The pain never faded.
Not the scar burned into his back. Not the memory of her leaving. Not the twelve goddamn years of wondering why.
Raze Kyler learned three things before he turned ten:
One—survival meant becoming the monster everyone already thought you were.
Two—trust was just another word for weakness.
Three—pain was the only honest thing left in the world.
The necklace his mother left hung cold against his chest. He never took it off. Not because he missed her.
But because remembering the abandonment kept him sharp.
*Funny how that works.*
---
The summoning hit different than he expected.
One second, Raze was opening the door to the cultural room—sent to fetch the homeroom teacher like some errand boy. The next? Blinding light. Weightlessness. Then marble floors and the smell of incense thick enough to choke on.
A throne room.
Because of course it was a throne room.
His classmates materialized around him, stumbling, screaming, generally losing their shit. Sarah grabbed Marcus's arm. Jenny hit her knees. A few idiots actually called for their mothers.
Raze counted guards.
*Twelve swords. Two archers in the rafters. One exit. Zero chance of running.*
Perfect.
The stares came next.
Twenty-eight pairs of eyes locked on him the moment they realized who'd been summoned alongside them. Some flinched. Others stepped back instinctively.
Same song. Different world.
"Why is *he* here?"
The whisper cut through the chaos.
"Raze. The one from the incident."
"Oh god, not him—"
*Let them talk.*
Fear made people predictable. And predictable meant manageable.
The fat king on his throne looked ready to have a stroke, face purpling as he jabbed a jeweled finger at an old man in robes that probably cost more than Raze's house.
"Archmage! Explain why there are **nine** heroes when you promised **eight**!"
The old man—Eldric something—gripped his staff like a lifeline.
"Y-Your Majesty, the summoning crystal has limited capacity. This shouldn't be possible—"
"I don't care about 'shouldn't'!" The king's voice boomed. "Fix it or—"
"Actually, sire."
A woman's voice. Smooth. Practiced.
The princess stepped forward, silver hair catching torchlight like she'd practiced the angle. Probably had.
"This has happened before," she said. "The crystal sometimes... miscalculates. We can work with nine."
The king's jaw worked silently. Then he waved a dismissive hand.
"Fine. Eldric, explain everything. Quickly."
The archmage bowed so low Raze thought his spine might snap. When he straightened, his eyes swept over them with all the warmth of a butcher sizing up cattle.
"You have been summoned as heroes," Eldric began, voice dripping with theatrical bullshit. "Pulled from your world to save ours from the Demon King and his armies. The fate of the kingdom—no, the entire continent—rests upon your shoulders."
A girl—Jenny—made a choking sound. "Demon King? This is insane!"
"I want to go home!" someone wailed.
Raze stayed silent.
Watching. Learning.
Because something was wrong here.
Very wrong.
Back home, Raze could sense energy in exactly two beings: himself and his mother. Never in another human. Never in an animal. It was what made them different. What made them *other*.
But here?
Everyone glowed with it.
Faint pulses of light invisible to normal eyes, threading through flesh and bone like luminescent veins. His classmates. The guards. Even the princess trying to calm the hysteria.
All of them.
Except the energy felt... off. Artificial. Like someone had painted over a corpse and called it living.
And Eldric?
His energy *writhed*.
Dark tendrils coiling beneath his skin. Something ancient and hungry wearing human flesh like an ill-fitting coat.
*What the fuck is this place?*
"How do we get back?"
Their homeroom teacher—Ms. Reeves—finally found her voice. It shook, but held.
"We didn't ask for this. Send us home."
The king rose.
The hall went silent.
"I understand your fear," he said, almost sounding sincere. "Believe me, if we could return you now, we would. But the summoning crystal is depleted. It needs time—and power—to recharge."
He paused.
Let the words sink like stones.
"Defeat the Demon King, and the crystal will have enough energy to send you home."
The room exploded.
Screaming. Crying. Marcus punched a marble pillar and immediately regretted it. Jenny collapsed. Even Ms. Reeves looked ready to bolt for the doors.
Raze watched the guards shift their grips. The archers adjust their angles.
Nobody was leaving this room without permission.
Smart.
