Five Years After My Birth
I was five years old now — a Wanderer chosen by God Himself.
My tasks were simple, but absolute:
1. Gather knowledge.
2. Train my mana.
3. Tell no one what I really was.
For the past year, I'd studied mana in secret. I couldn't risk being caught… not until Father finally decided it was time to teach me mana himself.
Today was that day.
I stood in the backyard as Father clapped his hands, calling my attention.
"All right, young man. Today's a special day — you'll learn something exciting."
He grinned. "It's called mana."
He sat on the grass and patted the spot beside him.
"Sit with your papa."
I sat down, pretending to be clueless.
"Do you remember how your mother made objects float?" Father asked. "Like that time she dropped your milk bottle on your head?"
He chuckled at the memory.
"Mana is the energy inside our bodies. It can't be destroyed. Think of it like stamina — except mana lets you do things humans normally shouldn't be able to do."
He lifted his hand. A gust of wind spun into his palm, forming a small, swirling sphere.
"Mana is the first phase. After that comes Nectar. If Nectar fuses with strong mana, you gain a Nectar ability. It's random — some people control wind, others fire, others get strange abilities out of nowhere."
He lowered his hand and continued, "Using these abilities drains stamina. The more mana or nectar you use, the worse the drain."
He looked at me.
"So? Understand so far?"
I nodded enthusiastically.
He laughed and ruffled my hair.
"Good. But you must awaken your mana first."
He sat me beneath a tree.
"Close your eyes. Breathe slowly. Now… tighten all the muscles in your arms."
I obeyed — and felt it.
A surge.
A warm pressure.
A comforting energy bursting through my arms.
My eyes shot open. Colors rippled across everything — the world warped, painted in swirling hues. My stomach twisted.
"Don't panic," Father said calmly. "Look up. Focus on the sky."
I looked up. Slowly… the colors faded.
Father smiled with pride.
"Well done. I knew you'd pull through."
"What… was that?" I asked, still dizzy.
"That was your mana awakening. Mana sleeps in the shoulder nodes — when you compress your arms, you force it out. It rushes to the head first. That's why you saw those colors. Some kids go blind if they don't look up quickly enough."
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Looking up lets mana flow properly through your body."
I nodded.
I already knew all of this, of course — but acting clueless was part of my orders.
Meanwhile — In the Kingdom of Dusk
"Your Majesty, I have news," a knight said, trembling.
"What is it?" asked King Zil Yung.
"Madam Hira summons you. She says it is urgent."
The king blinked. "Hira? At this hour?"
He hurried out to meet her.
Madam Hira stood outside the palace, arms crossed, her sharp green eyes cutting through the night.
"So, you finally arrived, Zil. Still slow, I see," she said coldly.
"I—"
"No apologies," she snapped. "I'm here to warn you."
Her expression was tight. Tired. Serious.
"Tonight, you will be attacked. Not by humans. Not by beasts. Something… else. Strengthen your security if you want to live."
"A-attack? By wh—"
"No questions," she said, shutting him up. "Do what I say."
She walked away before he could speak again.
That night, the palace was fortified. Guards patrolled every corridor. The king hid in a reinforced chamber deep inside the castle.
Then—
Darkness.
Screams echoed through the halls. Bodies fell. Something breached every line of defense.
The door to the king's chamber burst open.
A tall grey monster walked inside, dragging the corpse of an A-rank Necfar behind it. Its head was nothing but smoke — smoke with glowing eyes staring straight at the terrified king.
The guards froze.
The creature approached the throne and spoke in its trembling, inhuman voice:
"I will not kill you… not yet."
The king shakingly raised his head.
"I have a bargain," the monster continued. "Do what I say, and you may live."
"W-what do you want?" the king whispered.
"I give you **three years**. Train your armies. Then wage war against the Kingdom of Nexus."
The monster leaned close. "Follow my instructions after the war begins."
And with that, it vanished.
King Zil collapsed to his knees, trembling.
He hadn't even fought — and yet he felt defeated.
If war was the price of survival…
He would declare war.