Chapter 3

  Night had fallen. The moon washed the sky in pale silver as Suero moved forward with heavy, dragging steps. His body was spent, every muscle screaming. He stopped, bracing his hands on his knees, fighting to calm his racing heart.

  His eyes drifted to the Mehrebot watch strapped to his wrist. Frustration and despair tightened his features.

  “I failed…” he whispered, voice hollow. “I couldn’t finish the first trial.”

  He drew a deep breath and lifted his head. The moon reflected in his eyes as he stared at it, lost in thought.

  “Will I really become the strongest mage?” he murmured, as if asking himself.

  “Will I… be able to save humanity?”

  Silence answered him. He kept gazing upward, as though the night itself might offer him a truth.

  ---

  At the same time, near the gates of the Magic Academy, Moryo stepped out with his team—Baysal, Kamyo, and a man named Veb. They headed toward the Misuya Zone.

  Baysal’s worry was clear. “A mission in Misuya?!”

  Kamyo froze in shock. “Wasn’t that area already destroyed?”

  Veb spoke calmly, almost detached. “I believe one of the Rizeus Organization’s members is responsible.”

  Kamyo clenched his fists. “I hate them.”

  Suddenly, Suero appeared before them—exhausted, trembling, standing in silence.

  Kamyo glanced at him, then burst into laughter, his voice dripping with mockery.

  “He’s back!”

  Baysal smirked and challenged him, “Did you finish your first trial?”

  Suero lowered his head, avoiding their eyes. Sorrow weighed down his expression.

  “I… couldn’t,” he muttered.

  Baysal and Kamyo laughed openly, their ridicule echoing in the night.

  “Didn’t I tell you he was weak?” Kamyo scoffed.

  A single, silent tear slipped from Suero’s eye, carrying the weight of everything he had held inside.

  For a moment, Moryo looked at him with disdain. A thought crossed his mind.

  Why did you choose him, Sbyam? There are so many who are far more capable…

  Then he spoke, his voice sharp and commanding.

  “Enough.”

  Their laughter died instantly. Baysal and Kamyo straightened, their expressions turning serious.

  Moryo stepped forward, closing the distance. Suero kept staring at the ground.

  “Lift your head,” Moryo said coldly.

  Another tear fell. Suero’s voice trembled.

  “But… they’re right.”

  Moryo’s tone hardened.

  “Didn’t I tell you… to lift your head?”

  Slowly, Suero obeyed. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he looked up.

  Moryo studied him, then spoke in a calmer tone.

  “Oh? You’re… Spailo’s brother. Why are you here?”

  Suero flinched at the words, but Moryo continued.

  “Why did you join the Mana Organization? Why did you enter the Mage Guild?”

  Suero hesitated, then answered softly,

  “To protect humans from monsters…”

  Moryo’s reply was merciless.

  “You won’t be able to. At this level, all you’ll do is watch humans die in front of you.”

  Suero stared at him in shock.

  “I don’t know why Master Sbyam chose you,” Moryo went on, eyes cold. “But what matters to me is this—I see someone who can’t do anything.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Their gazes locked for a brief, burning moment.

  Then, without another word, Moryo turned away and led his team forward. One by one, they vanished into the night, leaving Suero behind.

  He watched them go. A sad smile formed on his lips, and a single thought echoed in his mind.

  How can I become like them?

  A voice whispered behind him, laced with dry amusement.

  “You’ll have to give everything you’ve got.”

  It was Sbyam.

  Suero turned, his chest filling with renewed resolve. His spirit burned again.

  “Alright!” he declared. “I’ll give it my all!”

  ---

  In the ruined land of Misuya, the city still burned among the remnants of its own destruction.

  At the heart of the devastation stood a man named Solio. A cold smile rested on his lips, while a violet glow shimmered around his body like living light.

  Before him gathered a horde of enraged monsters, their roars shaking the broken streets. Yet Solio turned his back on them.

  He did not even acknowledge their presence.

  He allowed them to spread chaos and ruin freely, as if the carnage meant nothing to him—

  as if the collapse of an entire city were merely background noise.

  ---

  Inside the Magic Academy

  Sbyam walked ahead, hands tucked into his pockets, while Suero followed in silence. After a few steps, Sbyam turned with an easy smile.

  “So,” he said lightly, “you couldn’t complete the trial?”

  Suero nodded.

  “Uh… yeah.”

  Sbyam let out a soft laugh.

  “Then it’s time for your punishment.”

  Suero swallowed. “P-Punishment? What is it?”

  Sbyam kept smiling and gave no answer, which only made Suero’s unease grow.

