The carriage ride back from the city felt longer than the journey there.
No one spoke. The children who had received magic were allowed to sit closer to the front, where the ride was smoother. Those of us who hadn't were placed toward the back, where every bump in the road was felt through the wooden seat.
I didn't mind.
I kept replaying the moment in my mind — the crystal glowing, the priest waiting, the page staying blank.
In the end, the officials had spoken quietly among themselves before announcing the result.
"Magic presence detected," the priest said, his tone neutral. "But too faint to be classified. Below Level E."
Below Level E.
It wasn't a rejection. It was worse.
I was being told I was barely anything at all. I was supposed to rewrite my story today, but all I can think of is how my life is becoming like the previous one. Was my dream even real? Did I really meet the snow goddess? A goddess kissing a mere human is crazy. Maybe I just imagined it all.
When I reached home, my mother was waiting at the door.
She smiled the moment she saw me, but her eyes searched my face.
"Well?" she asked gently.
I shook my head, unable to hide my disappointment. Heart aching from the sorrow I was trying to hide. Mom's eyes softened the excitement left her eyes. She knew it didn't go well. I wanted to tell her everything, the red-haired noble boy being mean, the city city which looked unfamiliar and beautiful. And the disappointment I felt when the crystal stood still.
My father stood behind her, arms crossed.
"Nothing?" he asked, walking towards me. He always said that he surely sensed magic from me, and he somehow knew I had magic; maybe it's the fatherly love. The moment he touched my head, tapping it, my long-held tears were released.
"Something," I said.
"Just… too little. The crystal ball glowed, but nothing appeared. I might have very little magic," I answered with tears in my eyes.
They didn't say anything for a moment. Trying to understand the situation that they never heard. My mother pulled me into a hug anyway. Warm and relaxing after a tiring day, the hug didn't solve the problem but made me feel better.
"That's alright," she said. "Magic isn't everything."
My father nodded. "You're alive. You're healthy. That matters more."
I nodded too.
But inside, something felt unfinished.
---
I started visiting the village library every day.
It was a small building, half stone and half wood, filled with donated books from travelers and retired scholars. Most were old, some damaged, many incomplete.
I searched for anything about Eternal Slumber.
The curse was mentioned only a few times.
A condition caused by rare dark creatures. Victims entered a state between sleep and death. The body lived, but the mind was sealed away.
"No cure recorded," most texts said.
The monster that bit Neo was described in one dusty book.
A Nightwing Imp: Rare. Avoids humans. Lives deep within ancient forests or abandoned mana-rich lands.
Last recorded sighting: over a hundred years ago, used when a beastman capable of controlling animals used it to get revenge on his best friend. But no one capable enough to control was born, and finding that monster is very difficult and is seen as a threat to the Kingdom. And doesn't attack on its own, without a reason.
I closed the book slowly, finding information from different books, but most of the information was on Beastman's Revenge book. Detailing the vents and situation that led to a massacre.
The forest we lived near had always been considered safe, used by everyone, including teenagers.
Apparently, it wasn't.
---
A year passed.
I worked with my father in the carpentry shop during the mornings. That helped me get stronger physically, much stronger than swordsman and magicians. Father also started to save up money for me to attend sword lessons, having an option other than his job.
I also helped my mother in the fields in the afternoon, and spent my evenings in the library. I would say Mother's job is much more difficult, from having patience to balancing and strength. Her works required all.
My parents watched me quietly, being sensitive not to talk about magic and things related to it. And I regularly visit Neo. Her mother asked me to cut her hair today, but I cut it too short by mistake.
One night, my mother sat beside me while I was reading.
"You don't sleep much," she said, bringing an extra lamp to the table.
"I'm fine," I replied.
She hesitated. "You don't have to fix everything alone. It wasn't your fault. No one could have known that would happen."
"I know."
But I still felt like I had to try.
---
The day I got lost started normally.
I went to the eastern edge of the forest to buy treated wood from a trader who gathered fallen mana-touched trees.
I followed the marked path in the woods to get supplies.
At least, I thought I did.
The fog rolled in slowly, thick and heavy, and when I realized the trees around me didn't look familiar, it was already too late.
The ground gave way beneath my feet. The unfamiliar stone wall in the ground, filled with ancient texts.
I fell in broad daylight, and I woke up in darkness.
Cold stone pressed against my back, my whole body screaming from pain. The air smelled damp and stale.
A dungeon, I have only heard about it and read about it in books. It appears at random; you cannot walk out once entered. Traps and monsters all over the place. Commoners like me have very little chance of survival. The best option is to wait at the entrance or to find a safe space and hide until someone else falls and clears the dungeon for you.
Natural or artificial, I couldn't tell.
I stood slowly, heart racing as I saw something move in the darkness.
A shape emerged from the shadows. A man, but much bigger, a size or two grown men, with a wooden stick, matches the description of a giant goblin. A small touch or light from his other hand slowly illuminates the darkness. Making everything much scarier. Eyes everywhere.
Its body was thick with muscle, its skin rough like bark. One eye was milky white, the other sharp and yellow.
It grinned.
I ran as fast as possible, too hurried, and every other step, hurting my toes, stumbling on rocks and wood. I would hear the heavy steps behind me.
The tunnels twisted and turned. The ground was uneven. I tripped, scraped my arm, and barely got up in time to avoid a heavy club smashing into the floor.
I turned down a narrow passage.
Dead end.
The goblin blocked the exit.
It charged with a smile and a weird laugh, sending chills down my body. Freaky monster.
Pain exploded across my shoulder as it struck me.
I hit the wall and slid down.
Blood dripped from my mouth.
"I'm going to die," I thought.
Something cold brushed my hand.
A hilt.
It wasn't there before.
A sword had formed beside me — snow-white blade, light blue handle, faintly glowing.
I grabbed it with all my strength. Ignoring the pain in my shoulders.
Swung wildly, erratically. I never trained to fight, not to remind you I'm a kid who doesn't have magic.
I missed the shot. But the goblin recoiled.
It hesitated, looking for a small creature in the dark. I took that chance, and I ran past it and didn't look back.
---
I collapsed near the dungeon entrance, where I first saw the goblin.
Three people stood there.
Two men and a woman.
The woman was tall and strong, with animal-like, sharp eyes and clawed gloves. A beastwoman.
One man carried a bow.
The other glowed faintly with healing magic.
They rushed to me.
"What happened?" the healer asked.
"Goblin," I whispered.
They exchanged looks and ran inside.
I blacked out.
---
I woke up outside, wrapped in a cloak.
The beastwoman sat nearby, cleaning her weapon, a red, sharp knife.
The archer leaned against a tree.
The healer knelt beside me.
"You're lucky," he said. "That goblin regenerates."
"I know," I muttered.
They laughed softly.
"You scared it off?" the archer asked.
I nodded weakly.
"With that?" the beastwoman pointed to the sword beside me.
"I don't know where it came from. I ran past it." I said.
They studied me more carefully now.
"Have you attended the academy?" the healer asked.
"I couldn't," I said. "My magic was too low. They weren't even able to say what magic I have."
He frowned.
"That doesn't make sense. Even if magic is low, they should be able to say which element at least. But I kindof sense magic from you."
The beastwoman crossed her arms. "Maybe no one taught him how to use it."
The archer tilted his head. "Or maybe he's suppressing it without knowing."
The healer nodded slowly. "You should get re-examined."
I looked at the sword.
And for the first time…
I believed them.