I woke up at some point in the middle of the night. My face was crusty, as though it had seen tears, and I was laying in bed.

That makes the end of one day, though.

Just like that, Lasory's mission didn't seem so bad. And at the same time, it became just that much more daunting. Today was so long, and we hardly spent half the day in the castle. Imagining what a full day would be like, and how in the hell I would make it through one, was enough to make my still-present headache worsen.

How long am I gonna have to deal with it this time?

There was a noise coming from next to me that made me sick to my stomach. Breathing. Who the hell is breathing next to me? It certainly wasn't Lasory. This was softer, womanly breathing. Not a sound he could make.

I looked over, and wouldn't you believe it, it was Sage. With an audible groan, I rolled over and tried to return to sleep.

Come morning, the long and daunting day ahead seemed to dance in front of me and mock me. With Donthaar's king waving us off so hurriedly and the fancy dinner from last night having drawn to a close, I was left to wonder what a new day had in store for me.

More specifically, if it had anything at all. All the excitement was gone.

Lasory dragged out of bed not long after me, and after a long hug, he said he'd be off to the library to see if he could find "anything new." Clearly not his first time here.

The twins didn't seem to make an appearance, so I guess it's up to little old me to keep myself entertained. Except... there's nothing to do around here!

I flopped on the couch and stared at the ceiling for a while, even drifting off to a light nap for a few short minutes.

Maybe I'll get feisty and do a little stretching?

Ayami used to every day. Sometimes I would join her and keep her company.

But not even stretching could hold my attention for long. And believe me, I tried. So I resigned to laying around on the couch like a total bum, realizing grief and anxiety had nothing on true boredom.

Why not go explore the castle?

...

Nah. Imagine if I got lost? Getting back here would be a nightmare.

"So booooooored. UUgghhh," I moaned and groaned.

It didn't help that I didn't have any nap left in me, and even this early in the day, my headache was slowly becoming more of a fever. But my perceived solitary confinement didn't last forever, thankfully. A knock at the door made my heart leap and my eyes widen.

There behind the door, as it opened theatrically slowly, stood my tormentor, and I couldn't be happier to see her.

"Oh Sage!" I gleamed. "I was wondering how soon I'd get to see you!"

She said sarcastically!

"Really?" She jumped.

NO!

But whatever she was here for had to be better than being a couch potato. So I found myself in the hall following her before I knew what was best for me.

"Since you seem to have so much going on today, why don't you come with me? Got some people you can meet."

Some of my LEAST favorite words. But again, is it really better than napping the day away? Debatable.

"Really it was Fezege that told me to come get you, but you're a bundle of fun. I wouldn't miss the chance to see you!"

Why are you so giddy about me anyways? I've said maybe two words to you.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"A lot, really. Kind of a messy time for us, too."

"Who's us?"

She led me quite a ways through this maze of a castle, leaving this comfortable, dark wood to an anxiety-inducing marble floor, where the halls were tall and lined with thick, bulky pillars. "Me and the rest of the Trainees."

I was silent as the drastic changes in scenery overtook most of my consciousness.

"We had a surprise visitor from someone my friends and I used to know." She knew her way around here well. As we passed by servants, even some more of the seemingly regular passerby and staff, they almost always gave her a nod, a bow, or curtsy. "And the truth is, I didn't think I'd ever get to see him again."

Long lost lover? Worst enemy? The plot soup thickens!

It took a feat of desperation to make this more interesting than the comfort of the solitary house I'd left. Though that option was taken from my hands as we went outside, through still, empty air, and entered what looked like an oversized barracks, hardly a couple hundred feet from the side of the castle we just left.

As soon as we crossed the threshold, my fever cranked up to max like an overheating locomotive, steam blowing and everything, and I became almost instantly sick.

There were people everywhere. The door we took was into a long and wide training hall, where easily over a hundred people crossed wooden swords, were doing calisthenics, or shot bows. I gulped as Sage began greeting people that noticed her.

Then along came Fezege, who was had a grit and sternness about her. She noticed us from halfway along the hall, and, seeming to have left her usual gleam and glow at her bedside this morning, she would pause and snap at what I assumed to be her students, correcting their forms and the like.

I didn't like this Fezege.

"You brought a new recruit to me today?" She teased. Or at least I think she did.

Why is she looking at me like that?

I could feel a bead of sweat forming on my forehead. "Ehe..."

Yeah I've actually got somewhere to be...

"She was telling me all about how excited she was to learn what I was learning," Sage said, nudging me with her elbow.

