The Architect

'Architect Claude.'

It did not take long for people to start calling him that. Sistina could clearly see it from his actions. He was a thinker and a planner. Hearing of the troubles of this world's people, Claude went right to work addressing them.

Unlike her, he seemed willing to do anything. When given the opportunity to use blades or magic, he opted for both, testing his limits to see what being infused with a core led to. He had a natural proficiency for learning, gaining skills in the blink of an eye. That earned him the praise of his instructors.

But rather than revel in such compliments, his eyes turned to the stars as well. Just like her.

"Are you unsatisfied with being here?" Sistina asked him one day.

"No, that's not it at all…," Claude turned to her with a mixed expression. "I mean. I'm getting stronger, using neat magic, and taking down those beasts quite easily. I should be thanking you for giving me the opportunity to feel young again. To dream, when I had forgotten what it was like to do so. It's just…"

"You want more?"

"Perhaps… though I don't see myself as a greedy person. But rather than fight with my own hands, it feels like-"

"You can do more."

Claude looked at Sistina and gave her a smile. His charming, intelligent face made her blush. She felt like she understood him. Their hearts were in sync when it came to helping others.

A certain amount of frustration existed in Claude's heart, due to a lack of capability when it came to realizing what could truly turn the tide for this world. Even with how easily he could do things himself, he was but one person.

"Shall I summon more then? A team of otherworlders to complete the grand scheme lying in your mind."

Claude thought for a moment before answering. His face told her that there seemed to be no other way.

"If we lack the abilities ourselves, then we must borrow them to succeed."

Sistina and Claude scoured Earth for other people that fit the bill. Dreamers like themselves who wished for something more but couldn't with what they had. People whose talents were floundering due to their environment. They held hands as they searched all over for people that could realize Claude's dream.

The idol named Hanako who lacked the bravery to take the crucial steps to gain what she wished for, leaving her unappreciated and used for unsavory practices.

A paparazzi named Milensea who had to be the 'first' to uncover anything, risking her all to dive headlong into the next scoop.

Cecil, the struggling pianist who could weave sounds of pure magic, yet lacked the empathy to understand what emotions moved people due to his coldness.

A policeman named Zhang who wasn't flexible to save those who needed saving, leaving him bitter with regret at his own actions.

Kazutora, a hikkikomori whose ego was too fragile to confront anyone with his true face, donning guises whenever he made appearances to be 'someone else'.

Man Ho and Man Ching, twins from a Chinese mafia family who were forced to constantly one up each other, people focusing so much on their differences, rather than their individual uniqueness.

A gifted programmer known as Grendosa, who could create infinite possibilities virtually, but he lacked the means of bringing it to reality.

And then, Cielle. A girl who simply followed wherever the choices led her, a lack of drive to grasp a life for herself.

These were all people that Claude and Sistina saw some opportunity in, but society had twisted them down towards a dead end. But on Leguardia, they could be properly utilized. At least, that was what the plan called for.

One by one, they were summoned, given time to acclimate, and integrated into the grand scheme of saving the world. A twinkle returned to the eyes of each one as they realized that a whole new world was waiting for them, with Claude and Sistina there to ensure that they would succeed this time.

Soon enough, these new otherworld 'heroes' turned the tide of battle. And with it, a new age of prosperity seemed to dawn for Leguardia. However, they didn't realize that even that would be temporary.

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"How is the new characterization system coming, Grendosa?"

Claude peeked over the shoulder of his companion, examining the program that was to be magically adapted into people's cores.

"Smoothly. To think that we can actualize one of mankind's greatest desires, aside from giving names to things."

Before them was a natural inhabitant of this world, a test subject, volunteering to be the first to accept this new design. A screen of words and numbers hovered beside him. It read off the man's parameters, much like what was typical of a video game character.

"By knowing the full capabilities of everyone, then one can plan accordingly. Numbers simply make the job easier."

Claude had proposed the idea to the gifted programmer. Using the magic of this world, they had designed a method to display the stats of everything. That simplified the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, producing quick responses to combat the beasts that sprung from the planet.

It seemed like a simple thing, but the idea never once came across the residents of Leguardia. They had none of the unique experiences from Earth that could drive such thinking, so that left much room for the otherworlders to propose innovative ideas.

"How are the others faring in this new environment? Everything going as planned, 'Architect'?"

"Milensea, Zhang, Man Ho and Man Ching are on the front lines, of course. Their natural prowess for combat appears to be serving them well. If one otherworlder with half-baked skills is enough to push the beasts back, then 4 specialists is overkill."

"They seem more than happy to do the job, it seems. Compensating for their pasts?"

"We don't talk about those here, Grendosa. I, like the others should, have left them behind on Earth. Getting back to the topic at hand, Hanako and Cecil are looking into song-based phenomena to imbue others with magic. And Kazutora has taken it upon himself to look into the connection between equipment and their wielders."

"Giving mankind the boost that they need to prevail, huh."

"Of course. A world constantly reliant on heroes will stagnate. It is their world, not ours. It's easy enough for them to say that they can just summon more heroes if need be. But what if that stops working? A good design has backups, substitutions, for whenever things go awry."

"Righto, 'Architect'. That's why I'm putting my faith on you, sir. What about the newbie?... Cielle was her name? How's she faring?"

