"Breakfast is ready!" An elderly woman called out to her children.
A small girl, no older than five, came running. "Oh, waffles! My favorite meal!"
She sat at the table across from her mother and father. "Where is your brother?" "He's coming."
After a few moments, a young man who appeared to be sixteen years old arrived. He had messy black hair, deep night-blue eyes, and pale skin. He sat down on his chair and leaned toward the table, facing his family.
He pointed at the plate in front of him. "What is this?" "It's waffles." "It looks delicious."
He took the fork and tasted the waffles his mother had prepared. "It's really delicious." "Goodbye," the father said.
Moments later, the same young man woke up, looking around to find himself lying on a black ground soaked with rainwater, with some rodents running through the alley.
Despite being in the prime of his youth, his features suggested someone who had experienced everything in life and grown tired of it, leaving only death behind. "This dream again."
He stood up from the ground and realized he was barefoot, his smell foul. That was always his condition. "Maybe I should find some money."
Indeed, living in this alley was the worst experience a person could endure. He walked until he reached a garbage dump and began searching for money, food, or anything useful.
In truth, scavenging through trash was no better than sleeping in that alley, but he was forced to do it because his situation was truly miserable.
But he was not alone in this. Many people slept in alleys and woke up to rummage through filthy garbage in search of something useful.
There were even families sleeping in alleys, and often young children did not survive, unable to withstand the cold and hunger of such a harsh place.
It was not only alleys that housed such people; they also existed in streets, ruins, abandoned squares, and even destroyed or collapsing buildings.
What were they called? Commoners? Rats? Any bad description would suffice to describe them—this was their hopeless reality.
After some searching, he finally found a piece of rotten meat and some torn clothes that were too small for him.
A stream of curses escaped his lips, but it disappeared when he found some paper money. "Finally, something good."
He left the trash container and walked out of the alley, wondering what he would do with the money.
He walked with happiness evident on his face despite his miserable state, until he reached the end of that cursed alley.
In reality, the money he found was not much; it was not enough to buy even a regular meal. But for him and the commoners, it was considered a valuable treasure.
He walked along the street and turned his head to the right, seeing an electronics store. His gaze fixed on one of the televisions displaying a broadcast, focusing on a figure with long white hair and enchanting green eyes.
"Our goal as nobles of the Kraiva clan remains the development and advancement of humanity."
It was none other than Kraiva Aisher, one of the nobles of the Kraiva family, one of the four ruling families.
"Damn it!" the young man cursed, disgust clear on his face. "Developing humanity, huh? Is that why we're suffering, you idiots?!"
In reality, it was nothing but an obvious lie, often spoken by those ruling families.
Living as a noble was far easier than living outside. They did not have to search garbage daily for food—everything was readily available to them.
"Maybe I should go and unlock my first seal? But I'm afraid it would be a waste of money."
Perhaps doing so would allow him to discover his source element and grow stronger. He could even find work with one of the ruling families or become a guard at a school. Just imagining how much he could earn—it would surely be profitable, assuming he gained a decent ability.
But if he ended up with a bad ability, his fate would be to continue living in alleys, sleeping on uncomfortable ground every day—or perhaps something worse.
He had always wished to have his own home, a bed to sleep in, a delicious breakfast, and a family.
But that existed only in his dreams.
"Maybe I'll go. I have nothing to lose."
He would lose nothing except that valuable money, barely enough to unlock the first seal.
Moments later, he decided to go and do it at one of the state-supported centers.
He walked through the street, seeing various kinds of shops he had never seen before. Luxurious cars and many things he had never witnessed in his life appeared before him.
He stopped in front of a one-story building. There was a phrase written above the door, but he could not read it—he had never gone to school.
He asked a girl who appeared to be his age: "Can you tell me what is written there?"
The girl was exiting the building. She raised her finger, pointing above the door. "Cradle of Seals."
She looked far better off than him. She wore a white dress that matched her black hair streaked with red, and her black eyes reflected good health.
"Thank you."
The girl walked away from the building, captivating everyone who looked at her. Even the young man stood dazed by her breathtaking beauty.
"I guess I should go in."
He soon forgot their brief encounter. He opened the door and saw a spacious room with windows and curtains, prepared for nobles—not for commoners like him.
At the center of the room was a small desk covered with papers. Behind it sat a clerk who looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes revealing his condition.
The young man looked at the clerk. "I suppose this is the place to unlock the first seal?"
The clerk lifted his head from the scattered papers and pierced him with a sharp gaze. "Ah, yes. What is your name, sir?" "Rain Hall is my name." "Done."
"Oh, alright," the clerk said with a hint of annoyance, likely due to his appearance. Anyone who saw him would probably hate him instantly. "Go in there."
