Ϯ≈Ϛ ϐϦϚϠϸϮ ϐϽ ≈ϚϷϚ, ᛆϦϤ Ͻ𐌏 ᛆϻ ϐ, ϡϐϮ≈ϐϦ ϣ𐌏ϰ"
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A long time ago, so long that everyone has completely forgotten its history, mana emerged in our world from The unknown. It affected the nature of the world, as well as its living and non-living creatures. All bodies began to unconsciously absorb this energy in the air. When they absorbed it to a certain extent, Supernatural Abilities manifested in the individual, which we now call "skills."
Skills are ranked from E to the rarest and most powerful rank, S. With the appearance of these skills, the so-called heroes, "Sentinels" emerged. Their mission is to eliminate monsters and demons that have seeped into our world for unknown reasons.
Humanity reached a point where one's social standing depended on the rank of their skill. The country's economy and military strength now relied on individuals with high-ranking combat skills. Even the political, cultural, and educational fields depended on individuals who possessed skills beneficial to these areas.
It seemed like a wonderful World, right? Everyone is equal, living in peace, with our heroes fighting monsters for our safety, right? Well, there is no such thing as a perfect system. Even in a world like this, there are people who have no abilities at all, called "flaws." And of course, I am one of this "Flaws"
A boy with short black hair and a moderate length walks through the school. His eyes are deep, dark, and sharp, but distant. His skin is fair, and his face is marked by sharp features, His body is tall and slim. Though his expression often carries a calm intensity, his overall appearance emanates a quiet aura, but with a slightly sad undertone.
"I am Noah Grace," Noah thought to himself
"In a world that celebrates perfection, I am the mark of a flaw, They say flaws are the cracks that let the light in, but what if the flaw is so deep that the light can never reach it? In a society where value is measured by strength, I am the reminder that not all value is visible, and some flaws are so deep they can only be seen as burdens."
Noah arrives at "Ronchel" High School and heads toward his classroom. As soon as he enters, everyone starts whispering to each other, Racism against Flaws were common in a world like this after all, even though He couldn't hear their whispers,The stares were loud enough—disgusted looks, revulsion, and disdain.
Noah sits at his desk and pulls out his books. A boy, nearly the same height as Noah, with blonde hair and somewhat dark golden-yellow eyes, approaches. His facial expressions were calm, showing neither arrogance nor mockery, but his irrational hatred towards Noah burned in his eyes, and immediately, he snatched the book from Noah's hands quickly.
"Did you bring the money I told you to bring?" asked Blake coldly, his face emotionless as if he could kill Noah within seconds, and indeed, he could.
"You d-didn't tell me to bring a-a-anything—" Noah said, surprised, but he wished he hadn't spoken; as soon as the words left his mouth, Blake threw the book at Noah's face, causing intense pain that numbed his nose. Noah lifted his head in fear and confusion, holding his hurting nose to look at Blake's annoyed expression.
"Since when did I allow you to respond to me?!" said Blake in an irritated tone. At that moment, Noah lowered his head to the ground, unable to look up out of fear.
Blake Miller, the son of the Miller family, the leading company in mana stone exports. He's considered of middle nobility. No one can oppose him. Poor Noah once tried to defend someone who was being bullied, and he became Blake's new target, But if anyone could oppose him, it's…"
Blake feels someone tap his shoulder. He turns around and sees a boy with shoulder-length black hair and jewel-like blue eyes. The boy smiles, a simple but cold smile, devoid of any emotion.
"Back off," his voice is calm but carries a hint of anger and annoyance.
"Liam Graves…" Blake steps back from Noah and moved closer to Liam till he became facing him.
"Do you have a problem with me?!"
It's clear that Blake is annoyed by Liam's interruption, as it cut into his only time to enjoy himself at this boring school.
"It looks strange you'd say that while you're bullying an innocent person," Liam replies calmly. His smile disappears, and his gaze becomes sharp and frightening.
"Stop bothering people and go study. Didn't your grades drop so low you're failing anyway?"
