Chapter 2:
Leon had no idea, in the early days of his life, that the day he touched the magical crystal would determine his fate. After the revelation that he lacked mana, his presence in the Rinaldi mansion became a burden to everyone, especially to his mother, Liana.
The other wives looked at her with disdain, whispering in the halls of the mansion about "the wife who gave birth to a disgrace." The words reached Liana like a knife to her pride, fueling her growing hatred for her son with each passing day.
"If you hadn't been born, I wouldn't have lost my place!" she screamed at him one day, striking him with a small stick. Those words were repeated to him again and again, until they became an undeniable truth in his mind.
The Family's Cruelty
His younger brothers, twins Ivan and Erik, were no better off. Instead of sharing childhood memories as siblings, they saw him as a target for mockery and humiliation. They deliberately exposed him to trouble, laughing when he was punished. As for his older siblings, who inherited strong mana skills, they treated him as though he were nothing but a worthless shadow, avoiding even the mention of his name.
"You're just a burden. Your existence here is a waste," his older brother, Valeric, told him one day, pushing him aside in one of the training halls.
Even the servants, who were supposed to treat all family members with respect, didn't hesitate to bully him. They would intentionally bump into him as they passed, leave his work twice as much on purpose, and mock him whenever they had the chance.
The Absent Father
Leon had never seen his father. For Duke Arden, Leon simply didn't exist. His silent treatment was harsher than any cruel words. Leon would sometimes see his father from afar during family meetings, but he never dared approach because he knew the Duke would never acknowledge his existence.
Liana and Growing Hatred
Instead of being a refuge from this torment, Liana became another source of pain. The more others despised her, the more she turned her cruelty on Leon. She would beat him brutally for minor mistakes, insult him with unforgettable harsh words, and treat him as if he were worthless.
"If you hadn't been born, I wouldn't have lost everything!" she told him one day, tearing up simple drawings he had made in an attempt to please her.
Seven Years of Torment
For seven years, Leon lived in this hell. He avoided everyone, hiding in the dark corners of the mansion, searching for rare moments of peace. He had nothing but his old books and some papers he had stolen from the mansion's library.
One night, he was sitting in a small garden behind the mansion, looking up at the moon and wondering, "Why was I born? What is the purpose of my life?"
Liana's Mysterious Death
One dark morning, the mansion was shaken by shocking news: Liana was found dead in her room. The signs of poisoning were clear, but there was no evidence of who had done it.
Despite long investigations, no one was able to identify the culprit. However, rumors spread like wildfire. Everyone whispered that Liana had been killed because of her weakness, and that she had been unable to protect herself amidst the complexities of the mansion.
But some whispered something else: perhaps her death was divine punishment for her hatred of her son, or maybe someone had tried to rid the family of the "disgrace" that Leon had brought upon them.
For Leon, his mother's death was a pivotal moment. Despite all her cruelty, he felt an indescribable loss, as if a part of him had died with her. But at the same time, he felt something else… a strange mix of sadness, anger, and injustice, as if the entire world had conspired against him.
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End of Chapter
This is how Leon's life slowly began to change, with each passing day fueling his determination to survive this hell. But deep inside, he felt that this was not the end, but the beginning of something much bigger.