The afternoon training bell echoed across the academy courtyard.
Students gathered across the open practice grounds, forming small groups to practice spell-casting under supervision. Glowing mana circles traced the air as instructors watched closely.
Aaryan stood alone near the outer boundary.
His eyes quietly followed the movements of other students as they shaped mana into stable formations.
"Hey… Bottom Mage."
A mocking voice echoed behind him.
Aaryan immediately recognized it. He turned around with a gentle smile.
Adhrit Varma stood there with a group of noble-born friends. Their robes were polished, their staffs gleamed with refined enchantments, and their expressions overflowed with arrogance.
Adhrit's crimson hair shimmered under the sunlight like burning embers.
"Brother…" Aaryan said warmly, lowering his head respectfully.
Adhrit's expression twisted in disgust.
"Stop calling me that."
His friends burst into laughter.
One of them stepped forward. "Adhrit, shall we test our spell accuracy today?"
Adhrit smirked slowly.
"Yes… let's."
He raised his hand and pointed directly at Aaryan.
"Use him as target practice."
The boys laughed even louder.
Aaryan blinked in confusion.
Before he could react—
A small fire orb formed in Adhrit's palm.
BOOM.
The orb exploded near Aaryan's feet, knocking him backward into the dirt. Dust filled the air as his body rolled across the ground.
Adhrit's friends immediately began casting spells as well.
Water needles. Wind blades. Small stone projectiles.
Aaryan tried to dodge, but his weak mana made his body slower than theirs. He stumbled repeatedly, falling, scraping his skin, rolling helplessly across the training ground.
Yet…
He smiled.
Inside his heart, a simple thought echoed.
If practicing on me helps my brother grow stronger… then it's okay.
Spell after spell struck around him.
His cloak tore further. His arms bruised. His breathing grew unstable.
Suddenly—
"ENOUGH!"
Acharya Harishankar's voice thundered across the training ground.
The spells vanished instantly.
The teacher stood behind them, his eyes blazing with fury.
"Training is not cruelty," he said coldly. "You disgrace both magic… and nobility."
The group froze.
Adhrit tried to speak. "Master… we were just—"
"Silence."
The teacher raised his staff and struck the ground once.
Golden chains of mana erupted from the earth, wrapping tightly around Adhrit and his friends.
"You will clean every training ground in this academy for one week," Acharya Harishankar declared. "Without magic."
The students gasped.
Adhrit's face burned with humiliation.
Slowly, his glare turned toward Aaryan.
Hatred simmered silently in his eyes.
That Night The palace grounds lay silent beneath the moonlight.
Behind the servant quarters, Aaryan sat alone on the cold stone floor. Sweat dripped down his face as he crossed his legs and brought his hands together.
"Mana… gather…" he whispered.
A faint green wind spark flickered around his fingers.
Then faded.
Aaryan clenched his teeth and tried again.
Hours passed.
His body trembled with exhaustion.
Other students his age could already cast basic Rank 1 spells smoothly.
But Aaryan…
Could not even stabilize a beginner spell circle.
Again. And again.
Each failure tightened the crushing weight inside his chest.
Finally—
His mana collapsed completely.
Aaryan fell backward onto the stone floor, staring at the moon above.
"Why…" he whispered weakly. "Why won't it listen to me…?"
Only silence answered him.
Dinner at the Varma Palace, Golden chandeliers illuminated the massive dining hall.
Four figures sat around the long royal table.
Village Lord Rajendra Varma. His second wife, Lady Kavya Varma. Adhrit Varma. And Aaryan.
Aaryan sat at the farthest end of the table, his portion noticeably smaller than the others.
As servants finished serving, Adhrit suddenly slammed his spoon down.
"This is unfair!"
The room froze.
Lord Rajendra frowned slightly. "What happened?"
"That useless trash caused my punishment today!" Adhrit snapped, pointing at Aaryan.
Aaryan lowered his head immediately.
Lady Kavya's eyes sharpened.
"Is that true?"
Aaryan spoke softly. "Adhrit was only practi—"
"Enough."
Her voice sliced through the hall like a blade.
She stood slowly, her expression cold.
"You embarrass this family every day with your existence."
Aaryan's hands tightened beneath the table.
"You are not worthy to sit with us," she continued.
She turned toward the guards.
"Lock him in the underground storeroom."
Aaryan looked up slightly, fear flickering in his eyes.
"For three days," she added calmly. "No food."
Lord Rajendra remained silent.
Aaryan's eyes unconsciously moved toward his father.
Searching. Begging.
But Rajendra avoided his gaze.
Aaryan's heart quietly cracked.
The guards dragged him away.
The Darkness The underground storeroom was damp, cold, and filled with dust and broken crates.
The heavy door slammed shut.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Aaryan curled into a corner, hugging his knees.
Time lost meaning inside the silent prison.
His stomach burned with hunger. His throat dried painfully.
But more painful than hunger…
Was loneliness.
Late into the second night—
The storeroom door creaked open slightly.
A frail old woman slipped inside quietly.
"Aaryan baba…"
His eyes widened.
"Kamala Aaji…"
She had once been his mother's personal maid.
She helped him sit up and fed him warm rice carefully.
Tears filled Aaryan's eyes.
"Why… do you help me…?" he whispered.
Kamala smiled gently, wiping dirt from his face.
"Because… I promised your mother."
Aaryan froze.
"My… mother…?"
Kamala nodded slowly.
"She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen."
Aaryan leaned forward desperately.
"What… was she like?"
Kamala's eyes softened with memory.
"She had hair white as moonlight… and eyes calmer than still water."
Aaryan's breath stopped.
The woman from his dream…
His fingers tightened around his torn cloak.
"How… did she die…?" he asked, voice trembling.
Kamala hesitated for a long moment before sighing.
"On the night you were born… something very strange happened."
Aaryan listened silently.
"Your mother was a powerful mage," Kamala continued. "During childbirth, a mother's mana becomes unstable. But while you were being born… her mana began disappearing."
Aaryan's pupils shrank.
"It flickered… like a dying flame," Kamala whispered. "And then… a sudden fire broke out inside the palace."
Aaryan clenched his fists.
"The flames spread faster than any normal fire. She couldn't escape… she had no mana."
Kamala placed her wrinkled hand gently on his head.
"Everyone believed the mana instability caused the disaster. And you… were blamed as bad luck."
Aaryan whispered, "And… me…?"
Kamala smiled sadly.
"You were the only one who survived that night. It is still a miracle."
She paused.
"Perhaps… your mother saved you by sacrificing herself."
Silence filled the storeroom.
Aaryan's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
After Kamala Left Aaryan lay on the cold floor, staring into the darkness.
His thoughts spiraled.
If… it was just a mana accident…
His breathing grew heavier.
Then… what about my dream?
The image returned vividly.
The white-haired woman. The crying child. The burning palace.
And—
The man with the massive sword. The cruel smile. The scar across his forehead.
Aaryan's fingers trembled.
"That wasn't fire…" he whispered. "That was… murder."
Fear mixed with anger inside his chest.
"Who… was that swordsman…?"
For the first time in his life—
His eyes hardened.
"I need to know the truth…"
He clenched his fists slowly.
"Tomorrow… I will ask Father."
Moonlight slipped through the tiny storeroom window, illuminating his determined face.
Outside—
The wind howled softly.
Almost as if it was listening