Blake's mood worsens, but he pulls himself together. A confrontation with Liam would be futile. He comes from the noble "Graves" family of Britannia, specializing in harvesting the souls of their enemies, loyal to their beloved King "Arthur Pendragon." Attempting to face Liam here would be tantamount to asking for death. Blake walks away from Liam and Noah.
"Whatever, it's not worth it."
Blake leaves the classroom room, and Liam sighs in frustration.
"Man, how do you deal with someone like him every day?" he asks, puzzled.
"I—I don't really know," Noah answers, just as confused. Had dealing with Blake always been this easy? Wasn't Blake usually so stubborn? Anyway, it doesn't matter now that he's gone.
"Thanks..." Noah says to Liam, feeling like a complete waste of space. Every time Liam helps him, he doesn't even know how someone like him could repay Liam.
"...Don't mention it, we're friends after all," Liam smiles, his expression full of warmth, compassion, and understanding.
Noah relaxes a little and smiles, looking down in embarrassment. Has anyone ever called him a "friend" before except for a few people? It felt new, a little annoying, but at the same time, it was a feeling he had always wanted to experience.
"Huh? What's this, man? You look more handsome when you smile! You should smile more!" Liam exclaims in surprise, clearly astonished. This was the first time he'd seen Noah smile.
Noah remains silent, not responding to Liam. The teacher enters and asks everyone to sit in their places as the class begins.
Hours later, school is over. Noah gathers his things to finally head home. His eyes followed Liam's movement to ask him to leave together like always but Liam was already gone, but Noah notices that a cigarette pack has fallen from his pocket, seemingly unnoticed. Noah quickly grabs the pack hiding it from others' sight.
"T-that was close!...D-does Liam smoke anyway?, I-i didn't know that...N-no, I have to give it back to him," Noah thought to himself, pushing any negative thoughts about his only friend in this place, And immediately leaving the classroom to reach Liam.
Noah tries to catch up to Liam, but he's already disappeared. He heads toward the bathrooms, the only place to smoke without being caught by the teachers.
When he gets closer to the bathrooms, he notices that Blake and his group have also entered. As he gets closer and enters, he hears their laughter, along with Liam's voice, which was surprising for Noah because he didn't expect both of these people would laugh together.
"Man, that was really disgusting. I can't believe I called him my friend. I really want to puke," Liam speaks to Blake and his friends, leaning against the wall and smiling mockingly.
"That boy's a joke. Pathetic. But playing the role of his friend pays off, so why stop? You wouldn't even be able to guess how many girls approached me because of that."
"Girls? I thought you're doing this to get closer to his sister? Did your goals change midway?" Blake said, confused. He received a lighter from his friend next to him and lit up a cigarette that was in his hand, and puffed the smoke out.
"Yeah, that's still my goal, but come on, I am not the type of guy to reject a girl, am I?" Liam said, chuckling slightly.
"...good point," Blake said, convinced.
Noah stands outside, holding the cigarette pack tightly. His eyes are shaded by his hair, and his gaze is cold and dark.
"What does he mean?...all this WAS an act?!...For gaining admiration by the others? To get closer to my sister?!...t-this is too far...why? Just why?! Why?!...just when I thought he was a friend...w-why?...why?..." Noah thought to himself, leaning against the close wall as tears welled in his eyes and slid slowly down his cheeks. He bit his lip until it hurt, but all he could do was remain silent.
"But really, the gods must hate him to make him like this. Not only is he another flaw in this world, but I bet that his parents didn't intend to give birth to him; he was probably a mistake too," Blake and the others laugh, continuing to mock and belittle Noah, not realizing he's listening.
"...The gods?...Is this how it is? Really? The gods?...is that the answer to this injustice?...The gods?!...the loving divine beings who rule above the skies...are the reason for this unfairness? The reason for what's happening to me right now?...What am I supposed to do then? Try to defy my fate? I wish. Try to kill them? I hope. What then? This world isn't fiction...and I am not its protagonist...even if it is...I would never be...I am just a fool...I'll never be something more than that? Gods—...no...I can't even pray to the ones who made me suffer..." Noah thought to himself, and with the continuous pressure on his lip, it cracked and bled, running down the side of his lips before hitting the ground.
