"Keep your head up... Michael!" Julian sneered. The tall, red-haired noble yanked Michael's head back by the hair, forcing him to look up.
Michael clenched his jaw, swallowing the words that would only drag this out. His blazing brown eyes locked onto Julian's smug, aristocratic face.
"Tomorrow's the big day, buddy!" Julian's voice dripped with false sincerity. He tilted his head, a mock-devilish smile twisting his lips. "You'll miss us, won't you?"
A thin, defiant smile momentarily graced Michael's lips. 'Piss off,' he whispered.
Slam!
Julian shoved Michael's face hard into the dirt. "What was that, Michael?" He leaned down, his breath hot against Michael's ear. "I thought I heard you say something other than how much you'll miss me." His voice had dropped its playful tone, replaced by a low, menacing edge.
"Ye—ah... I said... piss off!" Michael grunted, his words muffled by the dirt filling his mouth.
Julian's knee dug sharper into his spine, pushing him deeper into the ground. "Wrong answer, commoner," he whispered.
"Julian's really getting in there today," Ivan, a brown-haired boy and Julian's closest sycophant, said with a sly grin.
"Why not? Tomorrow's the last day of school. He won't get to push the charity case around anymore," another lackey chimed in, snorting with laughter.
"Julian. Let him go. Right now!"
The cold voice cut through the courtyard tension. Mr. Edinboro approached with a confident, heavy stride, his spectacles perched sternly on his nose and his hollow eyes narrowed into slits.
Julian's grin vanished. He released his grip, allowing Michael to stumble to his feet, gasping for air and brushing the soil from his uniform. "We were just saying our goodbyes to our good friend Michael, Mr. Edinboro," Julian deflected, layering his tone with sarcasm.
The teacher raised a sharp eyebrow. "Save it, Julian. I saw everything. You're not as clever as you think you are." His gaze swept the group, daring any of the boys to challenge him. They fell silent, casting their eyes downward.
"You can say your goodbyes tomorrow, after the Awakening Ritual. Now, get to class. All of you."
He waved the boys off dismissively. Michael, his eyes vacant, followed behind the others without even bothering to finish dusting himself off, his shoulders still hunched.
Status meant everything here. This was one of the finest institutions in the nation—The Spiral Academy of Magic. Most of the students were children of wealthy, powerful, and prestigious families. Here, these young prospects were being groomed to lead the next generation.
Michael was one of only thirty commoners granted a scholarship—a PR stunt the academy ran every four years to feign goodwill.
But out of those thirty, Michael was the only one who truly believed he belonged there. That defiant belief was exactly what made him a target for the silver-spoon brats who possessed God-given talent.
◇◇◇
Just a few more hours, and it will all be over, Michael thought, letting out a heavy sigh as he sat through the final lecture of the day.
He wasn't born to a prestigious family. He was the son of a commoner; his father wasn't anyone special, and neither was his mother. The world expected one thing from him: to be normal, to be ordinary, and to be satisfied living outside the spotlight. But Michael's heart wanted the utter opposite.
Even among the wealthiest students at the academy, a few stood out. Normal children awakened their talents during the Awakening Ritual in their young adult phase. But the truly gifted gems awakened their talents long before the ritual took place. This was a sign of immense potential within the child, and only those from a powerful bloodline portrayed this trait. Michael, however, had yet to awaken any such talents.
◇◇◇
That night, Michael threw himself onto his bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling. He couldn't stop his mind from racing, wondering what kind of talent lay dormant inside him.
If he could just manifest a Boundless Domain, or even a Mythical Domain, his name would echo throughout the kingdom.
He thought back to the academy's history lessons. King Edward Cinderfell, the first man to ever manifest a domain, was revered as a god in human form. But even the First King wouldn't have built an empire without his legendary domain, Peacemaker.
Exhausted by his own anticipation, Michael finally closed his eyes, letting his dreams of knighthood carry him into sleep.
Morning arrived in a blur of nervous energy. Michael threw on his uniform and hurried to the academy grounds, only to find Julian and his usual tormentors blocking the front gates. Michael's fists instinctively clenched at his sides.
"Relax, trash," Julian scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm in too good of a mood today to ruin it by wasting magic on you. After all, once you fail the ritual, I'll never have to look at your stupid face again."
That's fine by me, prick. Just you wait, Michael thought, brushing past them and entering the grand halls.
The Awakening Chamber was massive, lined with marble pillars and buzzing with the anxious whispers of hundreds of students. At the center of the room sat the Awakening Stage.
This was it—his one and only ticket to the life his heart yearned for. Fifty percent of commoners didn't even have the physical capacity to manifest a domain, and those who did were usually unlucky enough to get a trash domain.
In Celestia, a person's domain defined their future from the moment it manifested. It determined whether you were supposed to be at the top of the food chain, or at the bottom.
If he failed, it meant his life was effectively over. The academy had kept him going, but after today, he would no longer be a student. He would just be another citizen forced to stand on his own two feet.
He'd have to become a farmer, or maybe a miner. After all, he was physically gifted—or rather, he had worked his body to the bone hoping to manually manifest a domain. Now, his physical stats were far better than any normal human's, but that meant absolutely nothing in a world dominated by magic.
Five tiers. That was all there was.
Low Tier, High Tier, Mythical Tier, Heavenly Tier, and the cherry on top: Boundless Tier.
Only the strongest of nobles ever reached Heavenly and Boundless.
Michael wasn't asking for much. Just a High Tier or Mythical Tier domain—that was all.
The Headmaster ascended the stage, and as he reached the center, all the students shut their mouths.
"You know the drill. Let's not waste each other's time. If I call your name, step onto the stage and await your talisman."
...
A/N: Thank you for reading the first chapter of Boundless Knight, To read more chapter add it to your library and give it a powerstone or two if you don't mind.