"... And after Winsor, we will take down the Empire."

Surprised gasps ran through the crowd. Takedown Draele? Why? That would be impossible surely! The city would be doable, even though it'd take some time. Many people looked outraged, cursing at Skull. Draele was good! It protected them from the Drakes! It brought them civilization! Who would protect them? There was one thing clear though, nobody was happy. He went on.

"Draele is not what you think it is! It is a force of evil! We must take them down, or we will all perish!"

Hannah was confused. This made no sense. It sounded like rebelling would make them all die, not staying put.

"The other races plot against us. The Drakes and Lizardfolk wait for a moment of weakness to attack. The Minotaurs, Beastmen of Sahir make us [Slaves]! The Arachnids, the masters of the seas, stay isolated on their island, but still plot with whoever is our Empire's enemy! And the Demons? They fortify their island, waiting for the inevitable attack."

The people looked in silence. Gregory, Edali and the others lined up behind Skull nodded and watched with their heads high. They were proud. They supported this plan wholeheartedly.

"If our so-called [Emperor] will not acknowledge it, I will! We will! We are cornered! Humanity stands on its last legs! I know he is planning to invade Kistror, to take revenge for his son, but I do not know when. I just know that that would be suicide. A good [Emperor] would see this, but Vitelius is blind. He is bringing us towards extinction and slavery, and he must be stopped at all costs."

There was silence. Was any of this true? Surely he was just being paranoid, it couldn't be. But then it started with a clap, from Gregory. Then two. Then thousands. A thunderous applause exploded. They could do it! They would save Humanity!

Hannah wasn't clapping. She was worried. Taking down empires? She was just a girl. She had had enough of this, she'd ask Skull, or Gregory or anyone important to let them leave. Their criminal record had been wiped, so they could leave and change cities or something. She looked at Esme, who was next to her, and it looked like the girl was thinking about the same thing. Hannah grabbed her hand and nodded. The applause died down and their leader finished his speech.

"It will be a long arduous journey. Many will die, on both sides. Right now, we will start small, but from one city, one can make something great. Or terrible. Our own Empire's history should show you that. I won't force you to fight. You may stay here and live peacefully until our job is done. Regardless, the first phase won't necessarily require a battle."

His face met Hannah's and Esme's.

"I take back what I said. Unfortunately, I will assign a few of you a task. You will have to complete it. Good night."

He bowed and left. One last cheer went around the school and soon, people started leaving. Many were talking about what was just said, and what they would do. Many protested what they thought was a rash decision from Skull. They thought he was a careful man, who would take no risks. They were proved wrong. Hannah caught some of a few conversations going on.

"I think we should try to leave..."

"I support his intentions, but..."

Doubts. Doubts all over. If they were caught after tonight, they could be executed for treason against Draele. Would they really risk their lives for a cause they didn't think was true? Of course, you also had your fanatical supporters. Those were the Mob's biggest supporters. Overall from what Hannah could see, it was split pretty fifty-fifty.

After they got back to their room, they made sure no one was near them or listening. No one was there. Good.

"Hannah. This is some-"

"Crazy shit. We didn't sign up for this. We need to leave."

"We do."

"But... how?"

"We can try later tonight maybe. I overheard people were planning to do it too."

"Perfect."

Esme's face contorted in horror. Hannah looked behind her. A man had just appeared out of... nowhere. One second he wasn't there and one second he was. He was a thin lanky man, and his skin was basically pure white. The whitest Hannah had ever seen. He cracked his knuckles and grinned.

"There are traitors everywhere these days. G'night ladies. I'm Kayden. Boss told me to give you your assignment for tomorrow. Edali's also coming, but she's pretty slow."

He knew. Of course, he did. He had some kind of stealth skill. Esme had learned that she was weak compared to all these freaks, so she did nothing but hold her ground.

"Who are you?"

"Just a friendly face around here. Or the best [Rogue] in the city. You pick."

He was a [Rogue]. Just like Esme. Although she only had one level in the class. Hannah looked at him wearily and introduced herself.

"I'm Hannah. This is Esme. Nice to meet you."

"Oh I know who you are, don't worry about it."

They stood there in silence for a few minutes until they heard a bang on the door. Esme went over and opened it slightly. Hannah was relieved to see it was Edali.

"Damn it, Kay! I told you to wait for me. I'm sorry I hope he wasn't too much of a bother. He can be... special."

"Uh-"

"I was fine! I really was. Plus your little proteges were scheming behind our backs, so I don't know why Skull ain't just getting rid of them."

"They were?"

Edali looked genuinely disappointed. Hannah tried to explain.

"No, b-but... well... we did. But only because your leader's completely nuts! He never told us we'd go this big! Now we're going to have to fight- like, an army or something. Isn't the Empire super powerful?!"

Kayden chuckled and Edali sighed. She explained.

"Please. You think they'd just stand around after we take a city? They'll come, Hannah. They will. We might be put under siege when we take it. But we'll fight. For Humanity's sake."

The [Rogue] interjected, stating his support.

"Skull's right, y'know. Vitelius has been hell-bent on revenge for years. He has alienated the other races further and further. We were making progress until... well you know what happened."

"What happened?"

"You seriously don't know? Well, I won't judge. The propaganda runs deep."

"So...?"

"Genocide. Against the Drakes."

"W-what?"

"You really think the Drakes declared war without provocation as they led you to believe? The Drakes living here just ten years ago didn't just leave. They were exterminated. On their orders. Vitelius and his son. And that coincides with the year his eldest son died during the Demon war. Millions of innocent souls dead, including-"

Edali elbowed him in the side. He coughed a few times before she went on.

