It took quite some time for the chaos to stop. After that, there was a constant stream of arguments and shouting. Most of which went well over my head.

One thing that quickly became clear was that I wasn't the only one.

They made several mentions of other people with words that didn't make sense. Words I had never heard of before.

I was still lost in thought even when I was left alone.

I had some plans for any of the eventual options. They were all out the window now.

I knew that becoming a Commander would never happen.

So, that was why I focused my attention on the other four types.

Light, Heavy, Range, and Support.

I would have been happy with any of them. I figured I could make them work.

But now I was dealing with something completely different.

I had no idea where to go from here.

I thought no matter what, I could provide for my siblings and give them the life they deserve.

Now, I didn't know if I would survive the next day.

I was something completely different now. Whatever the Sages were doing. I was their test subject. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

The stern older lady returning to my room broke my musings.

"Hello, Kajus. I am sure you have a lot of questions. Don't worry; you aren't the only new type found today. While we figure out how best to teach you all. You will have to remain here for the next few days. Is there anyone I need to send a message to?"

It took me a second to figure out what she was saying.

I couldn't tell if that was good news or bad.

"Can you send a message to my siblings? They live on Westbridge Street. They will have to stay at their neighbors for a little longer."

She nodded at that, her face slightly faltering, and began to make her way out the door.

"Could I ask for your name?"

She turned to look at me once more, this time with a more kind look on her face.

"I am surprised you didn't recognize me."

That threw me for a loop; I didn't realize I knew her before.

I tried to look at her face in more detail. Something was nagging at the back of my mind, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"My name is General Amir, or as you used to call me, Aunty Amy."

Before I could react to that, she had gone through the door.

That left me with many feelings I couldn't place.

I barely had the chance to react to the fact that she was a General in the first place.

I had tried my best to forget my life before the fall of Almire.

I was only glad that my siblings didn't remember it at all.

They only had the occasional nightmare where they called out for our parents.

She looked different, but I did remember Aunty Amy.

She had worked alongside my parents since I was born. I couldn't remember if she had still been around at the fall of our city.

After that point, the exhaustion from the day began to set in. I once again fell asleep.

The gentle sunlight coming through the windows woke me.

It was the first time I had woken up after sunrise in a long time.

Getting out of bed and stretching, my body felt a lot better than it had the day before.

While I didn't feel the so-called strength and power that a newly bound was supposed to feel,

My senses were far better than they had been, but other than that, not much about my body felt different.

That was apart from the new piece of armor that was sitting on my wrist. I was surprised at how comfortable it was.

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I had long heard that Soul Armour felt closer to a second skin than clothing, but I had never truly believed it.

Now, I had no choice but to believe. It didn't even feel like there was anything on my wrist. The pure manasteel felt weightless.

While I was keen to activate my soul armor to see what I was working with. That had been the one thing that everyone in the room yesterday had forbidden me to do.

They said they would have to wait until the end of the testing period. After that, they could put complete focus on the new outliers.

I went to the window to see where I was, the plain room giving nothing away.

It took me a second to realize what I was seeing. One thing I was sure of was that I had never been so high up before.

The capital of humanity stretched out before me. I could see the city walls stretch out in the distance.

Countless people were walking the streets below me. It was a view I had never seen before.

They all looked so small from up here.

That made me a little more worried. There was no chance of me escaping even if I wanted to.

There were only three buildings that were this tall. After all, affording defenses against the monsters that kept to the sky was far from cheap.

I didn't think I was in the Academies Tower or the Council's Needle. That only left one building. I was in the Bastion of humanity.

The Soul Fortress. Where every decision about the war took place.

It was also the best-defended area on the entire continent.

After all, there were more S ranks in this building at any one time than anywhere else on the continent.

I wasn't sure how long it would take before they came to get me, so I decided to see if I could leave the room.

The shock of where I was hadn't worn off, but the surprise mixed with a burning curiosity.

My parents had rarely been impressed by many things. But the Bastion was one of them. That and the academy were the most remarkable things humanity had ever created. Or so they had said.

I was more than keen to try and figure out if that was the truth.

