One by one, they stopped before each of us.
The old man who approached me had wiry brown hair and muddy eyes, radiating disdain.
"Place your hand here," he growled, voice low and gravelly.
I hesitated.
Then obeyed.
The moment my skin touched the spellbook, golden strands surged up my arm. It wasn't painful, just overwhelming. Warm but weird.
Then, "Say… System Open."
So I did…
Without warning, a teal screen appeared in front of me.
Not a real screen, not quite imagined either. It floated, kinda there. I couldn't explain.
Name: Elijah Vale
Level: 1 Exp: 0 / 100
Class: Vanguard
Subclass: AEGIS GUARD – Frontline Defender
Skill Acquired: [Bulwark I] – Reduce damage taken by allies within 3 meters.
Health: 100/100
The text glowed faintly before settling into place. I stared, unblinking.
This was real. Not a prank. Not a dream. Just like a game.
Whispers spread. One guy laughed, hesitant and nervous. Another cursed under his breath. Scrubs Girl looked like she might cry and Linebacker nodded to himself, unphased.
Did he… already know?
I glanced down at my hands.
"Show more," I whispered.
Nothing…
"Show description," I tried again.
My eyes widened as the screen changed instantly.
That confirms it… It wasn't the spell, just phrases. He must have guessed earlier.
[AEGIS GUARD
Frontline tank. Prioritizes defense, crowd control, and group protection. Role: Lead by shielding your allies. Intercept incoming damage, even if it kills you. An unbreakable wall that protects all.]
I scoffed. Aegis Guard. Vanguard. The frontline.
I'm summoned to die...
I wasn't a wall. I was the crack that let the fire through. I can't protect anyone. I froze, scared. I can't be someone's battered, unwavering meatshield. Not when the shield is destined to break.
Another guard barked, interrupting my thought,
"Form up. Groups of five. Find your matching crests."
Before we could ask, light pulsed from the floor. Symbols, white, red and blue. Emblems within the crests suddenly flared above our heads. The emblem matched our class system, like a magical HUD.
Everyone glanced at each other, murmuring. That's when I noticed a glare from Linebacker, his stormy eyes locking with mine. His crest, a red shield, circled by gold runes in the shape of a spikeball.
A crest hovered over me: A blue shield, with faint silver runes circling like a fiery fortress.
Beside me, two others bore red symbols, sword emblems, while one boy's crest glowed white, a book emblem.
We weren't given time to speak. My crest appeared, shimmered… then drifted.
A sick feeling pooled in my stomach. These strangers… were my squad. My survival was tied to theirs. And theirs… to me.
My crest stopped drifting, linking with four others: a droplet-shaped emblem, a crescent bow, a pair of twin daggers, and a set of runes etched like a broken sword.
The guards shuffled us into smaller rows, separating us by role first, then clustering us into balanced parties. Five to each.
"These are your teams. Get to know them if you want to survive the first trial," he shouted.
Trial?
Shouting and complaints ensued:
"WHAT!"
"We just got here!"
"I didn't agree to anything!"
The queen raised her hand and silence fell.
"The trial will be explained tomorrow by the emperor. Until then, get to know your teams."
The emperor… Another problem. I wondered, Is he similar to Prince Trevnos?
I glanced at the four faces ahead of me, I didn't recognize anyone. Not the ones I noticed, not even the ones I feared.
They pique my interest or draw attention..
Just looked like… misfits.
The weight of that word sank into my gut.
"Great! I'm paired with a bunch of loners," muttered the guy with the bow crest.
He had spiky, dark red hair singed with yellow tips like an anime character. A Smaller frame, but his voice carried enough ego to make up for it.
As we were pushed into our groups. My eyes wandered across the throne room, past the pillars and painted glass.
I hadn't noticed it before, it was set slightly apart from the others.
It wasn't a king, a warrior or a god.
It was a woman. Half-wolf in appearance. Her eyes were… Beautiful. Striking. Cloaked in shadow, fangs bared not in rage, but in sorrow.
"Demi-human," a mage muttered, his gaze locking with the painting as he led me to the door. "Be careful around them. Especially tribes like the LunLufu. Their wolf traits will kill you without blinking."