"Anyways, tomorrow you're going to go to a low priority target. This district's [Mayor] is already in our pocket, but the other ones will still support the city guard. One of them has a low-quality artifact that can inflict fear on weaker members of an army. A really valuable one to have. It's in his manor, in Upper Winsor. It probably will be lightly guarded, due to the havoc we will be causing, but you have your [Charm] spell, right?"

Hannah nodded. The words still rang in her mind. Genocide. Of course this world with different species would have rampant racism genocide. She was on board now, and Esme was too.

"Anyways, this brings me to my second point."

Hannah looked up at her.

"We're going to be your... teachers? guides? I don't know which word is the most appropriate word for this. It's kind of embarrassing actually."

"Oh shut it! Nothing's embarrassing about it. But yeah. I'm a [Rogue]. This girl's a [Rogue]. Edali's a [Mage] and she can feel a large amount of mana coming from you. She'll teach you magic."

He pointed at Hannah. Her eyes gleamed with happiness. Magic! She could learn it! She felt like it was her passion already even though she'd never tried it before.

"Really?! Oh my god, oh my god, thank you so much! I can't believe it!"

She grabbed her hands and bowed slightly. She could see Esme looking at them weirdly in the corner of her field of vision, but that didn't matter right now! She'd learn magic! Kayden spoke up.

"Well. Esme. Follow me outside. We'll work on your movement for now."

Esme reluctantly followed him and that left Hannah alone with Edali.

"Sorry about him again. He can be... annoying sometimes."

"It's- It's totally fine. You guys know each other long?"

"Well, he's my younger brother. Adoptive."

"Oh! That's great. Um. His parents... died?"

"Well, maybe. He doesn't know. He was on the streets when my parents took him in. We think he was abandoned."

"Oh, that's horrible."

"Well, it's all better now! Anyways. Magic, huh. Magic is the manifestation of our mana and how we use it. Mana exists all around us. It fills the air, the plants, the dirt we walk on. Every living being has mana inside of them, even if it's a tiny amount. And like Kayden said, I feel a lot emanating from you."

"Really? How?"

"It's a thing we [Mages] learn eventually. Now, have you felt your mana before?"

"Um. No. How do I do that?"

"Well, it's mostly instinctive. How I used to do it when I first became a [Mage] was, I closed my eyes, I cleared my mind and took a few deep breaths. Focus on your mind. Try to 'feel' your entire body. It's- It's hard to explain and we don't have any spellbooks here, because they cost a fortune and- just go ahead."

Hannah did exactly what Edali says. She tried to clear her mind, but she couldn't overcome the excitement. She felt something. Something warm coating her entire body. Okay. What did she do now? She opened her eyes and the feeling vanished.

"Did you feel it? Something warm?"

"Yes! Yes, I did. What do I do afterward?"

"Damn. You're gifted. This took me way too many tries to count to figure it out."

Hannah blushed. Edali kept going.

"Now, I'm going to teach you the easiest spell, alright. We call it a [Tier F] spell. Yeah, they're ranked. It's called [Light]. Here, let me show you."

Edali instantly made a ball of light appear at the tip of her fingers.

"It's beautiful."

The light shone. It wasn't as bright as what light could be in her world, but this was magic.

"It's just [Light]. You basically focus some- not all, some of your mana into a finger. Usually it's your palm but focusing it on a small surface like your finger is easier for beginners like you. And you want to visualise a ball of light. You need to want the spell to manifest. It's linked to your... feelings. Or your determination or something. God, I should have paid more attention to my Introduction to magic class. Spellbooks really explain it way better than me. Anyways, just give it a try."

Hannah focused. She felt her mana again. She pushed her mana towards her arm. Edali was right, this was instinctive. She just knew how to do this. It was like... like breathing. What was something bright to visualize? A lightbulb? She could do better. Hannah visualized a streetlamp light appearing at the tip of her fingers. It felt hot. She kept going. More. She could do this better.

"Stop!"

Hannah snapped her eyes open. Her arm was smoking, and she had burns all over it.

"Ow! Damn, this hurts!"

"You put in too much mana. This is just a light spell, don't overdo it. Here, have a healing potion."

Edali poured some red liquid on her arm and the pain disappeared. This was the second time Hannah had seen a potion.

"Wait! Aren't those expensive?!"

"You bet they are! So don't mess up next time alright?"

Hannah smiled and nodded. She tried again. And again. For hours.

-----------------------------------

"I got it! It's [Light]!"

"Wow. You did it. Finally."

Edali collapsed on the bed. Hannah had finally learned it, and now, she'd gain the skill when she fell asleep.

"You should be getting the class tonight. [Light] is usually what it takes for most [Mages]. Notify me if you don't get it. I'm out of here. You're the one that learned the spell but I'm the exhausted one."

"Thank you so much! I'll make this up to you, I promise."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Just get some sleep. Big day tomorrow and all. Good night."

"Good night."

Hannah was so excited. She casted [Light] again, quicker this time. It was hers. She was a [Mage]! Well, almost. Maybe when this was all over she could go to a magical school. Become a [Grand Mage]!

She laid down on the bed. It was nice to dream, sometimes. Edali had told her that those were extremely rare. The only living ones that were known were a Demon and a Lizardfolk, and they were extremely powerful. No Human had ever gotten the class in recorded history. But what Humans lacked in magical prowess and power they made up for in numbers. They were the most numerous race for in the world.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep. Esme still wasn't home, so she was probably training hard.

[Mage: Level 1]

[Skill: Light Obtained]