A Orb That Doesn't Lie!

The massive wooden doors of the Great Hall groaned open.

A cool breeze brushed across my face.

For a moment, I instinctively searched for something familiar.

An electric pole.

A road.

The distant hum of traffic.

Anything.

There was nothing.

Instead...

An endless blue sky stretched above us without a single wire interrupting it. It looked almost unreal—as though someone had painted the heavens and forgotten to add imperfections.

"..."

The grass swayed gently with the wind.

I had seen greenery before.

Parks.

Forests.

Fields during train journeys.

But this...

The colour was richer.

The air felt lighter.

Every breath entered my lungs with surprising ease.

Almost too easily.

If Earth had been photographed...

This world looked hand-painted.

Someone behind me whispered.

"So this is..."

"...another world."

No one answered.

Waiting outside. There were dozens of horse-drawn carriages.

Large and Reinforced.

Every wheel was wrapped in thick iron.

The horses themselves looked unusually tall, their silver-white coats almost glowing beneath the morning sun.

One of the boys clicked his tongue.

"No buses, huh..."

Another laughed weakly.

"I miss buses already."

A few students actually smiled.

The first genuine smiles since waking up.

Even I couldn't help thinking...

At least horses don't get stuck in traffic.

I murmered to myself.

The journey began.

The Great Hall slowly disappeared behind us until only its broken towers remained visible on the horizon.

I turned around one last time.

Even from this distance...

The ruins looked lonely.

Almost forgotten.

Hours passed.

The roads surprised me.

Despite the war we had heard about, they were well maintained.

Stone roads connected villages like veins carrying life across the land.

Every now and then we passed soldiers.

Not marching to battle.

Escorting grain.

Food.

Medicine.

Supply wagons.

War wasn't fought only with swords.

Someone had to feed the people holding them.

The villages...

They were quieter than I expected.

Children stopped working to stare at us.

Farmers removed their hats.

Old women folded their hands in prayer.

Nobody cheered.

 Nor No one celebrated.

They simply watched.

Hope...

Mixed with desperation.

It was a strange expression.

As though they wanted to believe...

But had forgotten how.

Around noon the convoy stopped beside a small farming village.

The houses were simple.

Many roofs had been repaired with mismatched wood.

One wall still carried black burn marks.

Nobody explained why.

They didn't need to.

The answer was obvious.

War had visited here.

Even so...

The villagers welcomed us.

The food wasn't extravagant.

Vegetable stew.

Fresh bread.

Warm milk.

Simple things.

Yet...

Every bowl was filled to the brim.

I noticed an old woman quietly giving the last piece of bread from her basket to one of my classmates.

She smiled as if she'd been handed a miracle.

Not because she had food.

Because she believed...

Heroes had finally arrived.

That smile weighed more than the bread itself.

As evening approached, the scenery gradually changed.

The fields became larger.

Stone watchtowers appeared more frequently.

Church bells echoed faintly in the distance.

Then...

I saw it.

Far beyond the rolling fields...

White walls rose toward the sky.

Towering spires reflected the setting sun.

Golden domes shimmered like stars.

Even from this distance...

The city felt sacred.

"The City of Saintess Anima."

Razel's calm voice broke the silence.

"The heart of the Sacred Kingdom."

Nobody spoke after that.

Every pair of eyes remained fixed on the city growing larger with each passing minute.

For the first time since arriving in this world...

It felt as though we had reached the beginning of something.

I just didn't know whether that beginning would become salvation...

Or the first step towards the success the people needed.

The gates of Saintess Anima City slowly opened before us.

Even before entering, the city felt different from every village we had passed.

The roads were wider.

The houses were built from polished white stone instead of wood, and banners bearing a silver emblem fluttered from every corner. Priests dressed in flowing white robes walked alongside knights clad in shining armor, while merchants quietly made way for our convoy.

Nobody celebrated.

Instead...

They watched.

Every pair of eyes followed us.

Some folded their hands in prayer.

Others simply lowered their heads.

"...Heroes."

Someone whispered.

The word spread through the crowd like a ripple across calm water.

Heroes...

It still felt strange hearing that.

The carriages came to a halt before an enormous flight of marble stairs.

I slowly stepped down.

Then...

I looked up.

"..."

For a brief moment, my mind simply stopped.

The cathedral stood high enough to disappear into the dusk.

Its towering pillars looked as though they had been carved from a single mountain.

There were statues in front of the cathedral.

Every face carried a different expression.

Some looked peaceful.

Others looked as though they had fought until their final breath.

I couldn't tell whether they were saints...

Or heroes.

The massive doors opened before us without a sound.

Warm air drifted outside.

The scent of incense immediately filled my nose.

As I stepped inside...

The outside world vanished.

twilight poured through enormous stained-glass windows, painting the marble floor with countless colors.

The ceiling stretched impossibly high.

Golden chandeliers floated silently beneath massive stone arches.

My footsteps echoed throughout the hall.

No matter where I looked...

Everything felt ancient.

Not ruined.

As though this place had witnessed centuries that nobody alive could remember.

"This way."

Razel spoke softly.

None of us argued.

Even the loudest students had become strangely quiet.

Something about this place demanded silence.

We eventually entered another hall.

Unlike the entrance, this chamber wasn't empty.

Rows of priests stood perfectly still.

Knights lined both sides.

At the far end...

A single elderly man sat upon an elevated seat.

His white robes flowed across the marble steps beneath him.

A golden staff rested quietly beside him.

Despite his age...

His eyes remained clear.

Sharp.

The entire room bowed.

Even Razel.

Only then did I realize who he was.

The Pope.

"Welcome..."

His voice was calm.

Yet somehow...

Every corner of the hall heard it.

"Heroes summoned from another world..."

