The Beginning of Despair
"Aaaargh—!"
Leon's body was brutally slammed against the cold stone wall. Blood trickled from his mouth, but what stung more were the mocking gazes pouring down on him.
"An outcast is an outcast, after all."
'Berserker' Ares slowly approached, his body enveloped in golden, blazing Aether. Every step he took seemed to crush Leon's chest.
"An Aether level of 3.2... How dare a guy weaker than a common farmer come into the 'Aether Academy' and challenge me?" Ares's laughter echoed throughout the training ground. "If your body were strong, maybe, but look at this. You're shattered with one blow!"
In the Land of Ewon, Aether was survival itself. After the Great Collapse, this world was divided into the 'Realm of Light' and the 'Realm of Chaos,' and only those who could wield Aether were treated as true humans. And Leon... he was at the very bottom.
"Get up, Leon." Ares kicked Leon's side with his foot. "It's not over yet."
Leon struggled to his feet with trembling arms. Wiping his blood-soaked face, he stared directly at Ares. Something unyielding still burned in his eyes.
"Good... I like that look." Ares clenched his fist. "But willpower alone has its limits."
A Series of Humiliations
The next moment, Ares's fist landed squarely in Leon's abdomen. This time, it was a blow imbued with Aether. Leon's body flew into the air before tumbling to the ground.
"Ugh..."
"Look, everyone!" Ares shouted to the spectators. "This is the fate of those who rely on luck without effort! The Aether Academy isn't a charity!"
The laughter of the students surrounding the training ground pierced Leon's ears like nails. Among them, the gazes of the noble students were particularly noticeable. They stared at Leon as if he were some kind of spectacle.
"It's a miracle he made it this far with an Aether level of 3.2." "I heard he even got in through the back door during the entrance exam?" "Commoners are just different, you know."
Leon gritted his teeth. Back door? They had no idea how many nights he had stayed up mastering basic Aether manipulation, or how much humiliation he had endured to get this far.
The Seed of Revenge
Just as Ares was about to deliver the final blow, a cold voice echoed from the entrance of the training ground.
"Stop."
All eyes turned to the entrance. Standing there was a cold, handsome man with silver hair. Pure white Aether flowed naturally around him.
"Light von Einhart..." someone whispered softly.
The man, known as the 'Heir of Light,' slowly walked into the training ground. With each of his steps, the surrounding Aether seemed to purify itself.
"Ares, the match is already over." Light's cold gaze turned towards Ares. "There's no need for more, is there?"
Ares dropped his arrogant demeanor and bowed his head before Light. "I apologize, Lord Light. But this fellow was just too..."
"I said stop."
Light's voice held absolute authority. Ares could no longer speak and stepped back.
Light looked down at Leon, who lay on the ground. His cold blue eyes met Leon's bloodshot ones.
"Get up," Light said. "If you're not dead yet."
The Climax of Humiliation
Leon ignored the pain in his entire body and stood up. It was a testament to his will not to submit even before Light.
"What's your name?" Light asked.
"Leon... Leon Drac."
"Drac?" Light's eyebrows raised slightly. "That fallen knight family?"
Again, murmuring broke out around them. The Drac family was once a prestigious knight family right before the Great Collapse, but they were famous for losing everything and falling into ruin during the Collapse.
"That's right," Leon replied curtly.
Light observed Leon for a moment. Then he extended a hand. Pure white Aether swirled at his fingertips.
"I heard your Aether level is 3.2... I'll check it myself."
Light's hand touched Leon's chest. Instantly, Leon's entire body was enveloped in a warm light. He could feel his wounds healing.
But the next moment, Light's expression turned cold.
"Aether level 2.8," Light said coldly. "It's even lower than when you enrolled."
The training ground fell silent in an instant. A level of 2.8 was even below the average for ordinary people.
"You're expelled from the Aether Academy," Light's declaration pierced Leon's heart. "This is not a charity. It's no place for those without talent."
Decision for the Abyss
That night, Leon was packing his bags in the academy dormitory. As he placed his few belongings into his bag, a burning desire for revenge surged within him.
'Ares... Light... and all of this...'
Outside the window, two moons hung in the night sky. One was the silver-shining 'Moon of Light,' and the other was the reddish-black 'Moon of Chaos.' These two moons, which appeared after the Great Collapse, were also symbols of the Land of Ewon.
Leon slung his bag over his shoulder and left the dormitory. His destination was set.
'The Rift Canyon.'
It was a place called the origin of the Great Collapse. It was a forbidden zone where Light and Chaos clashed most fiercely, a place even the 'Watcher' organization prohibited access to. But it was said that an unknown power called 'Essence' slept there, known only through legends.
To the Forbidden Land
Walking west from the academy for three days would lead to the 'Rift Canyon.' Leon bought provisions with his last remaining money and an old sword. Then, he left the academy at dawn when no one was watching.
Throughout his journey, Light's cold gaze and Ares's taunts swirled in Leon's mind. And the numerous scornful glances from those who watched him in the training ground.
'Power... I need power. Overwhelming power to crush them all.'
On the evening of the second day, Leon camped in the middle of a desolate plain. Sitting by the campfire, his expression was filled with madness.
"Aether level 2.8, you say? No talent?" Leon muttered. "Alright... then let's find another way."
On the afternoon of the third day, Leon finally arrived at the entrance of the 'Rift Canyon.'
Call of the Abyss
The 'Rift Canyon' was, as its name suggested, a massive canyon. But it was unlike any ordinary canyon. Inside, light and darkness constantly swirled, and the very air seemed distorted.
"This place is..."
As Leon stood at the edge of the canyon, he suddenly felt a strange sensation. It was as if someone was calling to him. It was a sweet yet eerie, irresistible temptation.
Deep within the canyon, a dark crimson Aether surged. It was unlike any Aether Leon had ever seen. It was pure destruction and chaos itself.
"Essence..." Leon's eyes gleamed with madness. "It's there."
He didn't hesitate and leaped into the canyon. Even as he fell, a bizarre smile played on his lips.
'It begins now. It's time to change everything.'
Leon's body vanished into the dark crimson Aether of chaos. And at that moment, an eerie laugh echoed throughout the entire canyon. No one could tell if it was Leon's laugh or something else's.
The wind blowing from the Rift Canyon ruffled Leon's hair. His eyes were already completely stained with madness and obsession.
Revenge had begun.