The pressure was felt on all sides as a slew of colors seemed to be mixed with the darkness that was on all sides. Somehow everything both lacked and overflowed with colors at the same moment as the pressure seemed to mingle and spread over all parts of the body as the air seemed to penetrate everything to reach the skin. Even shoes offered no protection as the air licking flesh slowly increasing the pressure on the body, eventually causing a slight amount of pain to spike where the body was most sensitive.

The short moment seemed to stretch on beyond what it could ever have been. Eventually, the pressure on the body started to fade away and was replaced with a feeling of emptiness that spread leaving nothing behind except emptiness. It would then condense and become a solid piece of nothing within the hand as the world comes back into focus and the light would gain and lose color until it becomes what one would expect when they first wake up.

Voices start to appear from all around. Unfamiliar, but distinct. Each one speaking words that, although different, have the same core meaning. Sounding familiar but different all the same. The correct and wrong words overlap and resolve with the same meaning as the world finally finds its focus and the body seems to be once again whole.

Six people, in six different colors, approach from the crowd of dozens until they are before the seven bodies that were not there before. The bodies familiar to each other, but none of the ones who are looking upon them within the structure's walls that are letting the morning light shine through.

"You woke up. We are glad to see you here after so long."

The man in red spoke for the group in the rainbow array of colors.

"There is much to go over and time is moving fast. I hope you are all well because there is much to talk about. We know that this is probably harsh, but we had no other choice."

This time it was a woman wearing green who spoke as she approached one of the other bodies to help it up, the others following suit as a seventh walked up wearing a cloak over her form making her almost glow as the light shined from behind her.

"I am sure that you all have questions, but you will all be helped with learning what you have and to ask questions of where you find yourself. For now, let me tell you that this wouldn’t have been done had we not been in a dire situation fearing for the life of our whole world."

The people in colors drew everyone apart from each other one by one. A man in orange was the one to draw away the body from the bodies that he recognized while the one clad in white took another of the males aside seeming especially interested in him.

"What’s going on?"

These words escaped the body's lips before they could be stopped.

"What do you mean about the whole world? What do you mean dire situation?"

The man in orange smiled and brought food and drink. All of the other bodies had been given some by their colors and started to partake, but the body, despite feeling hunger, refused the offering. It chose instead to keep speaking.

"We were in the apartment. We had a group project we were starting and now we are here. Who are you? What’s going on. What is this place? I have about a million questions."

The orange one offered the food again.

"I’ll keep it short. Our world is at risk from demons. They are overtaking everyone and they can’t be hurt by our weapons or magic. We need someone from beyond who can create weapons and tools of the soul, not of the world or magic. That’s you and the others. You have no magic within you and never will so your souls can form tools beyond what we can create. Even if similar it will be well beyond what we could hope for."

The other bodies brought here were showing excitement and one had already started doing something, a glow forming in its chest, releasing a long item from within himself.

The form eventually solidified into a staff. It was as long as the bodies arm and it had minimal flair. Two slight protrusions and some simple designs that weren't overly eye catching were all that it had to it beyond a sphere at the top.

Cheering and praise started to be put upon the other as the rest started bringing out various items with a strong glow.

With some expectation on his face, the orange man spoke.

"Miraculous. Your tool is so compact and pristine."

Looking at the direction of the man's eyes it then looked to a blank card of pure white. Both sides without any hint of anything upon it. The feeling of hollowness within it filling it to its brim. No space for anything except the hollowness it contained.

"What does it do?"

With large eyes, the orange man started at the card just as the rest stared at the items the rest brought out.

The rest were able to speak proudly of what they could do. How it just spoke to them and wanted them to use them now. How they would protect them if only they were used, but nothing was heard from the card as it sat in the hand with fingers tracing its entirety.

I know nothing. It is silent and empty.

Words flow from the bodies' lips as if they were destined to escape. No conscious thought in speaking them as they continued.

"It just feels like it is here. Like it should be mine."

A fraction of a second showed the orange man had a frown before it returned to a smile.

"No worries I am sure that just means yours will be stronger because it needs time to draw in its strength. Because it is stronger than your soul can provide all at once, but knows that your soul will be able to strengthen it in the longer run."

Every other of the six bodies brought here had their souls on display, with impressive visuals about them in one way or another. Each of them speaking of how they were ready to slay demons and save the world. One had said he would take nobility as his reward and another speaking of how they would make the realm of the demons their kingdom.

All seven of the bodies were shortly brought to a long table to sit, with more food and drink set upon it.

