Ilaria looked up at the procession of elders entering the auditorium and felt her stomach turn. She was certain this was the most afraid she had ever been. Not once in the history of their clan had the council attempted such a display of power. Every member being fully dressed for war was something else. The equipment they used was all high quality, some of it magical, and the attendants that followed them carried themselves like this was not a meeting, but an execution that had simply been delayed. If they wanted to scare a room into silence, it was working. The only problem was the human next to her.

  When Ilaria heard Ray laugh beside her, she became even more frightened. Ray wasn’t right in the head. Either he did not understand what was happening, or he understood and had decided he did not care. Both options felt dangerous. She had vouched for him. She had dragged him into this. If he mouthed off and they made an example of him, it would not stop at him. She could already feel eyes on her, judgement forming behind those stares.

  Ilaria pushed up out of her seat and dropped to one knee without thinking. It was instinct. Respect first, survival second, dignity last. She lowered her head and kept her hands open, palms down, the traditional posture of submission in the council hall. It was not meant to make you look weak. It was meant to show you understood your place.

  Ray watched her do it, then laughed harder.

  For a second she wanted to grab his ankle and yank his feet off the table herself, if only to save her own skin. Instead she stayed kneeling, breathing slowly, forcing her panic down. Ray’s behaviour was a blade. If he swung it wrong, it would cut both of them.

  Ray saw Ilaria kneel and barely cared. He should have cared. He knew that. He also knew he was not acting like a sane man. The truth was he had stopped feeling grounded in reality. He had died. Twice. Maybe more. He had woken in a void and been spoken to by something that called itself the System. It was hard to respect ceremony when you were still half convinced you might wake up back in Sydney and laugh about it all.

  And if this was real, then what. He had lost everything anyway.

  Ray leaned back in his chair, listening to the armour shift as the elders took their seats above. While he was scared, he knew the only reason the elders would put on a power play like this for a level two nobody was because they wanted something from him, something they believed only he could provide. He had seen intimidation tactics back on Earth plenty of times. He had seen companies flaunt power to force compliance. He had seen directors try to bully auditors to hide books. He had seen men in suits threaten people with “consequences” while pretending it was just business. This smelled like that. Different setting, same play.

  If they wanted Ray dead, they could kill him at any time. He was on their home ground, surrounded, and weakened earlier today. There would be no need for a performance.

  So Ray decided to treat it like a performance.

  He spent the first minute quietly testing his Identify skill. He knew it was bad manners to use it on people without consent, but if they wanted to ambush him with a council theatre, he was going to take what information he could get. The problem was the moment he focused on the elders, the skill felt like it hit a wall. He could see names. He could see levels. A few titles flickered at the edge of his understanding, then vanished like the System was teasing him. The information came through like a bad internet connection, just enough to be irritating.

  Ray didn’t know if it was the hall, a ward, or the elders themselves. All he knew was that something was blocking him from seeing deeper. That annoyed him, but it also told him something important. This room was designed to control people. Even skills.

  It took about two minutes for the elders to be fully settled. A few of them looked uncomfortable in their full garb, like they had dressed for war to make a point and hated that they had to. Others looked right at home, resting a hand on a sword hilt like they could draw it in a breath. Attendants moved into positions along the sides and back, silent and alert. Two guards stepped forward near the lectern and stopped, not quite blocking the exit, but close enough that Ray understood the message.

  Ray stayed seated. He sat back, put his feet on the table, and waited.

  The reaction was immediate. Ilaria’s breathing hitched like she was trying not to make a sound. One of the guards took a half step forward before catching himself. A low murmur rolled through the seats above. Ray heard words like disrespect and human said like an insult. The runes in the ceiling pulsed once, faint and cold. Ray didn’t move.

  Of the twelve elders, it was Arj who started the conversation. It was clearly meant to be formal. Only surnames were used.

  “Mr Atton,” Arj said, voice calm and controlled. “You have been called to this room today to be interrogated over your potential involvement with the System. This interrogation will also act as a trial. Do you agree with this?”

  Ray didn’t even bother to take his feet off the table. He smirked as he heard barely audible whispers. One of the elders in the background muttered, “I hope there is a public execution today.”

  Ray responded with a smile. “Mr Jenolia, it’s not like I’m in a position to disagree with your request. Go ahead and have your trial.”

  Arj Jenolia was clearly taken aback by the fact Ray had his surname. The group that escorted him had not taught him how to use Identify. They had not even explained how skills worked properly. For some reason Ray seemed to have an easier time triggering his abilities than the dark elves did. Even if they learned a skill, they often had to spend weeks understanding how to use it properly, and Ray was here throwing it around like he had been born with it.

  Arj’s eyes narrowed slightly, but his tone stayed level. “To open this trial, confirm that you are an off-worlder. Name the world you came from.”

  Ray’s smile did not fade. “For those that don’t know me on the stand. I’m Ray Atton. It’s good to meet you. I’m a human from the planet Earth. I assume this is not Earth and therefore I would be considered an off-worlder.”

