Chapter 1 — The Day Magic Chose Everyone But Me
The Awakening Hall shimmered with anticipation.
Crystal pillars lined the circular chamber, glowing faintly as noble families gathered in silk and jewels. Sixteen-year-olds stood at the center, waiting for their destiny to ignite.
Kael stood among them, palms damp.
"Relax," whispered his childhood friend, Lira Vance. "Even weak magic is still magic."
He nodded, though doubt clawed at his chest.
One by one, the youths stepped forward.
"Flame affinity — Mid Tier!" "Wind affinity — High Tier!" "Earth affinity — Advanced!"
Applause filled the chamber each time.
Then it was Kael's turn.
He stepped into the center circle. The head mage raised his staff, and the Awakening Crystal flared with blinding light.
Kael held his breath.
The crystal flickered.
Dimmed.
Went dark.
Silence swallowed the hall.
The head mage frowned. "No magical response."
Murmurs spread like wildfire.
"Impossible…" "Not even Low Tier?" "Is he defective?"
Kael's heart pounded in his ears.
The mage lowered his staff. "You possess no measurable affinity. You are… ordinary."
Ordinary.
In a world ruled by magic, that word meant useless.
His father's face hardened in the crowd.
Lira tried to step toward him, but her mother pulled her back.
Kael walked out of the hall alone.
That night, rain fell heavily over Elyndor.
Kael stood at the cliff beyond the city, staring at the distant palace glowing gold beneath storm clouds.
"No magic," he muttered. "What am I supposed to do now?"
Lightning split the sky.
And in that flash—
He saw it.
A throne made of obsidian.
A crown cracked down the center.
A battlefield drowned in crimson.
His breath caught.
A voice echoed inside his mind — ancient, layered, commanding.
"You dare call yourself powerless?"
Kael collapsed to his knees.
Pain tore through his chest as a searing symbol burned into his skin — a crest shaped like a shattered crown.
"Rise, Kael Vaelor."
The name wasn't his.
Yet it felt more real than the one he had carried for sixteen years.
"Your kingdom awaits."
The storm spiraled violently above him.
And far away, deep beneath the royal palace, an ancient sealed door trembled.
End of Chapter 1