"Please, everyone!" The princess raised her hands. "You're not alone in this. The crystal has summoned one hundred heroes total. You're part of something greater—"
"I'll fight."
Leon's voice cut through the chaos.
Clear. Confident. Predictable.
Of course it was Leon.
Popular. Athletic. Probably never been told 'no' in his privileged life. He stepped forward with that easy smile that made teachers love him and made Raze want to break his teeth.
"I can feel it," Leon continued, clenching his fist. "Power. Real power. If there's a Demon King, then let's kill him."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group.
One by one, his classmates straightened. Nodded. The fear in their eyes shifting to something almost eager.
*Idiots.*
They had no idea what real fighting meant.
No idea what it cost.
But Raze did.
"Excellent!" Eldric clapped his hands. "Such spirit! Now then, let us see what gifts the crystal has bestowed. Please, call forth your status screens and announce your class."
One by one, they did.
Blue rectangles materialized before each student. Hero. Mage. Holy Priestess. Berserker.
Each announcement brought gasps. Applause. Excited chatter.
Then Leon stepped forward.
"Status."
His screen blazed brighter than the others, golden light washing over his smug face.
"Holy Knight."
The hall erupted.
A Holy Knight. Rare. Legendary. The king stood to applaud. The princess beamed. Raze's classmates looked at Leon like he'd just been crowned.
*Of course.*
Of course Leon got the legendary class.
More students called their screens. Each one supposedly visible only to its owner.
But Raze could see them all.
Every stat. Every skill. Every weakness laid bare.
*Interesting.*
Whatever the "error" in his status was, it came with perks.
Finally, attention turned to him.
Eldric's cold eyes locked on.
Waiting.
Raze whispered, "Status."
The screen flickered.
Glitched.
Static tore across his vision. For one heart-stopping moment, he saw something vast and dark writhing behind the blue interface.
Then it shattered.
A single word burned where his class should have been:
**ERROR**
His chest tightened.
But his face stayed blank. Years of practice. Years of hiding.
If they knew he had nothing—no class, no divine blessing, no convenient hero powers—he'd be dead weight.
Expendable.
So he lied.
"Body Enhancement," he said. Voice flat. Bored.
A faint glow appeared above his head. Weak. Pathetic.
Exactly what he needed them to see.
Eldric's lip curled. "Body Enhancement. Rare, yes, but... not powerful. Suitable only for fighting low-level demons."
Snickers rippled through his classmates.
"Seriously? That's it?"
"Figures."
"The killer gets the weakest class. Karma's a bitch."
Raze let them laugh.
Let them write him off.
Invisible. Underestimated.
Perfect.
Then he felt eyes on him.
Familiar eyes.
Mia stood across the hall, her Archer status glowing above her head. Beside her, Kail smirked—Ice Mage class ranking second only to Leon's Holy Knight.
Ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.
Staring at him like he was something they'd scraped off their shoes.
Raze stared back.
Until Mia looked away first.
*Good.*
As the excitement died and Eldric droned about training academies and demon territories, Raze's mind worked through the problem.
The necklace. The one his mother pressed into his hand before everything went white.
It had to be connected.
To the summoning. To why he—of all people—got dragged here.
But why could he sense everyone's energy when he couldn't back home?
Why did Eldric's energy feel wrong?
And why did something dark and hungry stir in his chest every time he looked at his classmates' glowing statuses?
Too many questions.
Back home, he would've walked away. Found a dark corner. Figured it out alone.
But here?
He glanced at Leon basking in glory. At Mia whispering with Kail. At Ms. Reeves trying to hold back tears.
*Weak. All of them.*
But useful.
For now, he'd play along. Attend their academy. Train with their heroes. Learn everything about this world—its rules, its power, its secrets.
And when he had what he needed?
He'd take it all.
The king was saying something about dormitories and orientation. His classmates were already chatting about magical abilities and demon hunting like this was summer camp.
Raze stayed silent.
Watching shadows flicker against ancient stone.
*Let them have their hero fantasy.*
He wasn't here to save anyone.
He was here to survive.
And if this world had power?
He'd make damn sure it became his.
---
**END CHAPTER 1**
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