  Murmurs spread through the chamber. Even the attendants shifted, some of them leaning forward like they could not help it. The council did not want to believe it, but they had already verified enough with their own skills. Ray could feel the change in the room. Less contempt. More calculation. Like a group of hungry people realising the meal might actually be real.

  A female dark elf stood and produced Ray’s pistol. Ray’s eyes narrowed. He thought it had been lost in the stream during the ambush. Apparently not. He had identified this woman as Trey Athinia. She held the weapon carefully, almost reverently, and kept the muzzle angled away like she did not trust it.

  “Is this a powerful weapon of your home world?” she asked.

  Ray shrugged. “In all honesty, it’s one of the weakest. Yeah, it’ll kill most people. At the end of the day, it’s a small fish in Earth’s arsenal.”

  The murmurs grew louder. The pistol was clearly better than anything Ray had seen in combat on Arkus so far, and he had not even been here long. The idea that it was weak by Earth standards hit them harder than he expected. Ray saw a few elders exchange looks. He could almost see the thought forming. If this is weak, what is strong?

  The interrogation dragged on. Not minutes. Hours. Long enough that Ray’s legs would have gone numb if he was not already running on spite and adrenaline. They asked about his society, his nations, his wars, his weapons, his technology. They asked about satellites, planes, bombs, and whether Earth had other races. They asked about the System on his world, how long it had been there, what it offered, and whether Earth had fought it or embraced it.

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  Ray answered what he could, but he kept it blunt. He was not a scientist. He was not a soldier. He was an accountant who had played games and read stories. Half of what he knew was cultural, not technical. Still, even that was clearly valuable to them, because they kept circling the same points.

  “How many people lived on Earth?”

  “How many nations?”

  “How large were your cities?”

  “How quickly can your people cross continents?”

  “How does a ‘nuclear bomb’ work?”

  “How far can it reach?”

  “How many did you have?”

  “Did the System offer your people skills?”

  “Did it offer magic?”

  “Did it offer resurrection?”

  “Are there other off-worlders?”

  “Were any of them like you?”

  Ray could feel Ilaria beside him slowly losing the will to live. She stayed tense, silent unless spoken to, the perfect picture of obedience. Ray did not bother. He spoke when he wanted, and he watched the elders let it happen, because they were too busy trying to drink information from him to punish the disrespect.

  Eventually Ray understood what the twelve were truly after. It was not justice. It was opportunity. They wanted a shortcut, something that could push them forward in their war. They wanted proof that other worlds had weapons strong enough to change the balance. They wanted to know if humans could be turned into assets.

  Ray’s patience snapped.

  Much to everyone’s surprise, Ray stood up and started pacing across the stage.

  “Look,” Ray said, voice sharper than before. “Let’s cut this stupidity out.”

  Ilaria buried her face in her hands in defeat. Ray heard her mutter, quiet and miserable. “God, please don’t get me killed.”

  Ray ignored it. “I know you have no plans to execute me. If you wanted me dead, I’d already be dead. This whole thing is a show, and I get why you’re doing it. You’ve realised I could be a valuable source of information about other worlds and their technology.”

  The room stayed silent, but the silence changed. It was no longer contempt. It was attention.

  Ray kept going. “Think about things from my side. Ever since I got here, I have been attacked, died, or captured by your people. My entire world is gone. There are no words for that. I’ve lost my family, my friends, everyone I’ve ever known and loved. I am happy to help where I can, but give me time. Let me breathe. Let me grieve. Let me learn how this place works and level up so I can actually be useful instead of being a broken toy you shake for answers.”

  His voice dipped, not because he wanted pity, but because the truth dragged it down. “Otherwise, kill me now. I still haven’t decided if it’s even worth continuing to live.”

  The last words came out rougher than he expected. He felt his eyes sting and hated it. He did not want to cry in front of a council. He did not want to show weakness. The problem was he was not faking this. He was exhausted. He was alone. He had been running on shock and anger since the sirens. Now there was nowhere to run.

  Ray saw the room shift. Not dramatically. Just enough. A few elders looked away. A few looked at him with something that was not hatred. Even if he was not a dark elf, they understood loss. They had been living inside it for a century.

  Arj stood again. “We have items to discuss among ourselves. You will wait.”

  Ray expected them to leave the chamber. Instead, they sat, eyes forward, hands still, and somehow a conversation happened without words. It was not magic he could see, but it was real. Fingers tapped against armrests. A glance held half a second longer than it should. A breath drawn at the same time. Decisions made in silence.

  Ray looked over at Ilaria and gave her a thumbs up.

  She stared at him like she could not decide whether to be impressed or furious. Then she slowly lowered her hands from her face, and for the first time since entering the chamber, she looked slightly less like she was about to vomit.

  Ray took his seat again. No point standing. He was tired, and it was long into the evening now. He realised his head felt clearer than it had earlier, and the heaviness that had haunted his limbs since resurrection was gone. That reminded him of one thing. The death debuff timer.

