The rhythmic clank of Martin’s wooden sword hitting the dummy paused. Everyone turned to the door, where Sebastian had just walked in.

  “Sebastian, there you are!” Martin said. He leaned his practice sword on the dummy and walked up to Sebastian. “We’ve been talking, and we don’t want you to feel bad about your limit. I was actually thinking about it last night, every great team need a ‘guy in the van’. Someone to keep a look-out, to plan the heists, to supervise.” Martin placed his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “We got you, man. Don’t worry, this fantasy adventure is gonna be amazing, no matter what.”

  His sincerity brought a smile to Sebastian’s face though it was hard not to take it as pity, or even mockery. Not just from Martin either, they all shared similar looks. “Thanks… I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Sebastian turned to Lyra. “I was actually gonna ask about that, is there really no way around it? Some way of surpassing your limits?”

  With a remorseful head shake, Lyra replied, “No, I’m afraid there is nothing we can do to help in that regard. Though, Martin is right, there are ways you too can be of help. Both Martin and Mike have elected to take the warrior path, and they will be training with Sir Taric, head instructor at the Imperial Academy. Josh has expressed his interest in the arcane, and he will be coming with me to learn more about magic. Kevin hasn’t yet decided which path he will walk so for today he too will come with me. The heroes have all chosen their paths. As for you, Mr. Moore, I have arranged for you to work under the purview of Administrator Kendrick.”

  As soon as she said his name, an elderly gentleman stepped into the lounge from behind Sebastian. “You called, Your Ladyship?” He was the archetypical butler, mustache and all. Tall and skinny, with black formalwear and a white dress shirt. The only thing he was missing was the monocle.

  “Kendrick, take Mr. Moore here and teach him all that you know,” Lyra ordered.

  “Of course, Your Ladyship.” Administrator Kendrick faced Sebastian and raised his hand toward the door. “My lord, please come with me.”

  Sebastian blinked. “I— What?” He was at a complete loss for words, but Administrator Kendrick was having none of it.

  “If you would, my lord,” he said as he repeated his gesture while maintaining eye contact.

  “Uh… Al- Alright,” Sebastian said and looked around the room. The others looked on with varying degrees of pity in their eyes.

  “Don’t worry, Sebastian, we got you!” Martin reiterated from earlier.

  With that, Sebastian left the courtyard lounge together with Administrator Kendrick.

  “Wait, I didn’t even get to eat anything. I haven’t had breakfast yet,” Sebastian said.

  “Worry not, my lord. The kitchen is well stocked. We’ll find you something to eat.”

  It didn’t take long to reach the kitchen. Located in the basement of the castle, it was large enough for two dozen chefs to work simultaneously. Only five were currently there, already making preparations for lunch. In addition to the chefs, there were also a handful of other workers—maids, servers, and servants.

  The mood was the most relaxed Sebastian had seen since he arrived at the castle. Everyone he had met, other than Lyra herself—and the king of course, had practically stood at attention, ready to serve and obey. Here, they stood around the large central island, chatting and laughing while the chefs worked at the counters to the side.

  Sebastian’s, or rather Administrator Kendrick’s arrival dampened the mood somewhat. They all perked up and quieted down. There was still a hint of familiarity toward him though not the robotic display given to nobles.

  “Calm down,” Kendrick said. “I’m not here to make you work. Lord Moore hasn’t had breakfast yet.” He turned to one of the chefs closest to him. “Byron, do you have anything ready?”

  The chef, Byron, gestured toward a table at the back of the kitchen. “Yes, sir. Although, there’s just some staff snacks, I’m afraid. Might not be proper for a lord.”

  “Food is food, Byron. I’m sure Lord Moore won’t mind,” Kendrick said, turning to Sebastian for confirmation.

  “Uh… No, no I don’t mind, I guess.”

  “Excellent. What’s on the menu today?” Kendrick asked the room.

  “The usual, really. Various cuts of fruits, smoked fish turnover, roasted vegetables, a simple pottage, and a few different types of bread.”

  Sebastian walked over and filled a plate. There wasn’t really anywhere to sit down but Kendrick directed him to a small table with some chairs in the other room. Kendrick himself stayed in the kitchen to join the conversation.

  Alone, in a side room of the basement kitchen, Sebastian sat down to eat. Although the room was fairly clean, there were bags of grain along with other supplies and clutter all over.

  They had cakes, he thought. Sweet tarts and other delicious dishes.

  He took a bite of the turnover. It was good, very good even, but it was basic, simple. A flaky fish pastry.

  Sebastian clenched his jaw and gripped his fork hard enough that it threatened to break skin, then he took a breath and finished his breakfast in silence.

