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Ashborn: The Devouring Shadow

Hunt_Fiask
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Synopsis
“Devour or be devoured.” In the cursed world of Umbryss, mana is everything—currency, strength, survival. But for Kael Ashborn, it's a death sentence. Born with a mana pool so faint he can't even cast a basic spell, Kael is the weakest student at Ashveil Academy, a brutal institution where the strong are worshipped and the weak are hunted. He’s mocked, beaten, and treated like trash. But he endures—for one reason alone. His scholarship. The academy’s stipend is the only thing paying for his sister Mira’s medicine. Born with a rare and incurable mana disease, she’s slowly dying. And Kael refuses to let her go. That all changes the night he’s ambushed and left for dead in the Hollowing Woods. There, at the base of a shattered obelisk, something ancient stirs. A sentient shadow fuses with his own—and speaks. [The Living Shadow System has been activated.] [Feed your shadow. Devour souls. Gain skills. Complete quests. Evolve.] Reborn through hunger and pain, Kael gains a new path to power—one that doesn’t rely on mana at all. His shadow grows stronger by devouring the flesh, souls, and abilities of monsters, mages… even other students. The more he feeds it, the more terrifying he becomes—and the less human he remains. Now feared by nobles, marked by dead gods, and pursued by horrors from beyond the veil, Kael must choose: Will he sacrifice his soul to save his sister? Or let the world that spat on them drown in shadow? His shadow lives. It hungers. And it will never be satisfied.
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Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: The Academy's Weakest

A gloomy dark haired teen stood completely still as he stared at the noticeably large bulletin board in the hallway where a crowd of students were gathering to see the results of the first year semester exam.

He clenched his teeth, clenched his fist hard, who also felt a immense amount of despair and hopelessness sneak up on him. Kael, who was looking for his name finally found it. His name sat on the very bottom of the list... Again. He stared at the name with desperation in his eyes, hoping that staring at it would change but it didn't.

Kael Ashborn

'I-I failed... at dead last again.'

 'Why did i expect a different outcome this time? I gave it my all and i still failed.' His tear's that welled up in his eyes were threatening to fall but he pushed them back down. He then looked at the name who scored at the top of the exam, Seris Valeblume. A Noble from house Valeblume and has extraordinary talent with a sword. 

To Kael, the academy's weakest student, she was untouchable from his perspective and she was realms away in terms of swordsmanship and magic. He overheard a few students whispering.

"Seris Valeblume came in first of the exam again, huh."

"Well that's a given isn't it?, because she has the light attribute."

"The top participants haven't changed at all since the entrance exam."

Their words felt like shackles on kael that were only getting heavier by the second. He was thinking about dropping out, but he knew deep down that dropping out wasn't an option. He needed this money from his scholarship for his sister's treatments.

'I won't give up, Mira's life depends on these treatments.' He then slowly made his was through the large crowd and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry" he said.

Just as he was about to walk away a hand gripped his wrist and threw him to the ground.

"You scummy bastard! You bumped into Riven, and all you can say is sorry?"

Kael recognized that voice instantly, it was one of the many voices of the people that had terrorized his life since the moment he arrived at the academy.

Garrik Varnhold, one of rivens many lackeys who is also from a noble family.

At this very moment, kael was trying to decide two things, take the beatdown or rebel against them?