A bit of time has passed since Ajax awoke to his new environment and his new reality.

He is still waiting on the bed of his new room. He is guarded by two men; one is a tall, armored man positioned at the room door and the other is standing near the window where earlier the blonde woman had been seated. Ajax had learned that her name is Vonis. These two men are known as “holy knights”.

They are wearing violet, metal armor from head to toe, well protected from the actions of any adversarial forces. Through their helmets, Ajax can see their eyes watching him, however he cannot get a clear view of their faces.

One of them, a man named Kinser, is holding an iron, war hammer with the head placed on the ground; it is faintly red from either rust or dried blood from past battles. The other, a man named Creta, is holding a medieval-European style, snow-white sword, with the leaf-green hilt held in his hands clad in gauntlet.

Unlike earlier, Ajax is bound. His wrists are in a peculiarly engraved metal brace behind his back with clear instructions to make sure that his hands are visible to these two holy knights at all times. Creta is currently watching his hands while Kinser stares at his face. He’s been forced to strip and left at the moment wearing only underwear, a pair of white undies.

I’m… a prisoner right now. What’s… what’s going to happen to me? What is this? What the fuck is going on!?

Ajax recalls what happened to place him in this situation.

Andal had told me about the war... millions dead… three hundred others summonees... Then, he asked about my fighting experience. Obviously none. I’m a high school student about to graduate not a boxer or MMA trained or anything. Then I told him about what city I was from, what nation I was born in, my family, my world and everything I knew about it. Then, he started behaving oddly… He sent that woman, Vonis, away for some reason and asked me to touch his ring... He wanted something to happen but... it didn’t? Andal said I wasn’t actually a ‘hero’, I didn’t have the heroic divine protection… or something like that. That… sounds familiar actually. Why? Then, these two showed up and the searches began. It’s like I’m about to enter a prison… Ok. Ok. Now, calm down. Calm down. Calm… Calm…

With all of the mental fortitude Ajax can muster, Ajax represses his fear at never seeing his family again and feels the fact that he is trapped in this place asserting itself towards him. He takes a few deep breaths and carefully assesses his situation. He soon realizes that he can still faintly taste his breakfast so not much time has actually passed since he was back on Earth…

He recalls that he had also been strip and cavity searched for any hidden tools or weapons. Even his hair had been searched, the holy knights were so oddly paranoid. He has heard of strip and cavity searches before so he just went along with it, even though it was completely disturbing. This entire situation, as if he were entering a federal penitentiary… disturbing…

He remembers the other details as well, the more unassuming and perhaps crucial ones. The holy knights had taken blood by using a small knife to cut his left palm, collecting some blood in a weird vial. Then, one of them took the vial somewhere and came back with…

When that guy returned... he said I wasn’t a ‘demon’ or whatever. Then, he took out some kind of fortune teller’s crystal ball– Ahh, wait, so… I think that vial was probably for some kind of blood test to make sure I was really a human then? What was that glass sphere for then? What even are demons, some kind of weird monster in this place? Another type of human maybe? Or like the literal enemies of God and servants of the devil? They are really religious, who knows what they’re even talking about… Crystal ball, right! They were expecting something when they handed it to me… Was it supposed to glow like that gold cube did? They said something like... ‘This guy has no’... ‘no’... something... ‘no magic? So... so magic is real here? I have none of it… No magic? I guess that's what happens when I don’t have the divine protection. These two also… they really seem to be really confused about what’s going on… wait… if they singled me out… then… then what about… what about Shaula?

Is she, his beloved Shaula, is she here too? Shaula is probably fine. Someone so reliable like Shaula, much more reliable than him, of course, she must be alright. She must have the protection, she must be a divine heroine. She’s probably getting welcomed by these people as someone valuable, someone undefiable, someone… She could probably even vouch for Ajax.

