There are people who do not understand that the beginning of a fight against a magical opponent is almost as important as the end. As Aiden had been taught by pretty much every magical teacher he’d ever had: strike first and strike last.

Aiden pushed himself off the ground with as much force as he could muster, hoping to take the Sage by surprise. Without levels or enchantments, he was vastly too slow and was weaving beneath the Sage's staff when his mind processed a lot of problems.

He slipped beneath the staff, coming up on the Sage with an open hand thrust to his empty hand as his mind asked him what would be next. He had to know that he would not win; could not win. Even if by some stroke of luck he managed to land a hit, then what?

Aiden had no answer to that as the Sage stepped away from his strike. The man raised his staff and pointed it again. Aiden caught the look of confusion on the Sage’s face as he spun into a mess of a pirouette to avoid the thrust staff.

You have learned [Palm Attack (Mastery 12.00%)]

You have learned [Evade (Mastery 15.00%)]

As startled as he was by them, Aiden ignored the notifications as he grabbed onto the staff and threw a kick at the Sage’s leg, hoping to destabilize him.

You have learned [Kick (Mastery 8.50%)]

The Sage slipped away from the attack once more, taking his staff with him. Aiden had no intentions of engaging in a contest of strength against the man so he let go of the staff.

Aiden didn’t let up, though. If the Sage had been willing to attack him on arrival, then a lot of things had gone wrong from the get go. But just how much had gone wrong? Aiden’s mind continued to seek out answers as he continued his attack.

The Sage continued to evade him at every turn. What had once been confusion on the man’s face was now intrigue. All the while, Aiden’s mind asked questions and he thought of possible exits. He went for a leg sweep and came up with a shoulder thrust.

The Sage avoided each attack easily. He was like an adult playing with an infant.

You have learned [Shoulder Thrust (Mastery 6.29%)]

At this point the Sage was even smiling, entertained.

Aiden’s mind, however, was elsewhere. In their short exchange, he had established a few things. One, he had been summoned to the king’s palace as had happened in his previous life, standing at the center of the massive throne room. The throne room had a high ceiling that was held up by a number of balustrades, two of which he’d been forced to weave around in his attack on the Sage.

Another thing he noted was the array of armed Knights standing on both sides of the throne room. Each had a hand on the pommel of their sword, unmoving.

The Sage made a gesture with his free hand and magic gathered to it in a soft blue light, and Aiden reacted as quickly as his body could carry him.

He pushed off his feet, untrained legs pushing him, and darted forward, striking at the wrist of the Sage's hand. In a fight with a mage who made magic with gestures, if you could get to them first, disrupt the gesture, you had a chance of cancelling the magic before it even started.

Another notification popped up.

You have learned [Dash (Mastery 3.23%)]

Aiden knew he was getting the skills too quickly but couldn't bring himself to attend to it. He was in a life and death situation, after all.

The Sage moved his hand out of the way and Aiden’s attack struck nothing. As if on instruction, a knight dashed out of their position. With all the armor and helmet, Aiden couldn’t tell if the knight was male or female, and he didn’t care.

All he knew was that he had a new opponent. The knight covered the space between them in one move and drew their sword from its sheath.

Aiden turned away from the Sage, stepping into the knight’s reach, and the funniest thing happened. The knight backtracked, staggered back as if startled. They had probably not been expecting Aiden to rush into them. Judging by the speed the knight had come with, Aiden wasn’t sure if the action was a skill or if their movement speed was just that high.

It didn’t matter.

Aiden’s plans were already in motion. He reached for the disoriented knight’s sword as the knight drew it free, grabbed the knight by the hand, and twisted. It was a simple combat technique designed to disarm an opponent, and it worked best when the opponent was already disoriented.

Aiden found success as he extricated the sword from the knight.

If it was before his return to the past, he would’ve struck the knight in the head with the pommel, put them down to be sure. But he wasn’t stupid, he didn’t have the stats for that level of take down, so he simply turned, executing a swing with the blade aimed at the Sage’s neck.

In a fight, you always take out the greatest threat if you can.

As the sword cut through the air, aimed for the Sage's neck, Aiden's mind asked him why disarming the knight had been so easy. Yes, the technique was most often effective, but it had failed him enough times for Aiden to know that he shouldn’t have been able to find success so easily.

But it was too late to allow such questions distract him. In a fight, distractions were the quickest ways to death. Aiden had seen it enough times to know it.

