《Heroes of Erathia》


 Chapter 1: Death of a Chicken

    ¡°NooOOOoooOOo! Don¡¯t hurt mister Cluckypoof!¡± Marie cried, tightly hugging the clucking chicken to her chest.


    ¡°Come on, Marie, you know we don¡¯t want to do it either, but we have no choice!¡±


    ¡°No! We¡¯ll just eat potatoes again! I want potatoes!¡±


    Bwak! Bwak! Bacawk!!


    The poor chicken was madly struggling in Marie¡¯s arms, pecking at her forearms, while Bruce and Kazuki tried their best to console her.


    ¡°Stop making a show of yourself Marie!¡± Anastasia suddenly shouted. ¡°Where was that compassion when it was our turn? And how many chickens have you eaten before coming here?!¡±


    ¡°I never ate mister Cluckypoof! There¡¯s only one mister Cluckypoof!¡± Marie bawled, snot rolling down her face.


    ¡°You were eating chicken stew just yesterday!¡±


    ¡°Cluckypoof¡¯s mine! You killed your children, I won¡¯t let you eat mine!¡± Marie started circulating mana into her legs, suddenly speeding up like an olympic runner.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her get away!¡±


    Bruce and Kazuki quickly sped up as well, chasing after Marie who fled from the coop with her chicken in tow.


    Bacawk!! Bacawk!!


    They ran into the courtyard. Marie nimbly navigated through the obstacle course with expertise she scarcely showed in our daily training. She jumped over the holes in the ground, climbed the vertical wall, not slowing down even when running on the rope hanging over the rose bushes. She never lost her balance, despite holding a terrified chicken who was doing everything to disentangle himself from her bosom.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be blessed by Raia! If she did swords practice with a chicken in her other hand, she¡¯d even give Gunterson a walloping!¡± Bruce quipped. ¡°It¡¯s not the time for jokes, Bruce! Stop her before she runs away with our dinner!¡±


    Unbeknownst to everyone else, mister Hendricks was watching the whole affair, hiding his presence with a skillful use of mana. There was a satisfied smile on his face. He bent and picked up a small rock from the ground.


    ¡°Get down Marie! You know the rules! We can¡¯t force you if you don¡¯t want to do it! Just stop running already!¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯ll trick me! Like you did with Allie!¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t trick Allie!¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Yes you did!¡± Allie suddenly interjected. ¡°Roger would have been alive right now if you didn¡¯t say we all had to do it! Now you¡¯re saying she can save her pet?!¡± Allie turned towards Marie, who ran herself to the top of the training pole, with no easy way forward. ¡°I saw you eating Roger! Even if I were to be the only one, this afternoon I¡¯ll have your Cluckypoof on my plate!¡±


    ¡°NooOoooOOOoo! I¡¯m sorry Allie! Please don¡¯t eat my PoofPoof!¡± Maire wailed despairingly.


    Her anguish must have finally exhausted her energy, cause suddenly she lost her footing and fell from the pole.


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    ¡°Catch her!¡±


    Bruce and Kazuki simultaneously jumped to catch Marie before she hit the ground. Their speed, enhanced by mana, made it easy for them to reach her in time. Sadly, they did it at the same time, essentially crashing into Marie and the poor chicken in her arms.


    Bacawk!! Baca--


    ¡°Mister Cluckypoof?¡± Marie blinked, her hand petting the suddenly quiet chicken.


    ¡°No... No... No!¡± She roared at the two boys who tried to save her. ¡°You killed mister Cluckypoof!¡±


    ¡°Finally, we can end this farce. Hand it over and I¡¯ll pluck it and gut it for you.¡± Anastasia said.


    ¡°The hell¡¯s wrong with you?¡± I asked her angrily. ¡°Why would you say something like that right now?¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s your problem? I¡¯m only trying to help, or do you think she¡¯ll be able to do it?¡± Anastasia retorted, quite peeved with my comment.


    We both looked at Marie. She sat on the ground, completely distraught. She kept alternating between slapping Bruce and Kazuki who were awkwardly apologizing to her and hugging the late mister Cluckypoofs. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and falling on his colorful feathers.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to eat him.¡± Marie suddenly said. ¡°We¡¯re going to hold a wake and bury him like he deserves.¡± She cast a fierce glance at our group. ¡°Whoever doesn¡¯t attend will never be my friend again.¡±


    ¡°Marie¡­¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯ve decided! You said so yourself, it is my decision! No one can force me!¡±


    ¡°Everyone else went through with it. We didn¡¯t make a scene, but it wasn¡¯t easy for us either¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! He was my only friend! I¡¯ve lost my home, my parents, my sister, my life¡­ I only had mister Cluckypoofs¡­ And now he¡¯s gone too¡­¡± She no longer shouted and instead sobbed softly, her small body trembling with grief.


    ¡°Marie¡­¡±


    Allie pushed Bruce and Kazuki away and tightly hugged Marie, her hand gently stroking the crying girl¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Marie. You¡¯re not alone. We¡¯re here for you. We¡¯ve also lost everything. But at least we have each other. I¡¯m sorry for what I said. You were right. No one¡¯s going to eat mister Cluckypoofs.¡±


    The excitement we were feeling before was snuffed out.


    Even Anastasia¡¯s face softened a bit. Marie¡¯s plight was one we all shared. We spent the past few weeks trying to lose ourselves in training and studies, but the memories of our previous lives hanged over us like an unrelenting phantom.


    Days were usually bearable, but nights¡­ We all had our separate rooms, but the girls quickly moved their beds to one room, whereas the boys would spend evenings playing cards with each other, eventually falling asleep in a group all the same.


    Anything was better than laying alone in a dark room, hours of the night stretching endlessly, as your mind raced through memories of everything and everyone precious to you. Everyone that you¡¯ve lost.


    I recalled yet again the day we were brought here.

 Chapter 2: The Summoning

    I was in the middle of a math class, hoping, as per usual, that the teacher won¡¯t ask me to go up to the blackboard to solve an exercise, when suddenly everything went black.