She’s fine. She’s fine. She’s fine. She’s fine. Sh-She’s fine. She’s…

The thought of her itches at Ajax. It has something to do with that blankness in his own memory. His instincts are screaming that Shaula is here and that she isn’t fine; he doesn’t understand why he feels this way, as if his screaming thoughts are being thoroughly muffled. Shaula is more ‘divine’ than anyone he knows. She’s smarter than him, stronger than him, more attractive…

She’s fucking gotta be a hero, no question, and she must have a huge amount of magic or whatever, I-I can feel it. Or, maybe, sh-she’s lucky and she isn’t here among the heroes, maybe she’s just back on earth… wondering where I went. But… what is this? I feel sick…

Ajax considers his family, Shaula and their futures. Will he just never see his family again? Being summoned, does that mean being a guardian of this world forever? Or, maybe if he’s on good terms with these people the summoned can leave later? But after all, there’s no guarantee of that, these people are thinking about their own future and the future of their race.

Not of his future or the future of any other divine hero. If Shaula is here, they’re not going to be thinking about her either. Supposing that any of the other three hundred including Shaula actually join some kind of war effort, then what? Everyone’s happy? What about the heroes, the people stolen from their lives?

Eight more minutes pass. Ajax's mind returns again and again towards Shaula, and what’s happening to her in all this. His thoughts about himself have faded away in the midst of this overwhelming concern. He has a feeling in his heart about her current state. A seedling of deep dread grows into a mighty oak. Finally–

“A-Ah look, could you please tell me a-about… my friend, Shaula? Shaula Seikennith?”

They do not answer him. They did turn their heads to look at Ajax as soon as he raised his voice.

“...”

Ajax decides that their silence is answer enough. They will not interact with him because they do not know how to deal with him, with the situation of him. He had said enough to get them to believe that he was actually from a different place; the fact they were already expecting that helped a lot to make these two knights feel less confused about this abnormal situation.

Yet… he still doesn’t have the crucial divine protection. He still doesn’t have any magic apparently either. If he is from another world, he wasn’t given the protection of the otherworlders. He was, presumably, rejected by God’s grace. After about five minutes more of waiting, Vonis returns with news. She doesn’t have a happy look on her face.

“It seems that only the two of them are lacking the protection. The clergy checked the rest of the summoned heroes, multiple times. They are also fundamentally certain that the two of them aren’t spies from the demon empire. They’re simply… unblessed.”

“...Yes, we’ve been coming to that thought as well, Vonis.”

Ajax sits quietly as Kinser and Vonis, the first person he saw when waking up, converse quietly about the “two of them”.

“Two? Who’s the other one like me?”

“Oh, the other is a woman named Shaula Seikennith. What do you know about her?”

“...Wh-What? Shaula doesn’t have it!? That’s… that’s… Jesus Christ… Yes, Sh-Shaula’s my best friend! Sh-She has long, chestnut-color hair, she’s beautiful… What is this… why only… why only us? Fuck… Why are we being singled out?”

His fears have been confirmed. That feeling gnawing at him grows in potency. Specifically Ajax and Shaula have been singled out. She can’t vouch for him or herself. Ajax understands that just by not having this divine protection, they are now viewed as separate from their group of summonees. At least if he had the protection, the two of them would be protected but now…

The deity who summoned them to a foreign war isn’t vouching for them. Perhaps if he’s lucky, the other heroes will vouch for him or protect him. If it is the case that his classmates have also been summoned, then maybe his teacher as well? He last remembers being in the school before the memory blank. That was probably where the summoning took place.

Ms. Rowfield, his English teacher proctoring his exam, would definitely vouch for him and Shaula, she would definitely come to their aid. Assuming she actually did make it here as well. Vonis is currently staring at Ajax. He notices her gaze and the despairing look on Vonis’ face.

“Unblessed child Ajax…”

“...You can just call me Ajax.”

Vonis is quite a beautiful woman, more beautiful than any he knows in real life, except probably Shaula. He’s very conscious of her at the moment but also a bit unsettled by how she called him an “unblessed child”. He raises his head to look at her properly, for whatever she is about to say.

