Part 2
The bell marking the end of break rang with its usual lack of enthusiasm.
One by one, the students returned to their seats.
Kazuki yawned without bothering to hide it. Kaede chewed her lollipop like nothing had happened.
Shunta was telling Riku how he "accidentally" almost cut Kanzaki's bangs. Yui nervously flipped through a notebook.
Rei quietly returned to his seat in the back.
The window was open. The breeze drifted in gently, but it brought no comfort.
His onigiri was still down there, smashed against the concrete of the courtyard.
No one seemed to care.
Miss Maria Itsuka returned with her usual scowl and began lecturing on contemporary history while lighting another cigarette.
Something about wars. Borders. Lines humans drew to feel safe.
"Just as the world changes through force, you must learn to adapt…" she said, scribbling on the board without enthusiasm.
Rei rested his chin on his hand.
"Adapt," she said. How ironic.
He forced himself to listen, though his eyelids were beginning to grow heavy.
Outside, clouds were gathering.
The sky was turning a dense gray, like a storm approaching without warning.
And then… he felt it.
A tremor.
Barely there. Like a shiver in the soul.
A low hum, inaudible to the rest, but resonating deep in his chest.
Rei looked up.
Hinata Yoshino, two seats ahead, had lifted his head too.
Their eyes met for a second.
And that's when it happened.
A large magic circle, deep crimson, began to form on the floor.
There were no warnings. No logic.
Only a blinding flash that swallowed them whole.
When he finally opened his eyes again—blinking, as if the light still clung to his retinas—he realized he was no longer in the classroom.
He was standing alongside his classmates. Some looked confused, and others, like
Kazuki or Haruto, were already on guard.
Kaede spun around, looking for an exit. Yui clutched her chest, breathing heavily.
Rei watched them, then looked up.
A grand hall loomed around them. The damp stone walls were lined with torches that flickered to the rhythm of a chilling breeze.
The cold was real. He knew it from the breath that puffed visibly from his lips.
And then, a voice broke the silence.
"Welcome, chosen heroes of God!"
The voice echoed with solemnity, brimming with authority.
Everyone turned at once.
A middle-aged man stood at the top of a staircase, watching them.
He had a meticulously trimmed red beard and wore heavy robes embroidered in gold and purple. He didn't need a crown to make his status clear.
"And who are you, old man?" said Shunta, with zero respect or tact.
The man didn't flinch.
"My name is Aurelius Valdheim," he said calmly. "King of Valdheim.
And you… are the chosen of the god Yoru."
"So you're saying we're heroes? Like, with powers and stuff?" asked Kazuki, equal parts excited and nervous.
"That is correct. Each of you has been blessed with a unique class and corresponding abilities," the king explained. "But you must learn to control them. That is the blessing of our god."
"That's hard to believe… what do you think, Itsuki?"
"Hm… I'm not sure," he replied, adjusting his glasses. "This all feels a bit much…"
The king watched them as they talked among themselves, as if his presence had become secondary.
Some stared at their hands, others laughed nervously. A few simply ignored him.
"If you don't believe me, you can check for yourselves in your status panels," Aurelius added. "Just say 'Open status panel!' and your blessings will be revealed."
Kazuki, the most eager, didn't hesitate for a second.
"Open status panel!"
A floating window appeared before him, glowing bluish and transparent.
It showed his name, class, stats, and a golden emblem with sacred symbols.
"Awesome! Paladin class! And I've got holy powers… this is amazing!"
"Don't be ridiculous…" grumbled Kaede, raising her voice. "'Light Sorceress'… sounds powerful..."
One by one, everyone began activating their panels.
An excited murmur filled the hall, mixed with gasps, questions, and disbelieving laughter.
Rei stayed silent.
He noticed something on Hinata Yoshino's face.
He looked tense, staring at his own panel with an expression unlike the others.
His window was red.
A deep red, standing out against the glowing blue ones all around.
"What does that mean…?" Rei murmured.
Without thinking, he spoke the words.
"Open status panel..."
