The young lady named Sistina fidgeted listlessly as she sat upon a fancy throne. It had been crafted solely for her purpose. And as the magicians lined up before her, she felt all the more uncomfortable.

She was never the type of person that craved attention, so such a scene only served to make her anxious. That was on top of all the new information about this new world she found herself digesting slowly.

Legardia – a fantasy-like world that Sistina had only experienced in the like of novels and movies.

The fact that magic was cast before her was real. A trip around the city told her that the people were not actors or enthusiasts. Her blood-caked work attire had been replaced with fancy robes that made her blend in.

Aside from her experiences, her knowledge, the people here were no different on the outside.

“Miss Sistina, please listen to our pleas. We have summoned you here because we request your aid.”

When a line of people bowed their heads to her, how could she possibly say no?

Perhaps, it was due to her upbringing, but Sistina often felt like she needed to lend a hand if there was some way that she could. Helping people was a good thing. That fact was ingrained upon her childhood, the willingness to give a part of herself up to see others respond in kind.

“What is it that you ask of me? I have no idea what I am capable of in a world such as yours. This place of swords and magic – it is nothing that a mere office worker with minimal talents could hope to offer.”

Sistina had been taught not to doubt another’s honest pleas for help. Because even if she lacked the confidence herself, others may see differently. Simply having someone there to listen could change things for the better.

One magician brought out a shining orb, brilliant and blue. It immediately caught her gaze. In her mind, something so pure almost gave it a serene aura.

“This is a core that we have crafted with our best magicians. Everyone in this world possesses one, implanted at birth. It gives people the power to repel the evils of this land. And as new generations rise, we find that they are born with such a core already in place.”

Another magician rose and addressed Sistina.

“It is our destiny, our calling to grow strong and fight against the evils of this world. But unfortunately, the power that we can obtain pales in comparison to the potential these cores offer. That is because we are people of this world – a world that wishes for our downfall. It limits our capabilities so that we cannot win against it.”

The first magician approached Sistina, holding out the orb for her to see.

“That is why we wish to implant this core into you, an otherworlder unbounded by this world. For a long time, we hoped to find someone to guide us toward reversing this disorder. The world seeks to rid us, and its strength continues to grow as we imbed more power into ourselves. It is unsustainable. Eventually, one side will fall. Please, please, help us prevail!”

Sistina reached out, wondering how such a core would exist inside of her body. The faces of the magicians lit up as her fingers approached the glowing blue. Yet, they stopped short of touching it.

She was afraid. It seemed like such a big request upon her shoulders. Looking around the room, the begging expressions on their faces told her how much it meant to them, but that only further increased the pressure.

“Please, please do it. We gave you a second chance. Won’t you give us a second chance as well?”

Sistina’s eyes widened.

Obligation – her greatest weakness. When someone put it into such words, it made it hard for her to reject them. They had, in fact, saved her life. She would have been dead if they hadn’t brought her here.

But then again, obligation had also caused her whole situation in the first place.

She had accidentally dropped her bus card, which was picked up by someone and handed back to her. Afterwards, the man had asked her for directions to a nearby place, in which obligation required her to return the favor.

That was the man that robbed her and stabbed her.

Sistina knew very well that she was being used in this situation. The fear of it happening again was fresh in her memory. But unlike the streets of home, she couldn’t merely just run away this time. To reject their ‘favor’ after they had saved her – Sistina found no way out of it.

So, her hand moved forward and touched the core. It hummed in response to her decision.

Cheers erupted throughout the room. Mouths shouted praises, all but her own.

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Sistina laid upon a flat table, nervously looking around at the men in robes. If she didn’t know any better, then she could have been a sacrifice for some crazy cult.

As the men approached with knives and tools, it took every bit of reason to calm herself down by repeatedly chanting that they were ‘merely inserting the core.’

Fortunately, they cast magic to put her to sleep for it. She couldn’t fathom the horror of having to see herself carved apart.

A while later, she awoke. Not on the table, but in a fluffy bed.

“Awake, I see. Would you like something?”

Sistina turned to see a maid, dutifully sitting at her bedside. An expression on her face that spoke of ‘motherly’ left Sistina in awe for a moment. But then, her lips worked again.

“I-I’m not sure. I-Is it done? Am I-”

“Rest easy, my lady. The core has been successfully placed into you. Welcome to Legardia as one of our people.”

One simple augmentation, and now, she was accepted as their own. Perhaps, it was the warmth in the maid’s voice, but a tear rolled down Sistina’s cheek. She wiped it dry with her sleeve.

Acceptance was hardly this easily earned. It always came with caveats.

Now, it was her turn to fulfill her ‘obligations’. She had to work towards the hopes that the people of this world placed in her.

But it was not so easy…

Even if one gained the power to fight, that did not mean that one’s will responded to it.

Sistina struggled to hold a sword, or cast magic, or confront a beast of nature. Her meek disposition and pacifist nature made her difficult to present as a champion. The best instructors of the land couldn’t coax any battle intent from her. That potential had been placed in an unsuitable vessel.

Sistina couldn’t help it. She was never the type to be confrontational. Her normal methods involved currying the favor of others and slipping under the radar from trouble, hardly hero material.

But who could blame her? Strength and combat were the most foreign things to her mind. She fit in with the likes of being rescued, rather than rescuing others herself. She couldn’t change just because someone had placed a magical core within her.