“...No, it’s nothing.”

~

“So… that’s what you didn’t want to tell him. I see. So, explain to me, exactly how… How did she die, Vonis?”

“It is unfortunate, Kinser, but she became aggressive when his eminence, Gratia, tried to interrogate her and then he was also quite angry since he thought she was a spy. I don’t know the details but… well, you know how he is concerning things like this. His duty isn’t interrogation after all and he’s not used to taking prisoners in a fight; this outcome isn’t unexpected. How unfortunate she is unblessed. She lost all of her value instantly… Sigh.”

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Kinser and Vonis stepped out for a moment, leaving Creta and Ajax alone in his room. She’s been given clear instructions to let him know what to do next.

“She couldn’t be brought back?”

“Not from a stab to the heart. None of us here have that level of healing magic proficiency.”

“...if this gets out, the heroes will mistrust us.”

“Right, about that. There’s been a change to our protocol, that’s what I’ve been asked to convey to you.”

“...I see. It’s come to that then.”

“For now, we’re to guard him before his next interrogation with the archbishops and a torture master. We could use some knowledge about their world before the other heroes wake up so we’re going to have to go down this path.”

“I see. Ajax told me about a lot of foreign technology as well. Once we have an idea about their level of technological prowess, we can ask the rest of the heroes more in order to boost our war potential.”

“Hm. After the boy spills his breadth of knowledge on the world of the heroes, the higher ups will proceed from there, with the knowledge that his existence cannot be revealed to those remaining sleeping heroes. The fact that he is unblessed is not a good sign after all. The archbishops seem to be unanimous about his disposal.”

“Understood… How unfortunate for Ajax.”

“Our beloved Twilight King, our Master and Creator Sapiora, has deemed he is unworthy. I mean, to not even grant him the blessing… He might as well not even be a human being. Do not pity him. Contain him.”

“Very well. I will start by informing him of her death. We need him up to speed as soon as possible?”

“Wh– why would you do that? That will make him hostile to us. We need him relaxed at this moment until we get him to meet the archbishops.”

“I disagree. I’ve been watching his reactions. He’s been thinking about this Shaula person for a while and he’s already being wary about our intentions. You haven’t dealt with detainees as often as I have, Vonis. For people like Ajax, we need to erase his will to resist. The death of his friend will make the rest of the interrogations easier. Rather than constantly thinking about her and angering the archbishops, he’ll have his answer to what happened to her.”

“...Very well. I’ll take your lead on this and inform him.”

Kinser and Vonis head inside and see Ajax sitting on the bed, asking Creta something. Kinser is of course correct about Ajax being fixated at the moment about the state of his friend.

“Could you please take me to Shaula now? I-I wasn’t even sure if she was here actually… I want to make sure she’s alright.”

Vonis answers him.

“I have some unfortunate news for you. Your friend, Shaula Seikennith, has died.”

“...What? What do you… Haha, if you’re j-joking… why would you say that? Why would you try to… It’s not funny, why would you say that?”

Ajax laughs a little at the odd remark of Vonis. Is this their Omicron style of humor perhaps? But, Vonis isn’t laughing. Her expression is still downcast. She sighs. This doesn’t feel good for Ajax at all. Time seems to slow down as she continues speaking, as she explains to him about the death of his friend.

Vonis calmly explains to Ajax that Shaula has actually died, being careful not to say how it happened or where she is at the moment. It takes a minute or two before he fully contemplates that what she is saying might be the truth. After he passes the stage of denial, he recedes into himself in a state of shock and pain at this news.

Kinser and Vonis try to console him but he doesn’t respond to either of them; even Creta, who had been harsh at this point, expresses some sympathy. However, with Ajax in that state, he cannot be consoled, he cannot be mollified. He realizes it however. It is as if his mind had already told him about this.

