When I open my eyes, I don't move.
The ceiling is wrong.
Too high.
Stone ribs arc overhead like the inside of a cathedral, but not one I've ever seen. Runes glow faintly between the seams, pulsing in soft gold. The light isn't coming from torches. It's coming from the walls themselves.
The air smells like incense.
And something metallic.
Burned iron.
There are voices.
"Where are we?"
"This isn't funny."
"Bro… what is this?"
Panic always spreads faster than reason. I sit up slowly.
Cold stone presses against my palm. My clothes aren't mine. White fabric. Trimmed in gold. Too ceremonial to be casual.
I look around.
Knights.
Real armor. Not cosplay. Steel polished enough to catch the glow of the runes. Swords drawn. Shields ready.
And priests.
At least a dozen of them forming a ring around us, hands raised, faces pale with exhaustion.
Us.
I count automatically.
One. Two. Three…
Thirteen.
Twelve stand inside a glowing formation etched into the floor. A perfect twelve-pointed circle. Each of them positioned precisely on a sigil.
And me.
I'm outside it.
No circle beneath my feet.
No glow.
Just bare stone.
That's interesting.
The chanting stops.
Several priests collapse where they stand. One coughs blood into his sleeve. The smell of iron in the air gets stronger.
Part of the ritual.
Good to know.
A man with a buzz cut stands up first. Military posture. Controlled breathing.
"Okay," he says, scanning the room. "Nobody panic. Let's figure out what's going on."
Good instinct.
A translucent panel appears in front of him.
He freezes.
"…You seeing this too?"
The others start reacting.
"Something just popped up—"
"I have stats??"
The buzz cut man squints.
"S-Rank Paladin."
Silence ripples outward.
"SS Rank Spirit Archer."
"SS Rank Saint of Dawn."
"Flame Vanguard."
"Storm Knight."
"Frost Witch."
They're reading them out loud like it's a game.
I don't speak.
I will mine for information before I contribute any.
My own vision flickers.
A panel unfolds in front of me.
Name:***
Strength: 11
Speed: 9
Endurance: 8
Intelligence: 15
Mana: 30
Health: 97
And beneath it—
Class Assigned: S Rank – Overlord
Overlord.
Not Hero.
Not Paladin.
Not Saint.
Overlord.
I've read enough manga to know that word doesn't belong on the protagonist.
But I don't react.
If this is that kind of story, reacting first is how you die first.
Wait, why is my name blanked out?
Before I can continue to process the glitch
Light gathers above the central sigil.
It condenses into a woman formed entirely of radiance. Wings of light unfurl behind her. The pressure in the air increases instantly.
The knights drop to one knee.
The priests bow fully.
"Welcome," she says.
Her voice is soft.
It fills the entire cathedral anyway.
"You have been summoned as Heroes."
There it is.
Some of the twelve look stunned.
Some look excited.
The gamer-looking guy actually whispers, "No way…"
The buzz cut man—Paladin—keeps his expression steady.
I study her instead.
She doesn't look at me first.
She looks at the twelve.
Only after a heartbeat does her gaze shift slightly.
It lingers on me.
Half a second longer than the rest.
Subtle.
But intentional.
"You have been called from another world to save ours."
Save.
Interesting choice of word.
A priest steps forward.
"Our world stands on the brink of collapse. Invaders from beyond the veil spread corruption across our lands."
Beyond the veil.
So there are more worlds than just ours and theirs.
Useful.
"You are our last hope."
Hope is expensive.
I finally speak.
"Is return possible?"
The room goes completely silent.
Not hostile.
Just surprised.
The goddess turns her full attention to me.
"Your world lies beyond divine reach. The ritual used was incomplete."
"Incomplete how?" I ask.
A knight stiffens.
"Mind your tone."
I ignore him.
"Are you capable of sending us back?"
She pauses.
Just long enough to matter.
"We do not know."
There it is.
Not impossible.
Not yes.
We do not know.
So this is a one-way door they are hoping becomes two.
That's when I realize something important.
They didn't summon volunteers.
They summoned assets.
And one of us wasn't part of the original design.
Me.