Everything began with the birth of the first prince of the Storm Empire.
On that day, celebrations spread throughout the entire empire. The long-awaited crown prince had been born, and the joy doubled when the royal physicians announced that the child was a healthy boy.
Emperor Ferman was overwhelmed with happiness at the birth of his first son. Wanting a name worthy of the greatness he believed awaited the child, he named him:
Lux Cassian.
As the years passed, the young prince began to display extraordinary talent.
By the age of seven, Lux had already mastered history and geography. He learned the languages of neighboring nations with astonishing speed, and his memory was nothing short of remarkable. Whether it was academic knowledge or combat techniques, Lux could understand and memorize them within days.
Gradually, people began to believe that this child was destined to become someone extraordinary.
The nobles spoke about him with admiration, seeing in him the future emperor who would lead the Storm Empire into a new era of glory.
Even the birth of his younger brother did nothing to reduce the attention Lux received. Many nobles sought to get close to him, though Lux himself cared little for ceremonies or celebrations.
Still, despite all the praise and expectations, everyone awaited one particular day.
The Day of Judgment.
In the Storm Empire, when children reached the age of twelve, they were brought to the Magical Castle in the capital. Inside it rested an ancient crystal capable of measuring a person's ability to store mana—the energy behind all power in the world.
Based on the crystal's reading of a child's mana capacity, their path in life would be decided.
They would either become...
A Mage.
Or...
A Knight.
Everyone knew that the amount of mana someone possessed determined their place in society. The greater their mana, the higher their status, influence, and respect.
When Lux Cassian finally turned twelve, nobles and citizens gathered to witness the ceremony.
Everyone believed one thing without question:
The brilliant boy who had deciphered the Ancient Language at the age of ten—a language that had baffled the greatest mages on the continent—would once again demonstrate his extraordinary talent.
Even the emperor expected his son to be the greatest prodigy of his generation.
That day, Lux stepped forward toward the crystal while thousands of eyes watched him in anticipation.
He placed his hand upon it.
And then...
Everything went wrong.
The crystal glowed brightly for a moment... before the light suddenly faded.
Silence filled the hall.
Then the result appeared.
No mana.
Emperor Ferman stood up abruptly.
"This is impossible!" he shouted.
"Check the crystal again!"
Whispers immediately spread through the crowd.
Was the crystal faulty?
At that moment, Lance, the strongest mage on the continent, entered the hall. He carefully examined the crystal and performed several tests.
After a tense moment, he spoke in a calm voice.
"The crystal is functioning perfectly."
The hall grew quiet.
Then he continued.
"But the prince's body... contains no mana whatsoever."
Shock spread through the crowd.
Such a thing had never happened in the history of the empire.
Even common people possessed at least a small amount of mana.
But Prince Lux...
Had none at all.
The whispers soon turned into ridicule.
"How is that possible?"
"He's a royal... yet he's useless!"
"Without mana, he has no right to live!"
"He's worse than a commoner..."
"He's nothing."
For the first time in his life, Lux felt the weight of contempt in people's eyes.
Yet what hurt him most was not the crowd.
It was his father.
The emperor looked at him with cold, distant eyes—eyes Lux had never seen before.
Without saying a word, Emperor Ferman turned and left the hall.
Lux did not know that this would be the last time he would ever see his father.
Nor did he realize that this moment marked the beginning of his true suffering.
But then...
A strange whisper echoed inside his mind.
"See? We told you."
Lux froze.
"Who's there?!"
Another calm voice answered.
"Do not be afraid. We are the spirits who have been speaking to you since you were a child."
Lux frowned.
"If you know everything... then tell me why this happened!"
One of the spirits replied calmly.
"Because you have no mana."
"And that is exactly why you can hear us."
Lux's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
The spirit continued.
"We were the ones who taught you the Ancient Language."
"The language that contains the lost magic of the ancient world."
Lux clenched his fists.
"But what good is knowledge if I can't even cast a single spell?!"
The spirit chuckled softly.
"You misunderstand something."
"In the ancient era, there were two kinds of mages."
"Ordinary mages... who stored mana inside their bodies."
"And another kind..."
"They were called Mana Manipulators."
Lux frowned.
"And what does that mean?"
The spirit answered.
"Ordinary mages are limited by the amount of mana they can store."
"But Mana Manipulators..."
"Have no mana at all."
Lux blinked in confusion.
"Then how do they use magic?"
The spirit spoke slowly.
"They control the mana that exists in the world itself."
Lux's eyes widened.
"The air..."
"The sky..."
"Everything around you is filled with mana."
"And a Mana Manipulator can control all of it."
The spirit paused before continuing.
"That means they have no limits."
Lux's heart began to beat faster.
"Lux..."
"You are one of them."
Silence filled his mind.
Finally, Lux asked quietly,
"...How do I use it?"
The spirit replied.
"The Ancient Language you learned is not merely a language."
"It is the key to commanding mana."
"If you carve its symbols onto your body..."
"You will be able to give orders to mana itself."
Lux's breath grew heavy.
"And that means..."
"You can use every element of magic."
"Fire."
"Ice."
"Lightning."
"Wind."
"Even spells that disappeared thousands of years ago."
The spirit then added softly:
"You can even cancel the spells of other mages."
Lux whispered,
"Even... Ten-Ring Mages?"
The spirit answered calmly.
"Even them."
Silence fell once more.
Then the spirit asked,
"Now tell us, Lux..."
"Do you still think that having no mana is a bad thing?"
Lux stood alone in the darkness.
Slowly...
A faint smile appeared on his face.
For the first time since the ceremony, he no longer felt despair.
Instead...
He felt something else.
Anticipation.
At that moment, Lux realized something important.
He might be a prince without mana...
But that might also make him...
The most dangerous mage in history.