The Sage moved as the sword blade met him, as if anticipating the attack. He blocked Aiden’s swing with his staff and sharpened metal struck wood. Oddly, it clanged like metal meeting metal, letting out a few sparks.

You have learned [Sword Strike (Mastery 0.001%)]

The force of both weapons meeting sent Aiden spinning back and off-balance, and he remembered how a knight’s weapon was intentionally made heavier than most weapons. That explained why the mastery was so abysmal. Everything about the strike must've been sufficient but poor as far as the system was concerned.

Then how did I dispossess them? Aiden wondered as he spun away from the Sage and the tip of his sword hit the ground, bringing him to a stop.

There was a small moment of reprieve from the fight. In it Aiden found himself armed and facing off against the Sage and a knight. Behind him were the bodies of people who were most likely the summoned. He was the only thing standing between them and the Sage, with his overweighed weapon he was certain he could no longer lift, panting like a man who had just finished a triathlon.

Behind the Sage, King Brandis, fourth of his name, and king of the Bandiv kingdom sat comfortably on his throne. There was a small frown on his face as his eyes focused on the part of the ground where the tip of the knight’s sword now in Aiden’s hands had hit the floor.

On his side was his queen on her throne. Aiden tried to remember her name and failed. All he could come up with was Queen Brandis, which he was more than certain wasn’t the name he was looking for. To her side was the only princess of the kingdom, while beside the king was the crown prince and his younger brother.

The king’s frown of discomfort never left his face.

Aiden could understand it. Here he was, attacking the King’s Sage, the most important and powerful man in the entire kingdom, second only to the Royal family.

There was really no defending himself.

You really didn’t think this through, did you? Aiden thought, almost laughing at himself.

But how could he? He’d woken up to the Sage wielding magic. The man had clearly come back as he had, traveled through time to the moment when it mattered the most. Why else would anything be different from how it had happened? The Sage could kill Aiden here and now, even Ted, now that he knew who they were… or who they were going to be.

Aiden paused. Wait, why would he?

There was no reason for the Sage to kill them when Aiden really thought about it. In fact, the Sage had wanted whatever magic Ted had discovered. So wasn’t it safe to say it was in the Sage’s best interest to allow things run their course?

The Sage wouldn’t have to be on alert until after Ted had been captured. Then all he would have to do was kidnap Aiden and use him to get what he wanted from Ted. All he really needed to do right now was confirm that the both of them had come back in time or not.

Aiden frowned, realizing he might’ve messed up. There was always a possibility that what he’d woken up to was supposed to be a test from the Sage to see if he had also gone back in time. If that was true, then he had just failed that test.

There were too many possibilities rushing at him—effects of always being the weakest mage in the room in his past life. He had been forced to use his brains more than his brawns so many times before joining the Order that he had developed a mind so active that it could run him off a cliff.

Now that he had botched it all, there was only one thing Aiden could do. Devote himself to it.

Still panting, he prepared himself, not even trying to lift the knight’s sword from the ground. The Sage smiled at him, interest and concealed ecstasy on his lips.

Then, to Aiden’s surprise, the Sage lowered his staff.

“I believe that should be enough, Lord Lacheart,” the Sage said.

Aiden was confused, unsure of what was going on. The Knight he’d disarmed stood at ease as well, relaxed and unconcerned.

Aiden looked around, waiting for what would come next. Were the other knights going to charge him? What was to happen? What was going on?

Then the king spoke, his baritone as deep as Aiden remembered.

“How much longer before they are acclimatized?”

Aiden recognized the Nalt tongue, the universal language of this world. If the king was speaking with it, then clearly he didn’t want Aiden understanding the conversation. Aiden knew it was intentional because he knew that all members of the Royal family had the skill [World Tongue]. It allowed them speak in a way that was understood by all. It also helped them understand all.

The Sage didn’t take his eyes off Aiden, answering in the same tongue. “A minute, give or take, my king. Five at the most.”

“And were you able to deduce the benefits of the anomaly of our esteemed guest?”

Anomaly? Aiden thought, confused. What anomaly? Did he inform the king of what I am?

“Unfortunately not, my king.” The Sage turned, finally exposing his back to Aiden. “All I have learnt is that his body is already fully accustomed to the mana of this world. It's almost as if he was born here.”

“And how would that make sense?” The King asked.

The Sage shrugged. “I would not know, my king. Sadly, it is beyond my ken. Even now, I believe he may understand some of what we say.”