    I felt a powerful force assaulting my body. It kept penetrating me, stripping me by layers. My skin, muscles, blood, bones. One after another, they kept breaking apart, letting this vicious energy enter inside and meld with me. When it finally reached my heart, I could feel it being torn apart, the heartbeat ceasing completely. The pain was unbearable, but mercifully, at some point, the darkness enveloped me completely and I lost my consciousness.


    I awoke on the floor of a medieval looking room. It looked like an interior of a castle, the walls were made of stone, and sturdy wooden beams supported a concave ceiling. Colorful light came from large windows fitted with painted glass displaying scenes of battles.


    I was in a group with seven other teenagers. We were all dressed in strange, fancy looking clothes and looking at each confusedly.


    ¡°§é§ä§à §Ù§Ñ §ç§â§Ö§ß§î §á§â§à§Ú§ã§ç§à§Õ§Ú§ä!¡±


    ¡°Was zum Teufel ist los!¡±


    ¡°Ò»ÌåºÎ¤¬Æ𤳤äƤ¤¤ë¤Î¡±


    We all started shouting, only to quickly discover that we were talking in different languages.


    ¡°Heroes! I see you¡¯ve finally awoken!¡± We heard a booming voice and turned to see a wizened old man. He had an impressive grey beard that reached all the way to his waist. There were dark bags under his eyes, showing he must have not been sleeping well lately, but the smile he graced us with was charming and kind like that of a grandfather. He supported himself on a cane and spoke to us in English, albeit with a very peculiar accent, like a mix between French and some slavic language.


    ¡°§Ü§ä§à §ä§í, §é§Ö§â§ä §Ó§à§Ù§î§Þ§Ú!¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, young heroes, but I¡¯ll have to ask you that we carry our conversation in English.¡± he continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure you must have many questions and it wouldn¡¯t do to wait until you have learnt the tongue of our lands.¡± he added with a slight chuckle.


    One of the girls, who I later learnt to be Anastasia, questioned him in impeccable English. ¡°Then how about you start by telling us what is this place, who are you, and what¡¯s going on here.¡±


    He looked at her for a few seconds before answering. ¡°Very good. All the pertinent question at the same time, Raia truly blessed us with champions she chose to save our world.¡±


    ¡°Save your world? Are you insane?¡±


    ¡°Had the Goddess not informed you when she brought you here?¡± The man asked in a perturbed voice. ¡°Surely, she must have told you of the great mission you are to undertake!¡±


    We all looked at each other. Judging by the expressions we were wearing, it was clear no one knew what the man was talking about.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a flying fuck about any Raias, worlds to save, or anything else!¡± One of the boys suddenly shouted at the man. ¡°You do realize that you¡¯ve just kidnapped us, right! If you don¡¯t let me go immediately, you won¡¯t see the outside of a prison cell for the rest of your miserable life!¡±


    Hearing him, the smile on the man¡¯s face vanished, leaving it completely expressionless. He first knelt, and then completely prostrated himself in front of us. And then he started crying. His whole body convulsed as deep sobs shook his frail figure.


    We were completely taken aback by the sudden change. The pathetic sight of an old man crying uncontrollably in front of us was extremely disturbing. Even the boy who was just shouting had enough shame to lower his head and start muttering apologies.


    One of the girls shot him a disapproving glance and quickly walked up to the old man. She knelt beside him and tug at his shoulders, trying to pull him up from the floor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, grampa. We¡¯re sorry. Of course we¡¯ll help you if we can. Don¡¯t listen to that boy. And if they don¡¯t help, then you can at least count on Marie. So stop crying and please get up.¡±


    The man raised his head, but he remained kneeling on the floor. ¡°Thank you child. I can see that you have a pure heart and noble soul. But don¡¯t blame your comrade for his words. Something must have truly gone wrong. I wasn¡¯t crying because of what he said, I cried for the fate of my poor world, which unfortunately you too were summoned to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, grandpa. Even if we¡¯re not the people you were looking for, we might still be able to help you! Just please explain to us what¡¯s going on.¡±


    The man looked at her with gratitude. Marie smiled back at him. Although he didn¡¯t raise himself from the floor, she at least convinced him to tell us about this new world.


    Its name was Erathia. It was a land similar to one you would find in western fantasies. People here were gifted with magic and were able to perform incredible feats beyond imagination.


    On the flip side, there were monsters. For thousands of years, people lived in a status quo maintained by the heroic sacrifice of brave knights who gave their lives defending the borders of human realms from the demonic scourge. But a new demon king had arisen, united the demon princes and began an invasion that obliterated one human bastion after another.


    Whenever their armies moved, carnage would follow. Whole cities were burnt to the ground, the population that didn¡¯t escape in time was sacrificed by the thousands on the altars of their evil God. Even the old man¡¯s family had befallen to this cruel fate.


    In response, the kingdoms of men united their forces under a single banner, fielding the largest army in recorded history to resist the invasion. A million knights, proud sons of the most illustrious families in the world, were led by prince Cauese to confront the invading armies and kill the evil king. But they were betrayed.


    Some of the nobles abandoned their own race and swayed by the sweet lies of the demon king attacked their own compatriots in a crucial battle.


    This led to a crushing defeat. Faced with demons in front of them and possible backstabbers around them, one battalion after another attempted to disengage itself from the chaotic battlefield. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    As they couldn¡¯t know if the regiments surrounding them were on their side or not, they simply slashed through anyone blocking their frantic retreat. But this started a chain reaction. There was no way to tell whether the knights charging at you were simply trying to flee or were beholden to their demon masters. A massacre had ensued, and the brave men who came here to fight shoulder to shoulder against the demonic menace, raised their swords against each other.


    It was later supposed that only around five percent of knights were turncloacks, but their actions led to the deaths of nearly six hundred thousand soldiers.


