Chapter 1: Kuren Sain

Kuren Sain is a 14-year-old boy who attends the Combat Academy at Lombania. His mom died at childbirth and his father left him in search of an adventure. His uncle and aunt take care of him, for which he is grateful for. With their meager funds, his relatives sent him to the Combat Academy hoping he would become an accomplished soldier or general.

But the future does not seem so bright for him.

On this sunny morning, he awoke on the top of a bunk bed. He slowly got up and stretched himself. He looked below him and saw that his roommate had already left.

“I guess this means I’m late.” Kuren jumped down from his bed. He landed awkwardly on his right ankle and tumbled forward. He hit his head on the drawer in front of him.

He groaned and held his head while lying on the floor. After a few seconds, he gingerly picked himself up.

He got himself changed into the academy uniform. He went into the bathroom and washed his mouth with a quick rinse. He quickly put on his shoes and left the dorms for class.

* * *

When he got to the classroom, he could hear talking through the door. He sighed and slowly opened the door.

“… the types of mana can be split into two categories.” Professor Monaco explained to the class. When Kuren entered, Monaco turned to look at Kuren.

“… Mr. Sain… How nice of you to join us. Since you’ve decided to grace us with your presence, do you think you could explain the two categories of mana?”

“Uh…I think…I don’t know.” Kuren answered with a nervous expression on his face.

“Is that so? Well if you can’t answer then sit down. And maybe come to class on time so that you actually learn something?” Monaco replied dryly. Kuren quickly nodded and quickly scampered to his desk.

“Now then. Can anyone answer my question?” Monaco asked the class. A red-haired boy raised his hand.

“Yes, Flane?”

“Mana can be separated into two categories. Raw and artificial. Raw mana is used by demons, spirits and elves. Artificial mana is used by humans, dwarves, and also elves.”

“Very good. Now then can you also explain why humans use artificial mana instead of raw?”

“Raw mana is unrefined and uncontrolled. If a human was to use raw mana, the human would quickly lose control of the mana. The raw mana would spread throughout the human’s body, and the human would die or become some misshapen magic beast. Artificial mana exists within our within bodies. The mana within the atmosphere is absorbed into our bodies and is refined into artificial mana. This mana is harmless to humans.”

“Very good. As expected of you, Flane. Now then, I hope that you all are ready for spars. We will be heading to the practice ground shortly.” Monaco smiled and nodded. “And Kuren? Please come see me after class.”

Kuren groaned and put his head on his desk. His day was already starting out to be pretty unfortunate. As Kuren lay on his desk, the red-haired student named Flane and his friends walked towards him.

“Hey Kuren, it’s not very good to be tardy? That’s not like you at all. Tsk tsk.” Flane addressed Kuren. All the other students around Kuren turned away and pointedly ignored the exchange.

Kuren is a scrawny little thing. He is short and weak for his age. His looks are average. All these factors led to his current situation: he is not popular. In fact, he is ignored by most students. Or rather, they avoided him. The reason being Flane Adenium.

Flane. He is strong, handsome, and popular. He is the heir of the Adenium family, a powerful heritage with plenty of recognition and fame. Flane is at the top of his class. He has talent for both swordsmanship and magic. It was clear that Flane was on the path to becoming a spellblade, an occupation that was highly sought after and envied.

Flane went out of his way to talk to Kuren. It made no sense for him to be Kuren’s friend. Which is why he wasn’t. He treated Kuren like trash. He constantly picked on Kuren. Whenever there was a weapons spar, Flane would choose Kuren and proceed to treat him like a straw dummy. Magic duels were even more of a joke. Kuren had no capabilities for magic at all. His mana pool was pitifully small too. The only spell he could use was [Ignis Globus]; he could light a tiny flame at the tip of his finger for an impressive 10 minutes.

So Kuren became Flane’s plaything. And Kuren never did anything to stop him.

“Yeah I woke up late. My roommate woke up without waking me up.” Kuren replied.

“You’re blaming your roommate? That’s no good.”

“Well that’s not what I mea-”

“You heard Monaco about the spars coming up, right? You’re going to be my partner, okay?” Flane interrupted.

Kuren gave a forced smile and nodded.

“Heh, nice. See you on the field, partner.” Flane walked away, snickering with his friends.

Great. Now he had to spar with Flane. He rubbed his right ankle, where a black and yellow bruise was. Flane and his friends had constantly challenged Kuren. Each time, they would end the spar with a blow to his right ankle. His bruise was never given the chance to heal.

As he rubbed his ankle, one of the girls in the class walked up to him.

“Kuren, you’re going to spar Flane? Oh wow. That’s so brave of you. Do your best all right?”

Melodi Adenia. A beautiful and talented girl. She is the flower of the entire class. No, she is the flower of the entire school. She is untouchable, beautiful, and fragile. Countless boys had a crush on her, and flocks of girls followed her. The Adenia family was one that rivaled the Adenium family’s power and history.

So why did she greet Kuren? Why was she giving Kuren a bright smile that seemed like it could melt a man’s heart? Was it kindness? Was it pity? Was it love? Whatever it was, the boys all glared at Kuren. Kuren could only weakly smile at Melodi.

“Yeah…thanks for the support…” Melodi’s smile grew bigger. She winked at Kuren and gave him a thumbs up. She cheerfully skipped away.

As she went away, Kuren became conscious of the cold sweat running down his back. He realized that he had been holding his breath the entire time. He began to feel a sharp pain in chest near his heart.

Melodi. She was a flower to everyone in the entire school. Well, almost everyone. If you asked Kuren who he was scared most of in the school, it would not be Flane. It would not be Monaco. It would not be the principal. It would not be the rumored ghost in the attic.

No. It is Melodi he is most scared of. Because to Kuren, she is not a flower. She is much more.