Claude let out a sigh of exasperation. It was an obvious sign when things weren't going according to his plan.

"She's… doing what I ask of her. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Then, what's the issue?"

"Enthusiasm. She has none of it. No craft to hone. No expectations to dwell upon."

"Then, give her a reason for one." Grendosa peeked over at Claude, his fingers paused from coding.

"I wish I knew how. Understanding people is not my ability. It's Sistina's. And all I've gotten from her is for me to 'keep giving her tasks'."

"Well, that girl is the one that brought us here. And combined with your ideas, I'm sure it will work itself out eventually... speaking of which…"

A young girl in a fitted uniform approached them. Given her appearance, she looked like the secretary of some important figure, but her importance was greater than that. She was Cielle, the most recently summoned otherworlder.

"I have checked in with the Leguardia unified army and had them refitted with the new weaponry that Kazutora designed. As a result of weaving mana between blade and user, the measured force of the average soldier's strike has now increased by 50% for iron based materials and 80% for carbon steel, with the percentages going up further as the rarity increases."

"Good, good." Claude nodded. "Now, we just need the code to put all that into easy-to-define numbers. Counting on you for that, Grendosa."

"You got it… Say, why don't you leave me to my task and figure out something else for Miss Cielle?"

"But I-"

"Opportunity, Claude. You always tell us to grasp it. Now, go do your part."

"Alright. I'll be back to check in tomorrow."

Grendosa sighed as he watched Claude and Cielle leave the room, the empty silence conducive to a proper work environment now.

"Look a little closer at people's actions, not just their words. Dummy 'Architect'."

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Claude peered over at Cielle as they walked through the hallways of the castle. It was their headquarters of operation, their center of the world.

They could have been split up, distributed among the various kingdoms of this world, but Claude firmly told them 'No'. For the benefit of the world, they had to work closely together. Knowing full well that politics would interfere with his objectives, he promptly shut them down with his ultimatum. As a result, the castle that they stayed at, attached to the summoning hall where they first arrived, became a neutral territory, an independent 'Vatican' of sorts within a kingdom.

This world couldn't argue back. They would be disagreeing with 'heroes' who had the power to turn against them if needed. But their fears were alleviated when Claude promised that all such activities would be openly displayed to the public. No one side could capitalize upon new advances if they were given freely to all.

Things ran smoothly on Leguardia, much more so than they ever did on Earth. But that was because Claude held the sway to keep such annoyances out of the way. It felt good to be special.

"Have you-"

"The attack squadron has defeated the wave of monsters endangering the kingdom at latitude 71.7 north and 42.6 west. The first trial for 'Operation Macross' with the nearby kingdom's soldiers is scheduled for two days from now. Is there anything else I can be of service to you?"

Claude promptly shut up as he heard her report, concise as always. He didn't know what to do in the face of such a girl. There was nothing wrong in her actions. Rather, the lack of any emotion brought about in that report made her feel near machine-like.

"Is there anything else?" Cielle repeated with a tilt of her head, the only motion that broke her robotic façade.

"N-No, not at the moment. Why don't you take a break? Do something that you want to do? I realize that I've been giving you nothing but orders, so I rather not give off the appearance of some cruel boss to you."

"I have no reason to do anything for myself. If I am useful, then that is my reason."

Claude hated seeing her like that. It reminded him of himself before he came to this world. Sistina had opened his eyes and renewed his purpose. Perhaps, he could do the same for Cielle.

"Then, come with me. Let's have some tea. I could use a moment off work."

"With pleasure."

As the two sat across from each other, lightly sipping an herbal brew from local leaves, Claude examined the plain girl who had an everlasting sense of boredom plastered to her face. It was the face of a burnt-out office worker, no longer carrying the spark of desire.

It had been one month, but the brand-new environment seemed to barely have any effect on her. It seemed like she clung to him like a micromanaged worker. She never questioned the tasks that he gave her, finishing them as adequately as was his expectations. It almost made him wonder if he could virtually ask for 'anything' and she would do it.

'No, I will never go that far,' Claude thought, mentally chiding himself. He was here to help people, not cater to his own desires.

A fair share of bad bosses had been encountered in the past, so Claude did everything he could not to fall into such pitfalls. Likely, that was the only reason Cielle followed him, as he was careful not to make it seem like he was taking advantage of her, of anyone for that matter.

'After all, Cielle was chosen because she had been betrayed and taken advantage of…'

Their quiet time was suddenly interrupted by someone bursting through the doors.

"Claude, Cielle, please come quick!"

The face of Sistina was ghastly, like she had seen a ghost. Immediately, Claude felt something had truly gone wrong. But what could it have been? His plans had been laid out so carefully, and it seemed like everything was going smoothly.

The two of them simply nodded and ran with Sistina to the summoning hall, where the magic telescope was already actively showing something in the sky.

One look at the scene made Claude and the others realize that it was not Leguardia that was in trouble, but their home.

In the viewport of the magic telescope, the small form of Earth was shown. However, large mushroom clouds drifted from the surface, visible from space. Not just one or two, but several more suddenly erupted around the blue ball.

Claude could only gulp as he was watching it in real time.

The strike of the doomsday clock. An Earth that was doomed to die.