The Summoner of Legends

Naruto gazed at the cleared-out room with a mix of excitement and nervousness. The furniture, usually occupying the center space, had been pushed against the walls, leaving a wide-open area that now felt strangely empty—almost too big. The lamp on the table cast a dim light, projecting soft shadows on the walls and giving the place an air of expectation, as if even the space itself knew something important was about to happen.

On the table, next to the lamp, rested his notebook. Its pages were filled with rushed sketches, meticulous notes, and theories he had carefully pieced together over weeks. He had worked hard for this day, and now, he stood on the edge of finding answers.

Today was the day.

—"What if it works?" —he murmured, biting his lower lip slightly as he flipped through the pages. Each line, written with a steady hand, reminded him of the time he had invested, the sleepless nights spent trying to decipher that mysterious place he reached in his dreams. How did he end up there? Was it something his mind created, or was it something real, something beyond his control?

He had read everything he could find: from articles about metahumans capable of altering reality to theories about pocket dimensions. He had even researched cases of heroes and villains who could shape entire worlds. But none of those explanations fully aligned with what he was experiencing. Still, that didn't discourage him. Naruto had learned that answers didn't always come immediately. Sometimes, you had to seek them out—dig deeper.

His gaze shifted to a small box resting in the corner of the table. Inside were the tranquilizers he had started taking every night before bed. At first, he had hated them. He despised the idea of relying on something just to find a little peace, but over time, he had come to see them as an ally. Ever since he started taking them, the nightmares that used to torment him had almost completely disappeared, and his mind felt clearer—both in his dreams and in his daily life.

He crossed his arms, staring at the box as if it might hold the answers he was looking for.

—"Maybe they're the key…" —he thought. After all, ever since he began taking them, he had been visiting that place more frequently. Without the nightmares draining him, everything felt… easier.

Letting out a sigh, he pushed those thoughts aside. He needed to focus. His eyes returned to the notebook, specifically to the last page, where he had written a list in large, clear letters. The words seemed to glow under the dim light, as if each one was a promise he had made to himself:

1. Absolute concentration.

2. Visualize the place.

3. Try to move objects in the room.

4. Test physical methods (strikes, sudden movements).

5. Recreate the emotions felt before entering the place.

Naruto carefully reviewed each point, memorizing the order, ensuring that no detail was left to chance. He had put this list together after hours of research, basing it on stories of people with special abilities—those who could access other dimensions or manipulate their surroundings in unimaginable ways. Maybe it wouldn't work. Maybe he was wasting his time. But if there was one thing he had learned from his experiences, it was that he couldn't just stand still. He had to try.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. —"If this doesn't work, at least I'll have done something different."

Straightening up, he left the notebook open on the table. His eyes swept over the cleared-out room once more. Everything was in place. The feeling of anticipation wrapped around him like an electric current, making it hard to stay still.

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Weeks ago…

The idea of dedicating an entire day to something like this would have seemed absurd to him. Naruto would have dismissed the plan as a childish fantasy, a desperate attempt to escape the monotony that had trapped him for so long. Back then, his life was caught in a constant cycle of anxiety and exhaustion. Nightmares haunted him every night, filling his mind with chaotic images that vanished the moment he opened his eyes—but not without leaving behind a strange weight in his chest.

And then that place appeared.

It was as if someone had thrown him a lifeline in the middle of an ocean where he had been sinking. He could still vividly remember the first time he saw it: the gleaming marble beneath his feet, the holograms of warriors and objects floating in the air, defying the laws of physics. Everything there was different. His mind wasn't filled with chaos or doubts—only calm. A calm so profound, so almost magical, that he couldn't find it anywhere else.

That place had changed him. It had saved him.

From that moment on, Naruto had begun to structure his life differently. The tranquilizers he once saw as a burden had now become a crucial part of his routine. Each night, he took them with the hope of returning. And when he succeeded, he explored as much as he could, carefully noting every detail in his notebook the next day. He sketched the holographic warriors who seemed to watch him with silent expectation, the strange objects he couldn't touch but felt were laden with meaning, and most of all—that door.

The door.

He had spent countless hours in front of it, trying to open it. He had pushed with all his strength, pounded on its surface in frustration, even shouted, hoping for some kind of response. But it was always the same. Nothing.

And yet, he couldn't give up. There was something behind that door—something that called to him, a whisper he could barely hear but could feel deep within his very being. He didn't know what it was, but he was certain he couldn't ignore it. His instincts told him so.

And Naruto had always trusted his instincts.