Aiden’s mind battled back and forth with the weight of a decision to be made. Did he continue with this lost fight? Did he keep on fighting for as long as this weak body could move? Or did he surrender, feign ignorance?

“Then it seems we have been terrible hosts,” the King said, switching seamlessly to English. “You have my deepest apologies for that, our esteemed guest.”

He inclined his head very slightly while seated on his throne. Aiden knew the action. Despite how almost nonexistent it was, it was meant to be an apologetic bow.

But he wasn’t interested in it. His eyes were on the Sage’s back. It was too tempting not to attack despite knowing that nothing would come out of it.

His first attack on waking up had been instinctual, born from a need not to die, but he had time now. Time to think about his decision.

I guess I don’t have any other way out.

He released the knight’s sword and watched the king wince as it clattered loudly to the ground. When the Knight moved to reclaim it, the Sage stopped them with a raised hand, then turned to face Aiden.

Aiden had to play his part now, his reaction here would be important.

With as much confusion and surprise as he could fake, he said, “You speak English?”

“We speak any tongue necessary for conversation, esteemed guest,” the Sage replied in perfect English.

Aiden wasn’t too shocked to find out the Sage possessed [World Tongue].

Aiden looked around. As much as he would’ve loved to claim it was still all part of the act, it was not. Despite being summoned here, he'd only spent three years visiting the palace. The remaining years had been spent avoiding it so he hadn’t been to the palace in years. He had been all around Nastild after he'd fled, but never this palace.

The sight he was met with was as glorious as he could scarcely remember. The pillars that held up the throne room were chiseled in the finest designs of twirls and curves. From what he could remember, each one was reinforced with one enchantment or the other.

There were really tall stained windows that let in the sunlight in all its beauty, the color of the light varying depending on the color of the window it passed through.

Then there were the knights arrayed on both sides, standing at attention with hands on their swords or holding on to the shaft of their spears or halberd or whatever weapon they used should they need to cause bloodshed. Each one’s level could easily be closer to a hundred or higher, if Aiden wasn’t mistaken.

Can’t believe you didn’t realize something was wrong when the knight let you take his weapon, he chided himself.

Then there was the red carpet that ran down the middle of the room, splitting it in two equal halves. It started at the entrance, climbed up the stairs of the throne’s elevated platform, and ended just under the king and queen’s thrones.

Finally, Aiden’s eyes settled on the others, those summoned with him. Each of them laid down like the dead, hands placed over each other and resting on their chests. Their only sign of life was in the slow rise and fall of their chests.

“You may have the blade if you so desire,” the Sage said, drawing Aiden’s attention.

“What?” Aiden stuttered in genuine surprise.

“The sword.” The Sage gestured at the dropped sword. “You seem to have been some kind of fighter in your world, skilled in armed and unarmed combat to some degree, even if little. If you wish to have the sword, it is yours.”

Aiden didn’t even need to think about it before rejecting the offer.

“No, thank you.”

For one, it was a little bit too much on the broad side for his taste. Also, a knight’s weapon was a part of a knight's honor. The last thing he wanted was the ire of someone with their level in the possible hundreds right now.

“I see,” the Sage mused. “Perhaps the weapon is not to your fancy.”

He turned genuinely thoughtful.

“I’m not a fighter,” Aiden hurried to add even though he hadn't been asked.

“You are not?” the king asked, confused. He was leaning forward on his throne, engrossed in their conversation. “Your moves were sloppy, yes. But that was only a given, considering your new body. Regardless, you moved like someone accustomed to the art of combat.”

That was going to be a bit of a problem. The last thing Aiden wanted was the King and the Sage holding him to some height of esteem. As much as it would grant him more freedom, it would also bring about a lot of restrictions. There was also the thing about a new body but Aiden let that slide for now.

As for avoiding the misconception that he was a fighter, it was because there was the problem agreeing would cause. Ted and Drax and Letto knew him and they knew he was no fighter in anyway. If he said he was a fighter in his world here and they somehow entered a conversation that led to them being asked of his combat prowess, that would be a whole other can of worms.

You did not want a king finding out that in his first conversation with you, you lied. That would cause too many problems in the future.

“I have been watching action movies all my life,” Aiden explained quickly. “Emulating their tactics and moves. It is all that I have displayed here.”

The Sage rubbed his jaw in thought. “Action movies?”

“Uhhh…” Aiden gestured vaguely, trying to remember how best to describe it. An answer came to him a moment after. “I’ve been watching other people fight and doing what they do.”