And the air seemed to stop.
His screen appeared… red.
Cold. Static.
But there was nothing.
Just his name: Rei Kanzaki.
All other fields—class, rank, stats, level, affinity—were blank, replaced by question marks.
And at the bottom, blinking as if spat out by the system itself:
[ERROR]
Rei didn't understand what he was seeing.
He couldn't move the panel. He couldn't close it.
It was as if the world itself was rejecting him at the root.
Meanwhile, Yoshino had already closed his, keeping it hidden from the others.
Rei swallowed hard.
This can't be real.
One of the acolytes quietly approached the throne and whispered something into the king's ear.
Aurelius gave a slight nod, his expression unchanged.
"I see most of you have discovered your classes and powers," he said aloud, returning to his solemn tone. "If anyone had trouble with their panel, don't worry. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for all the information to appear."
A convenient excuse… a smokescreen.
Rei knew it instantly.
"And don't worry," the king continued, "the kingdom will provide everything you need."
"You are our hope against the Demon King's advance… but that doesn't mean we'll send you into battle unprepared."
"Excuse me, sir…" Minami Aoki interjected calmly. "What if some of us don't want to fight?"
"Come on, we're heroes. What could go wrong?" answered Kazuki with a confident smile.
"Maybe that's easy for you to say because you don't think things through…" Minami replied, unshaken. "But what if we die trying to protect this kingdom?"
An uncomfortable murmur spread through the hall.
"We were summoned without our consent, and now you expect us to risk our lives against a monster even you couldn't defeat," she added. "It's obvious you didn't take time to think about that, Kazuki. You just want to play hero."
Kazuki didn't reply.
Because deep down… he knew she was right.
Aurelius gave a measured smile.
"There is no need to worry. No one will be forced to participate if they don't wish to."
"Those who choose to join will be trained at our facilities. We have specialized tutors and a controlled dungeon where you can level up safely…"
"We would never put our heroes' lives in danger," he said, this time with a much broader smile.
Too broad.
A silence followed. No one replied right away.
Some lowered their gaze. Others looked around, seeking approval in familiar faces.
Rei simply clenched his fists.
Not because he believed the king's words…
But because he knew they were lies.
"Now then," said an acolyte, stepping forward, "the Kingdom of Valdheim wishes to show its gratitude."
The tension broke with a soft, almost rehearsed applause, like everyone felt they were supposed to do something, even if they didn't quite know what.
And then, as if everything had been carefully choreographed, a group of maids opened the great doors of the hall.
"Heroes, please follow us. A banquet has been prepared in your honor," announced the acolyte with a polished, flawless smile.
The group was led to an adjoining room, brighter and more ornate.
The vaulted ceiling was painted with celestial figures, and a long table decorated with exotic fruits, golden loaves, and spiced meats awaited them with plates already served.
"Now this is what I call a welcome!" exclaimed Renji, sitting down without hesitation.
"I guess the food is part of the 'training' too," commented Itsuki, examining the goblet before taking a sip.
Kazuki raised his wine glass, toasting without asking permission.
"To our new life! And to the power we're going to master!"
Part of the group joined him. Others hesitated.
And Rei… simply sat at the end of the table, where no one else had taken a seat.
He wasn't hungry.
In front of him, a plate identical to everyone else's. But… it didn't smell the same.
Not the bread, nor the wine, nor the fruit.
He looked toward Yoshino, who was also away from the group, closer to the wall than to the feast.
He hadn't touched anything either.
"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Kaede as she passed by, still holding the lollipop she'd brought from their world between her fingers.
"I'm not hungry," Rei murmured without looking up.
Kaede didn't press. She just shrugged and walked away.
The voices around him grew louder, but more distant.
As if the banquet were taking place on another plane—one that Rei no longer belonged to.
And at that moment, a guard silently approached.
"Rei Kanzaki. The High Priest would like to speak with you in private."
Rei stood up in silence.
And though the others continued eating and laughing…
He knew this dinner wasn't for him.
It never was.