Every kid has dreamt about being a hero at one point or another. We all look up to those who are strong and strive to be like them. But the sad truth is that being 'strong' isn't for everyone. Not just anyone can reach the peak of their craft.

For the people of Xanthos, there is no future for the weak. From the moment you are born, you are expected to be the strongest, to beat everyone, and to stand at the peak of humanity.

"... now Alex, why don't you give us a demonstration on the mana shield?" The teacher said in an abrasive manner.

"O-okay," Alex said hesitantly.

Alex stood up from his chair and began focusing on the gray mana core located at his sternum. A strange energy flowed along his veins from the mana core, and Alex began focusing on the mana and guided it towards his fingertips and brain simultaneously.

The mana reached his brain and formed a set of runes. And as the other stream of mana reached Alex's fingertips, the runes in his brain turned white and a thin, blue, and translucent barrier formed in front of Alex.

However, a few seconds after the barrier formed, it shattered.

"Your runes were sloppy and your concentration faltered, it seems. If you can't form even a simple mana shield, you will have no future." Alexs' teacher, Mrs. Bates, said with a scornful look.

* Pant Pant * “Yes ma’am.” Alex said after falling to his knees.

Wow, he failed again.

How can he fail something so simple?

It’s because of him that our class is the laughingstock of the entire school.

Alex unsteadily climbed back in his chair, still out of breath. I could’ve sworn my runes were fine that time, I must’ve lost focus, he thought to himself.

The bell rang, and the students began leaving class. Alex was the last to leave, and while walking down the hall, he received quick looks of disgust. It was almost as if his presence would sour everyones day.

The rest of his walk home went normally, despite the occasional glance, no one paid him any mind. As he turned onto his block, Alex felt that something was wrong. He didn’t know what it was, but his instincts were telling him that something dangerous was around.

When Alex reached his door, he heard rustling from inside. Don’t tell me…

Alex hastily unlocked his door and ran inside, expecting a happy sight, but what he saw was far from expectations. A man wearing a ski mask had broken into his house and was stealing his things. When the man saw Alex, he immediately charged at Alex with a knife. Alex, still in shock, was not able to respond to the attack in time and tried dodging at the last second, resulting in him getting stabbed in the shoulder.

“Arghhhh!” Alex yelled in pain, “What the hell?!”

The man ignored Alex and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying over 5 meters and crashing into the wall. He tried to stand up, but he was too dizzy to stay standing.

I can barely see anything, am I going to die here?

As the man charged at Alex once again, aiming at the heart. Alex made a last ditch effort to stop the attacker, and began casting a mana shield.

However, unlike the last time he cast the mana shield, instead of two streams of the same pale blue mana traveling to his fingertips and brain, a black energy originating at the lung formed the runes in his brain.

* Bang *

The sound of the knife hitting the now transparent black barrier in front of Alex ringed out and Alex, taking this opportunity, charged at the attacker and guided a powerful stream of mana to his fist, and hit him square in the jaw. The man's jaw was blown off, and Alex’s arm had cuts all over.