“Ahh, I see.” The king nodded. “You have arenas in your world, where people show their skills.” He ran a hand along his jaw. “I would not have expected that.”

Aiden opened his mouth to correct him but changed his mind. He wasn’t going to explain acting on television to the king. Something told him it was going to be tedious.

From the time he’d spent in the palace, he knew the Royal family was kind, at least to those they had summoned, so he knew the king would listen and try and understand whatever he had to say patiently, but this was not the time.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Esteemed guest,” the Sage addressed Aiden once more. “Do not fear to speak. King Brandis, fourth of his name and ruler of the Bandiv kingdom, is known for his wisdom and patience. I understand someone in your situation will have a lot to say. As such, the Royal family and I will listen. You do not understand our customs, as such any slight made will be pointed out and forgiven for the duration of this conversation.”

The look on the crowned prince’s face at the Sage’s words said he would rather not be slighted by accident or ignorance. Aiden ignored the look. The crown prince was not a problem. He was as good a man as his father, his only problem being his pride, and it would be a few years before he would gain enough wisdom to school it.

For his first question, however, Aiden went with something on the easy side of pretending. “Where am I? What is this place? And why aren’t they waking up?”

He gestured with each question.

King Brandis made an intrigued sound, then looked to the Sage with a smile. “I can already tell what Class this one will be offered.”

The Sage smiled as well. “So can I, my King.”

Aiden wasn’t sure if that was a hint that the Sage had also gone back in time or merely a conversation between a Sage and his King.

Try not to go jumping at shadows, Aiden. It’s the fastest way to kill yourself.

“First,” the King said, voice loud and reaching. “We will like to apologize on behalf of the gods for bringing you here without your consent. As for your companions, they should awaken in a minute or two, three at the most. I assure you of this.”

“Then why am I already up?” Aiden asked, genuinely curious. “What was done to me?”

The Sage and the King exchanged a look. To Aiden’s surprise, the Sage nodded and the King spoke.

“Judging from how well you have handled this so far, perhaps you can handle more. You seem to be special in some way. Either by yourself or by the circumstances surrounding your arrival.” He leaned back on his throne, a finger tapping calmly against the edge of the armrest. “As you are not from this world, your… soul would need some time to adjust to this world’s magic. It is the reason your companions are yet to awaken. You, however, awakened barely a second upon appearance. A strange phenomenon.”

“As if your soul has gone through such a thing before,” the Sage added. “And as much as I would like to study it, you are here for far greater purposes.”

Aiden agreed very much with that. The last thing he wanted was to have the Sage poking at him, trying to figure anything out.

Before more could be said, a collective gasp of fourteen people drew the attention of everyone in the throne room, interrupting the conversation as the others woke up at the same time, just the way Aiden remembered it happening.

“Ah.” The Sage stroked his beard. “This is good. It saves us the time of having to explain twice. But before we continue, esteemed guest, does everyone from your world possess as good a combat skill as you do from just watching people fight?”

Aiden was quick to shake his head.

Drax took boxing lessons from what Aiden knew, but it was nowhere near enough to interpret into a real combat situation with the stress of possible death.

“I see,” the Sage said. “So you are somewhat unique even amongst your kind.”

………….

“Welcome, Esteemed guests,” King Brandis announced as everyone came to their feet in groggy confusion.

This was yet another digression from the flow of events Aiden remembered. Naturally, the king had not been the one to address the group. It had been the crowned prince, and the Sage had merely stood off to the side, feigning insignificance.

Now the King addressed them and the Sage stood clearly and importantly to the side.

King Brandis began by introducing himself, then the kingdom where they found themselves. Then he apologized for the absence of tact with which the gods had brought them to this world and promised to do everything within his power as King to send them back to theirs. After that, he informed them of why they were here. Why the gods had brought them.

Nothing in the speech had changed from what Aiden could barely remember of his original arrival. Yes, the wordings were different, the tone of the King more apologetic.

Aiden had no interest in any of that. What he wanted to see was how the King’s announcement of the Demon King would play out. When the prince had announced it in his previous life, he had tried to take all the emotions out of his voice, tried to make it seem as less dire as the situation demanded.

The result had been chaos and confusion with all fifteen of them complaining and demanding release in one way or the other, silently but certainly.

