The world felt like a daze to Lucas as he stood in front of the crystal. Ignoring the man's words, he pressed his hand against the orb, muttering over and over, "Why… he's wrong. I do have mana… I do… I do… this thing must be broken. It was Luke; he's the one who broke it."
"Are you hearing me?" the man said again, his voice getting more agitated. "I said make way for the next person in line."
"But I—"
"Hah… the filthy swine doesn't even have any mana!!" Luke mocked.
"I do have mana!! This thing must be broken… You, you are the one who broke it!!"
"What? Don't blame it on me just because you're manaless. Go back to shoveling shit, you filthy pig."
Lucas felt his anger rising, all the rage and frustration he had accumulated over the past couple of years ready to burst. He was fuming as he looked at the people staring at him, their faces devoid of sympathy. They regarded him as if he were nothing but a rat that had invaded their home.
Slap!!
Before he could react, his face stung from the blow delivered by the man in the blue gown.
"I said leave!!"
The man looked at him with contempt, while the other kids snickered and mocked him. Tears began streaming down his face. He didn't want to cry in front of them; in fact, he had never cried in front of anyone before, but he couldn't help it—the tears just kept coming.
Unable to bear the shame, he ran, tears still flowing down his face, which soon turned into sobs. He dashed into the forest just outside the village, venturing deeper into the woods where no one would find him. Not that anyone would come looking for him in the first place, and that thought upset him even more.
Eventually, he stopped running and sank down beneath a tree, resting his head in his lap. He replayed everything that had happened in his mind: the scornful looks on everyone's faces as they mocked and laughed at him, the unchanging crystal, and finally, the girl he loved.
Everything he had dreamed of felt shattered. There was no way Felicia would ever consider marrying someone like him. His life felt utterly meaningless. Maybe I should just end it, he thought as he drifted off. He couldn't take it anymore.
He was woken up a couple hours later by a warm touch that grabbed his hand. He looked up to see Lisa Walton, the youngest member of the Walton family, who was only nine years old. She was his only friend, and to him, she was like a younger sister.
"Are you okay, Lucas?" her sweet voice asked.
"Lisa? What are you doing here? You shouldn't be in the forest."
"I know, but I heard about what happened. They said you don't possess any mana."
"You shouldn't have come here."
"But—"
"It's nothing for you to worry about," Lucas said, rubbing her head to comfort her. This is what a good brother would do, he thought. "Let's go home."
Strangely, the fact that someone had come to help him filled him with a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he could recover from everything that had happened today. He didn't have to be a mage, but perhaps if he worked hard enough, he could become a man that Felicia would be proud to marry.
"By the way, how did you manage to sneak away from your father and find me here?" he asked.
"Oh, he's too busy preparing for Felicia's engagement. Apparently, today is the day she'll meet her fiancé."
Fiancé? Lucas's stomach churned at Lisa's words, feeling as if he were being crushed under the weight of a large rock. All his hopes and dreams had been obliterated in the span of one day. His mind was racing, unable to keep a steady thought.
"Oh! I almost forgot, I came here with Fortune, but he ran off on his own. Can we go look for him?"
"Fortune? Why would—"
Screech!
A loud screech echoed through the forest. Without a second thought, Lucas ran in the direction of the sound, instinctively knowing it was Fortune, while Lisa chased behind him, struggling to keep up.
When he reached the scene, he found Fortune lying on the ground, covered in burn marks. The smell of singed flesh and fur hung in the air, and over him stood the perpetrators: Luke, accompanied by two of his friends, Noah and Oliver.
"What are you doing?!" Lucas shouted as he rushed to comfort Fortune. Seeing the dog on the ground stirred a torrent of raw emotions within him. He was overwhelmed by rage, feeling as though he was being stripped of everything he cared about. The world seemed to mock him, whispering that he deserved nothing. But why? He had never done anything wrong! His only sin was dreaming of a better life. Was that so wrong?
Luke and his friends were practicing their magic without a mana ring, using Fortune as their target. It was forbidden to attempt magic without a mana ring. Mana rings are special rings used to channel mana to produce magic. Without one, you can't effectively use magic and risk injuring yourself or others.
Typically, a person who possesses magic would receive a mana ring right after completing the mana ritual and begin their training as a mage apprentice. But Luke and his friends hadn't received any mana rings yet.
"What are you doing, filthy swine? Get out of the way, or you'll get burned!" Luke sneered.
"How could you do something like this? He didn't do anything to you! How can you be so cruel?" Lucas shouted, desperation rising in his voice.
"I said move!"
Lisa, arriving on the scene, saw the sight of the injured Fortune and Lucas desperately trying to protect him. Her gaze shifted to Luke. Without a second thought, she charged at him, swinging her arms wildly in an attempt to fight back.
Luke effortlessly pushed her away, and that was when she sank her teeth into his hand. Luke shouted as she latched onto his arm, refusing to let go. He managed to shake her off by kicking her in the stomach.
"You little brat! I'll teach you!" Luke roared, a sphere of fire energy forming in the palm of his hand, directed at Lisa.
Without a second thought, Lucas picked up a large rock and charged at Luke. He couldn't allow Lisa to be harmed, no matter what. If he did, he would have no right to call her his younger sister.
"Get away from her!" he screamed.
Filled with panic and rage, Luke turned his attention to Lucas, who was charging at him with bloodshot eyes. His unstable magic, a result of not having a mana ring, erupted in an untamed release of energy—a powerful blast aimed directly at Lucas.
The blast sent him flying off a slope, his body burning to a crisp. Lucas felt every bit of it—the skin melting off his flesh, the hole in his stomach spewing out his organs like a whale expelling water. The scent of his own flesh burning that smelled like burnt meat.
His life flashed before his eyes, in his last moments he thought of Felicia and the type of wife she would've been if they'd gotten married. He thought of the pathetic life he had led up until now.
A life spent shoveling shit!
A life spent dreaming of the life he desired but could never attain.
A life of nothing.
He lay alone in pain until the sweet release of death finally took him from his misery.