With a biiiig sidestep, I gave her and Fezege a frown, earning a chuckle from the both of them.

"No, I wanted to introduce her to my team," the student explained.

Your team?

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Fezege noticed my head cocked to the side. "Sage here is a team lead. Come. We have a meeting anyways, and we're in need of another translator."

What do you mean translator?

My head was pounding, and the heat of the room wasn't helping as sweat was beading up all over my face and body. I know I signed up for this, but I don't fancy meeting anyone. Nevertheless, the pair brought me over and sat me down in a circle of five. We were sat on the floor in what looked like a sparring area, only instead of sparring, everyone had quills and papers set over crossed legs with gloomy expressions.

"Since it seems a certain group of students can't keep up with their language studies, they've now cut into their sparring time," said the teacher, who wasn't remotely pleased. I could see a twitch in her shadowed eyes as she yelled at the students without even yelling, and a few students looked like they wanted to curl up and hide themselves away.

Trust me, I know the feeling.

I was sitting as far outside the circle as I could manage, burrowing my chin into my chest and keeping as quiet as possible. Perhaps if I don't breathe at all, they won't notice I'm here.

They were studying the language of the Elves, from what I could gather. Common. Just about this whole region speaks it, so the fact that they don't is extremely surprising and a little worrying.

Most had their eyes to their handwriting, but I suppose some were beginning to finish that assignment, because one of them, a short, thin-built teenager with slightly dark skin and oddly-shaped eyes looked to Sage for some speaking practice.

"I'm still doing my handwriting," she apologized, then looked at me with puppy eyes. "Can you help him, Lydia?"

I threw my hands up and stammered up a complete storm, now sweating bullets. Nah nah nah nah we are not doing this right now. I was just here to kill boredom, not work as a tutor!

By now the girl who was sitting next to the boy looked up to see me freaking out, practically choking on my words, and I suppose her interpretation of that was: I haven't been introduced yet, so I wouldn't want to help if I didn't even know them.

I don't want to help at all, damnit!

"I'm Yoru," said a petite girl with darkish skin and narrow eyes.

"And I'm her brother, Edgar," said an edgy-looking guy next to her with straight black hair that went over his eyes and shadowed his face.

"Angelina~" waved a dolled-up woman with long, curly hair. "And that's my doll~ Keith!"

EEEWWW catty catty catty!! Back out!

She was pointing at a tall guy with flashy muscles and one hell of a jawline, who looked disgusted with the fact that he was even here to begin with.

"If you think you're even able to teach me this language then hop to it. I'm missing sparring for this," snapped the jock, whose voice was condescending.

I remained silent, which was rewarded with a thick scoff, and let them go back to their work. Keith was doing speaking practice. "Nain an-ka junat," I heard him attempt to say.

My spit nearly took my own life as I started a hacking fit. Sage patted my back and looked worried, but her face was red as she stifled laughter. She heard him, too.

"Why's he sound like that?" I whispered in her ear.

The group got a little noisier as they all began their equally awkward speech, which sounded like someone dragging a blunt fork along a fine glass. But the noise made it so Sage and I could giggle at them without being caught.

"And why don't you?" I added.

She took a deep breath, which she then let out slowly as she closed her eyes and stretched her hands. "What I have to say is... going to sound crazy. Like nothing you've ever heard."

I cocked my head.

Considering the reason I'm here, at this castle, in the first place? Try me.

"The Kingdom of Donthaar, glory be in its name," she said with an added mockery of a tribute. "Was in need of 'Heroes,' people who would 'save the nation' and bring it to its 'destined glory.'"

I nodded slowly with narrowed eyes. This wasn't the first time I'd heard about something like this. Let alone the first time I'd seen these people. Wait. Yes it was. What am I thinking?

"So one day..." she became quiet and her eyes glazed over as she stared into seemingly the void. "The five of us... or I guess six... were enjoying ourselves in class. Not a class like this."

My gaze narrowed and concern furrowed my eyebrows.

"A class in another world. One where I had a family. Friends. A whole life ahead of me." Her eyes were beginning to get sparkly, and her voice lost all its power. "But somehow... these people were able to just rip us all away from that. I don't even know how far away from home we are..."

I covered my mouth and my heart ached. My hand moved to her back and I looked into her eyes, seeing past what I had initially assumed to be a stuck-up, teacher loving persona, and finding a scared girl, which made her eyes feel for a moment like they were a mirror.