“I must now plead with you,” King Brandis announced, voice solemn. “The reason for your arrival—the path with which you have been brought here—while being by the machinations of the gods, has not been a conscious one. Darkness seeks to befall our world, and with it, contingencies put in place eons ago have come to effect. The outcome?” He gestured at all of them. “You.”

Then he told them their reason and their purpose. He did it with a deep voice completely aware of the dangers in place. But he did not stop there. No. He pushed forward and Aiden saw intent in the king’s eyes.

“A darkness rises amongst us,” Brandis announced in a commanding voice. “Dark magic, evil and wicked, rises beyond our walls, slowly closing in around us. Evil that should not exist in this world. We have done what we can, but the scriptures have since foretold of the great saviors from worlds beyond. Men and women, pulled into this world with the true blessing of mana…”

Ted had come to stand beside Aiden only half-listening to the King. At the mention of mana, a girl to Aiden’s side smiled excitedly.

Aiden didn’t remember her name, but he remembered the Class she’d gotten. In his previous life, she had been an [Illusionist] and a powerful one. If he remembered correctly, the last time he’d checked on her details she had been at level 182. At the time he had just hit 100.

“…We will raise you,” King Brandis was saying. “Present to you the best that we have to make you the best that we can. I understand that to you all, taken from your homes, these are just words, but I give you my word as King and ruler, you will not fight this darkness alone. We will not put you at the forefront of this madness you have been dragged into. We merely wish to have you present, as the Scriptures foretell that only one amongst you all will be able to vanquish the evil that threatens to rise against us, should it come to fruition.”

As far as speeches went, Aiden didn’t think it was a bad one. Better could’ve been done, but at least it was far more superior than what the prince had given.

Even now, he could see the difference in reactions. Under the prince’s announcement in his past life, there had been chaos, controlled only by the presence of men in armors wielding weapons.

But King Brandis had either been smart or humane. He had first empathized with them, shifting blame for their kidnapping to gods no one could hold accountable. And in the event that someone still wanted to hold someone accountable, there would always be the church not the royal family.

Then he’d apologized for said gods, placing himself on the side of good, as if left to him they would not be here. Then he had given them promises, calmed their fears by promising they would be as safe as was allowed.

Aiden almost clapped in approval.

“I’ve got a question,” Ted whispered beside Aiden.

Aiden nodded, keeping his eyes on the King.

“Why did he look at you when he said only one of us can vanquish this evil?” Ted asked. “And why does the old man with the staff keep staring at you?”

Aiden shrugged. “No idea.”

The Sage had been staring at him since he’d taken his place to the side for the announcement. Once again, Aiden worried that there would be no dissuading the effects of his earlier action.

“So what say you?!” king Brandis declared on the conclusion of his speech. “Will you choose forgiveness and fight alongside us?”

Immediately the question was dropped, Aiden realized something he couldn’t believe he had completely ignored in his past life. Whatever spell had been put in place that led to their summoning had worked on a certain algorithm.

Looking at everyone around him and remembering how they had been as people in his past life, he knew it immediately. They would object and complain, but they would not refuse. It was who they were. Men and women willing to help when help was needed.

Even now, he watched Drax mull over the king’s words. The boy waited, not because he had no words to give, but because he didn’t want to be impolite by speaking for the group.

Then someone stepped out. He was tall and broad. He wasn’t the largest of the group but his stature told tales of time spent regularly at the gym, and he wore the fitted clothes to show it.

“Good… afternoon?” he said, voice unsure and eyes darting at the knights around them. “But if I may ask; why us? Were we chosen specifically or at random?”

King Brandis did not answer immediately. Instead, his eyes squinted in thought, considering, pondering.

“If the scriptures are to be quoted very loosely,” he said slowly, choosing his words very carefully. “Those summoned to the world will possess hearts opposing of evil. They will be of strong mind and will, not devoted to what we call good, but to what they feel is good. I believe that to be the reason you are here. The gods have judged you all most fitting on the path of good.”

Aiden almost snorted. Bullshit. They picked us because we have the highest chance of helping.

Brandis looked to the Sage, then back at the man. “I hope that will appease your answer, Lord Derrick Nelman?”

At being called Lord, Derrick’s countenance changed. He seemed more appeased, satisfied. Aiden found himself hoping everything the King was doing was not intentional. He knew of Brandis’ reputation for being just and kind, but there was also the possibility that this was intentional and not simply a kind man being himself.

Everyone else had questions of their own. Some wanted to know what kinds of magic would be at their disposal, some wanted to know how long they had to prepare before facing this ‘Great evil’. How would they be trained? Would they have men under their command?

