The world tilted, and Marcus stomach lurched as reality reassembled itself around him. One moment he'd been walking home from work, the next he was standing in the middle of what looked like something straight out of Lord of the Rings.
The magic circle glowed with brilliant light as a young man appeared in its center. His eyes went wide with wonder as he looked around the grand hall.
"Holy shit," he breathed, then immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. Probably shouldn't swear in front of what appeared to be a group of magicians.
Tall stone pillars reached toward the ceiling like ancient trees, crystals floated in the air casting rainbow patterns on the walls, and dozens of robed figures watched him with curious eyes.
The air itself felt thick with power, making his skin tingle. Painting on the walls showing great battles and legendary heroes.
"Welcome, summoned hero," called out the head mage, his voice echoing through the massive room. The man was tall and imposing, with a long white beard .
"You have been brought to our world of Elarith to fight the Darkness and save us from impending doom."
The young man's heart pounded so hard he was sure everyone could hear it. This is it! he thought, barely able to breathe from excitement.
Just like all those fantasy books and anime I've watched! I'm finally getting my adventure in another world!
He could barely hold back his joy as he imagined the amazing powers he would get—maybe fire magic that could melt mountains, or super strength that could crush boulders, or even the legendary ability to grow stronger by increase his experience points by slaying monsters!
His mind raced with possibilities. Would he get a Excalibur? A spirit companion? Maybe he'd be the chosen one with a unique power that no one had ever seen before!
"Now," the head mage went on, his voice becoming more serious, "let us see what gifts the goddess Lumina has blessed you with."
He gestured with a jeweled staff toward a glowing crystal ball that sat on an ornate golden stand.
"Place your hand here, and we will measure your magical power and discover your destiny."
Around the hall, the other mages leaned forward with interest. Some whispered excitedly to each other. A few held scrolls, ready to record whatever amazing abilities he might possess.
With shaking hands and a smile so wide it hurt his cheeks, the man walked up to the testing crystal. His legs felt weak with anticipation.
This is the moment, he thought, his whole body trembling.
I'll probably have some incredible rare power that will shock everyone! Maybe I'll break their testing crystal ball because I'm so powerful!
He reached out slowly, savoring the moment before his new life would begin.
He placed his palm on the smooth, warm surface and closed his eyes, waiting for the rush of power, the surge of magic, the moment when everything would change.
Nothing happened.
The crystal stayed dark and cold beneath his touch.
He opened his eyes, confused.The crystal looked like nothing more than a piece of cloudy glass.
The excited whispers around the hall died into uncomfortable silence. The mages looked at each other with growing worry and confusion. Some frowned and adjusted their spectacles, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
The head mage's confident expression changed. He frowned deeply and tapped the crystal ball with his staff.
"Try again," he ordered, but his voice had lost its warmth. "Sometimes the first reading can be unclear."
The young man pressed his hand harder against the crystal, concentrating with all his might. He tried to feel for magic inside himself, tried to push some kind of power into the stone. Still nothing.
After trying several more times, repositioning his hand, using both hands, even pressing his forehead against the crystal.
The head mage Theo face slowly changed from confusion to disgust, like he was looking at something dirty.
"This... this can't be right," he muttered, then looked up at the summoned man with eyes that had turned cold.
"You have no mana core. None at all. Your body cannot channel mana, cannot cast spells, cannot even sense the natural mana around you."
The man's smile disappeared completely. His stomach dropped like he was falling off a cliff.
"W-what does that mean exactly?"
"It means you are useless to us," Theo said harshly, his voice now filled with anger and contempt.
"Completely and utterly worthless. We wasted our most precious magical resources—years of hard working—bringing you here for absolutely nothing!"
The other mages began talking quietly among themselves, but their words carried clearly in the echoing hall.
"How embarrassing..."
"Another complete failure..."
"What a waste of time and power..."
"The emperor will be furious..."
"Send him away before anyone important sees this..."
Each whispered word felt like a dagger to his heart. The young man looked around desperately, hoping someone would say this was all a mistake, that there was still hope. But every face he saw showed only disappointment, annoyance, or pity.
The magnificent hall that had seemed so welcoming just minutes ago now felt cold and hostile.
The floating crystals seemed to dim, as if even they were ashamed of him. The heroic paintings on the walls now looked like they were mocking him—showing him everything he could never be.
His dreams didn't just crack—they completely shattered and fell apart like glass hitting stone. No magic. No special powers. No hero's journey. No adventure. No purpose.
Just... nothing.
He was nothing.
-------
Twenty years later...
"Sir, your son has no Mana core. He cannot use magic."
The same man—now named Marcus by the people of this world—slowly blinked as he heard these familiar, terrible words.
Twenty years had changed him greatly. Gray streaks ran through his brown hair, deep lines marked his face from years of hard work and worry, and his eyes held the tired look of someone who had learned that dreams don't always come true.
He looked down at his seven-year-old son Kai, who had been bouncing around their small living room just moments before, chattering excitedly about finally getting tested like all his friends.
The boy's bright green eyes—so much like his mother's—had been sparkling with the same innocent hope that Marcus himself had once felt.
Now those eyes were filling with tears as the magic tester's words sank in.
"I'm sorry," the magician continued, though his tone suggested he wasn't sorry at all—more like he was annoyed at having to deliver bad news.
"It's quite simple, really. Parents without magical cores always pass that trait to their children. It's completely hereditary."
He packed up his testing tools with practiced efficiency, clearly eager to leave.
"The boy will never be able to use magic. Not even the smallest spell."
Marcus knelt down and wrapped his arms around his son, pulling the small body close to his chest. He was remembering his own crushing disappointment all those years ago, feeling it all over again but somehow worse because now it was happening to his innocent child.
The familiar scent of Kai's hair, like sunshine and fresh grass, usually comforted him, but now it only made his heart ache more.
Marcus's hands trembled slightly as he struggled to process the magic tester's words. A tiny flame of hope still flickered in his chest—hope he had tried so hard not to feel.
"But... but my wife Elena is a magician," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Mama has very strong magic. She can heal people, make plants grow..... Doesn't that mean...?"
The magic tester stopped packing and looked up with mild interest, like the little boy had said something slightly amusing.at his age.
"Ah, yes. When one parent has magic and the other doesn't, there's usually about a fifty-fifty chance for the child." He shrugged as if he was discussing whether it might rain tomorrow.
"The child either inherits the mana core or they don't. Simple genetics. Nothing more complicated than that."
A spark of desperate hope flared in Marcus's eyes. "So there really was a chance? A real chance?"
"There was," the magic tester said coldly, emphasizing the past tense like he was driving a nail into a coffin.
"But the results are sitting right here in front of us." He waved his hand dismissively at the dark testing crystal ball that sat on their kitchen table like an accusation.
"The boy has no mana core whatsoever. That's final. Absolute. Nothing in this world will ever change that fact."
Seven-year-old Kai looked up at his father with confused, teary eyes that seemed far too young to hold such disappointment.
"Papa, what does this really mean? Will I never, ever be able to do magic like Mama? Not even tiny magic?" The boy couldn't help but asked.
The question broke Marcus's heart into a thousand pieces. He saw his own past disappointment perfectly reflected in his son's face—the same confusion, the same desperate hope, the same crushing realization that the world had no place for them.