Amazement spread across Yanis' face, displaying his dissatisfaction with Charnald's words. The teenager, who had previously shown obvious weariness, now had a more expressive face, indicating anger.

"Hold on, old man! What are you talking about?!"

"What?! Far from me the idea of rejecting my isekai," Jacob retorted, "but you've got the wrong person. I'm just a guy who plays video games. What do you want me to do?"

"And we don't even have any powers!" Rogue shouted.

"Not yet, but you will acquire them right after our discussion."

Yanis lunged towards Charnald, his fists clenched.

"Guys! Did you not hear what he just said? We'll be stuck here for two years!"

Yanis advanced relentlessly towards Charnald, until he violently grabbed him by the collar.

"Listen to me, old man. I don't give a damn shit about your powers! In my world, I'm already powerful enough to defeat anyone! And don't think I'm going to stay here for two years while I have people to protect. So you better send me back to my world, got it!?"

"Yanis, time passes more slowly on Trillia than in your world. Your soul will be here while your body peacefully sleeps."

"I see, so if we had stayed on Earth, we would have died upon waking up, or shortly after," Jacob mused aloud.

"But if we die... Do we really die?" Alora worried.

"Yes..."

Alora froze in place upon hearing Charnald's terrifying answer.

"And can I ask why it's us and not you?" Yanis interjected.

"Well, in our world, powers are based on the domain that a person masters best. Yanis, yours is martial arts."

When Yanis heard this revelation about his supposedly secret abilities, he almost immediately released Charnald, not expecting it to be revealed.

"So, you do martial arts?" Alora asked, intrigued by his domain.

"Yeah, let's just say that... yeah," he replied, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Jacob: video games. Rogue: hacking. And Alora: dreams," continued Charnald.

As they assimilated the disclosure of each other's specialties, Jacob turned his attention to Rogue, who had refrained from participating in the discussion due to apparent shyness.

"So, your domain is hacking?!"

"Yes... That's right, haha..."

"Have you ever managed to hack NASA?!"

"Yeah, several times actually."

"You're really cool, man. When we have our powers, we could make a great team!"

Despite Charnald's prompt response and Jacob's childlike excitement about the powers he would soon acquire, Yanis was still not fully satisfied. There was still something he couldn't understand:

"That doesn't answer my question, old man. Why us?"

"Because your powers have tremendous potential, more than ours at least. In two years, I'm sure you will have acquired enough power to defeat Damahan, the superior being."

"Well... I just have one request then. That nobody dies here."

"We can't promise you that, but we will do our best. Be sure of it."

"I'm not sure if it's a good idea... The fact that we might die doesn't sit well with me staying here," Jacob pondered, gazing at the ground with a slight smile.

Rogue stepped forward, following Jacob's words.

"Jacob is right. Who do you think you are to decide life or death for teenagers like us? We didn't ask for this in the first place!"

In a demonstration of courage and resilience, Charnald approached the Lost Ones, kneeling before them in an act of faith and despair. With a calm and sincere voice, he said,

"Young people... Please, listen to me. Let me speak my last words, after which you will freely decide your final decision. We are aware of your fears and doubts... Know that for months and months, we have strived to find other solutions to defeat Damahan in two years. The three countries of our world have united their minds and intellects during endless nights... I repeat: we have done everything we could to avoid this... Absolutely everything... You are our last hope, young Lost Ones. I beg you, in my authority as a mage, I implore you strongly: help us..."

As uncertainty hung among the Lost Ones, the choice to be made was unequivocal: accept or refuse the plea of an individual whose despair was indescribable. What they decided now would shape the future of this world and their own.

"In any case, we have no choice. If we don't help you, we'll die without even trying. So, if we're going to die, I'd rather do it with glory and tenacity! Don't you agree?" Jacob turned to the others, displaying an optimistic smile after proudly stating his position.

"Yes, you're right, I agree!" Alora declared.

"Same here," said Rogue.

"Yeah... You're right, we have no other choice but to accept," sighed Yanis, a slight smirk on his face.

Charnald, a man whose ambitious plan seemed to be progressing smoothly, knew, however, that the young teenagers were afraid for their lives. He understood that there was no more viable solution to save trillions of innocent souls than to rely on teenagers from another world with superhuman abilities. Yet, despite tensions dissipating, one problem remained: Gwendoline's unexpected presence, inadvertently intruding into their world. Charnald turned his gaze toward her, enumerating the different possibilities that lay before her.

"Gwendoline, now that you're here, you can't turn back. You're obligated to stay here... First, I will have to discuss it with the King, but what do you want to do now? Live here as a civilian, help the four Lost Ones, or finish what you started?"

Everyone in the cell listened intently, awaiting Gwendoline's words that could be decisive for the imminent future. Everyone seemed to get along well, except for her, who had remained in the background during Charnald's explanation.

"I..." hesitating, she pondered her crucial decision.

I'm dead, and yet, I'm here. I lived my worst life on Earth, and now, I'm offered a new one on a silver platter...

As she contemplated her final decision, images of her sad life flashed before her eyes, from her childhood to the harassment and her suicide. She could still see the moments of joy she had spent with Cassandra, her adoptive sister, and her other siblings.

My biological parents abandoned me, my adoptive parents committed suicide, and my adoptive siblings left home... On Earth, I lost everything... My social life, my reputation, and my life...

The last image that crossed Gwendoline's troubled mind before proclaiming her position was that of Lidia, her school bully who had ruined her life. After reflecting on her past life, she made her decision regarding the entire group and declared with conviction:

"I will join the Lost Ones!"

These words of hope brought a smile to Alora's face as she responded with unmatched kindness:

"Gwendoline, I'm so glad you accepted!"

"Rymis III, our King, will surely launch an investigation to find out the true reason for your presence, but he will likely accept you as part of the Lost Ones!"

"There's just one dilemma... I don't have a specialized domain," Gwendoline voiced her concern.

"Well, we'll see about that because we're going to resurface and unlock your powers!"