Each question was answered by Brandis until the prince was forced to step in and take command of the questions. In Aiden’s opinion, Brandis had done more than enough. Despite the situation, he knew how Nastild worked. A king, regardless of who you are, did not answer to questions of such simplicities.

No, he thought, remembering something he’d once heard in Nastild from the mouth of another king. A king answers only to a king or the gods.

“… And the gods do not ask questions,” he muttered to himself, completing the sentence.

“Well that was an ominous thing to say,” Ted muttered behind him. “But what kind of powers do you think we can get?”

Aiden wasn’t sure how best to answer the question. Ted had started out as a [Summoner]. But how he got the title of [Demon King] was what Aiden did not know.

And that was what scared him. If he didn’t know how Ted became the Demon King, how could he stop it from happening?

Once upon a time, his brother had fled him for his own good, raised an army and laid waste to kingdoms as was foretold in the prophecy. When that had happened, Aiden had fled the kingdom, found safe haven in the Order away from the option of picking sides between good and evil.

He had gotten a second shot at it now, a second chance. What would he do if the option arose again? What would he do if Ted became the Demon King once more?

He would’ve liked to say he would prevent it, put some plans into place. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t stop something from happening when he had no idea how it happened.

Then what do you do if it happens? He asked himself as the prince began educating them on their living arrangement in the palace as well as the rules of the palace.

The first answer to Aiden’s question was as old as time. Power. He needed power. He needed to be strong enough to make a difference in the event that Ted did become the Demon King once more. That would ensure he had more options than being left behind and running away from the difficult decisions.

The second thing he needed was knowledge. Ted had not been the world’s first Demon King. There had been two others before him, each one proving so terrible that their defeat had also brought about the fall of the civilizations that had existed at the time of their reign.

The Order had the possibility of possessing that information. Unfortunately, during his time in the Order, the section of its library that possessed knowledge spanning the forgotten histories of Nastild had been denied to him. And in this timeline, he would have no access to it.

I guess it’s a good thing they aren’t the only ones with ancient texts.

There was always the church’s apocrypha, and the library of Living Truth. The former would be difficult because the church would not grant him entry since the details may contain things they would not want people to know. There was a reason those texts were called apocrypha.

As for the latter, it was in a kingdom across the seas.

The library of Living Truth, Aiden concluded. He had better chances there. And since Ted was not revealed to be the Demon King until after three years, Aiden still had time.

Someone bumped him on the shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts. When Aiden turned, it was one of the girls in the group. Ariana? Ariadne? Aiden couldn’t remember her name.

You spent three years with these people, he chided himself. How the hell did you forget their names?

Because you spent another eight away from them.

“What’s up?” he asked her, noting that the crowd was dispersing. Each of them was most likely being shown to their rooms.

“Catch you later?” Ted asked, walking past Aiden.

Aiden replied with a nod. Since they were from the same world but likely not the same place, Brandis would plan for them to have dinner together. At least that was what had happened before. And in the event that this timeline had changed so much and that didn’t happen, Aiden already knew what room Ted would be placed in.

He could always check on him then. Unless that changes, too.

“Uhmm.” The girl fidgeted, drawing Aiden’s attention once more. When she had it, she pointed meekly.

He followed her gesture to a knight standing separate from the others. The Sage stood beside the knight, resting both hands on the head of his staff.

“I think they want your attention,” the girl said.

He’d just gotten here and already too many things were changing. Most, if not all of them, his fault.

What next? He thought as he walked up to the Sage. The library of Living Truth will suddenly be set ablaze?

It was a joke, but it was also a sudden possibility that scared Aiden.

I really hope not.

The Sage greeted Aiden with a clear bow when Aiden got to him. “Lord Lacheart.”

The action drew looks from those that were still around—members of the royal family as well as the knights.

Aiden remembered how much he had once enjoyed the title of Lord. Until he hadn’t.

He tried to make a simple gesture, wave aside the title but his hands paused at his side, hesitating to obey him. Confused, it took him a moment to realize why.

Aiden stared into green eyes. Eyes belonging to a man who had once captured him with a spell so strong he'd known he'd stood no chance. A man who might, in this very moment, be very aware of the fact that they were potential enemies.

“Lord Lacheart,” the Sage repeated with a touch of worry. “Is everything alright?”

Aiden schooled himself as well as he could.

