Acceptance & Responsibilities

"Are you ready to begin, heroine Vermeil?"

Vermeil nodded confidently and stepped up to the podium.

It had been about a week since she'd been summoned here but she had yet to do anything magical.

Her time so far had mostly been spent studying and learning about this world she was suddenly brought into.

Upon learning about cultivation and arcane, the realization that this truly was not a dream finally sunk in.

During the span of a week, she also learned a bit more about the ongoing war between the races of light and the fallen.

The races of light consist of races that worship one, if not all of, the twelve great gods.

They are humans, elves, fairies and dwarves.

The fallen are the races that worship either no gods or one of the five dark gods.

They are dark elves, undead, demons and beastmen.

Apparently, the war between the two started over 500 years ago when one of the undead races suddenly went extinct in the middle of the night.

The fallen feared that the races of light were behind the attack using some strange and powerful weapon.

Fearing that they would all share the same fate if those races were not eliminated, the fallen formed a council and began an all-out war.

Because they were initially unprepared for any sort of attack, the races of light started the game with a losing hand.

Because the fallen armies were more numerous, the races of light could not keep up and were losing more and more great warriors with every battle.

Eventually, things appeared to be dire enough that the races of light were facing certain extinction.

Desperate, human priests prayed at the statue of their gods for one month without pause.

They pleaded with their gods to send them a solution of any kind and luckily, they obliged.

The gods spoke to the head priest in a vision.

They told him they would send them twelve heroes to be called at an appointed time using the same method that was just performed.

When the vision ended, there was a flash of golden light and the first hero appeared.

The hero proved to be a complete game changer in the war.

His cultivation speed was so fast it was nothing short of unfair and he happened to possess immense talent for the arcane as well.

He was able to single handedly change the outcome of major battles within a year and within three he was already capable of wiping out a thousand fallen on his own.

The races of light continued to summon more and more heroes and with each one called, the war shifted even more in their favor.

Now it is the races of light who are on the verge of winning the war and wiping out their enemy, and with the summoning of the final hero it appears the end is soon to come.

Currently, Vermeil was visiting the kingdom of Lucrute and in a ceremony with some very distinguished guests.

The human king and his queen were in attendance, as well as all of the heroes that had been summoned before her.

She had already been told she was the only girl to have been summoned, but seeing it in person like this was really rather disheartening.

'Looks like I won't have any girl friends in this life either!' She cried inwardly.

She ignored her feelings of eternal loneliness and instead walked towards the podium where she was being beckoned.

In front of her were two stone tablets.

These would be used to tell whether she had the aptitude for arcane or cultivation.

There was also another white slab a few feet away that was going to reveal her element.

Elements were something unique that a person had to have in order to use magic.

While elements could play a role in cultivation as well, it wasn't something that was truly necessary.

Fire, water, lighting, wind, earth, darkness, light, and more. They were all elements that imbued one with a specific element of nature.

Your element determines the kind of spells you will be able to use for life so if you don't train tirelessly, you may find yourself cornered rather easily in the future.

Hence the reason why arcane arts are significantly less popular than cultivation.

Vermeil finally approached the pedestal and placed her hand on the stone tablet on the right.

It immediately began to shine and the priests in the room became abuzz.

"Such phenomenal potential!"

"Heroine Vermeil is already proving to be exceptional!"

"The rookie's not half bad!"

Vermeil didn't really understand what all the fuss was about, however she was glad to have not embarrassed herself.

She removed her hand from the stone tablet on the right and placed it on the one on the left.

Once agin, there was a bright flash of light but this one was noticeably brighter than the previous one.

"L-Lady Vermeil also has the talent for the arcane!"

"Remarkable! Truly Remarkable!"

"The twelve have certainly blessed us!"

Once again, there was a bunch of hubbub from all the priests and Vermeil was beginning to feel a bit shy from all the attention.

But she had to admit, she was pretty excited herself.

Who would want to be in a fantasy world if they couldn't use magic?!

The king was a kind looking old man with long white hair and tired eyes.

He showed a gentle yet weary smile that was befitting of a ruler and a grandparent. "

Gesturing to the final white slab he beckoned her fourth so that they could complete this ceremony.

"Come forward child, let us see what else Astel has blessed you with, hm?"

Vermeil suddenly felt much more comfortable.

For some reason the king reminded her of her grandfather when he was still alive. Such a thing was no more than a mere coincidence but it did wonders to ease her nerves.

Vermeil moved forward with steps that were a little bit lighter and placed her hand on the white slab.

For a moment, there was nothing.

And in the next second, two bright lights enveloped Vermeil as a fierce wind blew her hair wildly.

"Those are..."

"The elements of starlight and gravity!"

"Not only can she cultivate and use arcane, she even possesses dual elements!"

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall.

The talent of the last hero was certainly worthy of praise!

Even the first and most powerful of the heroes only had a single element!

Vermeil touched the two auras surrounding her with curious eyes. 'So I take it this is good?'

The king held up a single hand and the room instantly became quiet, simultaneously showing off how much respect his people had for him.

"Heroine Vermeil."

In this moment Vermeil put her weeks worth of studying and etiquette lessons to use.

She lowered her head slightly and did a small bow as she'd been painstakingly taught. "Yes, King Gaza?"

"You obviously have the talent, but you must not neglect the technique as well."

He then gestured to the eleven other heroes stationed motionlessly against a nearby wall.

"Please, choose one of your fellow heroes to be your guide on this harsh and perilous journey!"

Vermeil looked at the men to her left.

They were all of varying ages and nationalities, but they were all extremely handsome and powerful looking individuals.

The hero that she chose would be the one responsible for teaching her everything about cultivation, arcane, and combat.

This moment would define her entire future so she could not afford to be rash.

Which hero should she choose?