He pointed to another door behind him, emitting a strange, ominous aura that was unbearable.
"Alright."
Rain stepped toward the door, but after a few steps, the clerk stopped him, extending his hand. "What's the problem?" "The money." "Oh, right. I remembered."
He pulled out a banknote from his pocket—the only one he owned. The clerk accepted it gladly, though the disgust on his face remained. Rain wanted to punch him, but that would obviously cause many problems.
The clerk wrote his name down on a paper and allowed him to enter.
Rain continued forward and reached the large door, opening it. A chilling sensation crept into him. The door closed behind him. The room was so vast that its limits could not be seen, but somewhere inside sat an old woman wearing a black cloak, seated on a chair with another empty chair before her.
"Sit and extend your hand."
He heard her faint voice, barely audible. He hurried toward her, his anxiety reaching its peak—he had never felt such fear before.
He sat on the chair and extended his hand as instructed. 'What is this strange situation?'
She grabbed his hand and released it quickly. He felt a prick. 'That's it…?'
Then came the answer to his question—sharp pain throughout his entire soul, as if he were being burned alive, twisting in agony as screams of terror escaped his mouth.
He felt something new being born inside him, as though another entity had entered his soul.
He saw ash rising from his hand, then falling back down. "Ash element… huh? Interesting."
He felt her smiling as she spoke. Wait—ash element? Was there even such an element? He believed the only elements were water, fire, earth, wind, light, and shadows. But ash? That was completely new.
Indeed, ash users were extremely rare, though their effectiveness was moderate.
"Your first ability is… ash control?"
Ash was what remained after fire, and it existed everywhere in small quantities, making it difficult to use. 'Can I even get a job with this?'
"I suggest you go to the academy." "The academy? What is that?" "It is a place where students like you gather to develop their abilities." "Sounds boring." "If you graduate from it, you will get a job immediately." "That sounds good, but… I can neither read nor write." "Oh, don't worry. They will take care of everything." "Then where is it? And is there accommodation?"
Of course, he hoped there was accommodation—he was tired of sleeping outdoors.
"I can contact them for you. Of course, there is accommodation." "Alright then, will you contact them now?" "No need." "Why? Are you not qualified?" "No, because they have already arrived. They are waiting for you." "Oh… maybe I should say thank you?" "You're welcome."
Rain stood up and walked toward the door. He opened it and saw the light again—he truly missed it, especially after being in a dark room with the old woman.
The first thing he noticed upon exiting was the same clerk, but this time accompanied by two other men.
They were dark-skinned, tall, wearing black suits.
"Ah… hello?" "Come with us."
Rain exited the building with the two men, and soon they got into a car and drove off.
"Are we going to the school or whatever it's called?" "Yes."
Rain thought they were taking him to the academy, and it turned out his assumption was correct.
"Is it a boring place?"
"Maybe. I'll use this time to explain a few things."
"Go ahead."
"First, never approach any of the heirs of the ruling families." "Why?" "Because they are dangerous."
"Second, never reveal your full power in front of strangers… even inside the academy."
The man sitting beside him looked at him with serious eyes that seemed to pierce his soul and added: "People here love hunting… especially hunting people like you."
"People like me?" Rain asked in confusion.
"The poor. The outsiders. The commoners," the other replied coldly, then turned to the window, observing the streets whose appearance was gradually changing.
The car glided along a carefully paved road, lined with tall trees and massive buildings with shining windows. The more they advanced, the more luxurious the surroundings became, until Rain felt he was approaching an entirely different world from the filthy neighborhoods he was used to.
"Third," the man continued, "never underestimate anyone."
"That will be difficult for me. I am weak."
"Maybe. Oh—and you will learn how to read and write within a month." "Are you joking?" "I'm not joking, sir."
What? Learning to read and write in a month was nearly impossible—unless he studied for long hours.
Rain nodded slowly.
"Alright… anything else?" "You will know when you arrive."
After a few minutes, the car stopped before a massive black iron gate engraved with ancient symbols and embedded with strange stones emitting a faint glow.
The guard slowly opened the gate, and they entered a vast courtyard filled with domed buildings and watchtowers. At its center stood a huge statue of an unidentified warrior holding a sword covered in ash.
"Nemora Academy," the man said solemnly. "A place where either masters… or corpses emerge."
A shiver ran through Rain's body, but what intrigued him most was that the warrior's shield bore the same ash color that had appeared from his hand during the ritual.
"Go ahead," the man gestured. "From here, your real story begins."
Rain stepped forward slowly, every cell in his body screaming that this was not just a school… but a place worse than that alley.