She cleared her throat. "I'm the only one that was brought over with the ability to speak your language. Nobody else can."

It didn't dawn on me that she was able to speak the Elves' language with such pristinity, and yet her English had this tacky sharpness about it, an unmistakably foreign accent. The same accent these others spoke English, and the Common language, with.

"Why do you know English, anyway?"

That question came after me like a freight train. Whatever the hell a freight train is. "I don't know..."

"You speak it so well, though..." It was her turn to narrow her eyelids.

I've been a mixed elf my whole life, spending the latter half of it at the bottom of society. I don't remember ever sitting down to pick up such a rare and impractical, ugly language.

A strong twang of squeezing pain rocked my head as memories of the Sakari raid flashed back to my mind's eye. The glass shattered and the wall crumbled. Something struck me, and I remember being thrown backward. Violently.

Memories of seeing black and white... everything was so hazy and blurry... my ears are ringing... where's Lasory?? Where's Myu?!

Sage was tapping me on the back, which let me return to the present, where I was clutching my forehead and breathing deeply.

For some reason, what she told me about the other world... being summoned... yes I remember hearing talk of a few nations wanting to perform the ritual. Something something Gate something... none of it struck me as being too strange.

If I had my wits about me I'd have Lasory look at my head.

"Careful, now," Sage warned. "I'd get some water. That seems like a mean headache."

"I'll be okay, thank you," I said, fixing my glasses.

My ears attuned to the surrounding noise again, all the clanging of swords, thumping of fists, grunting of jabs thrown and taken, and the chatter of those watching.

Then came another fork on the glass in the form of possibly the most atrocious Elvish I've ever heard. It was that Angelina girl.

I raised my hand a little, my fingers kind of curled in and my head low. "It's a little better if you make your vowels shorter and put voice into the consonants. Think of it being smooth and gentle."

This wasn't my first time teaching the language. Though it was usually to children. Now I look like a child and my tutorees are big scary Knights-in-training, though I tried to give a humble smile to show I was only wanting to help.

But that didn't get very far.

"Keeeeeiiiiith," she whined like a screeching cat. "She's making fun of my Elfish."

I flinched. It's not called Elfish!

"You were asked to help, not be a dick!" Keith shouted, his voice powerful, one that felt like it shook my ribcage. He put his arm around the girl, who had a pouty kitty face. My eyes widened and I buried my face in my arms, scrunching up into a ball and holding myself tightly.

My glasses were pressing up against my face and I couldn't relax from that position. I am a turtle. Nobody can see me.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to cause trouble like that...

Over my panic I could hear him mutter something about "that bitch's ugly sweater." I thought I was supposed to help them study though...

~

"How did things go today?" Lasory asked as he was rubbing my temples again that night, the only way he knew of to help with these incessant headaches.

"I hate those Trainees," I spat. "Except maybe the teacher's pet."

"Be nice," Lasory scolded.

I'm not a kid damnit!

It was a lot colder now that I didn't have that sweater on anymore, and I just wanted to crawl into bed at this point. Preferably never waking up after doing so.

"I found out something though..." I began.

"Oh?"

"Those Trainees... were Summons."

His temple massage stopped for just a moment, and then he continued, not saying anything about what I said. Only after he was done did he say, "You may have sustained a concussion during the raid. We'll need to get you to a medical facility at some point soon."

"You were asked to help, not be a dick!" That voice replayed in my head.

"Sleepy Vincey," I could hear that same voice mock, though higher pitched. "Must have forgot to do his homework while he was napping~."

~

Sage

Barracks Meeting Room

"So what happened to you, Zeke?" I pleaded. "Why did you wanna talk to me alone?"

"I wanted to tell you before anyone else. You're the only one I can trust."

I frowned and looked at him like he was crazy. Zekiel's always been the logical one, level-headed, and all about the facts.

"Sage," he said my name with a gravity. "There's more of us. It's not just me."

My eyes went wide. I couldn't breathe. "How many?" I whispered.

"I don't know. There's no reason to rule out that it's everyone." Donthaar would have a field day with this. We're supposed to be their prized heroes, which in my eyes, is a lot more akin to slavery, like idols put up to fame and glory for the company that "owns" them.

"Sage," he put his hands on my shoulders. Zeke has never in my life been this serious. "Please be careful who you tell this to. I'll tell you more in a few days' time, but I'm certain Donthaar will present the same sort of ultimatum to me that they did for you five."

"What will you say?"

Then came a pause, and a set of words that almost never leaves that bookworm's lips:

"I don't know."