When I knelt in the stone-paved courtyard behind the castle, the harsh coldness of the ground pressing against my body didn't matter. I closed my eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but my lungs were tight. A storm raged within me—both in my body and my mind. That so-called "golden cage" I was summoned into... was actually hell.
I was lost in thought. Surrounded by mages ready to strike, I had no idea what to do.
Behind me, a heavy iron door slammed shut with a deafening clang—like the echo of a sentence being passed.
That sound reminded me of where I truly was: not a place of comfort, but of trial. This was the training chamber where discipline was forged through pain. This was where the true test of the Light Hero would be given.
Standing in front of me was a towering figure clad in battle-worn armor—General Kaelenus. One of his eyes gleamed sharply, while the other was hidden beneath a black eyepatch. His face was carved with scars from countless battles, but his posture was unwavering, ironclad.
"ARE YOU READY FOR AN EDUCATION IN PAIN, LITTLE APPRENTICE?"
The wicked smile that curved on Kaelenus's lips was like a blade twisting in my gut. The coldness in his eyes screamed that pain was nothing but a game to him. I swallowed hard, trying to bury the lump in my throat. There were no excuses here.
Kaelenus stepped closer, squinting at me. "Though... whether you're ready or not doesn't matter." He stepped back sharply.
"I've trained someone like you before," Kaelenus muttered, almost talking to himself. "He looked at me with the same eyes… full of innocence. Then in his first battle, his head flew thirty meters away from his body. Innocence… makes you weak, boy."
His gaze locked onto me like a hawk, and he roared: "ATTACK!"
The sky itself seemed to split with his command. When the mages raised their staffs, their tips sparkled like stars. The air was thick with pressure. I braced myself.
I tried to run—but I couldn't.
The barrage of fire and ice struck me with unimaginable pain. Ice magic turned my arms black and blue, tearing into my skin with bloody wounds. Flames etched themselves into my chest like a curse—my skin kept burning, unable to heal.
My senses collided. My shoulders and back were freezing, while my chest struggled to withstand scorching heat. I couldn't comprehend it… all I knew was I prayed for the moment to end.
My body responded strangely to the elements—absorbing the magic into itself. But the pain didn't fade. The sensations were foreign, yet oddly familiar—like tasting an unfamiliar spice for the first time.
When the first wave ended, I collapsed. Lifting my head, I saw wind mages approaching. They were pointing their staffs again. I knew what was coming—wind and lightning.
"GET UP, BRAT! Can't even handle that much pain?" Kaelenus kicked my crumpled body. "Time to use the magic you've absorbed. STAND UP! THAT'S AN ORDER!"
Getting up was nearly impossible.
My whole body was numb, yet the stinging pain wouldn't stop.
I had to rise… but my knees felt like they belonged to someone else. Every cell in my body was rebelling. "Get up," I whispered to myself, but inside me—there was still a crying child. A child who just wanted to go home, who just wanted to look into his mother's eyes. I shouldn't be here. But there was no going back now.
I had to rise. If I didn't, this place would be my grave.
If my mother were here, she would tell me to run. But even her voice no longer echoed in my mind. Maybe I had forgotten what she sounded like... I refused to accept that. I had to focus on something else.
When I stood, I thought I should simply do what I had seen the other mages do.
Even a basic flame spell would do—but… nothing happened.
Why… why couldn't I?
"I see," Kaelenus walked over and looked at my hand. "You're absorbing the incoming magic itself… but not the technique. That's just raw energy. Form comes with knowledge. You need to learn the technique to use it. Makes sense. You have the potential to do what normal humans might never achieve. But to reach that, you need to stop being this pathetic little rookie. I'LL TEACH YOU ALL THE ELEMENTS KNOWN TO HUMANKIND, KID! I'LL TURN YOU INTO A MONSTER—JUST LIKE ME!"
"What are you talking about? I can't even use a basic flame spell!"
The pain in my body kept increasing.
Something was crawling through my veins—foreign yet familiar, as if it wasn't mine… but wanted to become a part of who I was.
Just like back then.
Just like the day of the Goblin hunt.
"You're thinking about the Goblin hunt, aren't you? Wondering how you were able to use magic so instinctively back then, but not now." Kaelenus stared into my eyes as if reading my mind. "Let me give you the answer."
He grabbed my arm—and snapped it instantly.
I screamed in pain, curling up, but he didn't even blink.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU MONSTER?!"
My body couldn't take it anymore.
I just wanted to die.
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!"
Then something unexpected happened—I felt my eyes burn.
An intense burning sensation.
I saw a vision—Kaelenus, frozen in ice, while his upper body burned with eternal flames.
It looked exactly like what he had done to me.
Seeing that brought me twisted joy.
When the vision vanished, I felt a sudden rush through my body.
Wherever I stepped, frost spread.
Without my control, my body hurled ice at Kaelenus.
I had lost control, but at the same time, I could feel that the power was responding to the rage within me. In that moment, I wasn't the magic—but the magic had become something inside me. No matter what Kaelenus did to me, this feeling… it kept me alive.
But the freezing sensation lingered. My body wasn't used to it.
My inner rage was taking over.
"TERRIFIED, AREN'T YOU?"
His smug grin didn't waver.
I wanted to kill him right there.
Fueled by that fury, I covered my hands in fire.
I felt them burn.
The pain was unbearable, but I wanted to make him pay.
Then I stopped.
My hands still trembled. Even their warmth burned me. Kindness… now felt like a blade.
"No," I whispered to myself, hands shaking. "Not now. I won't attack… not yet."
Doing so wouldn't help me.
I couldn't kill him—not yet. He was still far too powerful.
Losing my humanity to rage wouldn't be worth it.
Right now, he was someone I could use. Through him, I could learn every element and every technique.
No matter how hard it would be—I had to do this. I wanted to return to my family, to my real world, and this… this was my only chance.
But when that day comes—Kaelenus will know what pain truly means. And then, the only one who won't escape it… will be him.
He'll be the first and last person I kill.
And I'll burn him for days.