    Humans found it impossible to reunite after that battle. The demons turned from an outside foe to an internal one, and there was no way to tell who else could be serving them in secret. Many of the knights who miraculously survived that fateful battle had perished not long after returning home. Families who lost their children would wage wars against their lucky neighbours, convinced that only betrayers could escape the horrors of that battlefield unscathed.


    The last hope came from an unearthed scroll that described how millenia ago the human race faced a similar challenge. It was then that the Goddess Raia, touched by the plight of her people, reached with her hand behind the veil shrouding the world and summoned brave heroes to face the calamity.


    Kings agreed to pin humanity¡¯s last hopes on this story and raised incredible resources to perform the ritual just as it was described in the scroll. Kingdoms facing annihilation emptied out their treasuries, carriages heavy with magical heirlooms dating back generations were sent out in secret. The whole operation was orchestrated by the church, the only symbol that still held the power to unite and bring hope to the people.


    ¡°When I saw you appear before my eyes, I thought that Raia had heard our pleas and that our world could be saved after all. But now¡­¡± The old man paused as tears rolled down the ridges of his wrinkled face. All this time he kept kneeling before us in supplication, his pose and the tragic story of his world making us deeply uncomfortable and unable to express dissatisfaction over what happened to us.


    ¡°But why would she summon us? Maybe I¡¯m the odd one out, but I¡¯m just a teen... I don¡¯t have any superpowers or abilities to fight demons.¡± Anastasia asked meekly.


    The man looked at her and then at the rest of us. ¡°So you don¡¯t know.¡± He sighed. ¡°There¡¯s a great power coursing through your bodies. You must have felt it entering you when you were transported here.¡± He seemed to be collecting his thoughts for a moment and then continued.


    ¡°Children of our world spend their first nine months developing in their mother¡¯s womb. During that time they are protected from outside influences by a protective layer of their mother¡¯s mana. Only on the day of their birth are they faced with the unbound mana suffusing our world. Most are able to quickly form their mana core, imprinting themselves on the free-flowing mana and protecting themselves from overexposure to the surging energies.¡±


    His eyes dropped to the ground. ¡°But the constitution of an infant is incredibly fragile, for two that survive, one usually dies. In extremely rare cases, individuals with incredibly strong physiques appear, for them the process of forming a core, something that usually takes a few minutes, can go on even for hours. Those that survive this ordeal end up with truly immense potential.¡±


    ¡°When I look at you, I see veritable oceans of mana. Despite being outsiders, you seem to be even more closely connected to the nature of our world than its real residents. Perhaps you received Raia¡¯s blessing or perhaps it¡¯s a simple consequence of an adult''s body being able to better endure the ravages of unbound mana. I can only say that if you were to train, there would be very little you couldn¡¯t achieve.¡±


    ¡°Would we be able to return to our world?¡± one of the girls asked.


    ¡°Forgive me, for I don¡¯t know. All we did was perform a ritual to our Goddess. But I¡¯m sure that with Her help, nothing is impossible.¡±


    ¡°So why were we chosen? Or was it completely random and your so called goddess just sucked in the first eight people she laid her eyes on?¡± a boy I later learnt to be Bruce questioned.


    The man once again fell silent. It was clear that he found the irreverent remarks hurtful. It was difficult not to sympathise with him, but it really was the crux of the matter and I internally supported Bruce for voicing the question.


    ¡°Raia can see nothing but the eternal truth of the universe.¡± the man said piously. ¡°I can assure you that She didn¡¯t choose you randomly. As for why, that is a question that you have to ask yourself.¡±


    He stroked his long beard as he continued, ¡°In the scroll describing tales of the first heroes it is written that they were youths of outstanding moral character. They all said that in their previous lives they witnessed many great injustices and lived their lives with true conviction that if only they had greater power, they could reshape the world, banishing the evil lurking within.¡±


    It was our turn to fall silent.


    A boy with Asian features ventured hesitantly, ¡°D-Doesn¡¯t everyone feel this way sometimes?¡± His cheeks turned a bit red as we looked at him and he hastened to explain. ¡°I mean, from time to time, imagining yourself to be a¡­ well, a hero. Saving people, kicking out stupid politicians, setting everything straight and stuff like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt yourself, young man!¡± the man interrupted. ¡°As it is said, Raia¡¯s eyes see nothing but the eternal truth of the universe. There is a soul of a hero burning in your heart! In all your hearts!¡± he roared.


    ¡°I know that you feel confused. Something must have interfered with the ritual for it to occur that way. But please, believe me, or at least believe in Raia¡¯s wisdom. A Goddess, an immortal entity has chosen you, precisely you!¡±


    His voice peaked and suddenly the intensity in his eyes died out just as abruptly as it appeared. He continued in a quiet monotone, completely devoid of any strength. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to fight for us. I know that it would be unfair. But please, at least stay as our guests. We have prepared lodgings and teachers for you. The village is small and isolated to safeguard you from the demonic forces. Here you will be able to master the great powers you were gifted with. It¡¯s not impossible that you might even be able to find a path back to your world on your own.¡± he finished.


    ***


    ¡°Children, has something happened?¡± we saw mister Hendricks walking towards us, his hands tightly grasping the handle of his cane for balance.


    We looked at each other. Even Marie stopped weeping for a moment. What was there to say? That we missed our homes and families? We were brought here by fate. And though we still resented mister Hendricks for being involved in the unfortunate ritual, how could we lash out at an old man who lost his whole family to the demons?


    ¡°Mister Hendricks.¡± Marie said meekly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat mister Cluckypoofs. I know that everyone had gone through with it and I know it¡¯s not fair. And I realize that I eat other animals. But he is mine. He was just a rooster but I named him and cared for him.¡±


    Her eyes turned wide as saucers, as she continued pleading. ¡°I will do better in the forest! You saw me catching a rabbit before! Next time I¡¯ll catch a boar! I-I will even skin it and gut it myself, I won¡¯t ask Anastasia to do it like the last time!¡± Marie kept speaking faster and faster and seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears again.


