Black clouds sprawled across the sky. The air grew heavy, humidity pressed down, suffocating. The silence fell apart as the sky screamed, a hot silver streak split the sky apart, and the downpour began. The drops like bullets pierced through the thick air and the winds roared.

Lucifer shut his eyes closed, clenched his throbbing heart with his trembling hands, his body as cold as ice he felt a sharp pain in his head as if it was going to rip off. His whole body dyed red with blood, was covered with wounds and injuries. As the unbearable pain crept through his flesh and veins, he screamed his lungs out, but his voice was suppressed by the thundering clamour. He opened his mouth again to shout, only to throw up chunks of blood. He gritted his teeth as he thought to himself,

'Is this the end? Am I going to die like this? But if I die what about my friends, the people, the enemies? The war is not over yet…I cannot die like this! No! no! I......'

18 years ago.

On a bright sunny morning, when the fresh cool wind and crispy air started whistling, and the birds started their morning melody, a new life fluttered its eyes open with a sharp cry.

Judith gave birth to a baby boy. The child had an angelic appearance with pale white skin, a sharp nose, brown hair, small red lips and a pair of twinkling bright eyes like stars; golden in colour. Marcus his father named the child Lucifer, which in Latin means “Light-Bringer”. But ironically the child lacked light in his own world, he could never see the world as it was, he could only see darkness without a hint of light; that child Lucifer was born as Blind.

“Honey look at his eyes, they are golden in colour I’m sure he will be a wielder of magic.” Judith cried out with moist eyes.

“You are right wife, Hehe whose son do you think he is? so what if we are poor? in this kingdom magic is the greatest power. Nobody will be able to look down upon him once he starts seeing and sensing mana Hahaha my pride my son....” yelled Marcus with a proud smile.

Judith and Marcus were full of pride for their son and despite being poor invited all villagers for dinner to celebrate, to share their happiness, unknown of the fact as to what future was looming ahead.

Mantric kingdom a small kingdom that was a part of the vast Asina empire was greatly known for its magic. Great magicians were born in the past from this very kingdom and the people with golden eyes were said to be able to wield magic the so-called magic wielders; Magicians or Mantrics. It was said that the golden eyes had a special kind of power that enabled them to see golden particles in the air. Such particles were nothing but the small packets of energy that they called Mana. Such people could see and sense those particles and absorb them to store in their bodies. But to store the energy they had to form their core; a storage place inside the body near your abdomen. The stronger the shell of your core, the more mana you can store.

Forming the core was the easiest part for magicians, they just needed to focus the energy particles-Mana absorbed near their abdomen. But strengthening the core was a whole different case, this was what created the difference between their levels. A Lower-class mage like 1st, 2nd and 3rd class with colour Red, Orange and yellow respectively. While Middle-class like 4th, 5th with green and blue core colours. High-class like 6th and 7th with indigo, violet whereas the 8th class was the superior- The Great Mage with a completely white core.

To date, very few reached the high-class level which can be counted just by both hands. But there was only one Great Mage of the vast Asina empire – Jacob Noctifer, a 70-year-old man. Nobody had reached such heights in the past thousand years thus people greatly respected and admired him. He was the epitome of all magicians the lord of the current 'Magic Tower'. (A tower-like structural building where mainly the Magicians reside with set laws.)

7 years later.

A village of humans resided in the heart of a forest known as ‘The forest of small.’ A forest where basically ‘the small people’ called ‘Kobolds’ were the original inhabitants. These mythical creatures were said to have existed long before humans came to rule the world. They were craven reptilian humanoids worshipping dragons as demigods. People believed these creatures were just myths as no one ever saw them and they only existed in stories.

In the village, the hearty laughter of the children could be heard, women gossiping with each other about what happened the other day with her neighbours, some proudly praising their sons and daughters as to how they got admitted to the academy in the town and so on.

In the midst of all those, a soft groan could be heard. A little boy with a pale white face, golden eyes, and red hair had his face tugged in his mother’s arms. That little kid was Lucifer. In fear that his father would beat him again, he tightly clasped his mother. Hot tears formed in his eyes but he resisted them from falling because he knew crying would only make his father pissed off to beat him up even more. His father hated tears and more so his eyes and hair. Though he was only seven years old he was mature enough to know the reason why people made fun of him, why he was looked down upon, why some sympathized while some despised him.

Judith tightly hugged her son to protect him from her husband. Marcus sobered up a little from his drunken state and gritted his teeth because he could not beat his wife after all he loved her, he should have loved his and her child too actually he loved him with all his heart, he was his pride his son. He had big dreams for his son, he wanted him to be a great man but all those dreams, pride, love shattered when he found out his son was blind. Though he had golden eyes he couldn’t see or sense mana and could never be a magician. The academies rejected him to accept, doctors or other magicians had no answer to this and his neighbours and all laughed at him. He tried hard with the best of his abilities to find a cure for his son but all in vain. Just when they were accepting the truth to lead a normal life, on Lucifer’s 7th birthday his hair started to change its colour and ended up as red.

A hair colour that is despised, hated, a treacherous hair colour forbidden in the empire. In the past thousands of years, no one was born such, he didn’t know why and how it happened but he knew if others found out, his son would be in danger. He knew it was not his child’s fault but he drank every day over his limits and lost all rationality and ended beating him up. He despised himself for his behaviour. He cursed himself as he stomped out of the house, and slammed the door shut. No one noticed his moist eyes or the fresh wounds on his back or even the bump in his pant pocket due to a bun wrapped in paper, which his son loved to eat.

Judith in their small cottage with a roof that could crumble at any moment tightly hugged Lucifer and cried her eyes out. Her heart ached when she looked at her child who couldn’t lead a normal life like others of his age. Even if he was blind, he wouldn’t have had to face these things if he didn’t have golden eyes and red hair.

“Only if your hair remained brown as it was and you didn’t……” Judith mumbled as her voice trailed off.

“Hmm?” Lucifer heard his mom mumbling to herself.

Did he really have had brown hair? So how come they have a different colour now?

Lucifer had so many questions he wanted to ask, but for the time being, he decided to put this topic in the back of his head and nodded. After perceiving her eyes with his hands, he wiped her tears off, and tried his best to smile, to make his mother feel that everything was fine, he was fine. But he felt her shiver more vigorously, her heart pounding more so loudly as if it only made her even more anxious. The next moment before he knew, she pulled him towards herself, near her bosom patting his head gently that was filled with motherly love. He could feel her warmth which helped him to calm down. He hugged his mother with a little more strength in his small arms as a soft smile appeared on his face that could melt one's heart.