POV: Kai Mizushino
Place: Forest Clearing near the Village
Date: September 17, 2214 (17 Years Before the Fall)
The sun had barely crested the treetops when Kai stood at the edge of the forest, wooden sword in hand. The cool breeze brushed against his face, carrying with it the earthy scent of the woods. It was still early, but he wasn't alone.
Akito stood a few meters ahead, already in stance, while Touya sat nearby sharpening his own training sword with an intense gaze.
"Your footwork was too rigid last time," Akito said, not unkindly. "This time, loosen up. Let your body move with the swing."
Kai nodded silently, adjusting his stance. The bruises from last week's bullying had faded, but the memory hadn't. Every morning since, he had come here—sometimes before dawn—with Akito and Touya to train. They said it was to help him get stronger, but Kai knew they had seen more than he let on.
He exhaled slowly. Then rushed forward.
The clash of wood against wood echoed through the clearing. Akito parried easily, but Kai didn't stop. He pushed forward with everything he had, striking again and again, sweat flying from his brow.
"Better," Akito muttered, stepping back. "But your center of gravity's still too high. You'll get knocked off balance easily."
Kai stumbled, panting. "I… I know. I'll fix it."
From the side, Touya raised an eyebrow. "You're pushing yourself hard today. Something eating at you?"
Kai shook his head. "I just want to catch up."
Touya snorted. "You say that like we're running away from you."
He offered a crooked grin, but behind it was a hint of truth Kai didn't miss. Akito and Touya were talented—natural in combat and magic. And Kai… was not.
No magic. No combat prowess. Just a stubborn desire to change.
But stubbornness isn't enough, he thought.
As they resumed training, time slipped by. The morning passed in strikes, parries, and sweat. At one point, Saki wandered by, a small spellbook in her arms.
"Still going at it, huh?" she said, leaning against a tree and watching.
Akito wiped sweat from his brow. "Kai's a little obsessed."
Kai looked up, breathing hard. "I'm just… tired of being weak."
Saki's expression softened. "You're not. Weak people don't train like this."
Her words made Kai blink. But before he could reply, she turned her attention back to her spellbook. "Anyway, I'm trying a new wind spell. If I blow up the teacher's hair again, I swear it's not on purpose."
They laughed—Kai included. The sound felt strange on his tongue but welcome.
They all knew he had no mana. And yet… they stayed. They believed.
Maybe that was why he kept going.
---
That evening, Kai returned home exhausted but satisfied. The house was quiet, the wooden floors creaking faintly beneath his steps. Yuuna was in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove.
She turned at the sound of the door and smiled. "Welcome home, Kai. Long day?"
He nodded and sat down quietly at the table. Yuuna brought over a warm bowl of stew and a small side of rice.
As he ate, she watched him.
The bruises on his arms. The tired look in his eyes. The quiet determination.
She wanted to ask. About the bullying. About what he was trying to prove. About why he kept pushing himself.
But she didn't.
Instead, she reached into the cabinet and pulled out a small wooden box—beautifully carved, with a symbol Kai didn't recognize etched into the lid.
She placed it gently in front of him.
"What's this?" he asked.
Yuuna hesitated, her hands resting on the edge of the table.
"A gift," she said. "From… someone who believes in you."
Kai opened the box slowly.
Inside was a sword.
Not wooden. Not rusted or old. But shining and silver, with strange etchings along the blade. It wasn't large—just the right size for a boy his age—but it gleamed with quiet power.
Kai stared at it, wide-eyed. "This is… for me?"
Yuuna nodded. "He said you'd need it one day."
"Who did?"
She hesitated again, then smiled gently. "Just… someone who cares. He asked me not to say more."
Kai looked down at the sword again. There was something about it. A pull. Like the blade was alive somehow.
He reached out and touched the hilt.
In that moment, something clicked inside him.
Not mana. Not magic. But something deeper.
The room pulsed faintly, as if the air itself had held its breath.
Yuuna's smile faltered for just a second—but only a second.
Then she ruffled his hair. "Eat your stew before it gets cold."
Kai nodded slowly, fingers still curled around the hilt of the sword.
He didn't know who gave it to him. He didn't know why.
But for the first time since he learned he had no mana…
He felt like he had a future.
---
That night, long after Kai had fallen asleep, Yuuna stepped outside beneath the moonlight.
The wind rustled the trees softly, and the forest whispered.
And from the shadows, a voice.
"You gave it to him," Thanatos said quietly.
Yuuna didn't look back. "He deserves more than this world is giving him."
Thanatos stood at the edge of the clearing, eyes half-hidden by the darkness. "The sword will awaken slowly. It responds not to mana—but to will."
"He has more will than anyone I've ever known," Yuuna said.
Thanatos was silent for a long moment.
Then: "He'll need it. The path ahead… it will break him. Over and over."
Yuuna turned, meeting his eyes. "Then I'll keep picking up the pieces."
Thanatos smiled faintly. "You always were stubborn."
"And you always vanished when people needed you most."
The words stung, but he didn't deny them.
"I'll be watching," he said at last.
"Don't." Her voice trembled. "If you're going to stay in the shadows, then stay there."
He nodded.
And just like that, the god of death disappeared into the night.
Yuuna stood alone beneath the stars.
Her son slept peacefully inside.
But her heart carried the weight of all the futures she could never protect him from.
To be continued…
[End of Chapter 14: Sparks Beneath the Surface]