    Mister Hendricks knelt by her side and patted her gently on the head. ¡°It really warms my heart to see someone so kind and delicate, you remind me of my granddaughter. She could never hurt a fly, just like you.¡± His eyes turned foggy as he reminisced. ¡°Raia bless her soul.¡±


    He turned to us, ¡°It¡¯s already past noon, shouldn¡¯t you be meeting with mister Gunterson already? What was his penalty for being late, again?¡±


    Sweat broke out on our faces. We remembered the penalty very well. It was difficult to forget running for three hours straight carrying a backpack filled with bricks. And then you still had to complete the rest of the regiment he had planned for the day.


    The elation we felt when we first learnt how to use mana to strengthen our bodies was quickly whipped out of us by his monstrous training. That man could turn Superman into a wuss terrified of leaving his room.


    ¡°You should hurry up now. As for Marie, given the circumstances, I think your teacher will excuse her if she skips this one class.¡±, mister Hendricks continued. He stood up with difficulty and Marie quickly got to her feet to help him steady himself. ¡°Let¡¯s go, child. We¡¯ll see what we can do about your friend.¡±

 Chapter 3: Mister Gunterson

    We rushed to the training grounds, hoping to make it in time before mister Gunterson began his class.


    We weren¡¯t as scared of him now as we used to be in the beginning, but that didn¡¯t mean we were stupid enough to test his patience for no reason. Whereas mister Hendricks had the air of an affable grandfather, and kept us straight mostly by making us feel reluctant to disappoint him, mister Gunterson employed a markedly different approach.


    I shuddered. God knows which pit of hell they dragged that bastard out of to serve as our instructor, but there was no doubt in my mind that the devils must celebrate the day of his departure with a holiday. A week long one at that.


    We reached the plaza where he had us gather for training completely out of breath and anxiously looking around. Karl and Andrei were already there, waiting, but thankfully the man we were all worried about was nowhere in sight.


    ¡°Hallelujah!¡± Bruce exclaimed. ¡°Raia must have taken pity on our souls and had the old walrus face choke on a bone or something.¡±


    Andrei snickered. I looked at him surprised. Bruce had taken to blaspheming the name of the Goddess who sent us here pretty early on, and while we never begrudged him for it, few found his quips all that funny. And yet I could see a growing grin on Andrei¡¯s face.


    Crap.


    As if we were reenacting a scene from a horror movie, we slowly turned to look behind. Though we already knew what to expect. We were met with a pair of piercing blue eyes. The sense of impending doom taking us back to the day when we first met their owner.


    ***


    So, you¡¯re the whelps who don¡¯t feel like being heroes?¡± We stood in front of a tall man, looking to be in his middle age. His scalp was completely devoid of hair and shined in the sun as if he spent hours polishing it every morning.


    He let the question hang in the air, taking his time to inspect us.


    Pfft! He spit a ball of saliva on the ground in front of us.


    ¡°Pathetic!¡± he roared. Maybe to compensate for his hairline deficiencies, he sported a powerful, bushy mustache that completely covered his upper lip and probably took him years to cultivate.


    ¡°The hell¡¯s pathetic, old man!¡± Andrei shot back. ¡°You people kidnapped us from our world! You¡¯re lucky enough we don¡¯t kill you! And you still expect us to fight for you?!¡±


    ¡°Hohoho, kill me, you say? Lucky, am I?¡± He laughed derisively. ¡°Hendricks has been pampering you lot far too much. Whenever I see that old fart walking on eggshells around you bunch of brats, I truly don¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry.¡±


    He kept strutting in front of us like an angry turkey. His mustache shook whenever he snorted in indignation, making it look like it housed a terrified animal inside.


    ¡°Know one thing. I am not Hendricks. I couldn¡¯t give a flying fuck about your loss. In truth, when I look at you, I have to fight down the vomit rising in my throat.¡± His face scrunched up as if he really was on the brink of spraying us with his puke.


    ¡°To me the result of this war is meaningless. I have the confidence to survive regardless of which side ends up on top.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why?¡± He abruptly stopped walking and shot us a challenging look.


    ¡°Because I have the power to protect myself. The only reason I¡¯m wasting my time here is because that coot promised me too much money for this job not to accept.¡±


    In just two steps he crossed the distance of five metres between us and stood in front of Andrei. He was so close to him, they were almost touching. His piercing eyes drilled holes in the teen¡¯s lowered head.


    ¡°So better believe me when I say how impressed I am, hearing I should feel lucky that a little fart like you is not going to kill me. Haven¡¯t felt such relief since my last shit.¡±


    His hand suddenly moved with the speed of lighting and slapped Andrei on the face, throwing the teen to the ground.


    ¡°But know this boyo... The last man who so magnanimously spared my life is now rotting under a pumpkin plot in Cheasure. Mate who owns the farm swears they never tasted better.¡±


    We instinctively moved away from Andrei. He still laid on the ground, more shocked than hurt, and too scared to get up with Gunterson continuing to hover over him like a vulture.


    ¡°If you harbor any hopes of me acting like your nanny, presenting you my teat to suckle on whenever you start missing your home¡± he said, his gaze shifting to the rest of us, ¡°then you can scram and lock yourselves in your rooms this instance. I¡¯m getting paid regardless.¡±


    We were all dismayed by the show he put on for us, but no one left. Even Andrei, who lifted himself off the ground and stared daggers at the old walrus face, chose to remain.


    Some boys thought that a few girls, Marie at least, would run off. But by this point they had reached the same unpleasant realisation as the rest of us. If we didn¡¯t learn to defend ourselves, then the only outcome waiting for us was death.


    Kidnapped or not, we were trapped in this rotten world, and every now and again we could overhear the servants whispering between each other news of another city falling to the demons.


    In fact, when mister Gunterson asked for someone to duel him, it was Anastasia who was the first to step up.


    ¡°Finally, someone with balls.¡± he quipped.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have balls, mister Gunterson.¡± Anastasia replied through gritted teeth, ¡°Nor do I need any in order to learn how to defend myself.¡±


    ¡°Well, you certainly don¡¯t have much tits either, so you better make up your mind quickly and decide on one or the other.¡± He said with a grin, handing her a sword from a nearby rack.


