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▸ Lucian's Point of View
Three years had passed since Father left on his reconnaissance mission. Now I was eight years old.
An age when children should still be carefree, playing in the fields… yet for me, every moment was a struggle to uncover the mystery of my power.
Today, the house was silent. Mother and my sister had gone to the market, leaving me alone.
But this silence was not loneliness—it was opportunity.
I stepped into the courtyard, the place where my family usually trained. The grass swayed gently in the wind as I drew in a deep breath. It had been five years since I first felt mana. Since I was three, I could sense the faint flow of energy within me… yet even now, I still couldn't tell what element truly belonged to me.
My sister, Althea, was already leagues ahead. Eleven years old, she had mastered both water and fire magic. Next year, she would enter the Magic Academy, a great step toward her future.
And me? I was still stuck in darkness.
I once believed I was a prodigy—who else could sense mana at the age of three? But reality had proven cruel. Five years of training, and the only thing I could see within me was endless black.
"Tch… No use comparing myself to others."
I slapped my cheeks lightly, shaking away the doubt.
Instead of sulking, I needed to focus. Find my element.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, I closed my eyes. My breath slowed. As usual, I tried spreading my mana, coaxing forth whatever lay dormant inside me.
At first—darkness. Always darkness.
But this time was different.
A flicker of red emerged in the void.
It pulsed, flaring like a spark desperate to be seen.
My chest tightened.
"Could this… be my element?"
Yet before I could reach for it, the world outside erupted.
▸ The Goblin Raid
DOOOM!
An explosion thundered across the village. My eyes snapped open wide.
And what I saw froze my blood.
Hundreds of goblins.
They swarmed from every direction, shrieking, setting homes ablaze, tearing through villagers.
"This… can't be real…" I whispered.
Goblins were supposed to be weak. Rank-D monsters, dangerous only in small packs. But here—there were hundreds. And right before me stood at least fifteen.
My hands were empty. Every weapon was stored inside the house. Even if I had a sword, what could an eight-year-old body do against monsters bigger and stronger than me?
Instinct screamed: run.
I bolted toward the village center. There should be adventurers there—at least rank-D. If I could reach them, I might survive.
But I'd only covered two hundred meters when another mob appeared, blocking the path. They grinned, baring jagged teeth, rusty blades glinting in their hands.
I froze.
Surrounded.
"Am I… going to die here?"
My heart pounded wildly, cold sweat running down my back. The goblins closed in, their eyes gleaming with hunger.
One screeched,
"KIEEEEK!!!"
Two lunged. I fell backward, crashing to the ground. Their rancid breath washed over me as they raised crude daggers high.
My vision blurred.
"Will I really die… a second time? I'd only just begun to enjoy this new life… to feel the warmth of a family again…"
Despair gripped me.
Why was fate always this cruel?
Then—something inside me snapped.
Not fear. Not despair. But rage.
"Why… must it be me?!"
The world turned black. And within that darkness, I saw it again. The red glow.
Only now, it wasn't a flicker. It swelled, expanding, engulfing the void.
▸ The Explosion
KA-BOOOOOOM!!!
The world shook with a deafening roar. Flames surged from my body, scorching the ground around me.
Goblin screams echoed as their flesh burned, their twisted bodies collapsing into ash.
I rose slowly, my breaths ragged. Fire cloaked my small frame, roaring like a living beast.
"I don't care why… For now, I'll kill every last one of these wretched creatures!"
I swung my arm, and fire erupted, devouring goblins in waves. Their weapons melted, their shrieks piercing the night.
This wasn't the weak child from moments ago.
This was me—Lucian, the reborn Aeral Gren.
▸ Althea's Point of View
"Mother! What's happening?! Why are goblins swarming the village?!"
My voice cracked with panic. Mother's face was pale, lips trembling. She had no answer.
A nearby adventurer shouted,
"Everyone! Fall back to the town hall!"
But my legs refused to obey. Only one thought consumed me: Lucian.
My little brother was alone at home.
I dashed forward. A figure blocked my path—an adventurer with a stern look.
"Hey, Althea! Where do you think you're going?! The town hall is the other way!"
Tears welled in my eyes.
"My brother is still at home! Lucian is still there!"
The man stiffened. "Lucian… is still in the house?"
Mother ran up, face stricken.
"Please, Riven! My son is still there!"
Without hesitation, Riven unsheathed his blade, cutting down goblins as he carved a path toward our home.
But there were too many. Even he struggled under the relentless tide.
My chest tightened. Panic and despair gnawed at me.
"Please, Cian… don't die…"
In that moment, fragments of an incantation flashed in my mind. From a book I'd once read in secret.
My lips moved before I could second-guess myself.
"O raging ocean… unleash your fury… smite my foes! TORRENT BLAST!"
A torrent of water surged from my outstretched hands, roaring like a flood. It tore through the goblin horde, crushing them in under five minutes.
Riven and Mother stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief.
Even I trembled, shocked at my own power.
But there was no time for awe. My legs carried me forward, heart racing.
And then—I saw it.
Dozens of goblins charred black, their bodies still smoking.
And amidst the inferno… stood a small boy. My brother.
Lucian.
Flames coiled around his body, burning brilliantly. His young face twisted in fury, his eyes glowing crimson.
Riven swallowed hard, sweat dripping down his temple.
"Lady Lyanna… isn't Lucian only eight years old…?"
Mother's lips quivered. My own heart was torn between relief and fear.
But then, the flames vanished. Lucian collapsed to the ground.
And just as his body hit the dirt, a lone goblin leapt forward, dagger raised.
"CIAAAAAN!!!"
I screamed.
But before the blade could strike him, a blur of steel cut through the air. The goblin's head toppled to the ground.
A man stood there. White hair, sharp blue eyes. A face I knew better than anyone.
"Father…" My voice broke, tears spilling.
▸ Lucian's Point of View
Darkness.
I drifted, weightless, as if my soul had slipped free.
"Did I faint…? Or did I burn through all my mana…?"
Shadows gathered, taking shape. Familiar faces emerged.
Hunters. Rank-S. The ones I could never surpass in my past life. The ones who stood at the very top—positions one through four.
They loomed over me, silent, suffocating.
"Why… why couldn't I surpass them before? Why couldn't I break through my own limits…?"
Their shadows pressed down, and fear clawed at me. I tried to scream, but no voice came out.
Then… a light appeared.
Soft, green, radiant. It cut through the darkness, soothing and calm.
The light called to me.
And for the first time, I felt it—
A path. A chance.
The promise of a life unlike the one I'd left behind.