“Yes, S—sir,” he stuttered unsure of how many people present knew that he was a Sage.

“Sir is an acceptable title.” The Sage’s gaze went to his hand. “However, your hand is trembling, Lord Lacheart. Were you, perhaps, wounded in our encounter?”

Aiden moved the hand behind him and shook his head. “Not at all, sir. I suspect I am not yet myself. However, I would rather be referred to without the title. Aiden is fine as is.”

The Sage frowned. “If you do not mind, Lor—my apologies. If you do not mind, Aiden, may I ask a question?”

“You may.”

“Does your world, per chance, follow the concept of royalty? Kings and Lords. Dukes and fiefdoms?”

“Some parts do,” Aiden answered, confused. “But they do not possess the same authority I believe your king possesses.”

“And are you, per chance, of royal blood?”

Aiden couldn’t stop the chuckle that slipped out of him. “No. No, I’m not.”

“Odd.” The Sage stroked his beard. “You speak as one would. Quite differently from your companions.”

Aiden was about to object when he realized that the Sage wasn’t wrong. He’d spent a considerable time in this palace, and over the years he had spent time every now and again with royalty for one reason or the other.

His manner of speech must have switched from listening to them talk for an extended period of time.

Still, he shook his head again. “Sorry to disappoint, but still not Royalty.”

“I see.” The Sage sounded disappointed. “Regardless, I wanted to introduce you to Sir Valdan.”

Aiden nodded at the Knight in acknowledgement and the Knight returned the gesture.

“He is the one who assisted you with a weapon during our little dance,” the Sage explained.

Aiden cocked a brow at the Sage’s words and got a chuckle for it.

“You must forgive me,” the Sage said amiably. “I was the one to give the instruction for him to interfere and hand you a weapon. It just didn’t feel right that you were forced to face me without one.”

That, Aiden thought. Or you just wanted to see what I could do with a weapon.

“But that is not the reason I called you,” the Sage continued.

Aiden folded his arms over his chest, the one hand still trembled. “Then why was I called?”

“To show you to your instructor.” The Sage gestured at Sir Valdan, who nodded once more. “The King and I are in agreement that your physical skills require a certain level of… attention, if we are to see them flourish.”

Aiden did not oppose this. If he wanted to grow faster, he certainly couldn’t waste any time pretending to need all the basics while sneaking around to reacquaint himself with the skills more suited to him.

The others would have questions when they noticed, but those questions were his to answer as he saw fit.

And Ted? He asked himself.

He came to the easy conclusion that that was a bridge he would cross when he got there. For now, he would take all the help he could get

“And my magical skills?” he asked.

“You will be introduced to a teacher in due time,” the Sage answered. “Should you prove beyond our expectation on that as well, then a personal one will be assigned to you.”

“Fair enough,” Aiden conceded, looking around. “Will it be alright if Sir Valdan and I began practice immediately? I would like to see how much of what I know can be done.”

The Sage’s only response was a gesture in the direction of one of the doors to the side. Aiden knew the door. While the others had gone through a different one that led deeper into the palace, this one led to the outer reaches of the palace.

Sir Valdan turned and walked towards the exit without a word. With all his knightly armor, his steps were without sound. Aiden knew that enchantments were responsible for this.

Aiden followed after Valdan. First, he would get all the foundational skills, then get the basic skills, then he would advance them. Once that was done, he would need to turn his attention elsewhere.

…………..

Brandis sat in his chair, his mind filled with thoughts. Unhealthy thoughts.

He had just lied to Nastild’s saviors, spun tales of how the gods had brought them here when he very much knew they hadn’t. Yes, there had been contingencies in place for when the demonic mana in the world began to rise, but their summoning was not some automated thing or triggered by it.

The only correlation demonic mana had with their summoning was simply the fact that their summoning was impossible without it. Since the beginning of time, demonic mana had always been studied, not simply for its potent and raw power but for its strong affinity for spatial magic. It was the only mana ever recorded with the power to transcend great distances.

The summoning spell had been designed since ages past, created to pick out those relatively pure of heart. And why? That answer was simple as well as unfortunate. Because each and every one of those summoned with it had an affinity for demonic mana.

But the spell made sure they had the lowest affinity, right? It was what the books said. For any one of them to be truly corrupted by it, they would have to drown in a sea of it.

“Brandis.”

Brandis raised his head. In front of him stood his Sage. Piercing green eyes studied Brandis as if he were a child.

