Noah pulled up to the pool party in his dark sports car, already knowing how things would play out.
And just as he'd expected, the moment he stepped out into the pool area, cheers erupted from the crowd of socialites lounging by the water. Some even raised their drinks as cries of his name filled the air.
"Noah! Good to see you, man!"
He flashed his usual grin. The same one that had both graced the cover of business magazines and charmed beautiful women, even if he didn't know most of them.
But that was the burden of being him, and he was happy with it.
Noah Webb, young billionaire and certified heartbreaker, had arrived.
He made his rounds, exchanging pleasantries and indulging in shallow conversations that he barely paid attention to.
His mind was elsewhere, tired of the predictability of it all.
Even as hands clapped his back and flirtatious eyes roamed his body, he felt detached. Like he was watching the whole thing outside his own body.
Maybe he was tired of his life now.
Everything was the same. Everybody bending over backwards just to please him.
Maybe he needed a change of scenery. A new challenge.
And that was when the dizziness hit.
It started as a slight headache before progressing to nausea. In a few seconds, it turned into an overwhelming force in his head that made his vision swim.
He excused himself, ignoring the concerned voices around him, and stumbled towards the bathroom inside the mansion.
The moment he shut the door behind him, the floor beneath his feet shifted.
"What the—"
The air cracked, and a force stronger than anything he had ever felt yanked him downward, dragging him through a swirling rift that was as dark as darkness itself.
A colorless void whose name forced itself into his brain.
This was the Abyss.
His body twisted and stretched in ways that defied logic.
Every nerve in his body switched between screaming in agony and moaning in ecstacy.
He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe.
He wasn't falling, but he wasn't standing either.
Then, something else joined him in the void.
A consciousness that radiated power.
No words were spoken, but he felt it latch onto him, trying to burrow into his mind. It clawed at his thoughts, pushing, prodding, trying to take over.
But there was something, a wall, protecting Noah. And instinctively, he fought back.
He had no idea what he was up against, but he refused to let it win.
He tore it apart, and it felt incredibly easy. Too easy.
The presence grew desperate, writhing and lashing out, but Noah had the help of the force that was binding the consciousness.
With a final push, the consciousness broke down with a loud roar that somehow reached Noah's ears, and before he could do anything, its energy latched onto him, merging with every part of his soul.
Then, reality snapped back into place.
Noah stumbled.
"—fuck?"
Silence.
He looked up to see himself standing in the center of an enormous, glowing magic circle in a dark hall.
The runes that had been etched into the circle beneath his feet shined with an eerie purple light before going inert. Smoke curled up from it.
Hooded figures surrounded him, some slumped on the floor as they all caught their breath.
The air around them smelled of burnt meat and something darker. Something metallic.
His eyes roved over the hall, taking it all in.
The smoke cleared and the hooded figures finally saw him. They threw back their hoods, revealing a mix of men and women, their expressions filled with awe.
"We did it." One of them whispered, his voice trembling with hope.
"The prophecy has been fulfilled!" Another cried, falling to his knees.
A man who looked like he was in charge stepped forward.
"Hero!" He called out. "You have been summoned to save our world from darkness. The Demon Lord's forces grow stronger by the day, and only you possess the power to stop them."
Noah stared at them for a long moment, processing their words. Then, he said, "No."
The room fell deathly silent.
The excitement on their faces froze, like a sculptor had chiseled away all the joy in an instant.
The man blinked, as if he hadn't heard correctly. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"I said no." Noah crossed his arms. "I don't know who you people are, and I don't care about your Demon Lord. Send me back."
Murmurs spread through the gathered summoners like ripples in a pond. Some looked horrified, others looked confused.
A young woman, her eyes wide with disbelief, whispered, "That's… that's not how this works."
The leader took a step forward, his expression shifting from excitement to concern. "Hero, you don't understand. You were chosen by the gods. Your fate is bound to this world."
"We'll see about that." Noah said, already looking around for an exit.
But there wasn't one.
"Where the fuck am I?" he asked, a frown on his face.
He wasn't an idiot. He could tell what was happening. This wasn't a prank. He really had been summoned to another world.
He was still in shock and didn't even know how to react, but he definitely knew that the Abyss was too real to be a lie.
The leader hesitated before answering. "You are in the kingdom of Camelot."
Noah raised an eyebrow. "Camelot? Like King Arthur and the Round Table?"
"It is the name of our great land." The leader said, clearly not understanding the reference.
Noah exhaled slowly, trying to suppress the frustration that was trying to bubble past the shock within him.
Why? Why had they summoned him specifically, against his will, to fight in a war that was clearly none of his business?
Was this because he'd thought about wanting a challenge?
Well, they were in for a surprise.
"Alright." He said. "Let's make this simple."
"I'm not fighting your war, I'm not your hero, and I'm definitely not going to play along with whatever prophecy you cooked up. So unless you have a way to send me home, we're done here."
The leader's face darkened. The others exchanged nervous glances, as if they'd never even considered this possibility.
One of them, an older man with a long beard, whispered. "What if the ritual is incomplete?"
Another, a woman in heavy robes, shook her head. "No, the ritual was performed exactly as the texts described."
"But the hero is rejecting his destiny." Someone else said, voice filled with panic.
Noah clapped his hands together like he was in a boardroom, drawing their attention back to him. "So, what's the plan?"
And that was when a horrifying thought slipped into his head.
What if they keep me here against my will?
The leader hesitated, then spoke. "There are… alternatives."
Noah didn't like the sound of that.
But before he could respond, the doors to the hall burst open, sending light streaming in.
The hooded figures winced at the sudden light as a group of heavily armored knights stormed in.
Their captain looked between Noah and the summoners before addressing the leader.
"Is this the hero?"
"Yes." The leader said. "But he is—"
"Lord Hero." The captain didn't wait for him to finish. He turned to Noah with a slight bow, his expression unreadable. "The king requests your presence. Immediately."
Noah stared at the man, then at the armed knights surrounding him. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah, sure. Why not?" He muttered. "Let's see what your king has to say."