The quarters they were given could have been called luxurious under different circumstances. High ceilings, soft beds with silken sheets, windows that overlooked a courtyard illuminated by crystalline lamps that glowed without flame. But luxury meant nothing when you were a prisoner, no matter how gilded the cage.
The guards had separated them by gender boys in one wing, girls in another though they'd been allowed a brief gathering in a common room before being sent to their respective chambers. It was in this room, with its plush furniture and alien tapestries, that the reality of their situation truly began to sink in.
"This can't be happening," Rachel repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. She sat curled in an armchair, her usual mean-girl confidence completely shattered. Jade sat beside her, equally pale and shaken. "My dad... he was supposed to pick me up after school. He's probably going crazy right now."
"They all are," Grace said softly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Our parents, our friends. They don't know where we are. They don't know if we're alive or—" Her voice broke.
Maya had been crying since they left the summoning chamber, quiet sobs that wracked her small frame. Sophie and Claire tried to comfort her, but they looked close to breaking down themselves.
"We need to think rationally," Nina said, though her hands trembled as she clutched her book—the only possession from their world that had made the journey with them. "Panicking won't help us."
"Rationally?" Derek's voice cut through from where the boys had gathered near the windows. "We've been kidnapped by magic and dumped in a world full of monsters. What's rational about any of this?"
"He's right," Jason added, for once not just echoing Derek's sentiment but genuinely agreeing. "This is insane."
Aster stood by one of the windows, looking out at the unfamiliar constellations. Two moons hung in the sky—one silver, one faintly blue—casting an otherworldly glow over the palace grounds. Marcus stood beside him, silent for once, his usual jokes and levity completely absent.
"Do you think they're looking for us?" Marcus finally asked. "Our families?"
"Of course they are," Aster replied, though the words felt hollow. How could anyone find them when they weren't even in the same world anymore? "But I don't think they'll find answers."
Lily approached, her black hair loose now instead of tied back. Despite the fear Aster could see in her eyes, she held herself together with that same quiet strength he'd always admired. "The king said tomorrow we'll undergo some kind of awakening ceremony. That they'll reveal our 'gifts.'"
"Like character classes in a game," Evan said, and despite the situation, there was a hint of excitement in his voice. He caught the looks several classmates gave him and raised his hands defensively. "I'm just saying! This is exactly like the isekai stories. We get summoned, we get powers, we—"
"We what?" Cole interrupted, his teacher's authority cutting through. "Become heroes? Fight monsters? Die in a war that isn't ours?" He shook his head. "This isn't entertainment, Evan. This is our lives."
"I know that," Evan said, his enthusiasm dimming slightly. "But if we're stuck here anyway, isn't it better to try to make the best of it? I mean, they're offering us power, training, wealth—"
"They're offering us bribes," Quinn said from a corner where he'd been sitting so quietly most had forgotten he was there. "Compensation for stealing our lives."
The blunt assessment silenced the room.
Blake, who'd been pacing restlessly, finally spoke up. "The king said surviving here would be difficult if we don't cooperate. That sounded like a threat."
"It was a threat," Troy confirmed, his cynicism fully intact. "Play hero for them or get thrown to the wolves. Or whatever those creatures were."
"They were bonded beasts," Zara said, her voice carrying that analytical tone she used when processing information. "Did you notice? They responded to commands. The soldiers controlled them somehow."
"The System's gift," Nina mused. "The king wouldn't tell us what it was, but those beasts... they weren't wild. They were tamed. Partnered."
Owen, who'd been uncharacteristically quiet, finally cracked a weak smile. "So we're in a world where people have Pokémon. That's... actually kind of cool?" His attempt at lightening the mood fell flat.
"Nothing about this is cool," Rachel snapped, her grief morphing into anger. "We've been ripped away from everything we know, everyone we love, and you're making jokes?"
"I'm trying to cope!" Owen shot back, his own fear bleeding through. "What else am I supposed to do?"
"Enough," Cole said firmly. "Fighting among ourselves won't help. We need to stick together, now more than ever."
"Stick together for what?" Derek challenged. "To be their heroes? To fight their war?"
"To survive," Cole replied simply. "And to find a way home if one exists."
"The king said the summoning circle was one-time use," Claire pointed out, her artist's hands wringing together nervously. "That there's no way back."
"He said that," Aster spoke up, drawing attention to himself. "But that doesn't mean it's true. Or that there's absolutely no other way."
Marcus looked at him with a glimmer of hope. "You think there might be?"
"I think we can't give up before we even try," Aster said. "The king wants us to be his heroes. That gives us leverage, bargaining power. We cooperate, we learn about this world, and we look for answers."
"Cooperate with our kidnappers?" Rachel asked bitterly.
"Survive," Aster corrected. "And gather information. If there's a way home, we'll only find it by understanding this world and how its magic works."
Lily nodded slowly. "He's right. The Talent Awakening tomorrow—whatever it reveals—will tell us more about this System and how it functions. Knowledge is power, especially here."
"So we just... go along with it?" Grace asked, wiping at her tears.
"For now," Cole agreed. "We play along, we learn what we can, and we support each other. That's the plan."
It wasn't much of a plan, but it was something. The group slowly began to disperse, some heading to their assigned rooms, others lingering in small clusters for comfort.
Aster found himself standing with Marcus and Lily, the three of them looking out at the alien sky.
"I was supposed to compete in the International Academic Olympics," Aster said quietly. "That was my future. My path."
"I was going to visit my grandmother next month," Marcus added. "She's been sick. I might never see her again."