  Ray decided to check his sheets properly.

  A system message appeared.

  [Congratulations. You’ve taken your first steps into controlling an audience. You like to hear yourself talk… Intelligence +1]

  Ray was quite surprised to see that a charismatic feat had led to an intelligence increase. Logically, he thought it would be something linked to Mind since there didn’t seem to be a direct character stat for Charisma. Though, he did notice that Body affected his Health, so Mind was likely tied more directly to Mana and wouldn’t be best suited for charisma.

  He then opened his status screen and was happy to discover the full six hours had passed and the Death debuff had been removed. He was happy to see that he was fully regenerated as well.

  After checking his status, Ray looked back over to Ilaria who was staring at him.

  “Did your world really blow up?” she asked quietly. The tone was different now. Less hostile. More… human.

  “At the very least I know my country was destroyed,” Ray replied. “Not sure if you have nations here, but a country is basically the same thing.”

  “Yes,” Ilaria said. “We have nations. Led by different races and governments.”

  “Well,” Ray said, “I definitely died to a nuclear bomb. A weapon from my world capable of bringing entire nations to their knees. The System also said Earth was destroyed, but I don’t know how much I can believe it.”

  Before they could speak further, a dark elf elder who had not spoken once during the entire meeting finally broke in. This was the elf who had ushered them into the building, scars running over both eyes. His name was Oromar Dracon.

  He did not stand. He did not demand attention. He simply spoke, and the room listened.

  “Before we make our judgement,” Oromar said, “I have two things to say. The first is a question. The second is an offer. Mr Atton, no. Ray. Would you be willing to hear them from an old man who has wronged you?”

  Ray turned fully toward him. Oromar hadn’t introduced himself earlier, hadn’t made himself easy to notice, but Ray wasn’t offended. If anything, he respected it. This elf had watched first and spoken last.

  “Sure Oromar,” Ray said. “I’m happy to listen and consider.”

  “Very well,” Oromar said. “My question is this. If we were to set you free today, what assurances do we have that you will not become a threat to our clan in the future? We have done you a disservice by capturing and treating you the way we did. I must know before we decide.”

  Ray was taken aback by the question. Not because it wasn’t logical, but because it was honest. He had expected threats, not accountability.

  “Honestly,” Ray said, “I can’t give you assurances. Not the kind you want. I’m not going to swear my life on something I don’t even understand yet. If I’m left alone and treated fairly, I see no reason to be petty. You were protecting your border. I get that. I have no malice toward your clan. Unless someone gives me a reason to be angry, I’m just trying to move forward.”

  Oromar smiled deeply. Not just Oromar. Several of the elders did.

  “So what you are saying is that we let this end here,” Oromar said. “We start fresh after this trial. That is reasonable.” His eyes narrowed slightly, not hostile, just sharp. “Now for the offer.”

  A system message appeared.

  [You have been offered an alignment change by Oromar Dracon… If you accept this change, you will officially join alignment – Aliri Clan. Do you wish to accept?]

  Ray pondered for only a moment. He had expected something like this, though he did not expect an official System prompt.

  “If I accept this, what does it entail for me?” Ray asked.

  “Should you accept, you will become one of us,” Oromar said. “You will abide by our laws, follow our customs, and receive the benefits of being a citizen of the Aliri clan, which I assure you are many. You may also be required to accept missions or duties from us, or report to an appropriate role to start earning Arkus coins.” His mouth twitched, almost eager. “We have never offered this option to a human before.”

  Ray didn’t need time to decide, but he paused anyway, just long enough to make it look like he took the offer seriously.

  [Request declined]

  “I’m sorry Oromar,” Ray said, keeping his tone polite, “but until I’ve spent time in your village and I actually understand what I’d be agreeing to, I can’t accept that. I’m not trying to be rude. I just need to know what I’m getting into before I lock myself to a group.”

  Oromar studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Fair.”

  He added, calm and measured, “Just so you know, declining citizenship does not mean we intend to throw you to the wolves. Temporary hospitality is not the same as alignment.”

  Ray filed that away. Useful. Reasonable. A small mercy in a world that had shown him very little so far.

  Oromar stood. The other eleven elders followed suit.

  “In the matter of Ray Atton,” Oromar said, voice carrying through the hall, “we find you not guilty. Further, we will provide you with a starting ration so you may make your way in Arkus. This will include the basics, a change of clothes, and a place to stay for one week. We will also provide you with one hundred Arkus coins so you can obtain necessities and begin establishing yourself.”

  He looked directly at Ray. “During your week of stay, you will be with Arj. He will answer questions you may have and provide basic education of our customs. Should you choose to leave during this time, you may do so.”

  Oromar’s gaze flicked briefly to Ilaria, then back. “We acknowledge you have a debt to Ilaria of one thousand Arkus coins. Until such debt is paid, leaving without an arrangement will be treated as theft.”

  The twelve elders bowed to Ray and then proceeded to leave the room.

  Ray watched them go, then grinned from ear to ear.

  Finally, he could move forward.