  Melee training room

  “To learn so much in just a few hours,” a trainee said to Martin and Mike, almost at a loss for words out of sheer admiration. “You two truly live up to your names as Blessed Ones.”

  Another, of the dozen surrounding them, said, “It’s an honor to have trained alongside you, my lords!”

  All of the trainees surrounded the two heroes-to-be, showering them with praise and admiration. Most wanting to shake their hand or give a supporting pat on the shoulder. Both Martin and Mike accepted it, albeit awkwardly.

  “Alright, enough of that,” Sir Taric said. “You lot, off to your patrol.” He gestured to the door, a proud smile adorning his face. Once the dozen trainees had left, he turned to Martin and Mike. “They are right, you know. For both of you to gain a Skill on your first day is impressive. Most take weeks, if not months. At this rate, you can begin hunting monsters immediately after your initiation ceremony.”

  Mage training courtyard

  Sir Taric came to a stop next to Lyra, up on the arcade gallery where she looked down on the mages helping Josh understand the fundamentals of magic. They were at the same training courtyard they had visited during their tour the day before.

  Kevin stood to the side of the courtyard, but that didn’t keep the trainees away. He had stepped aside so as to not distract Josh as he had discovered that he didn’t share Josh’s talent and interest in magic. Even so, being surrounded by talented people and being lauded for his potential and destiny filled him with joy.

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  “Archmage,” Sir Taric said, along with a respectful half-bow.

  Lyra didn’t look up, her gaze was fixed on the Blessed Ones, and the trainees speaking with them. “Sir Taric. How did it go with the other two?”

  “As well as can be expected, if not better. They both gained a Skill, simple attacks but Skills nonetheless. Our trainees did well, also.”

  Nodding, ever so slightly, Lyra responded, “Good. And what of Mr. Moore, any word from Administrator Kendrick?”

  Hesitant, but only for a moment, Sir Taric steeled his resolve. Delivering bad news to the archmage was never pleasant. “It seems he’s been resistant to his role.”

  The air around them stiffened, turned heavy. It was a strange contrast of uncontrolled emotion affecting the world around them, and a precise effort to ensure those in the courtyard below noticed nothing. “A limit of 5 and he has the nerve to reject my mercy and generosity.”

  She reined in her powers, but her eyes remained dark.

  POV Sebastian, a few hours earlier.

  After he had finished his breakfast, Sebastian followed Administrator Kendrick around as he went about his business in the castle. The experience was dizzying.

  Not only did the man walk with purpose at all time, with steps so long that Sebastian almost had to jog to keep up at times, he also met with people all over the castle grounds. Nobles, accountants, military leaders, and various staff in leadership positions.

  Worst of all, whenever Sebastian raised a question Administrator Kendrick replied with a stoic, “Just observe, and learn what you can.” A task which was basically impossible as Sebastian had no idea what any of them were talking about most of the time. He had worked in corporate offices before, professional jargon was practically a second language, but this particular party of professionals pontificated pertaining to people, places, projects, and procedures in a way that he couldn’t make any sense of. It wasn’t even spoken in code, just with their own natural shorthand, which to Sebastian was essentially the same thing.

  Finally, after a few hours of following Administrator Kendrick around like a confused puppy, they moved to his office in the main castle.

  It wasn’t lost on Sebastian how impressive it was for an administrator to have an office in the main castle, even if it was on the lower level. A status symbol Kendrick visibly took pride in.

  The office was in pristine shape. Clean and organized, everything in its correct place. Two piles of papers on the large, dark oak desk was all that stood out, a clear sign of how stretched thin the man was in his work. The room upon entry was dark, though, in spite of it being the middle of the day. There was only one source of natural light, a small window in the back of the left hand wall. His desk was positioned to perfectly catch that light. With the touch of a crystal on the wall, an abundance of lamps lit the room. A series of bookshelves stood against the back wall, on the right hand side was a table with a map over the region hung up on the wall.

  Administrator Kendrick sat down at his desk and swiped a single finger at one of the piles of papers, three folders shot out and landed accurately in front of him. Sebastian blinked, uncertain if it was due to slight of hand or magic. He leaned to toward it being some sort of magic, a Skill the administrator had gained from the [System].

  “Place those down, there,” Kendrick said, pointing to a spot on his desk, and referring to the papers Sebastian was carrying for the man. “Then go into the archive and fetch me the folder labeled C-167/A2.” He didn’t even look up at Sebastian, his focus was entirely on the papers in front of him.

  Sebastian took a deep breath and held it as his eye twitched. He did as he was asked though with less grace than the consummate professional would have preferred. He dropped the papers on the desk and moved to the door labeled, “Archive”, in the corner by the entrance.

  The archive was about half the size of the office, with a handful of shelves stacked with folders and boxes. It was impeccably organized, finding C-167/A2 was surprisingly easy.