The body sat down at the end, its eyes looking out at the door to the forest beyond. Sunlight was growing brighter as the day seemed to be growing just beyond its morning and his stomach growled saying that it had missed at least one meal.

To his left sat one of the two girls that had found their body in this situation as well. She wore a new piece of jewelry and a knife that she was lightly tapping on her body's wrist, occasionally with a mild slash to it, but not a drop of blood or cut appeared anywhere as a result.

The people brought a paper before all the bodies that had a unique tool before them. Lines with a sort of flair were drawn pointing to a single point so they almost burst from the center of the paper. A shiver ripped through the body as the lines started to look more like blades about to penetrate the center of the paper despite the words that were spoken by the woman in white, not causing the concern to slip away.

"We have a lot of magic that can aid in ways beyond combat and people who will help in any way that they can, but it requires a bit of proof that you will aid in our cause. You will each be given a reward equal to your accomplishments after everything is saved. The paper before you is a way to finalize this agreement."

Walking starting with the body, then to the body next and beyond until reaching the end of the table she placed a long, thin needle on each of the papers.

"A single drop of blood will let everything fall into place. The paper has everything it needs except for it to be accepted by you. Once you accept it and offer a drop of your blood to show that you accept the status and will work towards the reward you will be given just put your blood on and we can start with what we need."

Looking at the paper the body kept its card in its hand, finding its backpack at its side as he looked to the left to see the other bodies that had been brought, all of them looking excited as they picked up their needles. Trying to speak the body wouldn't allow it as one by one they pressed the needle to a finger and let their blood drop to the center of the paper while the man in orange tried to draw attention to the needle before the body.

Hesitation was obvious on the face of the body as it began to express its confusion on why they needed to do anything like this to try and help save things instead of just letting people know what was going on when a sound like several layered balloons popping at once happened. Each sound had an almost liquid effect to it as it drew the body's attention.

One of the male bodies down the table was gone and in its place was a scene of gore leaving blood dripping off the chair, table, and the tool that had been in his hands moments ago. Nearly instantly it happened again to another of the bodies as everyone stood up, one of them having their body burst halfway to a standing position.

It wasn't long before all of the other bodies were gone.

Blood dripping walls and gore coated chairs stood where there used to be six bodies sitting upon them. Those wearing the colored robes looked towards it and muttered to each other. One picked up the staff from the other body, looking at it, as the body ran.

Right near the hand was a purse that found itself quickly grabbed into the hand as the backpack was pushed over the opposite shoulder before its feet and legs started to run towards the exit, hearing various words all mixing with each other.

Plant, land, and sky swirled around from all sides engulfing the senses until the body found itself at a tree as the leaves started to fall around it. Eventually, everything faded away into nothing except thoughts in the back of the body's mind.

Victor groaned as he came to, his head feeling like it was being squeezed by a slightly strong snake wrapping around it. His vision was a bit overpowering as the light seemed to be a bit blinding and as shapes and colors started to slowly come into focus.

"I see you have awakened. It's the middle of the day and I imagine you are hungry. You were out for two days."

Looking at where the sound came from, Victor saw the woman who he only knew as Leahla. Panic erupted as he tried to get up, only to find that his arms and legs had been strapped to a chair he was seated in.

"Let me up. I'm not who you want. I have nobody who will pay money for me. I mean if I did have all that sort of stuff I'd have people as guards or something right?"

He started to let out a string of curses mentally as he started to look around to figure out where he might be and what was going on.

Taking a moment Leahla set out a bowl of fruit, picking up one of the smaller bite-sized ones and eating it herself.

"I know that you might doubt the food, and I understand why, but you should eat something. Ah but you need to get an arm free. I'll send Meln in and he'll undo the binding. We just wanted to make sure you didn't fall over before waking up."

Watching the elf walking away, Victor waited for her to be out of sight before he struggled against the bindings. When his attempt failed to accomplish anything against the bindings he stopped fighting it and muttered lightly to himself.

Looking at the fruit in front of him tears started to flow down his face while forcing out a sort of laugh.

"No, no, no, why this sort of fruit. It's what...... it's....."

His mind goes to the flashes of the dream he remembered. The pieces of what happened and the blood he suddenly focused on, a shiver going over his body.

"Why them..... why...... but....."

Coughing and gagging a bit he heard footsteps as a person came in running his hand through a thick, but short beard.

"So you're awake?" The man asked, "Well, of course, you are awake. Let's get you free so we can talk with you."

Once the man released Victor's bound arm, he found himself punched in the face, but he barely moved as a result before he started to undo the other arms bindings.

