The world didn't hate Kael.
It simply... never noticed him.
He wasn't born under a star. No prophecy called his name.
Only thunder. Only blood. Only silence.
His mother died giving him life.
His father never forgave him.
Kael's first breath came with death… and it never left him.
He was raised by a man who once stood proud—a mage of honor. But grief devours even the strong.
Kael's father drowned his pain in alcohol and anger.
He forgot laughter. He forgot love.
But he never forgot who took her from him.
> "You're the curse that killed her," he'd say. "You should've died instead."
Kael never responded.
What words could he use to fight guilt that was older than memory?
Years Later – Magus Academy Grounds
Kael stood at the center of a grand stone platform, barefoot, rain soaking his thin uniform. Students watched, whispering.
Before him hovered the Testing Crystal—an ancient relic that revealed one's magical affinity.
Each student before him had stepped up. The crystal glowed. Magic danced.
Then Kael stepped forward.
Nothing.
Not a flicker. Not a hum. Just cold, empty silence.
> "No magic signature detected," the examiner announced. "Next."
Laughter echoed behind him.
> "He's a defect."
"No crest. No magic. What's he even doing here?"
"Just go clean the floors, failure."
Kael turned away, face blank, heart screaming.
On his chest was his magical symbol—everyone had one.
The mark of ancestry. The proof of bloodline.
His?
A faded, cracked shape. So light, it looked like a mistake.
He walked alone through the academy halls, his soaked footsteps fading behind him. His room was small, unlit, and cold.
He stared into the mirror.
What stared back wasn't a warrior, or a mage, or even a student.
It was a question.
> "Why do I keep trying…?"
He whispered into the dark.
> "Why do I get up… if the world won't even look at me?"
His voice cracked. His body trembled.
> "I tried… I tried so hard… and all I get is—"
Suddenly…
Everything stopped.
The air went still. The silence turned sharp. Heavy. Ancient.
Kael's breath caught.
Then—
A voice.
Not loud.
Not angry.
But deep. Cold. Eternal.
> "So this is what you've become."
Kael stumbled back, eyes wide. "Who—who said that?!"
> "A shadow. A ghost of your blood. A boy broken by the world."
"And yet… you endure."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Where are you?! Show yourself!"
> "I am already inside you."
The mirror cracked—though Kael hadn't touched it.
> "Your pain… your rage… your endless cries that no one heard—I heard them."
> "And now… you hear me."
> "No. No! This isn't real. This is—"
> "Real?"
"You've lived in lies, Kael. They called you weak. Useless. They spat on your soul."
"But I see the truth buried beneath your scars."
> "You are not broken. You are waiting."
Kael backed into the corner, heart racing.
> "What do you want from me?!"
The voice paused.
Then it spoke like thunder echoing from eternity.
> "I want you to rise."
"Because your soul has awakened mine."
"I am Azrion… the last demon prince."
Kael froze.
> "D-Demon…?"
> "Yes."
"Born in fire. Buried in silence. I was sealed away when the gods feared my power… and my rage."
"For centuries, I slept… until your pain reached me."
> "Until I felt someone just like me."
Kael dropped to his knees, voice trembling.
> "I'm not like you… I'm not a monster…"
> "No. You're not."
"You're worse… You're a forgotten king hiding among sheep."
> "You've bled, begged, broken yourself for people who will never see you."
"And still… you keep standing."
> "Do you know what kind of strength that is?"
Kael's eyes welled with tears.
> "Then why do I feel so weak…?"
> "Because they made you feel that way."
"But I will show you what you really are."
> "You were never meant to shine, Kael…"
"You were meant to BURN."
Kael's symbol pulsed.
A dull throb at first… then stronger.
Like a heartbeat returning after years of silence.
He looked down—and for the first time ever, the faded mark glowed faintly. Dark. Violet. Ancient.
> "What's happening to me…?" he whispered.
> "You are awakening."
> "And when you finally rise…"
"The gods themselves will remember what they tried to bury."
Kael clenched his fists.
> "Then teach me. Show me who I am."
The voice smiled inside him.
> "Good."
"Because this world is not ready… for the monster it created."
END OF CHAPTER 1