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The clock read 10 a.m. when Naruto got up from the couch. He stretched, letting his muscles wake from their lethargy before walking toward the center of the cleared-out room. His notebook lay open on the table, waiting for him with the page of his list clearly visible. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air as his eyes quickly scanned the words he had written with such precision.

—"Alright, let's begin,"— he murmured to himself.

The first step was simple in theory: absolute concentration. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to let go of any unnecessary thoughts. He inhaled deeply, letting the silence of the room wrap around him. In his mind, he began constructing the place he had explored so many times in his dreams: the gleaming marble floor, the towering columns that seemed to reach the sky, the stained glass bathed in golden and blue hues, casting an almost divine light.

—"Focus,"— he thought, repeating the word like a mantra. —"Visualize it."

The ticking of the wall clock was the only sound in the room, matching the rhythm of his breathing. Naruto tried to fully immerse himself in the image of the place, recreating the sensations as vividly as he could. The cold marble beneath his bare feet. The vastness of the hall, making him feel small yet connected to something greater. The air, so pure and light that it seemed to fill not just his lungs but his very spirit.

For a few moments, it felt like he could almost feel it. Almost.

But as the minutes passed, small distractions started creeping into his mind. Quick thoughts, like sparks: What if it doesn't work? What if you're just wasting your time? What if this is nothing more than a meaningless dream?

—"No!"— he exclaimed, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He opened his eyes, frustrated with himself, then shut them again with renewed determination. —"You have to keep trying."

He forced himself to remain still, eyes closed, letting the doubts fade little by little. He refocused his mind on the place, on the sensations he had come to love, on the curiosity that pushed him to explore more and more every time he visited.

Finally, after a long while, he opened his eyes.

The room was exactly the same. Nothing had changed.

Naruto let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair, feeling a slight pang of disappointment in his chest. But he didn't let that feeling stop him. He closed the notebook, going over the next step in his mind.

—"Visualization of the place..."— he muttered, recalling the words he had read in an article about pocket dimensions. —"If you can't create the place in your mind, you won't be able to reach it."

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Step Two: Visualization of the Place

Naruto sat on the floor, crossing his legs to get more comfortable, and closed his eyes once more. This time, he focused on the holograms. The warriors. The fox woman. The floating objects. He pushed himself to reconstruct every detail: the texture of the armor, the vibrant colors that seemed to glow from within the figures, the intense gazes of the characters. The armored warrior, standing firm like a beacon in the midst of a storm. The fox woman, elegant and mysterious, her tails swirling behind her like gusts of wind. The club-wielding monster, the very embodiment of raw strength. The young woman with the staff, a beacon of hope in the darkness.

Naruto clenched his fists, as if he could will his mind to cross the threshold between reality and dream.

"Come on..." he thought, furrowing his brow. "This has to work."

Minutes stretched in the silence of the room, and tension began to build in his shoulders. Finally, he let out a frustrated grunt and opened his eyes, staring at the empty room with a mix of exhaustion and disappointment. Nothing. Everything was still the same.

He scratched his head, his gaze drifting toward his notebook. What am I doing wrong? Was he overestimating his abilities? Or had he simply misinterpreted what he had read?

"Relax," he told himself, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. "There are still more steps to go."

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Step Three: Attempting to Move Objects

Naruto shook off his accumulated frustration and decided to move forward. The next step was to try interacting with the physical world. He had read stories about metahumans whose powers manifested when they moved objects in unexpected ways. Maybe there was something inside him that just needed a "push" to awaken.

He placed an empty glass on the floor in front of him. It was small and lightweight, ideal for his attempts. Kneeling down, he kept his notebook open nearby and extended a hand toward the glass.

"Focus," he whispered to himself. "It's like throwing an invisible rope to catch it."

Naruto took a deep breath and concentrated, trying to "feel" the glass as an extension of his own body. He imagined a connection between himself and the object, as if something unseen could grasp it and move it. But no matter how hard he tried, the glass remained completely still, as if silently mocking his efforts.

Frowning, Naruto moved his hand in different ways, experimenting with techniques in hopes of finding something that worked. But after several minutes, nothing changed.

He sighed and stood up. "Maybe this step is pointless..." he muttered, though deep down, he couldn't shake the sting of disappointment.

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Step Four: Quick Movements and Strikes

The next method was more physical, and Naruto figured at the very least, it would give him a chance to release some of his pent-up energy. He began moving around the room, jumping from side to side and throwing punches into the air. His movements were clumsy at first, but they quickly became more fluid, almost as if he were training for a fight.

For a moment, he forgot his frustration. The exercise cleared his mind, and even though he knew this probably wouldn't achieve anything, he felt better. At least he was doing something with his body, keeping the hope alive that something—anything—might change.

