"Ah."
"Hah."
"Hah."
"Once more."
"Come on!"
Swoshhhh...
"S-once more."
Slasshhh...
"S-once mo-"
Thud...
In the middle of the training field as the heavy rain poured down, a figure was seen lying unconscious.
Every few seconds, his body would twitch but it didn't make him regain consciousness.
The servants only glanced at him, as if the sight had become too ordinary to pay attention to.
In the distance, two handsome young men and one beautiful girl were sitting and laughing together.
"Hahaha, look at your stupid little brother, Iliya," said the oldest one named Zinux.
"Tch, I never had such a lousy brother," replied the girl with a fierce glare.
"I don't get it, he knows he's without a core, so why still try?" said Zuban.
"Haha, that's why we call him the fool," Zinux's laughter burst even louder.
Meanwhile, Rayne, who was lying unconscious, slowly opened his eyes, his whole body numb.
The entire floor of the training ground was filled with electricity of about 0.02 to 0.05 amperes, with a voltage reaching 200–500 volts, strong enough to make the vital organs of an ordinary human stop working.
But thanks to his training all this time, Rayne's body had adapted, and it actually turned into something good, because when he passed out, it helped him wake up faster.
When he tried to move his body, an unbearable pain struck his nerves.
Instead of ending the training, Rayne gave a small smile.
"If fate refuses to grant me power, then let me steal it from the sky," he murmured with determination that seemed unending.
He gripped his wooden sword again and slashed the air repeatedly, even with a messy posture.
"Heaa."
"Haa."
Some servants lowered their heads, pretending to be busy doing anything so they wouldn't look pitying.
Even the sky seemed to mock him, lightning striking every time his body fell.
Thud... in the end, his body was truly in extreme exhaustion, unable even to move a finger.
Suddenly, an old man in servant clothes came running toward him.
(Each servant was given a special lightning-repelling item so they wouldn't get shocked by electricity in the Voltare mansion, but it was different if the lightning exceeded what the item could withstand.)
"Please, stop here, Young Master!"
The old man was almost crying seeing the fourteen-year-old boy barely moving on the electrified floor.
"If you keep going like this, you'll die."
Rayne looked at the man and said softly, "Thank you… leave before someone sees you."
"No, Young Ma-"
Ctarrrrrr!!!
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning from an unknown direction struck the man's body, piercing through his shoulder.
"Aghhh!..." he screamed, thrown to the floor.
Seeing that, Rayne's eyes immediately turned red. He bit his lip until it bled, then stood up with great effort.
His body trembled uncontrollably, veins bulging, breathing heavy like a cornered beast.
"That's what happens when you disobey the rules!"
The arrogant voice was clearly heard.
The two young men and the girl walked closer with satisfied faces.
Zinux Voltare, Iliya Voltare, and Zuban Voltare.
They walked through the rain without the slightest guilt, the lightning flashing in the sky seemed to clap for them.
Rayne glared at them fiercely, standing before the old man who was groaning in pain.
"Why... even those who help me must be hurt?" his voice trembled, more from anger than weakness.
Zinux sneered. "Because they forgot their place. A servant must not touch a Voltare descendant without permission."
Rayne clenched his fists. "A Voltare descendant?" he said quietly. "Funny. I see no pride in any of you."
"Tch, hear him talk like he's someone," Iliya laughed coldly, looking down on him. "You're nothing but a stain cursed to be born without a core. I think Father and Mother are too kind for letting you live."
Lightning struck the sky again, illuminating Rayne's face half covered by rain and the blood from the old man.
"Be silent," he whispered low.
"What?" Zuban raised an eyebrow, stepping closer with lightning starting to form around his hand. "Say it again if you dare."
Rayne looked at them one by one, his vision blurry but his eyes burning with something different, not magic, but determination.
"I said... SHUT UP!"