  Grabbing the folder, Sebastian brought it over to Kendrick, tossing it onto his desk. That finally got the man to look up at him, even if it only earned him a brief glance.

  “Take these,” he said dispassionately, gesturing to the second pile on his desk, “and file them away in the archive, pay close attention to ensure they’re properly organized.”

  Sebastian clenched his jaw and tightened his fists. “No.” He stared at the administrator until the man looked up to make eye contact. “I was just kidnapped from my home, given promises of fame, fortune, and power, only to be put to work as your fucking assistant?! No, I won’t be filing your papers for you.”

  After a brief moment of silence, where neither moved a muscle, Administrator Kendrick spoke. “Very well, if you do not intend to be useful, perhaps you should retire to your chambers?”

  Maintaining his eye contact for a moment, Sebastian said nothing. Then he turned around and walked out the door.

  Finding his room again wasn’t the easiest, but he got there in time. As soon as the door closed behind him, he sank down onto the floor and leaned back against the door. A wave of nausea hit him out of nowhere. His breathing accelerated as he stared at the floor in front of him.

  There was still plenty of hours left in the day, but Sebastian just wanted the day to be over. He crawled into bed, and he let his mind race.

  This can’t be it… I won’t just be a servant in some foreign world, there has to be a way to fix this, to get around the level limit. Maybe there’s a way to get stronger even at a lower level, that happens in these kinds of stories sometimes. The protagonist has some Skill or something that makes them stronger even though everyone thinks they’re doomed to stay weak and useless. I have that Talent, [Akashic Connection]. That has to be it, the key to surpassing this limit.

  Tomorrow, I’ll go to the library and find everything I can about Talents. There has to be some clue as to what this Talent does. “An inherent connection with the Akashic System.” That has to mean something!

  With a decision made, he could finally relax, somewhat. Hours of thinking about everything made the time fly. The natural light faded as night fell, and he eventually drifted off to sleep.

  BAM!

  Two guards slammed open his door and rushed in. One grabbed him and dragged him to the door.

  “The fuck! Let me go!” Sebastian’s screaming and pleading were ignored, as were his attempts to struggle free. A superhuman grip held him like he was a puppy held by the scruff.

  The other ransacked the room, grabbing anything that belonged to Sebastian.

  He was taken through the back-corridors of the castle, the parts used only by the help, where there was nothing by cold, hard stone. No one heard him scream—or, if they did, no one cared.

  After a several minutes of useless struggles, they reached a back door. A carriage, more appropriate for wares than people, waited for them outside. They threw him in and tossed all of his belonging in with him—his clothes being all that he owned in this world—and locked the door. The driver barely let the doors close before he took off at full speed, and he urged the horses to go as fast as they could.

  The inside of the carriage was bare, no different than a wooden cage. There was no light, except a faint glow from the drivers lantern pushing through a few gaps in the wood.

  He kicked the door, even tackled it with all his weight. It wouldn’t budge. Moving his hands across every surface, he desperately searched for a weakness to exploit, something he could use to break free. To no avail.

  With nothing else to do, except anguish, he put his clothes and shoes on. Whatever this was, he was going to need them.

  What felt like a several hours went by, although it is notoriously difficult to tell time when you’re locked in the dark.

  The carriage finally stopped, and its doors opened. Two new guards pulled him out, and they took him over to a cliff where Lyra stood waiting for him.

  They forced him to his knees.

  Sebastian trembled, his body aching from the rough ride, and his knees screamed as they pressed into the rocky ground.

  “Lyra? What is this, what are you doing!?” he pleaded to deaf ears. His eyes darted between the archmage and the cliff to her side, his breath and heart rate alike quickening with every moment.

  “I'm sorry about this, I am, but the fate of the kingdom is at stake,” Lyra began while gesturing dramatically and almost shedding a tear. “We can't risk having a Blessed One with your limit around to distract the others.” She shook her head. “We've tried that before. Whenever Blessed Ones are summoned and there's someone who just isn't worthy of being called a hero, they cause the others to lose sight of what's important. So, the great King Galen Lumiere of old decreed, millennia ago, that they are to be brought here, to the Valley of Remembrance, where your sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

  “My what!?” Sebastian eyes opened wide. “You can't do this! You summoned me! You can't just kill me because my limit is low!” Sebastian shouted, and the archmage and guards ignored him.

  Lyra looked to the guards and gave a solemn nod. Sebastian tried to run away but the two guards caught him with ease before he got more than a few steps in.

  Slowly but surely, they brought him to the edge of the cliff. He screamed at them to stop, but without the slightest hesitation, they pushed him over.

  Before he even had a chance to come to terms with what was happening, Sebastian was falling into the abyss.