That feeling he was having about Shaula… This must have been it, a premonition. It didn’t make sense however. How did she die? Why did she die? Where is her body?

“A-Ahh… shit… what the fuck is… what is… Why would you say that… I… I have to see her. Wh-Where is she? I have to see her. Take me to her.”

Tears flow down Ajax’s face as he makes this request of the three in the room.

“I’m afraid you cannot see her at the moment.”

“No… No… e-enough is enough. I-I’ve done what you’ve asked me to for long enough, I’ve debased myself as if I were a heinous criminal, I’ve followed all your stupid tests and trials… Take me to her right now.”

“Please, you will have to bear with us here. We have many other things to take care of. We need to ask you more questions about the current technological progress of your world. If you have any information that could help us deal with this predicament, we need you to explain it to us and then we can–”

“No!”

Ajax shouts with his face down. Vonis is speaking to him dismissively right after Shaula had died. Her attitude as if his concerns were meaningless. So robotic, completely unlike how her attitude was to him when he woke up.

Vonis sighs in exasperation. She stands at the door and her expression which had been one of amiability and some amount of nervousness, turns expressionless.

“We cannot let you leave this room at the moment. Please, just bear with us. We mean you no harm.”

“I don’t care what your intentions are. My friend is dead while in your care. Take me to her. Now!”

Ajax raises his voice. Ajax rises to his feet in an instant and rushes towards the door where both Vonis and Kinser are standing. He doesn’t have any option but to see Shaula so he makes a desperate and panic stricken action. He doesn’t even consider whether he has any chance of breaking through, of leaving this room–

Crack!

Suddenly, Ajax is hit across the face. He feels his jaw dislocate and shatter. He falls to the ground but isn’t knocked unconscious yet. His body hits the ground so easily. His consciousness starts to stretch as he deals with dizzyness and a strong sensation of pain inflict his body. He barely even saw himself being hit and hasn’t realized that Kinser was the one who struck him.

Being hit by a hand clad in metal gauntlet is painful. He starts to notice Kinser standing over his face.

“Can you calm down now? I only did that because you tried to leave. Please be more mindful of your situation. When Vonis told you you can’t leave, it means that you can’t leave. This is simply what happens when you decide to defy us.”

Ajax feels a hit to his stomach. His breath is forceably pushed out as a result, giving him the sensation as if holes were punctured in his lungs all at once from the sheer force. He had been struck by Creta, although considering the fact that Creta is wearing a metal boot, perhaps only feeling this much pain is a sign of Creta holding back.

“Oh, don’t worry about your jaw, that’ll be healed up later. Or… Vonis, you want to use some healing magic on him?”

“Hm. No. What kind of lesson would he learn if I just healed that so quickly?”

“Ah, how strict. But, he should calm down a bit by the time we take him to the archbishops”

Ajax feels the sound and sight of the world before him disappear. The pain forces him to recede within himself and listen to the voice of his soul. Through all the pain, he reaches a moment of clarity, perhaps as a response to the overwhelming anguish upon hearing Shaula had died, mixed with the strongest feeling of pain he’s ever felt in his entire life.

He remembers the end of the dream he had, prior to waking up. Shaula had been there with him and she was crying blood. She was speaking to him but he couldn’t hear her. They were dancing together. The trees were gone, the forest which started the dreamscape had disappeared as tree after tree shattered.

Ajax opens his eyes. An instinct takes over.

With the momentary awakening of this instinct, he feels the pain in his stomach and head disappear. His eyes see Kinser standing directly above him. Neither Kinser nor Vonis are looking at him right now. Creta however has noticed his face. Creta also notices that his jaw has stopped bleeding already.

“Hm? What’s with this kid?”

Ajax feels his jaw slowly start to set, as if the bone is reconnecting. He spits out the tooth that was loosened from the shattering of his jaw; Kinser and Vonis immediately notice this. He still feels a restriction on his back, the shackles that he must get rid of. The instinct “swells” for a moment. He considers the shackles.