"Our world welcomes you."

For the first time since arriving...

Someone smiled at us.

A genuine smile.

Not desperate.

Simply...

Grateful.

"I understand many of you are confused."

"You have lost your homes."

"Your families."

"Your ordinary lives."

"For that..."

He lowered his head.

"I offer my deepest apology."

Silence filled the hall.

Even the students who had argued with Razel earlier remained quiet.

"However..."

"There is one matter that cannot wait."

His expression gradually became serious.

"The Goddess has blessed each of you with mana."

"Before tomorrow's sacred rite..."

"We must determine the nature of those blessings."

A crystal sphere was carefully carried into the center of the room.

It rested upon an ornate silver pedestal.

Clear liquid slowly swirled inside the crystal as though it were alive.

I stared at it.

"..."

It almost looked as though the sphere was breathing.

"This..."

The Pope continued.

"...is the Orb of Revelation."

"Place your hand upon it."

"It shall reveal the nature of your mana and the strength of it."

Everyone exchanged nervous glances.

Then...

They stepped forward.

The crystal orb rested quietly upon its silver pedestal.

The clear liquid inside drifted in slow circles as though something invisible stirred beneath its surface.

One by one...

The students gathered around it.

Some looked nervous.

Others looked excited.

A few couldn't stop whispering among themselves.

"So... this thing tells us our powers?"

"I hope I get fire."

"I don't care what I get as long as it isn't healing."

Someone laughed.

For the first time since arriving in this world...

The atmosphere had become lighter.

Even I found myself curious.

"The assessment is simple."

The Pope's calm voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"Place your hand upon the Orb of Revelation."

"It shall resonate with the mana bestowed upon your soul."

"The orb cannot lie."

Those last four words lingered inside my head.

Cannot lie.

The first student stepped forward was mis angelica.

Her hand touched the crystal.

For a brief moment...

Nothing happened.

Then...

Golden light burst from within the orb.

The liquid spun violently.

Symbols I couldn't understand began appearing across its surface.

One of the priests smiled.

"sacred Class."

The hall erupted into applause.

The class rep herself looked completely stunned.

"...M-Me?"

The Pope nodded.

"The Goddess has blessed you."

The second was.

Sacred Class.

And the person got it was the popular person of class aion Sebastian.

Applause.

Third.

Hero Class.

Even louder applause.

Fifth.

Hero Class.

The room gradually filled with excitement.

Students who had been terrified only an hour ago were now laughing together.

Every new result became another reason to celebrate.

Some compared colors.

Some compared titles.

Even the priests looked relieved.

Perhaps...

This was exactly what they had been hoping for.

Eventually...

Only one person remained.

Me.

"...Vinaas."

I quietly stepped forward.

The marble floor suddenly felt much louder beneath my feet.

Hundreds of eyes followed me.

I wasn't nervous.

Just...

Curious.

I slowly placed my hand upon the crystal.

"..."

Nothing.

The liquid moved very vigorously and once a sudden the liquid stopped moving. 

The light didn't appear.

The hall became strangely quiet for an instance.

One of the priests frowned.

"...Strange."

Another adjusted his glasses.

The Pope remained silent.

Then...

A single ripple spread across the surface.

Tiny.

Almost invisible.

Dark grey light emerged from the center of the orb.

Unlike the brilliant radiance before...

It barely illuminated my fingers.

Symbols slowly formed.

The priest reading them suddenly froze.

His confident expression disappeared.

"..."

"...Impossible."

Another priest hurried over.

He looked.

His face changed too.

Whispers immediately spread across the hall.

"...No..."

"...It can't be..."

"...common..."

The silence became unbearable.

Finally...

One elderly cardinal spoke.

"...common Class."

No applause.

No congratulations.

Nothing.

Only silence.

I looked around.

The same faces that had smiled moments ago...

Were looking at me differently.

Not with anger.

Not with disgust.

Something worse.

Disappointment.

"...There must be a mistake."

I quietly muttered.

"The orb cannot lie."

Another priest answered immediately.

Almost automatically.

As though repeating a law.

The Pope slowly closed his eyes.

For the first time since entering the cathedral...

His smile disappeared.

"..."

"...Proceed."

That was all he said.

Proceed.

Not...

"Congratulations."

Just...

Proceed.

Someone gently guided me away from the pedestal.

The next discussion had already begun.

Not about me.

About the Hero Classes.

The Sacred Classes.

Military assignments.

Training schedules.

Future responsibilities.

I was still standing in the same room.

Yet...

Somehow...

I had already been left behind.

A priest approached us holding several wooden plaques.

"Hero Class."

He handed one to the first student.

"East Wing."

"Sacred Class."

"North Residence."

Another.

"Hero Class."

Another.

"Hero Class."

Another.

Every plaque was polished.

Decorated with silver engravings.

Eventually...

He reached me.

He looked at the remaining plaque.

Plain wood.

No engraving.

No decoration.

"...block E."

He didn't even look me in the eyes.

"There should be spare clothing there."

He placed it in my hand...

And moved on to someone else.

I stood there...

Holding the smallest piece of wood in the entire hall.

For some reason...

It felt heavier than anything I'd ever carried.

The priest walked away without another word.

I looked down at the wooden plaque.

Block E.

No crest.

No silver engraving.

No name.

Just...

Block E.

"..."

The hall was still full of voices.

People discussing Hero Classes.

Sacred Classes.

I slowly looked toward my classmates.

Angelica was surrounded by bishops.

Aion Sebastian had already been congratulated by several knights.

Everyone...

Had somewhere to be.

Someone waiting for them.

I tightened my grip around the wooden plaque.

"..."

Without realizing it...

I had become the only person standing alone inside the cathedral.