The moonlight washed over the rooftops of Ryuki City like silver fire. Neon signs flickered in the distance, and the distant sound of magic trains hummed beneath the stars. Auren sat quietly atop the roof of his home, legs folded, arms wrapped around his knees, eyes fixed on the glowing sky.
"I hope... I can become a mage one day," he whispered. "No... not just a mage. I want to be even more powerful than Veon and Kaen. So father notices me. So the people of this town see me as someone who matters."
The words barely made it out. Auren's voice trembled.
"Why? Why don't they value me?" His breath hitched. "Why do my brothers and father act like I don't exist? Like it doesn't matter whether I'm alive or dead?"
He looked down at his hands, calloused from kitchen work, cleaning weapons, fixing clothes, hauling groceries. "Even if I'm not a mage... didn't I do everything for this family? Didn't I help in ways that mattered? Why do they treat me like I'm nothing?"
His eyes narrowed, lips quivering as a tear fought to fall. "I feel like an outcast in my own home... even the kids younger than me can summon magic creatures. I just turned fifteen. Veon is barely a year and a half older than me, and he's already being praised as an elite mage."
His heart ached with silent desperation. "I just... I just want to be something great too."
Morning broke through the smog-tinted skies of Ryuki. Auren awoke in silence, washed up, tied his scarf, and headed to the market like he did every morning.
The city was already bustling—hovercarts hovered low as shopkeepers displayed enchanted fruits, potion scrolls, and mage trinkets. Auren kept his head down, holding a small list his mother had written. Tomatoes, rice, carrots, a bit of sea herb.
As he neared the main square, a group of young boys played in front of a floating stall. One of them saw Auren and smirked.
"Hey! Look, it's the magicless Ryuki!" one of them called.
Another boy, grinning wickedly, chanted a quick spell, summoning a small magical creature—an orange monkey fighter with fiery fists.
"Go! Show him your moves!" the boy laughed.
The monkey darted toward Auren and gave him a light but humiliating punch to the chest. He staggered back, dropping the carrots he had just bought.
The boys burst into laughter. "What kind of Ryuki can't even defend himself? Maybe his dad forgot to give him powers!"
Nearby shoppers chuckled quietly. No one intervened.
Auren stood frozen, humiliation burning through him. Then, through the haze of laughter, he saw his father.
Ryden Ryuki.
He was walking by, tall and armored, with a squad of patrol mages following him. Auren's eyes lit up—maybe he'd step in. Maybe he'd tell them to stop.
Ryden glanced at the scene.
Then looked away.
And kept walking.
Something shattered inside Auren.
He stood paralyzed as his father's figure faded into the crowd. His heart screamed. He couldn't even move.
Suddenly, a loud voice cut through the square.
"HEY! That's enough!" barked the shopkeeper from the carrot stall.
He waved his broom at the boys. "Go pick on someone your own size!"
The kids dispersed, snickering, but the monkey vanished with a puff.
The shopkeeper walked over to Auren and helped him up. "Don't let punks like them get to you, kid."
Auren nodded and whispered, "Thank you..."
Clutching the bruised carrots, he continued down the street. As he pushed through the crowd, something—or rather, someone—caught his eye.
That old man again.
The one from the market yesterday. The one with the strange voice and ancient robes. He was walking at the edge of the crowd.
Auren's breath hitched. I need to ask him. What did he mean yesterday?
He moved to chase after him.
Just then, a gust of wind rushed past, flipping a hat off someone's head and slamming it directly into Auren's face.
"Ah—!"
He pulled the hat off and looked at it. Tucked inside the brim was a piece of worn parchment. Written in clean, flowing script:
"Hollow Hill, midnight. Power awaits those who dare."
His eyes widened. Was this from him?
Auren clutched the hat tightly, heart pounding. The address pointed to a forbidden mountain range outside the city. The very place where spirits were rumored to dwell.
He returned home late. Dust-covered. Clothes torn.
As soon as he walked in, his mother rushed from the kitchen.
"Auren! Oh my gods, what happened? Are you hurt?!"
Auren tried to speak but couldn't. His voice broke, and all the pain, the humiliation, the rejection—spilled over.
He collapsed into his mother's arms.
And cried.
She held him tightly. "It's okay. You're safe now. You're here."
Inside, Auren felt warmth he hadn't felt in years.
how can i forget she is only one who loves me''
''he cried''
His mother... she was the only one who ever saw him.
The only one who remembered he existed.
And in that moment, buried in her arms, he silently made a promise:
I will go to Hollow Hill.
I will become more than what they said I could ever be.