"I'm part dwarf. One step past my grandparents, but between that, the fact that you have weak muscles, and you are just waking up from some herbs you have no chance of overpowering me, especially if you try to act foolishly. Now quit your crying and eat something."

Once fully unbound, Victor looked at the fruit between glares at the man. He was a touch on the short side and had dark hair as well as a scar that traveled from his left ear, stretching down to his shoulder.

"The last time I ate something I was drugged and brought here!" Victor screamed out, although the scream came out more like a soft yell.

"I don't want to find myself knocked out for several more days! I don't...... You...... this...... Why should I trust you won't do something to this food?"

"Because," The man said as he picked up a fruit, taking a bite from it, "If we wanted to drug you, as you put it, we would have done it while you were passed out or while you were fully bound up. We have no reason to do something to your food."

Hesitantly, Victor took one of the fruits from the bowl and started to eat, keeping an eye on the man.

"Why?"

The one word lingered in the air for a few minutes as Meln ate the rest of the fruit he had picked up. Eventually, Leahla came back, in the form that had only been noticed the day before. With her came three other people. Two human women and a male who looked to be a bit thick haired with a long tooth visible when he smiled.

Setting up some more food on the table, the whole group of people started to lightly eat. One of the human women spoke up drawing Victor's attention.

She was, objectively speaking, pretty, but in his eyes, she seemed to be a bit dull. A slight tan with light brown hair and green eyes that were locked on him.

"A pleasure to meet you, Victor. Sorry about what Nell, the one you know as Leahla, had to do. We needed to get you out of there fast. Not only for the reasons we were planning, but because your odd clothing and items drew the attention of a noble and we couldn't risk something happening because of his status. The guild thinks you are with her on an escort mission of sorts."

"Now onto the main topic. Nobody has no mana production AND conjured items that emanate their personal mana aura. Even those with a unique mana system produce mana. It is done in a way that uses it just as it comes in, but the body still produces it and we notice that it does so. The big questions we have are, who are you, where are you from, and what are your intentions."

The series of questions gave him pause before Victor cleared his throat a bit and spoke softly.

"I'm Victor...... I'm from an island out on the waters that....."

"Don't lie," Meln said, his voice louder and authoritative than it was moments ago.

Another moment passed before he tried again.

"I'm Victor." He said waiting to be interrupted, "I'm not from..... around here. I just want to get back to where I am from."

Waiting to see how they would react, his attention went to Leahla, who he now knew was named Nell.

"We suspected that to be the case. The next question is how did you find yourself here. We can think of six different groups that could have done something like this, based on who had the opportunity for..."

Before she could continue the other woman who hadn't spoken coughed and got her to stop.

"I don't know who it was that brought me here." Victor admitted, "There were a lot of people. They had a lot of food and drink and tried to help us with the, as they put it, um... the physical representation of our soul or something like that."

"You said others?" The man with the sharp tooth asked, "How many? Where are they? Are you still in contact with them? How about...."

He stopped his speaking as the first woman who spoke raised her hand getting him to stop, "Later. I see some tears dry on his face. I think he might have had a hard time and if it wasn't the Gorlum deceit I suspect he is lucky to be here to be found."

Looking away he started to rub at where his tears had been before Meln came in, cursing how he had been read so easily by this woman who just met him.

"They're dead ok? The group brought out these papers and when the others put a bit of blood on it they died in a sort of explosion of some sort."

Victor tried and failed, to keep his tears in as he spoke. He was able to keep from sobbing, but only barely.

"We were talking to the people. The others seemed excited about what we were told, but I wasn't sure what to make of what they said."

Needing to stop a moment he found the woman who had asked him questions at the start by his side, patting him on the back.

"Just let it out."

With the offered physical comfort, he wasn't sure their intent, but the personal touch caused him to stop holding back. Within seconds he was audibly sobbing as tears flowed.

"All six of them died! I am alive and they aren't! There isn't a reason that they should be dead and not me! There isn't any reason I should be alive!"

"I was only hesitant to do what they were excited about so I didn't put my blood on the paper. I'm only a student. I'm not good at much except math. They were the impressive ones, not me. One was a local actor for plays. Another was a big athlete. Hell one was only sixteen and already in college! Why should I be the one who lives when they all died?!"

Pulling him into her arms the woman softly patted on Victor's back, "It's alright. I thought this might be the case. Three of the groups would easily have murdered your friends and several hundred prisoners or members of their group that would have had to die just to bring you all here."

Tilting her head towards the door the other people left as she just held Victor and let him cry out.

"We will do everything we can to ensure they can never hurt others like they hurt you and your friends."