"When thinking about it, all his family members are talented... Could he perhaps... be adopted?" Blake said in surprise.
Outside, Noah gasped suddenly, his eyes widening in shock. Only he knows such a truth, whether it is true or false, but the notion that some would doubt his origin was too much for him.
"Perhaps you are right. I always wondered why his surname was different from his family. That explains a lot, really," Liam said, shaking his head in agreement with Blake.
At that moment, Blake's cigarette went out, and he threw it on the ground. He noticed a moth approaching the remaining flame on the cigarette, then stepped on both.
"Well, it doesn't matter, talking about it makes me want to puke. Let's get out before the teachers come," Blake said, raising his foot to see the moth tremble with what little life remained, one wing broken and the other detached from its body.
Liam nodded in agreement, along with the rest of their companions. Then Liam opened the door to leave, only to see Noah leaning against one of the nearby walls, frozen in place with wide eyes, staring at Noah, who didn't even look at them.
"You're in the way," said Blake behind Liam, noticing his sudden stillness and silence as he pushed his way outside. Noah finally noticed, unlike Liam, he was not shocked, just astonished and disgusted.
"What is this slut doing here?" Blake thought to himself.
"Noah... did you hear everything?" Liam asked, confused, trying to act cold, but he felt guilty gnawing at him from inside.
"Yeah…" Noah answers, not knowing what to do now. His understanding of the world had been wrong all this time.
"My only friend and companion was a lie.. I was just another pawn... discarded when necessary...I was just a side character... no, not even that, I didn't even have a role in this world, in this life, other than to make others shine and look better while I looked pathetic...Does that even make sense? Isn't everyone supposed to be the main character of their story? So what's wrong with my story? This isn't fair...", All those smiles and feelings he had before were fake, meaningless, just because the script of his life never existed to begin with. He led himself to this stage, by himself. Blaming fate won't help in this situation right now.
"What a story…" Noah mutters, the first words he speaks.
The others look at him, puzzled. Noah's eyes are empty, dark, and colorless, so devoid of life that even light couldn't reach them. They were simply eyes that held no life. Liam and his group felt a chill when they made eye contact with him.
Blake approaches Noah and wraps his arm around his neck.
"Hey, Little Nono, I know what you are going through right now. Your only friend was faking his relationship with you, I really understand that. But guess what? I could not give a damn about you right now, so why don't you tell me right now, what's with that look you're giving me? Do you want me to gouge your eyes out or what?!" Blake says, his voice filled with anger. His grip on Noah's elbow was so tight and strong it caused pain.
Liam tries to stop him, perhaps feeling some regret for what happened.
"Just to be clear, not only Liam, but everyone in front of you here wants your sister—" said Blake with a dirty smile, but before he could finish, Noah shoved the cigarette pack into Blake's left eye, causing him to fall to the ground, clutching his eyes and screaming in pain.
The rest stood frozen, perhaps frightened. Noah's eyes were lifeless, and he didn't show any reaction, concern, or hesitation. It was a truly terrifying sight. It seemed as though he had tried to rob Blake of his sight.
"You bastard!!! Hold him and kill this son of a bitch!!!" Blake screamed in anger and pain, still pressing on his eye, wincing from the intense pain. Blake's companions hesitated for a moment, but as soon as Noah began to run, they chased after him.
Noah's breath quickened, his heart pounding faster with each step. He could hear the sound of their footsteps closing in on him, echoing in his ears like a sharp buzz.
"What the hell have I done?!" Noah himself was shocked by what he had done to Blake. He couldn't believe he had done something like that. He was afraid he'd be caught, but at the same time, he felt something strange. Despite his heart nearly exploding with fear, he felt light. It was an odd feeling, as if he had spread his wings. He believed that if he fell now, he would soar far away.
Was this... freedom?