  They arrived at a stone courtyard within the academy. Suero stopped, glancing around in confusion. Sbyam stepped into the center and began stretching, as if warming up for a workout. Then he spoke with a sly grin.

  “The punishment is…”

  Suero stared at him. “What…?”

  Sbyam stopped stretching and smirked.

  “You’re going to fight me.”

  Suero’s eyes went wide.

  “F-Fight you?”

  Then he shouted, “FIIIIGHT YOU?!”

  ---

  Deep Within a Dense Forest

  In the heart of a thick forest stood a simple house, quiet and warm despite the wilderness around it.

  Inside, the mother, Salma, was finishing dinner in the kitchen. She tasted the food and smiled in satisfaction.

  Her daughter, Kaso, stepped in gently.

  “Do you need any help, Mom?”

  “No,” Salma replied. “I just finished cooking.”

  A knock suddenly echoed at the door.

  “That must be your father,” Salma said. “Go open it.”

  Kaso rushed over and pulled the door open. Her father, Rashid, stood outside.

  “Dad!” she cried, throwing herself into his arms.

  Rashid smiled and hugged her tightly before stepping inside. Kaso closed the door behind him. Salma came out of the kitchen carrying the dishes and set them on the table.

  The family gathered around, and Salma began serving the meal.

  Kaso took a bite, her eyes lighting up.

  “This tastes amazing!”

  Rashid tasted it as well and smiled.

  “Your cooking is always perfect, Salma.”

  She laughed.

  “You two certainly know how to flatter me.”

  Kaso added cheerfully,

  “You really make the best dried meat… Suero’s favorite dish!”

  Salma’s smile softened with nostalgia.

  “Ah… I miss him.”

  Rashid chuckled too, but then Kaso asked innocently,

  “Mom? Why didn’t you make the minced meat dish Spailo likes?”

  Salma froze.

  Rashid’s expression darkened. He slammed his hand on the table.

  “Don’t say that name in front of me!”

  Salma reached out, trying to calm him.

  “Rashid, please… let it go.”

  But his voice only grew angrier.

  “How can I? That bastard tried to kill his own sister!”

  Kaso stared at him, confused.

  “He tried to kill me?”

  Rashid answered in a voice heavy with pain,

  “You were too young to understand what really happened.”

  ---

  Memory Rewind — 10 Years Ago

  On a quiet night, little Kaso—only seven—slept peacefully beside her twin brother, Suero, who was the same age. Both were deep in slumber.

  Their older brother, Spailo, ten years old, stood in the room, gazing at Kaso with a calm, unreadable smile. He slowly reached out toward her.

  A faint red spark began to shimmer around his hand.

  At that moment, their father, Rashid, returned home, worn out from the day. He stepped inside, muttering,

  “What a long day…”

  Then he noticed it—a red glow seeping from the children’s room.

  Unease gripped him. He approached the door carefully.

  When he reached it, he saw Spailo standing there.

  Shock washed over Rashid’s face as he understood what he was witnessing.

  “Spailo…?” he called out.

  Spailo turned sharply. The crimson spark was still glowing in his hand.

  Rashid’s eyes widened in terror. His voice trembled.

  “What were you about to do?!”

  Spailo did not answer.

  He stared at his father with an emotionless face—then, in a sudden motion, leaped through the window and vanished into the darkness of the night, leaving Rashid behind, frozen in disbelief and confusion.

  ---

  Present — 10 Years Later

  Spailo stood outside his family’s home, leaning against the door after hearing their conversation.

  The pain of the past surged back into his chest.

  “You know nothing…” he muttered bitterly.

  Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, as if fleeing from the memories of that painful night.

  ---

  In the City of Misuya

  Gigantic monsters continued their rampage through the city, smashing buildings as flames spread across the district. One massive creature slammed into a structure with overwhelming force, collapsing it entirely. Embers and debris scattered through the air.

  Moryo stood in silence, watching the catastrophe.

  Baysal, frustration written all over her face, cursed,

  “Damn it! We’re too late!”

  Kamyo asked anxiously,

  “What do we do now, commander?”

  Moryo did not waver. He stared at the monstrous figures as a green spark began to glow around his body, pulsing with strange power.

  In the next instant, he vanished.

  A heartbeat later, he reappeared in the sky directly above the monsters. The green energy condensed around him, illuminating the entire area.

  With an explosive burst of speed, he shot forward and crashed into one of the giant creatures with devastating force.

  His team watched in stunned silence, their eyes wide with awe at the sheer scale of his power.

  End of Chapter.