Caine had always believed he was cursed. His life, a long string of misfortunes, seemed proof of that. Born to a single mother who died during childbirth, he was left to grow up in the slums of the Arizurth Kingdom. His innate ability, the one every citizen awakened by the age of eight, never manifested. His status as a non-awakened child made him an outcast in a society where people based potential and worth on awakening.
Raised in the red-light district by the women who worked there, Caine grew up with no one to relate to, no friends, just a life defined by survival. Yet, despite these odds, he defied all expectations. His sharp mind and relentless persistence earned him a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Academy of Veylaris, a grand institution that trained the kingdom's most gifted youths in military strategy, magic, and knighthood.
The Academy, known for its rigorous training and elite standards, had two major paths. The Knighthood, for those aspiring to become the kingdom's hands and commanders, and the Mage's Rank, for those with the aptitude for magic. To be accepted into Veylaris was an honor reserved only for the most promising of youths. Caine was neither noble nor wealthy, but he had something far more valuable. An intellect that set him apart.
He earned his place at the Academy with a paper titled "Making Entry Rank Flame Magic Stronger," a treatise on how to enhance a simple fire spell beyond its basic potential. Though Entry Flame Magic was useful, it often lacked the heat needed to melt tougher materials or deal with stronger opponents. Caine's theory was revolutionary. He explained how two specific methods could amplify the power of fire spells without using more mana or additional time.
Mana Compression. By focusing mana into a denser form before casting, the fire would become hotter and more focused, similar to condensing a flame into a needle point.
Thermal Resonance. By aligning one's mana with the natural frequency of heat, the fire would resonate at a more stable and intense level, akin to tuning a musical instrument.
His work was not just theory. He had proven it, making the only spell he had learned, Ignite, burn hotter and more efficiently than ever before, from 950°C to over 2,000°C. The Academy's scholars were astounded, and against all odds, Caine was accepted on scholarship.
However, despite earning a place at the Royal Academy of Veylaris, he was not there for mage classes but as a knight. The knight's classes, open to all enrolled students, taught how to defend the kingdom, lead armies in times of war, and learn firsthand from knights how to handle swords, spears, and other weapons.
Caine's lack of awakened abilities, a flaw in the eyes of the nobility, made him an outcast among the knights-in-training.
He struggled to fit in. The knights-to-be were all from noble families, and their arrogance and privilege showed. Among them was Lucas Erker, a spoiled and arrogant noble who made a sport of bullying Caine for his humble origins. Known as "The Irker" for his knack for getting under people's skin, Lucas took special pleasure in tormenting Caine. He mocked him incessantly about his status as an orphan and a non-awakened, and his jabs about Caine's upbringing in the district were vicious, claiming he had earned his scholarship by servicing the headmaster.
Everything came to a head the day Lucas insulted Caine's mothers, the women who had raised him in the slums. Lucas sneered, calling them whores. Something inside Caine snapped. Years of frustration and humiliation boiled over in an instant. He lashed out, beating Lucas so severely that the noble spent an entire week recovering in the infirmary.
Nobles did not take kindly to being beaten, especially by a commoner with no magic.
The consequences were swift and merciless. Caine was expelled from the Academy, branded a violent offender. His future at Veylaris was shattered. Though the Academy's high command debated his fate, the decision was clear. Expulsion would have been the end for a noble student. For a commoner like Caine, it meant execution or conscription.
The Kingdom of Arizurth was embroiled in a brutal war with the neighboring Laria Kingdom, and the military needed men. Caine's final option was to join the 75th Penal Battalion, a unit made up entirely of convicts, deserters, and death-row prisoners given a second chance to redeem themselves through blood. The 75th was not part of the regular military structure. It lacked proper rations, weapons, and even a formal command structure. It was a disposable force, often used for suicide missions or to test enemy strength.
Unlike the knights of Veylaris, who were trained to fight with skill and honor, the 75th Penal Battalion was a ragtag force held together by little more than desperation. Most of its soldiers did not last more than a few weeks.
Caine had barely arrived The men around him radiated a desperate hope of survival. It was a hellish existence, and he had never felt anything like it. Unlike the killing intent he had sensed from Baron Erker, this was pure, oppressive depression aimed at him, enough to make his skin crawl.
While trying to find a place among the broken souls around him and make himself at home, something human reached out to him.
A woman from his battalion, Kim, approached him in the darkness. She was a soldier, another discarded soul like him. Her face was lined with the same weariness and despair that marked every member of the 75th. She was just another pawn, waiting to die. But tonight, she wanted to feel something more.
Kim confessed she had never experienced intimacy. She had never felt the warmth of another human being without fear, payment, or pity. Facing inevitable death, she asked for a simple and bittersweet moment. She said she liked the way he looked and wanted to share one last connection before the end.
It was a strange request, but in a place like this, it made sense. Though inexperienced, Caine understood the need. Growing up in the red-light district had taught him that sometimes touch could offer peace when nothing else could.
He agreed, and later that under the rotting canvas of a makeshift tent, they came together. Kim guided him through it with a quiet desperation. Though clumsy at first, Caine remembered what he had seen growing up. Not just the actions, but the emotion beneath them. This was not about survival or dominance. It was about being seen, about reminding themselves they were still human.
He kissed and touched her all over her scarred body sucking on her neck playing with her bean in circles feather it just enough.
She moaned and Moaned eventually saying she was ready then came the rhythm of smacks Caine digging in unresearched caves.
He praised her as he learned from his mothers advices "you feel so good"
"You're so tight you're about to suck all my cum out" and she enjoyed such comments despite being quiet he could tell by the way she'd grip him more when he spoke as well as the intense hickeys being given.
When it was over and they laid together, sharing warmth in the cold night, something flickered before Caine's eyes.
A blue screen.
For as long as he could remember he had the habit of opening awakener screen, his screen had mocked him with two simple words. "Not Awakened." But now, for the first time, it glowed with life.
[Skill Acquired: Echo Thread]
Allows the user to replicate a female individual's awakened ability after achieving intimate physical contact. Only copies Base Raw Power.
Caine stared at the message, barely able to process what he was seeing. His awakening. But it was not a gift like those possessed by the noble-born or the celebrated warriors of Veylaris. It was something else entirely. Something dangerous.
The implications crashed over him like a wave. His ability was not rare. It was a weapon. In a world where bloodlines and magical talents were hoarded and guarded, copying another's power through intimacy would be seen as an abomination. If anyone discovered it, he would become a prize to be captured, a tool to be used until nothing was left.
Before he could fully process it, the screen flickered again.
[Skill Acquired: 6th Sense Ability]
Through the act of intimacy, you have gained a deeper sense of empathy and perception. Your ability to read people and their emotional states is enhanced. Enhanced reaction time, awareness of threats, and the ability to predict enemy movements and intentions with greater clarity. Activated instinctively in moments of high danger.
Caine swallowed hard, his mind reeling. The second ability felt more subtle but no less profound. As he lay beside Kim, he could feel her. Not just the warmth of her skin, but the sorrow, fear, and aching loneliness that had weighed her down for years. It was as if a thread had been woven between them, tying her essence to his very bones.
Guilt twisted in his gut. He had copied something precious, she hadn't given it willingly. Yet, alongside the guilt, something else began to bloom. Elation. For the first time in his life, he was no longer powerless. He had something real. Something his.
But the road ahead could be darker than ever.
The 75th Penal Battalion was his present, a place where death was a constant companion. Beyond that loomed the world that had rejected him, the Royal Academy of Veylaris, and the kingdoms that would hunt or use him.
The line and temptation to Being unlawfully for power was mere steps away.
His life was now a battle of morals.