Emily awoke with a start, her head pounding from the previous night's events. She looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She was in a small, dimly lit room with three other people, each working within their own area.

"What is this place?" Emily asked softly.

One of the others, a man in his mid-twenties, looked up from his work. "This is where they put those with 'useless' skills," he said, somewhat dejected. On his desk were hundreds of origami stars, cranes, and boats. "We were ordered to improve our skills for the kingdom."

Emily immediately stood up, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Useless? We're... useless?" she repeated, the words barely registering in her mind. She couldn't understand what was happening. "I don't understand. Why are they keeping us here? I thought they needed us to help them stop the demons from attacking?"

Another person in the room, an older gentleman, was working on his skill. He had a pile of soil in front of him, and in the center, a single blade of grass was growing. He added, "We were lied to. The kingdom... they don't care about us. Everything they said in the beginning... I don't know if any of it was true, but it is clear we are of no value to them."

"Then... why don't they just let us go?" Emily asked, fear evident in her voice.

The room stayed silent. No one knew the answer.

Emily quickly went to the door and tried to leave, but it was locked.

"Forget it, we're trapped here."

However, she didn't plan to just give up like that. She began banging on the door. "Hello! Is anyone there? There's been a mistake. We shouldn't be here!"

There was no answer, but she continued to bang on the door, pleading to be let out.

Finally, the door opened, and a tall, muscular guard appeared, looking quite mad.

"What is it?" he asked angrily.

Emily gulped but still said her piece. "Why have you locked us in here? We're supposed to be with the others. We signed the contract to help protect the kingdom, not be locked up in here."

The guard remained unmoved. "The Summoned have been issued to their designated rooms and are not to be let out until they have increased their skill proficiency," he said in an authoritative tone.

"But we haven't even been told how to?!"

The guard smirked. "You're one of the Summoned, aren't you? So you should be the one to figure it out. You have been provided with the materials to increase your skill," he said smugly.

"Even if you want us to improve our skills, why are you treating us like prisoners? We're humans too, we deserve the same respect—"

SLAP

Before she could even finish, she received a firm hand on her cheek and fell to the floor.

The guard sneered, "Respect? You demand respect when all of you only received trash skills?" He bent down, his eyes drawn to her body. "Did you know, the true heroes of Kladin have already been announced?"

"What?"

The guard smirked. "Those awakened with true skills of heroes are training as we speak and will grow to be the heroes of Kladin who will subjugate all the demons and ensure humanity rises to its rightful place. As for the rest of you rejects... well," he said, his eyes turning lustful. Emily could see it, and she grew scared as his hand reached towards her.

Suddenly, in the back, she saw the Chancellor walking by. She quickly pushed the guard away and ran towards the Chancellor, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Chancellor!" she quickly called out.

He approached and asked, "What are you doing?"

The guard stood up stiffly and answered, "I was just answering her questions. She had been banging on the door, and I took it upon myself to get her to stop."

Emily quickly pleaded, her body shaking. "Please, Chancellor. We were summoned to help the kingdom. I don't understand why we are being treated like this."

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The Chancellor looked at her with a cold gaze. "You were summoned to do whatever it takes to defend the Kingdom and stop the demons," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "And that includes developing your skills. You will not be released until you have improved your abilities and proven yourself to be a valuable asset to the kingdom."

Emily's mind raced as she felt her last hope diminishing. "But why do you treat us like this? Is the kingdom even in danger? Please explain it to me!"

The Chancellor went silent for a brief moment as he stroked his greying beard. He then answered, "What we have told you is the truth. The demons really do exist, and humanity has had trouble facing them. What's more, the mana from the land has begun to dry up, and we have been needing to reach further and further away from the human territories to sustain ourselves. We have spoken no falsehoods, as all of you are vitally important to the continuance of the seven kingdoms."

Emily's voice trembled as she pressed on. "Then why...?"

"You still don't understand? Oh dear... I suppose I must be more forthcoming. What I mean is, you are now our property to do as we please"

"Property...?" she repeated. She felt like she may have heard wrong. "I don't understand."

The Chancellor sighed, annoyed. "I don't know what you don't understand. You are to be used as deemed necessary against those who threaten the kingdom."