And unlike others, she had no natural gifts or skills that pinpointed to how best to approach her growth. Magicians had their spells, swordsmen honed their swings – but for her, she could think of nothing else to place faith upon, except her desire to help others.

Weeks passed. Little to no progress was made, and slowly, even the most fervent of supporters for the ‘champion’ cooled. She could ‘feel’ them cut ties with her.

Sistina was left alone in her room to dwell upon what to do with herself.

“Sitting alone here in the dark. One must keep up their appearances, even if it rains inside.”

Sistina looked up to see the maid, the same one that tended to her on the first day. She wiped the tears of sorrow with the damp sheets.

“I can’t imagine that my appearance can grow any worse. I can’t fight. I can’t help. I can’t do anything that is asked of me. I’ve just become a disappointment.”

With the same motherly aura as always, the maid circled around to her and wrapped her in an embrace. She always invoked a calming scent, unlike the others that brought nothing but panic to her. And even before words were said, Sistina could feel the warm intent.

“Disappointment, huh. Are you sure that isn’t because you haven’t found what you are capable of, rather than merely failing at what others are forcing you into?”

“But if I can’t do what they ask of me, then what good comes from giving me that core? How can I be worthy of it?”

The maid stroked her hair, which seemed a bit silly since Sistina was a grown woman, but it felt nice regardless. After a moment, the maid responded.

“Then, make yourself useful with the things that you can do. And don’t let others judge you based on something that you can’t.”

“But what am I good at? I don’t even know myself! It’s not like I can ask those I know at home to help-”

Sistina suddenly had a strange thought.

She gently pushed the maid away and rose from the bed. Rushing over to the window, her eyes looked up at the stars. There was one thing, a single thing that left such a huge impression on her that she couldn’t get it out of her mind.

She constantly reminded herself that she was alone on this world, needing to do everything she could to make up to the obligations that were placed upon her. She never thought to ask for help. She never thought to ‘feel’ beyond this world.

Not until now.

Sistina spun around and raced out of the room, leaving the maid with a faint smile of acknowledgement at her realization.

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Another week passed, but this time, it felt like a flash.

Rather than suffer through endless directives to improve her own fighting abilities, Sistina sought out some magicians to learn a specific type of magic, all while her eyes pointed to the stars.

Back on Earth, the one thing she could take pride in was the friends that she made. They were the ones who she turned to when she couldn’t find a way to solve her own troubles. She had found like-minded people that thought it fair to owe each other, if only to cover for their shortcomings.

It was human nature to seek aid and validation. And being relied upon in this world made her forget that simple fact.

She would summon others to help. She would befriend them and have them compensate for her own lack of abilities. If she could do that, then it wouldn’t be seen as a failure.

As expected, her passion and hard work finally made some groundwork. Unlike the spell that the magicians used before, which grabbed someone from Earth regardless of capabilities, Sistina could feel the people even across the cosmos.

Dissatisfaction, discontent, disgust – Sistina was attuned to that negativity. She reached her hand toward it, and through the magic telescope that the magicians summoned, the viewport was guided to those that gave off a strong sense of it.

Somehow, she could also dive into the heads of those very targets, getting a feel for the type of person they were. The core that she was fused with gave her such an ability. Her intent to reach out to people was the trigger.

After searching for a while, she finally decided on one person.

He was an office worker like her, stuck in a lull of unsatisfying work for the sake of money. He was underutilized, unappreciated, and overworked. A sense of duty led him to continue regardless, to suffer through wave after wave of brush-offs and condescending remarks.

Those felt very familiar.

They mocked his insight, distorted it as inexperience. But he kept silent, just to maintain the peace. He would work around them, if only to get the job done. Even if such achievements were ‘negligible’.

But he was a dreamer. Sistina could tell. He was the perfect choice to aid her.

She cast the column of light upon him as he walked home from work that day. As the brightness faded to give way to a lone man in a business suit, many whispers filtered throughout the room, wondering if Sistina had chosen well enough. They didn’t want another worthless hero.

The man in question merely turned his head, side to side, analyzing the situation. He pinched his cheeks and found that it hurt. He stared all around at himself, as if checking for something dream-like that didn’t agree with reality. Finally, he called out to the crowd.

“Am I here for a reason?”

His tone was polite, but to the point, like he didn’t feel like being bothered with trivialities. Almost as if he had wasted enough of his life, burnt out of passion.

“We have summoned you to aid us, person from another world.”

The man scoffed at that notion.

“I’m a bit old to think about being isekaied,” He placed a hand over his face, “but this doesn’t seem like a dream. I know I didn’t work hard enough to have passed out. Neither do I recall any stray trucks in my path. And the fact that I can adhere to reason suggests that this is real.”

“It is very much real, as I was also sent here from Earth,” Sistina spoke while approaching.

“I see. Then, I hope that I will be compensated for my time here. 9 to 5 with vacation to enjoy my hobbies, preferably nothing too troublesome to pick up. I’m not young enough to really do anything too strenuous. You should have picked a kiddo if you wanted someone like that.”

“That is fine. I have a feeling that you can do much more than what these people think they need. Welcome to Leguardia. My name is Sistina. I am the one that called you here. That is what my powers allow me to do.”

Sistina motioned for a cordial handshake, and after a few seconds, the man followed suit.

“Very well, the name’s Claude. We will see what you have in store for an ‘architect’.”