"Please save us, O Chosen Ones!"
Those were the first words that reached Lucian's ears as his eyes slowly opened in a new world.
For a few seconds, his vision was blurred as light burned at the edges of his sight. His head throbbed, trying to process what he was seeing.
Where am I?
He questioned himself. He was not in his classroom anymore.
To find the answer, he pushed himself up slightly. His classmates were sprawled all around him across a wide stone floor. Some were lying flat. Some were groaning softly. Others were slowly starting to move as consciousness returned to them.
"Where are we?"
"Weren't we just in maths class?"
"I remember… a real portal opening under us. Did that bring us here?"
Their voices were shaky and filled with fear.
Panic spread fast among the group. Lucian's own heart began to pound hard in his chest. He quickly lifted his head and searched through the scattered bodies for a certain someone.
"Mia," he whispered.
His eyes rushed over familiar faces again and again until he finally found her a short distance away. She was sitting up slowly, rubbing her head in confusion but unharmed.
The tension in Lucian's chest eased a little upon seeing his girlfriend safe.
He then proceeded to look at his surroundings properly.
Lucian's whole class was inside a massive hall made of white stone. Tall pillars surrounded the area, and at the far end stood several figures in long robes. Among them was an old man dressed in pure white, holding a golden staff.
He was the Pope of the Church.
The said old man looked at the panicking students with calm and steady eyes. In front of him stood the hope of this world, the ones summoned by him due to the king's order.
At first, the students shouted over one another with fear in their voices. But after some minutes, they finally calmed down.
And as the fear settled down, a new feeling began to rise in them.
Curiosity.
And to calm their curiosities, the Pope lifted his golden staff and tapped it lightly against the stone floor.
TAP!
The soft sound echoed through the hall. It was not loud, yet it drew everyone's attention at once.
All the murmurs stopped as dozens of uneasy eyes turned toward him.
"Young ones," the Pope said in a calm voice, "do not be afraid. You are safe here."
Lucian frowned slightly at his words. Safe was not the word he would have chosen for their situation.
The Pope took a small step forward as he continued his speech with great enthusiasm. The words spoken by him were not English. Heck, the students had never heard something similar sounding before.
Yet they understood each of his words.
"My name is Pope Albrecht," the Pope said. "I serve the King of this realm and the will of the gods."
His gaze slowly moved across the group of students.
"You have been summoned to this world by the King's command."
A wave of shock ran through the students.
"Summoned?"
"To another world?"
"This is not Earth?"
The whispering returned among the group, louder than before.
"You were brought here because our world is on the brink of destruction. A great calamity approaches, one that our own people cannot stop."
Lucian felt a strange chill run down his spine.
"To survive what is coming, our kingdom needs heroes," the Pope continued. "Heroes that are not bound by the fate of this world. That is why you were chosen."
Silence filled the hall.
Lucian felt Mia's finger wrap around his and tighten.
"What about our world? Can we go back?"
A woman with soft facial features and beautiful auburn hair asked. She was Miss Sara, the homeroom teacher of class 3-A.
She had not expected her usual school day to turn into an isekai fantasy. But here she was. And since she was the eldest among the people from Earth, she had to be their representative.
The Pope closed his eyes for a brief moment at her question.
"At this time," he said slowly, "return is not possible."
The words hit Sara and the students hard. Fear spread again across many faces. They didn't want to go onto a battlefield and die for strangers.
They were normal citizens. Modern citizens for whom even walking ten thousand steps was an achievement.
"You will not be sent to your deaths without power," the Pope added. "By the grace of the gods, each of you will awaken a Class. With it, you will gain strength far beyond that of normal humans."
Murmurs of confusion and disbelief filled the hall.
"A Class?"
"Like in games?"
The Pope nodded.
"Your Classes will decide the path you will walk in this world," he said. "Some of you will become warriors. Some will wield magic. Some will support from the rear."
He raised his staff once more.
"The awakening will begin shortly."
Lucian swallowed slowly.
Until now, everything had felt unreal.
***
Soon, the class of thirty-two and their teacher, Sara, were escorted out of the chamber and into the middle of the capital.
Lucian squinted as bright sunlight struck his eyes.
They stood in the center of a massive open square made of white stone. The area was far larger than any ground he had seen back on Earth.
Grand buildings surrounded the square from all sides, their tall towers and golden roofs shining under the sky.
At every rooftop, every balcony, and every street connected to the square, people had gathered.
Thousands.
No, tens of thousands.
The entire capital had come to witness the awakening.
Citizens filled every visible space as murmurs spread like waves across the crowd as all eyes turned toward the group from another world.
Lucian felt exposed like an animal placed in front of a massive audience.
At the heart of the square stood a towering crystal obelisk. It rose high into the sky, glowing faintly with shifting colors of light. Runes were carved across its surface, and a massive magic circle spread across the ground beneath it.
This was the Awakening Altar.
Armed soldiers formed a wide ring around the square. Priests stood near the altar, their robes fluttering in the wind.
Mia moved closer to Lucian and held onto his sleeve.
"Why are there so many people?" she whispered. Her voice was thin with fear.
Lucian assessed the situation calmly and murmured. "They must have come to see the heroes of their world. Little do they know we don't know how to hold a knife properly."
Not far from them, Will – Lucian's best friend stood with his hands on his hips, staring up at the crystal with bright eyes.
"This is insane," he said with a grin. "A whole city watching us awaken powers. This is a real hero's stage."
Mia shook her head slightly. "I don't want a stage. I just want to go home."
Will glanced at her and smiled lightly. "If we get strong enough, maybe we can."
This eased Mia a little as a light blush formed on her face. On the other hand, Lucian stared at the altar instead of answering.
Something felt wrong to him.
Why do the awakening in front of the entire capital?
Why make it a spectacle?
He felt like they were being shown off, not welcomed.
Just then, a deep horn sound echoed across the square, and the crowd slowly fell silent.
One of the high priests stepped forward toward the altar.
"People of the capital," he announced loudly, his voice carried by magic across the city, "today, the summoned heroes from another world shall awaken their Classes before the blessing of the gods."
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Chosen Ones!"
"Chosen Ones!"
"Chosen Ones!"