She felt a wave of nausea wash over her as the Chancellor's words sunk in.

"But... but we're humans. That's slavery. You can't just use us like objects!"

The Chancellor's expression remained unchanged. "Why not? You signed the contract," he uttered coldly. "And the contract states that you will do whatever it takes to help the kingdom to defeat their enemies."

Emily's heart sank as she realized the full extent of the contract she had signed. At the time, she felt compelled to sign, and as she watched everyone else sign it, she thought everything would be fine. She had signed the contract, but she had never imagined that it would be used to keep her locked up like this.

She suddenly grabbed the Chancellor by the legs and pleaded, "You can't do this... You can't!" Her voice was frantic, her demeanor desperate. "Send me back! Please, send me back!"

However, the Chancellor simply tapped the end of his staff on the ground, and a force pushed Emily away.

His face, contorted with absolute disgust as if he no longer saw her as human. "Your pleading is unsightly and unbecoming of a Summoned. It is contrary to what the kingdom expects of you, which means you are in violation of the contract."

Emily quickly realized what it meant to violate the contract as she suddenly felt a profound sense of weakness in her body. She was unable to even hold still, and she felt dizzy and nauseous as the world seemed to spin around her. She suddenly retched.

The effects persisted for a few more moments until the world stopped spinning. The Chancellor's voice filled the room, "The contract you signed binds you to its contents. Go against it and suffer the consequences."

The Chancellor, having made his point, turned to leave. Suddenly, he turned to a girl who was huddled in the corner. She was young, a high schooler still in her uniform. She had been absent-minded since Emily had awakened. However, when the guard walked in, the girl had huddled herself in a corner, frozen in fear.

The Chancellor narrowed his eyes and turned back to the guard, smacking him with his staff.

"You brat, how are you this old and can't even keep it in your pants? You're lucky you're my nephew, or I would've kicked you out of the palace a long time ago. If we get any complaints during the auction, I won't be able to protect you." He walked out of the room.

The guard, looking much less tense, sniveled behind the Chancellor. "Eh... uncle, don't be like that. Her body is still fine. I'm sure she will still sell well," he jostled the Chancellor's arm.

The Chancellor replied sternly, "If she doesn't, no pay for at least six months!"

The guard's face paled, and he quickly nodded. "Yes, uncle."

The door clicked shut, muffling the fading banter between the guard and the Chancellor. A sharp cry pierced the silence. The sound jolted Emily from her own troubled thoughts and she turned to the source of the noise. It was by the young girl.

"What's wrong?" she asked with concern.

The older gentleman approached the girl, hoping to offer comfort, but she only screamed louder and recoiled from him. He turned to Emily with a pleading look. "Would you mind trying to comfort her?"

Emily, though unsure of what to do, nodded in agreement. As she approached, the girl immediately clung to her, burying her face in Emily's embrace, her distress evident. "What happened to her?" Emily asked, though she suspected she already knew the answer.

"Poor thing," the older gentleman sighed wearily, his voice heavy with sorrow. "She was assaulted during the transfer here. Some of us tried to intervene, but the contract binds us, rendering us powerless against them. They even beat some of us before healing the wounds, just to remind us of our place. This place... this world... they don't see us as human."

The other man added with bitterness in his voice, "No, they know we're human. They just don't care. We're nothing but slaves here. It wasn't until we were being escorted that we saw the other slaves kept here. This kingdom thrives on slavery, and they likely summoned us to replenish their stock."

The revelation struck Emily like a physical blow, leaving her reeling.

"I wish we had been as clever as that man in the pajamas," the younger man murmured, recalling the lone individual who had refused to sign the contract and laughed all the way to the exit. "He may have left with nothing, but at least he escaped this hell."

"Then... what can we do?" she murmured.

The older gentleman's response was laced with resignation. "We must do as they say, work diligently, and improve our skills," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of their situation. "The sooner we do that, the sooner we can leave this place."

Emily turned back to the girl, who still clung tightly to her. She gently brushed the girl's hair, offering what little comfort she could, while battling her own rising panic. This world, a cesspool of moral decay, had ensnared them. She had to get out, she had to...