Kazuki's head was pounding. A dull ringing filled his ears, and the world around him was a blur. The air was thick with the scent of incense and something metallic—blood? His vision cleared slowly, revealing an ornate chamber lined with marble pillars. Golden chandeliers hung overhead, casting flickering shadows on the floor.
He tried to move, but his body refused to obey. Chains rattled around his wrists and ankles, the cold iron biting into his skin.
"What… the hell?" His voice came out hoarse. He could barely think straight.
Then, a voice echoed through the hall.
"So, this is the summoned one?" A man's voice—deep, commanding, laced with arrogance.
Kazuki turned his head toward the source. A group of men and women sat upon golden thrones, their gazes piercing and full of expectation. Their extravagant robes, embedded with shimmering jewels, signified their status. The man sitting in the grandest chair, wearing a crown with obsidian spikes, smirked.
"A king?" Kazuki thought.
"You look… disappointing," the king scoffed. "A mere child? Is this some kind of joke?"
"What the hell is going on?" Kazuki clenched his fists. His memories were scrambled, but flashes of his past life surfaced—Japan, middle school, the isekai anime he loved watching. Then, nothing.
A robed priest stepped forward. "Your Majesty, the summoning was a success. This boy has been pulled from another world. He bears the mark."
Kazuki looked down at his arm. A strange glowing sigil was carved into his skin, pulsating with unnatural energy.
"This is real… I've been summoned?"
Then, the pain hit.
A sudden, searing agony surged through his body, as if his veins were on fire. He let out a scream, collapsing onto the cold stone floor. The king chuckled.
"Good. Begin the conditioning immediately."
The moment those words were spoken, armored guards seized Kazuki by the arms. He thrashed, but he was still weak, his body barely able to resist.
"Wait! What—what the hell are you doing?!"
"You will serve the Astrean Empire," the priest said coldly. "You have no other purpose."
Kazuki's blood ran cold. His mind screamed in protest.
No. This isn't how an isekai is supposed to go.
They dragged him away, down into the castle's depths.
And so, his nightmare began.