Lucas gripped the wooden handle of the wheelbarrow, his feet sinking into the mud as he fought his way through the muck, which was thick with pig excrement. The foul scent emanating from the wheelbarrow was strong enough to bring tears to his eyes. His arms trembled with fatigue from the sheer weight of the load, yet he continued working, undeterred. His excitement was palpable; tomorrow would be the day he had been waiting for all his life—the mana ritual.
After finishing the arduous task of cleaning out the pigpen, stables, barns, and pastures, Lucas made his way to his favorite spot beneath an apple tree that stood on a hill overlooking the farm. It was there that he settled down to eat his lunch, which instantly drew the attention of Fortune, a mangy black dog with white spots that had taken a liking to him. The dog was so skinny that the outline of its rib cage was visible.
Lucas's lunch consisted of a single piece of moldy bread, but he broke it in half and offered a piece to Fortune. He didn't know where the dog had come from, but he felt a kinship with it. "Orphans like us have to stick together," he often said to the dog.
That's right—Lucas was an orphan. He worked on the Walton family farm as a farmhand in exchange for food and a place to sleep, which was the shed where he had just carried all the animal excrements to.
From his perch on the hill, Lucas loved the view—not just of the farm, but of his one true love, Felicia Walton, the second eldest daughter of the Walton family. From where he sat, he could see her room through the open window, where she was sitting in front of a mirror, combing her dark brown hair.
"Tomorrow is the day, Fortune," he said, rubbing the dog's ear. "I'll pass the mana ritual and become a mage, and then I'll ask her to marry me." He finished with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
Tomorrow was the mana ritual, where when you reach the age of sixteen you would be tested to see if you possessed any mana. Those who did could become mage apprentices. Around 80% of those who took the mana ritual passed and went on to become apprentices, while the remaining 20% were cast aside.
Lucas was confident he would pass. He wouldn't just be a simple mage; he would become the greatest mage of all time. That way, Felicia would have no choice but to fall head over heels for him. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of it all.
The day arrived, and Lucas made his way to the church, his excitement palpable as he entered the building where other kids his age, along with their families, were gathered to take the mana ritual. He didn't have any family to accompany him, but he had promised himself that he wouldn't let that bring him down today. He would stand tall for the future that awaited him. However, as soon as the other children saw him, they instinctively covered their noses.
"Stinky Swine?! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be shoveling shit or something?" a boy named Luke mocked him. Luke was the same age as Lucas and came from a wealthy family known as the Hathways. While the other kids' families weren't as affluent as Luke's, they were still better off than Lucas, who had no family and slept in a shed filled with muck and filth.
Luke was always quick to remind him of how much he stank, and the others would laugh along with him. At times, they would get violent, throwing rocks at him, and when that happened, he would simply run away and hide. There were even instances when they paid him to do humiliating things, like eat dog feces off the ground or lick questionable stains off walls. They had even given him a special nickname: Stinky Swine.
Or "filthy swine." Most of the time, they couldn't keep track of the names they gave him and rotated between the two. Some days he was "filthy swine," while other days he was "stinky swine." They never seemed able to remember which name to use.
But today, none of that mattered. Today was the day he would become a mage. From this day forward, he'd be untouchable.
A tall man dressed in a dark blue robe entered the church. He was young, with only a few scraggly hairs on his chin that hardly resembled a beard. He walked with a crystal orb in his hands.
Everyone participating in the mana ritual, including Lucas, lined up as instructed by the man. They would touch the orb, which would reveal their mana readings, including how much mana they possessed and their magical affinity.
Lucas waited with bated breath until it was his turn to touch the mana crystal. So far, everyone who had touched the crystal had mana. When it was Luke's turn, the church erupted in applause as they saw how much mana he possessed. Unsurprisingly, he had an affinity for fire magic, which was his family's specialty.
He was showered with praise and admiration, leaving Lucas feeling a twinge of jealousy as a knot tightened in his stomach.
Then it was his turn. His earlier confidence had evaporated, leaving him uncertain about what the future held. He found himself not wanting to be an all-powerful mage; he just wanted to be a mage at all. It didn't have to be grand; he simply wanted a glimmer of hope for his difficult life.
Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on the crystal, ignoring the onlookers who were still covering their noses from his awful stench. With a small wish, he closed his eyes and pressed his hand against the crystal.
When he opened his eyes, the crystal remained clear, showing no signs of change. That's when the cold, emotionless voice of the man broke the silence.
"I'm sorry, but you don't possess any mana. Please step aside for the next person in line."