    ¡°Now arm yourself and show me just what kind of material they brought me here to work with.¡±


    Anastasia held the massive iron sword in two hands and slowly raised it. Looking at it, it must have weighed over twelve kilograms, but after accustoming herself with its weight, she wielded it comfortably and started swinging it in the air.


    ¡°Well, what are you waiting for, missy?¡±


    ¡°Can I really go all out?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to cry if you accidentally cut my head off.¡± he sneered.


    Having finally lost her patience due to his constant taunting, Anastasia pushed aside her apprehension and prepared herself for battle. She inhaled deeply, rousing the mana in her body, exactly like we were taught in our classes.


    In a flash, she exploded with forward momentum, and keeping her sword low, she aimed it straight at Gunterson¡¯s stomach.


    The walrus face stood his ground, his hand leisurely resting on the grip of his sheathed sword, seemingly unperturbed by the mass of iron coming to skewer his body.


    A loud metal clang rang out as Anastasia was thrown to the ground. Her sword got launched high into the air, freely rotating around its axis, until it finally came crashing down, raising billows of dust.


    Anastasia herself laid on the ground, massaging her swollen wrists with a frown on her face. The whole confrontation happened so quickly, we weren¡¯t even able to catch when he moved, all we saw was Anastasia¡¯s initial charge and the subsequent aftermath.


    Without moving a step from where he stood, Gunterson looked at us and simply said, ¡°Next.¡±


    One by one, we stood up, picked up the fallen sword, and tried to challenge the bald freak. Some followed Anastasia¡¯s example and recklessly charged forward, hoping to land a lucky hit before getting disarmed. Others took a more cautious approach. They kept their distance, circling around the man, and trying to take advantage of his stationary position to sneak in an unexpected attack.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    That¡¯s what I did, but sadly, I didn¡¯t fare any better. Even in my own duel I wasn¡¯t able to make out how exactly I was defeated. The man moved with such agility it beggared belief. At one moment I was still approaching him, trying to act out whatever I remembered about sword fighting from the movies I saw, and in another, I found myself lying on the ground, the impact from our swords colliding leaving my arm completely paralyzed.


    It didn¡¯t take him more than fifteen minutes to disarm us one by one. His feet never moved from the spot he stood on.


    Or group laid on the ground moaning. I got lucky, but most of us weren¡¯t just massaging our wrists. Andrei, who had the bad luck of attracting his attention earlier on, sported a new bruise on his face and kept muttering curses in Russian under his breath. Even Allie got punched in the gut by the bastard.


    Nevertheless, no one broke into tears or got discouraged to the point of quitting. It was gradual, but we were slowly shedding the protective layer of weakness we got accustomed to in our former lives and discovering that a bit of pain wasn¡¯t something that couldn¡¯t be overcome.


    Which isn¡¯t to say that our first impression of the man was in any way positive. Still, while we weren¡¯t aware of that fact at the time, Gunterson had actually exercised a measure of restraint on our first day. Small mercy that wouldn¡¯t be repeated.


    He fiddled with his mustache as he gave us his assessment.


    ¡°No skills to speak of. Utter lack of even the most basic instincts. I have come across some pampered noble brats in my line of work, but this is truly something I haven''t seen before.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even appear to be taunting us. Only summarizing what he had to work with.


    ¡°At least you don¡¯t have any bad habits, though I have to say, even a bad habit would be a happy surprise at this point.¡±


    He picked up the sword lying on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s going to be some time before there¡¯s any point in you trying to hold one of these.¡°


    He wasn¡¯t lying.


    We spent the next six weeks going through the most grueling training regiment of our lives. The core of it was comprised of what you could consider standard exercises, if somewhat augmented to compensate for our new powers. Long distance running, while carrying weights, through an obstacle course. It wasn¡¯t even that we were forced to run till we puked, or that we had to learn to cope with the novel and incredibly unpleasant sensation of mana depletion.


    The man had an uncanny ability to sense just when you were about to reach your breaking point. That moment when there was no more wind in your lungs, mana had become but a faint memory, and the muscles in your body screamed so horribly you thought you¡¯d go insane... That was when he¡¯d pounce on you. Just as your body was about to completely shut down, offering that sweet relief of oblivion, he¡¯d appear behind you and give you a kick over the cliff, forcing you to carry on.


    It got so bad that we dreaded the end of mister Hendricks¡¯s lessons. They weren¡¯t the most riveting stuff, his voice simply didn¡¯t lend itself to long symposiums, and even learning about magic was of no help to our boredom. Still, we prevailed, and as we noticed the sun steadily approaching the meridian, signalling another session with mister Gunterson, we¡¯d start bursting with questions, suddenly gripped with unquenchable thirst for knowledge.


    Not that it helped. Mister Hendricks would just laugh knowingly, entertain us for a short while, and then excuse himself with a sore throat, imploring us to write down our questions and ask him at the beginning of tomorrow''s lecture.


    ***


    We limped our way back from mister Gunterson¡¯s class. While the issue of us challenging the demon king was still something so prepostreous that we had no way of wrapping our minds around it, we were quite fired up about one day using our powers to bring down a foe much more intimate and possibly even more villainous.


    Bruce and Kazuki were completely entranced in their discussion of what they would do to Gunterson when they finally how learned to control the incredible reservoirs of mana supposedly coursing through our bodies. Disturbingly, the most graphic examples came from Anastasia, who sometimes chimed in with an idea so horrific, that even the boys were momentarily at a loss of words.


    Meanwhile, I brought Karl and Andrei up to time on what happened with Marie and why we were late.


    ¡°Ah, I get what you mean¡± Karl said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t, and I don¡¯t feel like going vegetarian. I need meat! Meat!¡± Andrei shouted incoherently. While he didn¡¯t have to suffer through the penalty exercises like the rest of us, Gunterson had a way of reducing you to a semicatatonic state regardless of your transgressions.


