"Oh well, so be it," Richter said, standing up.
"Wait, you're not upset?" Motoyasu said, surprised.
"Nah, I'm used to having the short end of the stick, so I'll be fine. All I need's a strong partner who can hit hard while I take the hits," he said. Walking to the bedroom, he waved to the other heroes, "I'm turning in early. See you guys in the morning."
As they said goodnight, Richter thought he heard someone near the door. Shaking his head and entering the bedroom, he threw himself on the mattress. Soon, sleep overtook the Shield Hero.
Hello everyone and welcome to my new story. For those who did not read the latest chapter in my other story, this is a side project I've been working on since I got Writer's Block. This story will be updated infrequently, as its not my main fanfic. Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.