Something about that sent shivers down my spine.
Still, I couldn't look away. Her eyes screamed wild, yet… wounded.
I turned back toward my new squad as we moved.
"Thanks," I muttered under my breath. "One worry at a time."
I didn't know who the emperor was. I didn't know what kind of "trial" they meant. But I knew one thing;
Tomorrow, my world will change.
Slowly, the throne room disappeared behind us.
By the time we reached our assigned quarters, the sun had vanished. Moonlight spilled through the tall, narrow glass along the corridor, casting glimmering streaks against polished stone. I hadn't even noticed the difference, maybe it was always night. Maybe it snuck in while we weren't looking
How long have I been here?
We didn't return the way we came. Instead, the guards made a left before we approached the summoning room, leading us down a side hall toward a spiral staircase.
"It's a helical staircase," someone whispered from another group.
"Nerd," someone else replied, punching their shoulder.
As I stared at the back of the head of my squad, I couldn't see us being that friendly. Everyone seemed walled, isolated.
The guard didn't react. He just led us up, boots echoing against the stone steps until we reached a long corridor with four thick oak doors.
"These are your rooms," he muttered without turning.
The guard led us up twenty stairs until we reached a long corridor with four doors.
"These are your rooms," muttered the guard.
"Who are the last two for?" asked the dagger girl from my squad. Her voice was sharp, her stare sharper.
The guard hesitated, his eyes wandering. "Adventurers. Guests of the Crown. You're only here for the night."
"Wait… we're sharing rooms?" a girl from another group asked, eyes wide.
"Yes," said a mage by the staircase. His tone was exhausted, clearly tired of our questions.
A few boys cheered, letting out low whistles and grins; until the guard chuckled darkly.
"In the Ivarous Empire, anything grotesque between unwed nobles or summoned guests... is punishable by death."
That shut everyone up fast.
Without another word, the guards turned and left as the mage pushed us to our rooms. The heavy wooden doors slammed shut behind them.
He softly chanted, the doorknob glowed and a click echoed down the hall.
We were locked in.
Our room was small but not uncomfortable. Five narrow beds lined the walls, spaced evenly. Plates on every bed, bread, berries and dark meat that I couldn't identify. A washbasin sat in the corner as a floating lantern bobbed near the ceiling, giving off a soft, steady glow.
I stepped inside, hesitated by the door.
No one spoke.
The dagger girl claimed the bed closest to the door, dropping her satchel and sitting without a word. The red-haired bow guy flopped onto the opposite bed, hands behind his head, like he was at home or summer camp.
The healer, or support, I haven't figured out the droplet emblem's meaning… stood awkwardly near the basin, staring into it like it might tell him something. The last girl, the one with the broken sword crest, walked straight to the farthest bed and sat with her back to the wall, hood still up.
That left the middle bed. Figures.
I sat and rubbed my hands over the back of my neck, trying to think of something to say.
"I'm Eli," I offered. "Eli Vale. Uh… I'm the Vanguard, apparently. Tank role."
Silence.
The bow guy snorted. "Congrats, Meatshield."
I ignored him.
"You don't have to talk," I added. "But we're stuck together. Trial's tomorrow. Figured it might help to know who I'm trusting my life with. "
Still nothing.
Until the girl near the wall spoke.
"My name's Melissa," she said quietly. "And I didn't ask to be here either."
Her voice wasn't angry. Just... tired.
The healer finally looked up. "Isaac," he said. Then paused. "I think."
I blinked. Blurting before I could stop myself,
"You think?"
"I… never mind."
The bow guy raised his hand lazily. "Call me Laef. Long as you don't get in my way, we're fine."
Melissa chuckled, "What did your parents misspell Leif?"
He ignored her, his gaze wandering towards the wall.
Maybe… he's not a hot head?
The dagger girl didn't say a word. Just gave me a long, slow look before lying back with her arms behind her head.
"Alright," I muttered. "One night. One trial. We can survive that much."
I stared up at the ceiling. The lantern hummed softly above.
A part of me wanted to ask their thoughts about all this. The other to wake up in a hospital bed.
But something told me… this was real.