    We entered the dining room and were surprised to see Marie, wearing a cute apron over her normal clothes, and setting the communal table with plates and cutlery. There was a pot filled with hot stew to the side, wafting an enticing aroma into the air.


    ¡°Marie?¡± Allie asked, ¡°What happened? Don¡¯t tell me that mister Hendricks forced you to cook your Cluckypoof after all?¡± she questioned, her voice rising in anger.


    Marie smiled at her and let out an embarrassed giggle.


    ¡°No, no, no. It wasn¡¯t like that. Mister Hendricks was very supportive, I came to the realization on my own.¡± she explained. ¡°When I told him I wanted to pick a nice tree to bury PoofPoof under, he even offered to go with me and help me choose a good spot.¡±


    ¡°But as we were walking, I suddenly felt very absurd, and a bit scared.¡±


    ¡°There I was, carrying that dead chicken, all alone, save for mister Hendricks, when all of you have already left to train with mister Gunterson. It just felt so completely ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ you went off to get stronger, to learn how to protect yourself, and here I was all on my own, when it was the last thing I wanted! And what was even worse, later you would come back and only have vegetables to eat, and everyone would get cross with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Marie, you know we wouldn¡¯t get angry at you!¡± Allie exclaimed.


    Marie blushed. ¡°I know, Allie, thank you, it¡¯s just what it felt like. But it wasn¡¯t bad, really. I don¡¯t know why, but it was as if all my worries were just a soap bubble and when I realised how silly I was being, they all burst and I felt much better.¡±


    ¡°You are very strong, and you have nothing to feel silly about.¡± Miss Berry interjected. ¡°Now give me a hug, sweety.¡±


    Marie¡¯s figure momentarily disappeared as she got swallowed in Miss Berry¡¯s powerful embrace. It took her a good few moments before she disentangled herself from that woman¡¯s loving arms, and with a face red like a tomato, she continued to narrate her story..


    ¡°So, anyways, I told mister Hendricks that I wanted to prepare dinner for my friends to surprise them when they came back. He was really bewildered by my sudden change of heart and repeatedly asked me if I was sure, but I just put my foot down. On my way to the kitchen I met miss Berry, and when I asked her, she said she¡¯d be happy to help me. We cleaned the chicken together and then prepared a stew.¡±


    ¡°And if I see even one of you forget to complement Marie¡¯s hard work, you can all forget of ever tasting my cookies again!¡± Miss Berry declared with a huff.


    We all bellowed, ¡°THANK YOU MARIE¡±


    Marie just smiled at us sweetly and led us to the table.


    The aroma coming from the stew was mouthwatering. It wasn¡¯t anything fancy, just chicken and a mix of vegetables boiled together for a long time in a sauce, slathered over potatoes, and then sprinkled with a large heaping of till. But there was something about simple country food, especially after many hours of physical exertion, that was irresistibly appetizing.


    Marie took it upon herself to prepare our meal this time, but normally everyone was involved. We would separate into groups, and some would scrub the vegetables, others would prepare meat, while the rest would man the stove or set the table.


    The mansion we lived in was filled with servants who did nearly everything for us. They woke us up when it was time to rise, cleaned and pressed our clothes, even ran our baths, but cooking was something we had to do on our own. We were told that it was a skill that everyone needed to master, in now way less important than sword fighting or mana control.


    The reason wasn¡¯t all that important, because there was something so enchanting about eating food that we all worked together to make, that we would probably stick to it even if we weren¡¯t forced to.


    We ate ravenously but still found time to talk.


    ¡°You know, Marie. My father took me hunting since I was young, so it wasn¡¯t difficult for me to accustom myself here¡±, Karl started, playing with a potato on his plate, ¡°but I still remember the first time I killed something. It was a partridge. I think I was eight at the time. My Pa had to help me steady the rifle when I took aim, cause it was too heavy for me, and the knockback alone almost floored me.¡±


    ¡±I don¡¯t know how I have managed to hit anything, but that bird must have had the worst luck luck in the world, cause I saw it suddenly falling to the ground. He wasn¡¯t dead though. He just lay on the ground, not squawking or anything, just awkwardly flapping his broken wing. I remember feeling terrified looking at it. Not like it stared at me accusingly, haha, it just laid there, silently flapping that wing of his. It looked really stupid, but I just didn¡¯t know what to do, in the end my dad had to break its neck. He wasn¡¯t angry at me or anything, the opposite, he put his hand on my shoulder and said that it¡¯s good I felt bad. That I shouldn¡¯t be embarrassed or fight it down.¡±


    He kinda mumbled the last part, but then he picked up again. .


    ¡°Well we often went hunting after that, I really loved the forest, and of course I stopped feeling scared very quickly. But¡­ well, what I wanted to say, I guess, is that it¡¯s natural and you shouldn¡¯t feel silly or in the wrong about feeling bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaa-¡± he let out a long sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know if what I¡¯m saying is making any sense.¡± he quickly finished, smiling awkwardly.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡± Andriei interrupted. ¡°What kind of a nut takes his child hunting, only to tell him that he should feel bad after he scores a kill? If you ask me-¡±


    ¡°No. It helps. A lot.¡± Marie suddenly said, giving Karl a bright smile, ¡°I know what you mean. Thank you for telling me about it, Karl. I feel a lot better after hearing it.¡±


    Karl smiled back at Marie.


    We continued exchanging stories over dinner. It felt good. I was a loner in my previous life, and I could already feel myself slipping into the background just like before, but I wasn¡¯t anxious. It wasn¡¯t like high school where everyone was divided into cliques, and acted as if anyone outside existed only to mark the boundary.


    I only added a comment here and there, but no one looked at me like I was some freak, infringing on their social space. We were all thrown into this surreal situation, and each day brought with it new things that we would have never experienced in our previous lives. It forged a special kinship that didn¡¯t exclude anyone. There was space for strong people like Anastasia, gentle girls like Marie, outspoken brats like Andrei, and even a small corner for a shy and introverted kid like me.