"Well, at least it's a good workout," he thought, a faint smile forming as he threw one last punch.

When he finally stopped, slightly out of breath, he looked around. The room was exactly the same. The glass sat where he had left it, completely unmoved.

"Maybe I'm just looking for answers where there aren't any..." he muttered, feeling a sense of discouragement settling in his chest.

However, a spark of determination flickered in his eyes. He couldn't give up yet. There was something there—something calling to him from beyond what he could understand. And even though he didn't know how to reach it, he knew he had to try.

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The last method on his list was also the most abstract: recreating the emotions he had felt before entering that place for the first time. It wasn't easy to explain, but Naruto knew that emotions had always played an important role in his dreams. It was as if the path to that place wasn't marked by logical thought, but by the intensity of what he felt inside. Maybe, if he could reclaim that same curiosity, that same sense of wonder, he could trigger something.

He sat on the floor, legs crossed in front of the open notebook. Closing his eyes, he let the silence of the room surround him once more. This time, he didn't try to visualize the place or focus on its physical details. Instead, he turned inward, focusing on the emotions that had flooded him the first time he found himself there.

He remembered the awe he had felt upon seeing the vast hall for the first time: the towering columns standing like giant sentinels, the gleaming marble floor that reflected everything like a mirror, the stained glass windows bathed in golden and blue light that seemed to pulse with a life of their own. More than that, he remembered the way his heart had raced—not out of fear, but from a mixture of excitement and reverence. It was as if the place had been waiting for him.

Naruto let those memories settle in his mind. The first time he had seen the holograms: the imposing figure of the armored warrior, the enigmatic fox woman, the colossal monster wielding a massive club, and the radiant young woman with the staff. There was something deeply moving about these figures, something that made him feel small yet somehow connected to something far greater than himself.

A faint tingling sensation began to form in his chest as he relived those emotions. It wasn't just curiosity—it was something deeper. As if that place wasn't merely a dream, but a part of him that had always been there, hidden, waiting to be discovered. His breathing slowed, deepened, as he allowed himself to sink into those sensations.

Naruto didn't know how much time had passed, but when he finally opened his eyes, something was different.

The room was still the same, with the furniture pushed against the walls and the glass still motionless on the floor. Nothing had changed around him, yet he felt... different. Lighter. More connected with himself. As if something inside him had aligned, even though he couldn't fully explain it. He had failed to move objects or recreate the place, but he had achieved something even more important: a deeper understanding of himself.

Naruto let out a sigh, a mix of relief and acceptance. Maybe he hadn't gotten the results he had hoped for, but that didn't mean he had failed. He had learned something valuable: it didn't matter whether he had powers or not, whether that place was real or just a creation of his mind. What mattered was that he wasn't going to give up.

He would keep moving forward.

He would keep searching for answers.

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The rest of the day passed with an unusual sense of calm. Naruto spent hours reviewing his notes and adjusting his list of methods, thinking of new ways to explore his abilities. Even though he hadn't achieved immediate results, he didn't feel defeated. On the contrary, there was a spark of optimism within him, a certainty that he was one step closer to understanding the connection that tied him to that place.

As he flipped through the pages of his notebook, an idea crossed his mind: maybe his mistake was trying to force things. So far, everything related to that place had happened spontaneously, as if it responded more to his emotional state than to his physical actions. Perhaps he needed to change his approach, but that was something he would have to figure out over time.

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That night, as always, Naruto prepared for bed. The lights in his room were off, except for the soft glow of his bedside lamp. He sat on the bed and looked at the bottle of tranquilizers on his nightstand. The small container had been a constant in his life for weeks, and although he had resented them at first, they were now part of his routine.

He took out a pill, holding it between his fingers for a moment before placing it in his mouth. Staring at the ceiling as he swallowed, he reflected on his relationship with them. Were they really the key to accessing that place? It was impossible to know for sure, but something deep inside him told him it wasn't just a coincidence.

—If they are… —he thought, letting himself sink into the pillow—. Maybe one day I'll understand.

He settled under the covers, closing his eyes as his body began to relax. His mind was calmer than usual, as if today had marked a small breakthrough, even if it was imperceptible to anyone else. The only thing he knew for certain was that he wouldn't give up. No matter how long it took, he would keep searching. Because that place wasn't just an escape—it was a part of him, a piece of something bigger that he had yet to comprehend.

And as sleep began to overtake him, a thought crossed his mind, as clear as a whisper:

—Maybe tomorrow will be the day… —he murmured as the weight of exhaustion finally claimed him—. Maybe tomorrow, I'll open that door.