Chapter 1-
" I already told you to get lost!".
As the merchant yell at the young black haired boy to screw off, Leo upon hearing the merchant frustrated only then stop bothering him, took his stuff and goes off. He steps out of the shop and into the bustling street where he see a little boy casting magic and accidentally bumps into him. Leo being a kind hearted person apologises to the boy. "I am sor-" before he could apologise, the boy parents ran to him. "What are you thinking bumping into my boy like that? Didn't your parents teach you any manners?". Leo panics and tries to say something but nothing comes out not a word, not even a single sound he looks down ashamed, only then did the boy mother come. "It's okay honey, leave the little boy alone he couldn't sense our dear boy since he doesn't even have a speck of mana". As the family leaves, Leo disheartened he was always bullied by others for not having any magic, so why wasn't this time any different? He didn't know why either.
Leo stood there he felt like the world has just gone still, he then remembers the time where his parents always telling him to stay hopeful and strong no matter what, but this time, he couldn't, as tears welled up in his eyes as they pushed against him, he tried to push the tears back, but they had already streaked..., he recalls the time when he was bullied. It was always about him having no mana. A failure of a human being.
At that moment Leo plants both of his feet's on the ground and ran toward home, as he drew closer to home the atmosphere changes from a loud and crowded city to an empty street where garbage piles up everywhere. As Leo reached his doorstep, he then pushed the door opened and saw his mom on the chair next to the dimly lit candle and coins on the table that was definitely not hers. She then notices Leo as she turned to face him, her eyes softened. But the moment she saw his tear-streaked face, her expression shifted. It wasn't pity. It wasn't sympathy. It was something else, something harder. Her eyes narrowed, studying him for a moment before she spoke.
"Leo…" Her voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, something that hinted at the strain beneath the surface. "What happened? You've got the look of someone who just lost the fight with the world."
Leo stood frozen in the doorway, the weight of his emotions still thick in the air. He couldn't find the words to explain. All the shame, all the hurt, all the frustration he stayed quiet but his mother's steady gaze felt like a silent interrogation, the kind she had always given him when he wasn't living up to her expectations. "Leo, look at me", Leo lifted his eye upwards to his mother. "You always told me that one day you were going to prove to the world that your inventions would the change world, are you really going to give up now?". Leo strongly shakes his head and declares "I haven't given up. I'II change the world with my invention".
<5 years later>
Leo stirs awake after sleeping for far too long and notices his friend sitting opposite him, Earl—the young noble he befriended on one of his journeys. Rubbing his eyes, Leo leans toward the window, only to see nothing but endless trees and asks in a curious tone "Are we near the city yet?". Earl frowns and replies "we won't be seeing the city until next sunrise". Leo lets out a frustrated sigh, wishing he could just build something in the carriage to pass time, but he left most of his things at home. He takes out a notebook and begins jotting down everything he needs to buy in the city
1. Mana cores
2. A new bag
3. Glass tubes
4. A book about potions
After finishing noting his list, he turns to earl and asks, "Are you sure I'II be able to get into the mage academy? I have no mana." Earl hears this question and replies "I'm sure you can. Nowadays mana isn't everything at the mage academy you can be alchemist and even an artificer. You just need to pass the entrance exam and I'm definitely sure that with your brains, you can do it." After hearing Earl words, a wave of reassurance wash across Leo. Leo's thoughts whirl, and for the first time in a long while, he allows himself to imagine that future—one where his inventions don't just get thrown away by others but help shape the very fabric of the world, where magic and machines are no longer separate, but work together in harmony.