 Chapter 4: Meditation

    ¡°Bleugh¡­¡± Bruce covered his mouth, struggling to settle his distressed stomach. He didn¡¯t even take a single sip, just uncorked the vial and brought it to his lips, but the trained reaction of his body still got the better of him, turning him into what looked like a patient suffering from a violent onset of stomach flu.


    ¡°Baby.¡± Andriei taunted him, taking a big gulp and downing the whole potion in one go. His face suddenly contorted, as he struggled to push down the vomit rising in his throat.


    While mister Hendricks didn¡¯t put us through a hellish training regime like mister Gunterson, his classes came with their own set of difficulties. Due to our abrupt appearance in the world of Erathia, every morning we were forced to take a special potion designed to stabilize and reinforce our newly formed mana cores.


    We were told that these elixirs were concocted from ingredients of incredible rarity, painstakingly gathered from the four corners of the world. Even if this knowledge aroused some sense of gratitude in our minds, it wasn¡¯t enough to sway the natural reaction of our bodies. Our stomachs especially were convinced that the four corners of the world had been exactly the right place for these ingredients to stay at and that bringing them together was an unforgivable mistake.


    ¡°Idiots.¡± commented Karl, slowly sipping the elixir. His Adam¡¯s apple went up and down as he methodically took small mouthfuls. Though he tried to feint nonchalance, judging by his frozen expression, he wasn¡¯t having an easy time keeping the potion down either.


    ¡°Anastasia, share your secret.¡± Andriei meekly asked, still in the midst of a fierce struggle with his revolting stomach.


    The only person in our group who didn¡¯t exhibit any difficulties when drinking the elixir was Anastasia. Just like Andriei, she gulped it down in one go, only she maintained a composed expression throughout the whole ordeal, looking quite natural in contrast to Karl¡¯s mask-like visage.


    ¡°You said it yourself¡± she answered cooly. ¡°I¡¯m not a child. Even my ten years old brother doesn¡¯t make as much of a scene when he needs to take his medicine.¡±


    ¡°She pops a candy in her mouth before we start classes.¡± Marie said.


    ¡°What!¡± Andrei exclaimed.


    Anastasia revealed a rare blush. ¡°That is completely irrelevant,'''' she asserted. ¡°I merely enjoy starting my mornings with something sweet. And a bit of sugar is a good way to jump start your body. It¡¯s not like we can find a place serving coffee around here.¡±


    Unconvincing as her explanation was, it wasn¡¯t a complete lie. God knows we¡¯ve grasped at every remedy or trick we could think of to make ingesting the potion easier. Drinking it down with tea worked for me to a certain extent. At the very least it rinsed my mouth, mitigating the aftertaste. Sadly, when the two liquids mixed together in my stomach, it felt like I had consumed twice the normal volume of the potion. Making it that much more difficult to keep down.


    I shook the vial with the elixir in my hand, looking at it hatefully. It was filled with a white liquid, seemingly not at all different from milk.


    But you realised the difference very quickly when you tried to drink it.


    It didn¡¯t have a taste, at least not one that human taste buds were equipped to recognize. The closest comparison would be to something metallic, like licking a battery, only with a chalky aftertaste.


    Still, a part of our physiology clearly recognized at least some elements of the elixir, cause trying to ingest it elicited a genuine cascade of reactions. First it stimulated the nerve endings in your tongue, making it shrivel up in revulsion. Next, your salivary glands would go into overdrive, secreting inordinate amounts of saliva, easily doubling the volume of liquid you had to swallow. Your throat would close up. And then, when you finally managed to push it all down, your stomach muscles would start convulsing, doing everything in their power to nullify your hard work and eject the potion back from whence it came from.


    ¡°I used to hope I¡¯d get used to it with time, but now I feel like retching just walking to class.¡± Kazuki lamented.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, children.¡± Mister Hendricks said from his place at the desk, ¡°While your mana cores formed successfully, Raia be praised, they are still extremely fragile and unstable. We need to strengthen them if we don¡¯t want to run the risk of them breaking down.¡±


    ¡°Even children born in this world sometimes require special remedies of this kind. Given your unique circumstances, we had to increase the concentration of the potion quite a bit. It might feel unpleasant, but please bear with it.¡±


    He waited patiently until each of us successfully ingested the potion and was no longer on the verge of spraying his neighbour with vomit.


    ¡°Now, please sit on the floor and focus on your breathing like I taught you. Empty your mind of all extraneous thoughts. Just inhale¡­ and exhale...¡° Mister Hendricks¡¯ monotonous voice travelled through the classroom.


    Our bodies slowly grew relaxed. Learning meditation was an uphill battle for most of us initially. Kazuki and Allie had an advantage, since they trained in it in their previous lives, but the rest of us had to start from scratch. First few attempts were continuously disrupted by Andrei and Bruce who were unableto cope with the still serenity of a calm mind, and oftenbroke out in random fits of nervous laughter. This only ended when Anastasia finally grew fed up with their antics and scolded the duo so severely, they no longer dared to make a peep.


    Of course, there was one more reason that everyone eventually settled down and learned to embrace this practice. As beneficial as meditation could be back on Earth, it merely cleansed your mind of superficial thoughts and pointless worries. Whereas here¡­


    Ba-dump.


    You should hear it now.¡± Mister Hendricks intoned. ¡°The beat of your mana core as it pulls in the energy of the world and transforms it into your personal mana.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Sense the energy as it radiates from your hearts. Touch it... Guide it... Gently... Towards the potion in your stomachs. Let the two meld together. Now guide it back. Direct it towards your mana core.¡±


    I whined as awful pain erupted from the area of my heart. It felt as if someone had cut open my chest and furiously stabbed at my heart with pins and needles. Worse even, because I was the one doing it. My heartbeat became irregular, randomly halting and exploding in intensity. The supposedly fragile mana core resisted furiously, sending waves of mana to form a barrier around itself.


