Damn, my head hurts again this morning. I don't know why my head always hurts, maybe it's because of the bullying they're doing to me." I stood up and walked out of my room. "Good morning, Mom and Dad," I said to them. "Good morning too, dear. Eat breakfast and get ready for school," my mom replied. "Yes, Mom, thank you," I said.
"Anak, don't go to the bakery today. We've hired a helper, so you can just rest and focus on your finals," my dad said. I just nodded at them. After that delicious breakfast, I went to school, knowing what would happen next - they'd bully me again. It was getting old. Why did they do it? Was it because they had powers and I didn't? I was already 17, but I still hadn't received my magic, unlike them.
In the kingdom of Willowdale, when you turn 10 years old, you're supposed to receive your magic and find out your status. If you're strong, you'll become a hero; if not, you'll be a warrior or even lower, just a follower. My parents are warriors, but they're retired now, so they live their own lives. Since I'm already 17 and still haven't received my magic, I'm at risk of being banished to a far-off place. So, my parents prepared a secret spell for me to use, but if others find out, our family will be in danger. That's why, no matter how much my classmates and others bully me, I don't fight back, so they won't suspect that I truly don't have magic.
When I arrived at school, I saw Maine's group. She's the campus queen and a hero, so she treats us weaklings like that. My best friend, Kelly Mindwane, a warrior with water element powers, greeted me. "Kai, come this way, let's take a detour so they won't see us. They're plotting something again, so hurry up!" she said. We quickly ran to a corner of the school path.
Just as we thought we were safe, Maine appeared out of nowhere. "Ehem, where do you think you're going?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. We froze, our hairs standing on end. "Don't turn your backs on me while I'm talking to you!" she snapped. We slowly turned around, and suddenly, a cloud of smoke exploded in our faces, courtesy of Maine's wind magic. It smelled terrible. Everyone burst out laughing, and her friends poured squid ink all over us.
We just stood there, heads bowed, saying nothing. This was normal for me, but it still hurt. If only I had powers, they wouldn't treat us like this. The bell rang, and they left, leaving Kelly and me behind. Kelly was crying, overwhelmed by the smell that wouldn't go away despite our efforts to wash it off. We decided not to attend class anymore.After we changed, we left the locker room, and everyone we passed covered their noses because of the smell. "Hey, you two are being summoned to the Headmaster's office," one student said. We saw Maine and her friends laughing. What had happened now?
When we arrived at the office, Headmaster Gwen Melanie cast a spell to eliminate the smell, as it was bothering her too. "Why didn't you attend classes? You know your finals are coming up!" she scolded. "Headmaster, sorry. The smell wouldn't go away, and the doors were locked. We had no choice," Kelly and I explained.
"It's still your fault. Now, you'll fail, and the consequence is... you know what it is," Headmaster said. We knelt down, pleading. "Please, Headmaster, don't take away what our parents worked hard for. Please," I begged.
Headmaster looked at us thoughtfully. In Willowdale, not taking exams meant losing land or property, as finals were crucial for the school's reputation and income. "This is all Maine's fault," Kelly said. "Don't speak to my daughter like that," Headmaster warned. Yes, Maine was her daughter, so no one dared to cross her.
"Please, let us take the finals," I begged again. Headmaster replied, "Okay, but under one condition." "What condition?" we asked in unison. "We'll agree to anything," Kelly and I said. "You'll go to the Hallow Forest," she said.
"Yes," we agreed without thinking. But then the reality of the Hallow Forest sunk in. "HALLOW FOREST!" Kelly and I exclaimed. We knew it was treacherous, and no one had ever come out alive.
"Is there no other way?" I asked. "No," Headmaster replied. "You need to retrieve the giant root of the Hallow Tree to increase the school's percentage. If not, your parents will lose their land. Is that clear? Think about it. You're dismissed."
We walked out of the school, feeling down, and saw Maine's group bullying someone again. Don't they ever get tired of picking on the weak? Just as we were about to leave the campus, someone threw fire at us. I screamed as I got burned. Kelly quickly helped me, using her water element powers.
"Haha, you pathetic ones will soon die in the Hallow Forest," Bianca, a fire element user and one of Maine's friends, said, laughing. Kelly shouted, "You're going too far!" I said, "I don't want to lose what my parents worked hard for, so it's okay if we sacrifice ourselves."
Maine sneered, "Haha, everything is going according to plan." I shouted, "So, this was your plan all along?" Maine didn't like that, so she choked me, lifting me off the ground. Kelly tried to intervene, but Maine's friends held her back.
"If you die, it's no loss to this school. And if you don't want to go, just donate your house and land," Maine taunted, laughing. Her friends joined in. Kelly fought back, but they beat her up. I couldn't do anything but cry. Many people witnessed it, but they didn't care.
Just then, Grey, the campus king and an S-rank hero, arrived. Maine has had a crush on him for a long time, but he's never noticed her. When he appeared, Maine's friends dropped us and fawned over him. "Hi, Grey, baby," Maine said, but he just looked at her and walked away. Maine got angry and unleashed her powers, ready to attack us. But Grey spoke up, his voice cold and detached: "Weak people aren't worth paying attention to." Maine seemed taken aback, and she stopped her attack. They all left, and Grey glanced at us before walking away too.
It was already evening, and we didn't realize it. We went home and drank healing potions that my mom gave me. I didn't know how to tell my parents what happened. Lost in thought, I didn't notice that my parents were already talking seriously, and it seemed they knew what had happened.