Lily's hand found both of theirs. "My little sister is seven. She's going to grow up thinking I abandoned her."
They stood in silence, each lost in thoughts of the lives they'd been torn from.
"Tomorrow," Lily finally said, "we'll find out what we're capable of in this world. Whatever happens, we face it together."
"Together," Marcus echoed.
"Together," Aster agreed, though a cold feeling of dread had settled in his stomach.
Sleep came fitfully, if at all. Aster lay in a bed that was too soft, in a room that was too quiet, staring at a ceiling that belonged to a world that wasn't his. His mind raced with questions. What was the System? Why had it given humans a gift? What were these talents they would awaken tomorrow?
And beneath it all, one persistent thought: What if I'm not good enough?
In his old world, he'd always been enough. More than enough. The best. But here, in a world with magic and monsters and a mysterious System, what if all his intelligence and hard work meant nothing?
The thought terrified him more than he wanted to admit.
Morning came with a knock on the door. A servant—a young woman with kind eyes and nervous energy—brought breakfast and informed them that the Talent Awakening ceremony would begin in two hours. They were to gather in the throne room.
The common room reunion was a somber affair. Most students looked like they hadn't slept, dark circles under their eyes and expressions of barely suppressed anxiety. Even Derek's usual bravado was muted, replaced by a tension that showed in the set of his shoulders.
Cole did another headcount, some teacher instinct making him verify all nineteen students were present and accounted for. "Remember what we discussed last night. We stay calm, we observe, and we support each other. Whatever these 'talents' are, we'll figure it out together."
Guards arrived to escort them, the same stoic soldiers from yesterday, their armor gleaming in the morning light that filtered through crystal windows. The walk through the palace corridors felt like a march to judgment, each step echoing ominously.
The throne room was even more impressive than the summoning chamber. Vaulted ceilings, massive columns carved with scenes of battles and victories, and at the far end, a throne of white marble and gold where King Aldric sat, watching their approach with calculating eyes.
The court was assembled—nobles in rich clothing, advisors whispering among themselves, and more of those bonded beasts stationed along the walls. Aster noticed them more carefully now. A massive eagle with silver feathers perched near one noble.
A sleek panther with emerald eyes sat beside another. Each creature radiated an aura of barely contained power, and each seemed intimately connected to their human companion.
The prince stood beside the throne, and next to him was a woman Aster hadn't seen before—elderly, with silver hair and robes that shimmered like starlight. Her eyes held an ancient wisdom that made Aster feel like she could see straight through him.
"Welcome, Summoned Ones," King Aldric's voice filled the throne room. "Today you will learn the truth of the gift the System has granted humanity. Today, you will discover your place in this world."
He gestured to the elderly woman. "This is Grand Magus Selene, one of our most revered scholars and a master of the awakening ritual. She will guide you through the ceremony."
Grand Magus Selene stepped forward, her movements graceful despite her apparent age. When she spoke, her voice carried a melodic quality that seemed to resonate in Aster's chest. "Fifty years ago, when the first monster fell to human hands, the System bestowed upon us a miraculous gift. The ability to form bonds with creatures—to summon and contract with beasts that would fight alongside us, grow alongside us, share their very essence with us."
She raised her hand, and a translucent screen appeared in the air—similar to what the king had almost shown yesterday, but now fully manifested. It displayed what looked like status information, though the text was in a language Aster couldn't read.
"Every human on this continent, from the moment they turn fifteen, can undergo the Talent Awakening," Selene continued. "This ceremony reveals their innate potential—their talent rank, which determines how powerful the beasts they can bond with will be. It also reveals their affinity, which influences what types of creatures they can summon."
She gestured to the beasts around the room. "These are our partners. Through our bonds, we share strength, abilities, and growth. When they grow stronger, so do we. When we level up, so do they. We are linked, two souls acting as one."
Marcus leaned close to Aster. "So it's like a summoner system," he whispered. "We get magical pets that make us stronger."
"Partners, not pets," Aster corrected quietly, noting the reverence with which the nobility regarded their beasts. "There's a difference."
Selene's eyes swept across the summoned class. "Your talents will be ranked from E to SSS. E-rank talents can bond with common beasts of limited potential. D and C ranks can contract with uncommon creatures of moderate power. B and A ranks can summon rare beasts of considerable strength."
She paused for dramatic effect. "S-rank talents are exceptional, capable of bonding with legendary creatures that have shaped the course of history. SS-rank talents appear perhaps once in a generation, and can contract with mythical beasts of devastating power."
"And SSS-rank?" Blake asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"There has never been a confirmed SSS-rank talent in recorded history," the prince answered. "It is theoretical, spoken of in ancient texts as the ability to bond with divine beasts—creatures of such power they could reshape the world itself."
Excited murmurs rippled through the class. Evan looked ready to bounce out of his skin with anticipation. Sophie clutched Claire's arm. Even Derek's eyes gleamed with barely contained ambition.
"The ancient texts spoke of Summoned Heroes arriving with high-rank talents," King Aldric said. "Individuals blessed by forces beyond our understanding, who would tip the balance in our war against the Dungeon's endless hordes."
He stood from his throne, his voice taking on a formal tone. "Each of you will approach the Awakening Crystal. Place your hand upon it, and it will reveal your talent rank and affinity. Know that whatever rank you receive, you will be valued and trained according to your potential."
Grand Magus Selene gestured to a pedestal that rose from the floor—magical mechanism that defied explanation. Upon it rested a crystal the size of a human head, perfectly spherical and swirling with internal light that shifted through every color imaginable.
"Who will be first?" Selene asked.