Morning came slowly in Vaelgard, but Coker had already been awake for hours. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his hand.
It looked the same as always—normal, empty, useless.
But what he felt last night… it wasn't a dream.
Something moved inside him.
He walked to the small wash basin near the window and splashed cold water on his face. His reflection stared back, wild-haired and tired-eyed.
"Still no rank," he said to himself, trying to smile.
The smile didn't last.
Downstairs, Mina was feeding the chickens. She waved when she saw him.
"You look like you fought a bear," she said, tossing corn into the dirt.
"More like a roof tile," Coker answered. "It tried to kill me."
"You're weird."
"I get it from you."
She stuck her tongue out, and he ruffled her hair on the way back inside.
There wasn't much to do in the village.
Magic kids trained. Farmers worked. Merchants argued.
But Coker? He just wandered.
He passed the bakery, where the smell of fresh bread made his stomach growl. He passed the blacksmith's shop, where sparks flew into the air like tiny stars.
People saw him, but no one said anything.
Some whispered.
"Still rankless?"
"Poor boy. Such a waste."
"He should just leave…"
Coker kept walking.
He ended up in the old training field behind the hill. It was quiet here—just dirt, trees, and a few broken targets.
This was where he used to train with the other kids.
Before they got magic.
Before they left him behind.
He picked up a stick and pointed it like a sword.
"Fire Blast!" he shouted.
Nothing happened.
"Shadow Spear!"
Still nothing.
He sighed and threw the stick. It hit a tree and bounced off.
"Lame," he muttered, sitting down on the grass.
His fingers dug into the dirt. It felt cold, rough, real. The wind brushed through his hair as he stared at the sky.
Maybe this was it.
Maybe he really was nothing.
But then… it happened again.
That feeling.
Like something inside him turned over—like a spark in his chest.
He sat up fast.
His heart was racing. His hands shook. But there was no pain this time.
Just… pressure.
Like energy trapped behind a door.
Coker stood.
He looked around, confused, then focused.
He closed his eyes.
Tried to feel it.
The wind slowed. The air grew heavy. Every sound around him faded.
There it was again—a pulse. Like a second heartbeat.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Then—
FLASH.
A sudden blast of light shot out from his chest, too quick to understand.
The ground shook slightly. Leaves blew back. Dust spun into the air like a small storm.
Coker staggered back, nearly falling.
"What… what the hell was that?!"
He looked at his hands. They felt hot. Not burning—but alive.
He wasn't dreaming.
Something was changing.
Suddenly, he heard voices. Footsteps.
He turned and saw three figures coming over the hill.
Drell… and his two sidekicks.
Of course.
Drell laughed the moment he saw him. "Practicing spells again, Rankless? What's next? Gonna fly with a broom?"
Coker didn't answer. He was still shaken, still thinking about what just happened.
Drell kept walking until they were just a few feet apart.
"Wanna know what I think?" he said. "I think you're cursed. That's why the stone rejected you. Maybe you're some kind of—"
"Shut up, Drell," Coker said quietly.
Drell blinked. "What?"
"I said shut up."
Something in Coker's voice made them pause.
It wasn't loud.
But it wasn't weak either.
Drell frowned. "You really don't know your place, do you?"
He raised his hand, fire sparking to life. His friends stepped back.
But just as Drell launched a small flame at him—
BOOM.
There was a pulse. A wave. A force that came from Coker without warning.
The fireball vanished mid-air, shattered by an invisible blast.
Wind whipped around them. The trees groaned.
Drell stumbled back. "What… what was that?!"
Coker stood still, eyes wide. He didn't do anything.
He didn't cast a spell.
But something answered for him.
"I… I didn't mean to do that," Coker said.
He looked at his hands again.
No fire. No glow. No magic mark.
Just… power.
Unknown. Untouched. Awakening.
Drell didn't laugh this time.
He stared at Coker like he saw a ghost.
Then turned and ran.
His friends followed without a word.
Coker stood alone.
Breathing hard.
Heart pounding.
Eyes staring at the sky like it had answers.
"I don't have a rank," he whispered.
"But something inside me is waking up…"
Far from the village, in the cave where darkness slept, the red eye opened wider.
Chains cracked.
The voice returned.
"The vessel has been found."