“I don’t like this,” Brandis muttered. “It was not right to lie to them.”

The Sage shook his head. “You did not lie. You merely did not tell them everything.”

Brandis scoffed derisively. “I did not tell them everything? They were nothing more than children. The oldest no more than twenty-three. I’m very sure the youngest was eighteen.”

“Nineteen,” the Sage corrected casually. “I believe his name is Dinkleworth.”

“Of course.” Brandis sighed. “I might as well have sent young Dinkleworth to his grave.”

Brandis leaned back on his throne and stared up at the high ceiling.

“Why now?” he asked no one in particular. “Why during my reign?”

“I cannot say,” the Sage answered. “Would you prefer it happen during the reign of your son?”

Brandis expression turned into a sharp scowl immediately.

“Careful,” he hissed. “I know your importance but do not assume to scold me.”

“And I am not. I am merely pointing out the pointlessness of regretting what you cannot control. As for the children, they will be fine. They will be raised and trained and empowered.”

“While some innocent and unsuspecting person, human or elf, wanders aimlessly until they find that they possess a strong enough affinity for demonic mana.” Brandis groaned in frustration. “You know that’s the part of the prophesy that angers me? Our enemy isn’t some alien invader from another world or some actual demon to lead the demon horde. No. They are one of us. An innocent person destined to become the enemy of an entire world.”

The Sage shrugged.

For all Brandis knew, he could make a comment about plucking leaves as a child and he would still get the same reaction. Speaking on topics regarding any form of emotion or empathy was a waste on the man. So Brandis turned the conversation to something else.

“The young man that woke up first. What do you think of him?”

The Sage’s lip twitched in what may or may not have been a withheld smile.

“He is acceptable,” he answered. “Promising. Unfortunately, he doesn’t strike me as one to gain the title of [Hero].”

Brandis could agree with that. There was too much distrust in the man’s eyes. What Brandis had seen had been distrust filled with a burning determination.

He shook the thought from his head. “I agree. Whatever he went through in his old world, it has left him jaded to some level.”

“Yet, the spell chose him,” the Sage mused. “Strange.”

“Yes. Strange.” Brandis let out a tired sigh. “What are the chances of him becoming a [Sage] or a [Guide] or even a [Watcher]?”

“The [Guide] class will be more fitting for him. And if he is lucky, which I believe he will be, he just might be able to upgrade it to [Protector]. That way we get a powerful class drawn to sacrificing for the greater good. But for that, we might need to have him develop a bond with whoever gains the title of [Hero].”

Not for the first time in his life, Brandis wondered what was so special about the [Hero] and [Demon King] titles that made them supersede a person’s Class. Every other title fell under the title section of a person’s being, buttresses to their class. But [Hero] and [Demon King] completely usurped the classes. The only instances where titles proved more powerful than a class was when the holder indulged most in them than anything else, which was rare.

The superiority of [Hero] and [Demon King] made almost no sense to him.

He had a strong feeling that the church had the answer but were simply unwilling to share it, despite what they said.

“I suggest we keep a strong eye on Lord Lacheart,” Brandis said after a while, ready to end this conversation. “As much as I am glad to have someone with eyes like his, I do not like the way he looked at you.”

“At me, Brandis?” the Sage asked.

“Yes,” Brandis answered. “At you. I got the impression that he attacked simply because it was you. It was like he recognized you as the only threat in this room. And I think that is something worth investigating.”

“I see,” the Sage mused. “Then it was not merely in my head… Interesting.”

There was something about the way the man said the last word that drew Brandis’ attention to him. Looking at the Sage, Brandis saw something he rarely saw the man do.

The Sage was smiling.

…………

Aiden held a wooden sword in his hand, its tip touching the ground beneath him. Valdan had led him to one of the outdoor training arenas and was standing off in the distance with folded arms.

The knight had every intention of testing Aiden, not that Aiden cared. He could use the test, see what he still could and couldn’t do. To him it felt as if it was just yesterday he had tried to break Ted out of prison. Unfortunately, his extremely brief squabble against the Sage had taught him that while his mind was still what it was, his body was new. Weak.

“Are you ready, my Lord?” Valdan asked.

Aiden nodded and Valdan unfolded his arms, readied himself.

Aiden would need to test the limits of his current body, then train it beyond them. But as important as that was, what he needed now was a Class. Something that would take him to the highest heights in this world.

For that, he thought as he raised his wooden sword and readied himself for combat, Enchanter will not suffice.