    ¡°You might feel something being wrong and unnatural, but that¡¯s to be expected.¡± Mister Hendricks¡¯ steady voice once more resounded in my mind. ¡°The minerals in the potion need to assimilate themselves with your mana core, and to do so they need to penetrate through the barriers protecting its integrity. It¡¯s normal for the process to provoke an adverse reaction. But you need to persevere. Else, should your mana core break one day, you will be faced with the ravages of unbound mana.¡±


    Feeling unnatural was putting it mildly. The whole ordeal reminded me too much of the torture I had suffered when being summoned into this world. Still, I kept attacking the mana core. After several weeks of this exercise my control has increased dramatically and the process that seemed to take hours in the beginning, now followed a predictable pattern.


    I attuned myself to the rhythm of my core and deftly sent tiny pellets of elixir infused mana, aiming for the small breaks in defense. As they reached its center, they quickly melded away, becoming one with the mana core.


    When I was finally finished, I let out a deep breath. My mana core also calmed itself, steadily pumping fresh waves mana. It was difficult to clearly perceive, but I thought I could sense it being a little bit sturdier.


    There was a satisfied expression on my face. At least for today, the most difficult hurdle was behind me.


    What followed were the standard exercises aimed at improving our mana control and facilitating the creation of special pathways to lead the mana in our bodies more efficiently. If not for the unique constitution of our bodies, it would be the only thing we would be doing, and we were eagerly awaiting the day when we could forget about ingesting that foul potion once and forever.


    I circulated mana, focused on the feeling of it slowly flowing through my limbs. The pathways we were creating weren¡¯t real in the physical sense, it wasn¡¯t like there were new veins or capillaries forming in our bodies. Mister Hendricks compared it to sifting water through dirty soil. Every cycle eliminated some of the impurities and at the same time extremely subtly pushed apart the grains of sand that formed it.


    The sensation accompanying the process was difficult to describe. It seemed similar to itchiness, only you weren¡¯t really able to pinpoint the exact place it emanated from.


    Allie was the one who gave the best description in my opinion.


    ¡°It feels like you are about to sneeze.¡± She said to me one day, not long after our coming here, as we were busy washing dishes.


    ¡°Sneeze?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, only not with your nose, you know. Like, when you¡¯re directing mana to your limbs, it feels like you¡¯re about to sneeze with your elbow or your thigh.¡±


    Back then I looked at her strangely, but her comparison grew on me with time. It was as good as any other when you were trying to describe something that had no equivalent in your previous world. And the release you experienced after completing a full cycle of mana circulation truly bore some resemblance to the sudden discharge of endorphins and lightheadedness you felt after a really mighty sneeze.


    ¡°Aaaaah¡­¡±


    A chorus of satisfied sounds marked the end of today¡¯s meditation session. We opened our eyes, fully energized, and started stretching contentedly.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Mister Hendricks asked us with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Excellent!¡±


    ¡°I feel like I could break stones with my hands!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still only at level three by our standards, but your progress is amazing. A level three knight would be considered viable to lead a regiment of hundred men in most kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°But when will we able to wield magic, like casting fireballs or throwing thunderbolts?¡± Kazuki asked with a gleam in his eyes.


    ¡°You still need to cross two thresholds before reaching that point.¡± Mister Hendricks answered. ¡°First, at level four, you will learn how to imbue your attacks with mana, strengthening them immensely. The next rank will allow you to open yourself and release your mana outwards to directly affect the world¡±


    ¡°Observe.¡±


    He pulled out a small coin from his pocket and levitated it against his hand. Then he created a tiny orb of light that struck it and cleanly penetrated it, leaving a round hole behind.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Eh... that¡¯s not impressive¡­!¡± Kazuki pouted.


    Mister Hendricks laughed merrily. ¡°Of course! How could a tiny hole like that be impressive?¡° He asked. ¡°But what if I made that tiny hole in your heart or your brain?¡±


    We fell silent, struck dumb as the realization dawned on us. If something like that was possible, wouldn¡¯t that mean someone could walk through a crowded street and murder dozens of people with mere thought?


    Seeing our aghast expressions, mister Hendricks laughed again. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. Every living being in this world has a mana core or an organ with a similar function, enabling them to imprint themselves on the unbound mana. So long as they circulate their own mana, they won¡¯t just repel the free flowing mana in the environment, but any other mana also, that of other beings included.¡±


    He stood up and walked to the window. There was a potted plant on the sill basking in the early morning sun. ¡°Observe.¡± He sent another small orb of energy towards it. Flower petals drooped when it came into contact with them, but the ball soon fizzled out of existence, leaving only minute burn marks behind.


    ¡°As you can see, even plants, though they don¡¯t have mana cores like animals do, can form a protective layer that repulses foreign mana. That¡¯s not to say mana is useless in those situations, you just need to strengthen your attack so that it overwhelms its defences. ¡°


    Once more a small orb appeared, seemingly identical to the previous one, but it easily shot through the flower. Mister Hendricks didn¡¯t stop at that and had the ball continue striking furiously, till it reduced the plant to soft mush.


    ¡°Does mana have to be used for fighting, can¡¯t it be used to nurture, like improving crop yields?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course! Just think about it improving your own body, it¡¯s not like increasing your strength or speed is intrinsically linked to combat. Though the issue becomes a bit different when you attempt to alter living beings.¡±


    ¡°As I said before, to influence another living being, you need to first break through the protective layer of its own mana. That is in itself invasive and detrimental. And then to still be able to use the mana to actually nurture the plant instead of hurting it is even more challenging, consider how difficult it is to control its flow in your own bodies.¡±


    ¡°There were experiments of this type, I was involved in some myself.¡± Mister Hendricks said, reminiscing. ¡°Of course, we limited ourselves to single subjects, we weren¡¯t as ambitious as you are, to consider working on whole fields from the get go.¡± He added with a chuckle. ¡°But, in the end, it was all for naught.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s taken us decades of research, but eventually we had to face the truth. And you can trust the words of an expert. Using your own mana to manifest controlled changes in target''s body is simply impossible.¡±