What are these shackles on him? They’re composed of metal, hard, binding metal and… something he understands for the first time right at this moment. It is composed of… something alive. Something bursting with vitality, some kind of power. He wishes to include this living power into him.

The shackles, the physical shackles are the vessel keeping that living power all packaged up. He should be the vessel instead, he needs that power. He feels the life within his shackles being taken from the weak, physical vessel of the shackles into the vessel of his own body and soul. He doesn’t very clearly understand but that is what it feels like to him. This vitality…

But, it isn’t just strength or vitality, it isn’t so limited, it feels like life itself, like the constantly moving, constantly changing, indestructible ‘life’ powering the entire universe. Like the burning of stars, like the heat of lava, like… energy. Ajax feels the sudden incorporation of this energy into his body and he feels it being directed where it needs to be the most.

To his jaw. Vitality has been lost in his jaw when it was shattered; this living power is converted into vitality and is returned to it in order to make it whole once again. Within seconds, his jaw is completely healed. Ajax realizes the state of the shackles as well. Without the living power within them, the shackles crack and disintegrate. They freeze and break, brittle as glass.

“Huh?”

In an instant, Kinser draws back from Ajax while Creta raises his sword. Ajax doesn’t really pay attention to their movements. With his hands now free, he touches his jaw, the place where the energy had been relocated. He feels its restoration. Even the tooth that he spit out has been regenerated. He feels his body, checking his own condition. He feels… amazing.

“What’s… How did he do that? He shouldn’t have any ability to use magic.”

“I-I don’t understand, he clearly doesn’t have the protection, the testing has been thorough. But… not even a newly arrived hero could immediately use magic!”

Ajax notices their words once again in his periphery. Right now, he’s far more interested in this new sensation he’s feeling. As if a switch has been flipped, he becomes able to sense the life in his surroundings. The crackling flux in the air, in the floor, remaining separate from his body, are slowly taken into his body. It becomes part of him now, of his flesh, of his blood.

Through this instinct, he converts this life into physical strength. He’s light, he’s so light! He continues absorbing his surroundings with the feeling that vibrancy is rapidly leaving the air and floor in his immediate surroundings. Creta has his sword drawn and Kinser his warhammer.

“This doesn’t feel right. The shackles… he broke out of them by freezing them brittle. The air itself is getting colder. He knows ice magic, Vonis?”

“Impossible… That’s impossible!”

“Are you absolutely sure he’s from the world of the heroes?”

“I-I can’t–”

All of a sudden, Creta rushes towards the currently standing Ajax and restrains him, holding his arms in a lock to prevent him from moving or doing anything with his hands. If he is using magic, restraining his hands should put a stop to what he’s doing. Ajax isn’t all too bothered by it however.

“...You. Your name is Creta?”

“Yes, my name is Creta. Now, answer me, you little bastard. How are you able to use magic?”

“...Your armour has a lot of life in it. I need that life.”

Ajax remains in Creta’s grasp without moving a muscle and feels the effervesence on the surface of Creta’s armour against his back. Oddly enough, he doesn’t feel any cold or warmth coming from the armour. Similarly with the shackles or the bed. It was never cold or warm. It just was.

Ajax feels the energy within Creta’s armour move into his own body, being included as a piece of his own strength now. It’s his now. He feels exhilarated by it. As Creta’s armour freezes, Creta immediately lets go of Ajax and leaps backwards as well. Ajax notices finally what he’s done to Creta’s armour and to the shattered iron shackles on the ground.

He feels his hands and notices a sensation of hardness. Ice has frozen on the surface of his hands and his wrist, but he didn’t even notice the temperature. He can’t feel its cold. He… can’t feel cold. Then, he remembers.

“I don’t know if Shaula is really dead or if you’re just fucking lying to me. I-I don’t care, I don’t fucking care, I feel too fucking good right now to care. I’m going to go find Shaula and I’m going to save her from this place. So, get the fuck out of my way.”