The world of magic had been so far away for so long. It felt strange to be thrown straight back into the vortex of it all.

Finding the door open, I stepped into the next room and was even more surprised.

While the room I had awoken in was barely decorated apart from the cheap bed, the same was not true for this room.

It seemed I was in a dormitory, as several doorways shot off from the circular room.

The circular room in question was lavishly decorated. With an ornate wooden table at the center. Flanked by two couches that looked more expensive than some houses I had lived in.

Bookshelves lined the outer walls. It was one of the most extensive libraries I had seen in a single room.

If the room before had been close to a prison. Then, this room was closer to a palace.

I felt out of sorts even stepping into the room.

What made the feeling worse was the other person in the room.

A handsome young man turned to face me as I opened the door. The noise startled him.

I had often read tales of princes to my little sister growing up. The man before me looked like he had jumped straight from the pages.

As he got up, it was also clear that he was close to a head taller than I was.

His blonde hair shone against the mage lights lighting up the room, starkly contrasting my dark hair.

"I'm glad someone else is awake. I was getting a little bored. Another aberrant, I'm guessing?"

It took a few seconds for me to understand what he was saying. I began to argue back that I wasn't an aberrant. But I wasn't sure if that was even true.

My eyes unconsciously went down to the gauntlet on his right wrist. It was clear that he was also something different. While my black manasteel gauntlets had been concerning, his deep silver ones were equally, if not more so.

While it wasn't uncommon for armor to have black accents and undertones, there had never been a case of a Soul armor having Silver of any kind on it.

"So, what are you?"

I found the words coming out before I even had a chance to stop them. My mind was still a little off balance. I usually had more tact when speaking.

Mercifully, the giant only laughed in response.

His unarmoured hand came up and slapped me on the shoulder. Nearly sending me straight into the ground.

I was surprised I could even keep my balance after the blow.

It was clear that he didn't have the same restrictions to his body that I did.

"Oh, are you okay? I didn't think I hit you that hard. Must not have the control of my strength I thought I did."

I barely wheezed out an answer. I decided on the truth, hoping he had some insights.

"My physical stats haven't activated yet. I can't see them on my status at all."

That was the first thing that threw him for a loop. It was clear that whatever new type he was, they still had full access to their physical stats.

He cleared his throat after that, his eyes showing a tinge of sympathy.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that reaction. I had been trying my best to avoid thinking about my newfound status. Without the ability to activate, it had been at the back of my mind since the day before.

"My name is Arthur Stoneheart. I am the first ever Paladin. Nice to meet you."

That was a lot of information for me to take in. For one, the Stoneheart name was a famous one. While nobility and royalty had long become a thing of the past. There were still certain family names that held influence. Stoneheart was one of them. They have had at least one commander in every generation since the breaking of the old magic. It was rarer to find a Stoneheart without Soul Armour. That and they currently had a family member serving in the Council.

His family backing alone would make him formidable. His type, on the other hand, was a mystery.

While I understood what a Tamer was. I didn't know what that would mean for my type.

Arthur's type was something I had never heard of before.

"Do you know what Paladin means?"

He smiled in response. Not minding the rudeness of not introducing myself.

"I have some idea. The old Empire had a troop of special warriors that served the Church of Magic. Many claimed they wielded both sword and magic adeptly. They were called Paladins. Now, don't be shy. Introduce yourself."

His explanation almost created more questions than it answered.

I could tell he had more information than that, but he wanted to keep it close to his chest.

"My name is Kajus Everett; I am the first-ever Tamer. It's nice to meet you, too."

Arthur looked pensive for a moment. He motioned for us to take a seat, so I sat on the couch opposite him.

The artistry of the wooden table distracted me for a few moments. I didn't think I had seen anything of the like in years. Wood was a rare commodity at the best of times.

Arthur's voice broke me from my admiration.

"Do you know what your type will be able to do?"

I wasn't sure how honest I wanted to be with him. I had spent a fair amount of time thinking about it the day before.

"I have some ideas. The fact that I don't have any physical stats along with the name gives me something to go off."

Arthur only nodded in return.

His face turned serious as he locked eyes with me.

"You think you will be able to tame Monsters."