The sun peeked through the heavy gray clouds typical of a Victorian morning, casting a soft, diffused light over the cobblestone streets. The air carried a crisp chill, and the distant sounds of horse-drawn carriages clattering against the stones blended with the chatter of townsfolk bustling about their daily routines.
"Look at this, Hawke, he's so weak, why do you even exist?!" said a loud voice in the busy streets.
The bully laughed at Kenovar, Ken for short, Ken was a 19, lean kid pale-looking kid wearing a formal British school uniform, with black, messy hair he never cared about.
"This is a Hawke who doesn't know magic! " announced Ken's most hated bully, Jack Spencer
Jack kicked Ken several times in the gut, which made him cough up blood. This was Ken's usual routine: getting beaten up by Jack.
"Oi, cut that out, lads!" yelled the officer.
Jack ran away with his minions, Jack was a scared cat when it came to officers.
"You alright, kid?" asked the officer
Ken simply nodded, then coughed blood again.
"Can't you heal yourself up?" asked the officer politely
Ken stuttered.
" I don't know magic..." said Ken
"Anyways, what's your name, kid?" asked the officer suspiciously
Ken stumbled again.
"Kenovar Hawke..." said Ken
The officer was shocked for a brief second.
" A Hawke! Who doesn't know magic..." exclaimed the officer
"Kenovar Hawke," he said weakly.
The officer blinked. "A Hawke… who doesn't know magic?"
Then a kid came around his age.
Ken wiped his mouth. His hair was an unusual sea-green, a foreigner by the look of him. His amber eyes were calm, kind.
"You're hurt," he said.
Ken didn't reply.
The boy knelt and placed two fingers on Ken's shoulder. A soft green glow pulsed from his palm. Ken felt the pain ebb away. His ribs warmed, and the tightness in his chest faded.
"That should help," the boy said with a small smile. Then he stood up and walked off without another word.
Ken watched him disappear.
"Stay away from those bullies," the officer warned. "Your name should mean something."
Ken didn't answer.
The officer tipped his hat and left.
Then a man from the Crimson Court came in to announce something.
"Ahem! From the Crimson Court," he caught everyone's attention
"A royal letter from the queen!" he yelled
"It's made clear, from now on this moment, boys and girls in the age group of 16-20 are said to be present in the crimson court tomorrow at 9 in the morning; if not, they will be punished! This initiative is taken because of the rise of Chaos magic," he read from the letter
"You will be put on trial; there are three trials, and each one of them has its uniqueness. Before that, you will be put in the Sections. Alchemy, Healing, Defence, Strickers," said the man from the court
Then a man in a suit from the palace whispered to him something
"Ah..! Yes, after the trial, you will be given the ranks," he said
There are five ranks...
✦ Dawn- Lowest rank, mostly non-magic users
✦ Daylight- Weak Magic users
✦ Dusk- More knowledge and stronger
✦ Nightfall- High power and more knowledge, mostly professors in Magic Universities
✦ Starfall- The Most powerful Magic users in the world, only 124 are left
Everyone in the streets where whispering about the rise of Chaos magic.. The last time this happened was when the Chaos magic user Ross Connor opened a portal to the Dark magic realm. The whole city was wiped out until the members of Starfall came in huge numbers to defeat Ross Connor and send him to prison
Ken was nineteen now, which means he has to show up in court too.
He was scared, what if he got humiliated again...
Ken turned into a narrow alley nearby, away from the crowds and noise. The cobblestone path here was damp, cracked, with puddles of rainwater reflecting the gray sky. The walls were close, made of soot-stained brick and iron drainpipes that dripped slowly. The alley smelled of wet stone, old smoke, and something faintly metallic—blood, maybe. Stray bits of paper blew past his boots as a cold gust whispered through the tight space.
Ken stopped walking.
He reached inside his coat and pulled out an old, silver-looking watch. The surface was scratched and worn, with faint initials carved into the back—V.S
It had belonged to his father.
Ken held it in both hands and looked down at it for a moment, silent. He tapped its side, like his father used to do when the time froze.
Nothing.
He tapped it again.
Still nothing.
On the third tap, the glass flickered faintly. A strange blue light shimmered beneath the cracked face. Ken blinked.
Then it happened.
System Initiating…
The watch vibrated lightly in his palm. A soft chime echoed in the silence of the alley.
Ken stepped back, eyes wide.
System Initiated.
Welcome to: Magic System Integration Protocol
A glowing screen projected above the watch, faint and ghostly like smoke lit from within. Ken's breath caught.
Name: Kenovar Hawke
Date of Birth: 8th June, 1862
User Status: Magicless
.....Processing....
The gears in the watch began to spin on their own. Light shone from the edges. The street sounds behind him faded, leaving only his heartbeat and the soft hum of the device.
DING!
Then came a notification.
Title Assigned: The Innocent Eclipse
Ken stared at the words, unable to move.
He swallowed hard. "What… In the world is this?"
He gripped the watch tightly. It was warm now, pulsing like a heartbeat.
He didn't notice the single tear sliding down his cheek.
He hadn't cried in years.
His parents were gone. His father—killed in an accident no one ever explained. His mother—lost to the Chaos Realm[1]'s portal breach, the day the sky turned red and half the city was swallowed in flame.
Now he has this weird watch? Which insulted him..
Since then, he had been alone.
But something struck him again...
What is Innocent Eclipse?
He heard somewhere, probably in poems? or prophecies...
[1] It is said that there are millions of realms in the the universe the worst of them all the Chaos realm. Place where The Unborn monster arrived.