The restaurant had a quiet charm to it, the kind of place with dim lighting and soft jazz playing in the background, where every dish had a name Noah couldn't pronounce.
Across the table sat Emily, her blonde hair shimmering under the warm glow of the chandelier, her blue eyes filled with amusement as she twirled her fork in her pasta.
Noah still couldn't quite believe this was happening.
It wasn't like he was some kind of social recluse — he had friends, he could hold a conversation, and sure, he wasn't bad-looking either.
But this? Sitting across from one of the prettiest girls on campus, sharing a candlelit dinner, talking and laughing like they were in some kind of romance movie? Yeah, this was new.
Emily smiled. "So, med school, huh? That must be tough."
Noah let out an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, it's, uh… kinda brutal. Between classes, exams, and the constant feeling of impending doom, it's a miracle I'm still alive."
She laughed, and God, it was a nice laugh — not the fake kind people used to be polite, but a real, genuine one.
"I don't know how you guys do it. I can barely handle my coursework, and I'm not even in anything science-related."
"Yeah, well, sleep deprivation builds character," Noah said, stabbing a piece of steak. "At this point, my blood type is probably just straight caffeine."
Emily giggled again, shaking her head. "You're funny, you know that?"
That threw him off.
Funny? Him? He thought he was doing a pretty decent job at not sounding like a complete idiot, but being called funny? That was unexpected.
He played it cool, shrugging. "What can I say? It's a survival mechanism."
The conversation flowed easily after that.
They talked about classes, annoying professors, weird roommates, and that one time Noah fell asleep standing up during an anatomy lecture.
She laughed at all the right moments, smiled in a way that made his stomach feel way too light, and by the time the plates were empty and the check arrived, Noah was riding on a confidence high he hadn't felt in… well, ever.
He pulled out his wallet, trying not to wince at the total, and handed over his card.
Emily slipped her arm around his as they stepped outside into the cool night air.
"Hey," she said, her voice soft, "wanna go somewhere quieter?"
Noah was not an idiot. He knew what it meant when a girl said that.
His brain short-circuited for a second before he managed to respond with a smooth, "Uh — y-yeah, sure."
It wasn't smooth at all.
...
Somewhere between the elevator ride and fumbling with the hotel keycard, Noah realized his hands were sweating.
'Calm down, idiot.'
Emily didn't seem to notice — or if she did, she didn't care.
As soon as the door closed behind them, she pulled him in for a kiss, her lips warm and soft against his.
Noah felt his brain promptly shut down all unnecessary functions, redirecting all power to holy crap, this is happening mode.
They stumbled toward the bed, his hands sliding under the hem of her dress while hers traced the buttons of his shirt.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he should say something cool, something smooth —anything — but the only thing his brain could supply was: Don't mess this up.
Then, just as things were getting good — just as he was about to prove that, yes, med students could do practicals outside of the classroom — everything went white.
Not metaphorical, "this is so amazing" white.
Literal, blinding, all-consuming white.
For a split second, he thought maybe he was dying.
Had he hit his head? Had he somehow ascended? Was this some kind of divine punishment for skipping out on studying tonight?
Then the light faded, and the first thing he noticed was that it was cold.
The second thing he noticed was that he was standing.
The third thing he noticed was that he was completely naked.
And finally, the fourth thing he noticed was the five robed old men staring at him.
"Welcome, Hero!" one of them said grandly.
Noah blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then immediately slapped his hands over himself.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
One of the wizards — because they had to be wizards, right?
No one wore robes like that unless they were into either magic or LARPing — stepped forward with a wise, knowing expression.
"You have been summoned here, O great one, to be the savior of Solmaria!"
Noah, still incredibly naked, took a deep breath.
"Okay," he said, voice barely holding itself together. "Two things. One — where the hell is Solmaria? And two — WHY AM I NAKED?!"
The wizards exchanged glances, as if realizing this was something they should've probably considered beforehand.
"The summoning process… sometimes strips one of their worldly possessions," another wizard explained.
"Great. That's just fantastic," Noah snapped, trying to figure out the logistics of using his hands to cover both front and back at the same time.
"You couldn't have given me a heads-up? Maybe a blanket? A strategically placed fog?!"
"Fear not, Hero, for we shall clothe you in the finest of Solmaria's gar — "
Noah wasn't listening anymore.
He was very aware of the fact that these wizards were just standing there, staring at him, while he was having a full-blown existential crisis in the nude.
"I was literally on a date," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "I was this close to finally — "
He cut himself off, exhaling sharply. "No. Nope. Not thinking about that right now. First thing's first — CLOTHES. NOW."
A younger wizard, probably an apprentice, scurried over and dumped a cloak over him.
Noah wrapped it around himself like his life depended on it.
The lead wizard cleared his throat. "As I was saying, great Hero, you have been summoned to defeat the Demon Lord and save our land!"
Noah stared at him.
Then, very calmly, he said, "Okay. One more question."
The wizards leaned in, prepared for something profound.
Noah took a deep breath.
"WHY. ME?!"
Silence.
Then, one of the older wizards coughed. "You… were the one chosen by the prophecy."
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course. Of course it's a prophecy. Why wouldn't it be?"
The apprentice wizard hesitantly raised a hand. "Um… Hero? Should we perhaps, uh… get you dressed properly before the royal court sees you?"
Noah froze.
"The what now?"
"The king and his council," the lead wizard said, as if this were completely normal. "They await your audience."
Noah inhaled through his nose.
Exhaled through his mouth.
Then, in the most dignified, heroic manner possible, he said:
"…I need pants."