Pain was the first thing I felt.
Not sharp—no, it was dull and heavy, like my skull had been packed with wet sand. Each heartbeat sent a slow throb through the back of my head, steady and unforgiving. I groaned before I was even fully conscious, breath catching as something cold pressed against my cheek.
Wood. Stone. Metal.
Chains.
That sound—iron scraping against iron—cut through the fog instantly.
My eyes flew open.
Darkness filled my vision, thick and suffocating, broken only by a faint orange glow swaying somewhere above. It took a few seconds for my sight to adjust, shapes slowly pulling themselves together. A low wooden ceiling. Iron bars. A narrow lantern hanging from a beam, its flame flickering weakly with every jolt.
A wagon.
I sucked in a breath—and hissed.
My wrists were bound in iron cuffs, thick chains locking them to a metal ring bolted into the floor. My ankles were restrained too, heavier, tighter. I tried to shift, just a little, and felt it immediately.
Mana suppression.
The familiar hum of mana within me felt distant, muffled, like my body had been wrapped in damp cloth. Slave chains. Real ones.
"…Damn it."
My voice came out hoarse.
Memory slammed back into place. The academy carriage. The road. The ambush. Too many blades. Too many bodies. I'd fought until my muscles screamed and my lungs burned—but numbers don't care about talent.
I exhaled slowly, forcing my breathing to calm.
Panicking wouldn't help.
I'd lived one life already. I wasn't some sheltered child, no matter what this body looked like.
I closed my eyes and focused inward.
Mana Sensitivity — rank C.
The world sharpened.
I felt them before I heard them—rough, uneven mana signatures clustered around the wagon. Six… no, seven. Armed. Alert but not tense.
Slave traders.
Of course.
The wagon jolted to a stop. Voices drifted in from outside, laughter mixed with the crunch of boots against dirt.
"Check the cages," someone said. "Boss wants the white-haired kid alive."
Footsteps approached.
I opened my eyes.
The cage door creaked as it swung open, lantern light spilling in. A thick-necked man leaned forward, scarred face twisting into a grin.
"Well look at that," he chuckled. "The runt's awake."
I met his gaze, silent.
He snorted. "Don't worry. You'll fetch a fine price."
Goods.
Something cold settled in my chest.
"For you," I said quietly.
The man blinked.
Then laughed.
"Got a mouth on you, don't ya?"
He reached for the latch.
I moved.
I twisted hard, shoving power into my limbs despite the suppression biting into me. The chains fought back instantly, draining mana the moment it surfaced—but not all strength came from mana.
Minor Endurance — C Rank.
Muscle surged.
Iron screamed.
The man's grin vanished.
"What the—"
I slammed my bound fists forward, cuffs first. Iron met bone with a wet crack. The man dropped like a sack of grain, lantern crashing to the dirt.
Shouts erupted instantly.
"What happened?!"
"Inside—!"
I didn't wait.
I braced my legs and ripped.
The ankle restraints tore free from the wagon floor with a screech that sent fire through my legs. Pain flared sharp and hot—but pain meant I could still move.
I surged forward and shoulder-checked the weakened cage door, splintering wood as I burst out.
Steel flashed.
A blade came for my ribs.
Mana Sensitivity screamed.
I ducked, barely, feeling the edge skim my hair. I rolled, dirt coating my palms, and came up gasping.
Six men surrounded me.
Too many.
Too close.
"Kill him!" someone shouted. "Just don't damage him too much!"
I straightened slowly.
My heart hammered.
My chest burned.
But my mind was clear.
I inhaled.
Then reached for the wind.
Skill Activated: Aerial Convergence B Rank
The air shifted.
Not violently—precisely.
It aligned around me, flowing where I needed it, amplifying movement instead of forcing it. I stepped forward and the wind carried me, my foot barely touching the ground.
I swung my arm.
Compressed air tore outward, invisible but brutal. One man was lifted clean off his feet and slammed into the wagon hard enough to dent the wood.
Another charged.
I pivoted, wind spiraling around my legs as I leapt—higher than I should have been able to. I twisted midair and drove my heel down.
He crumpled.
But power came with a price.
My lungs burned.
My vision swam.
The suppression chains still clung to my wrists, limiting my control.
A net flew.
I slashed through it—but a club smashed into my shoulder, sending pain exploding down my arm. Another blow hit my ribs. I staggered, dropped to one knee.
Too many.
My breathing turned ragged.
Blood dripped onto the dirt.
Not like this.
Something shifted.
Deep inside me.
The wind around me hesitated, like the world itself was holding its breath. Pressure built in my chest, crushing and expansive all at once.
Warning: Zephyr Dominion — Partial Lock Destabilizing
I gasped.
Mana surged, wild and untamed. The air screamed.
The men froze.
"What the hell is happening—?!"
The pressure snapped.
Zephyr Dominion A-Rank — (Spark I) Unlocked
The world bent.
I stood at the center of it—not a storm, not yet—but a domain. Air currents bowed toward me, dust lifting, flames flickering violently.
Not control.
Authority.
The chains around my wrists shattered, torn apart by converging wind. Fear replaced arrogance in every face around me.
"R-run!"
I raised my hand.
Aerial Convergence and Zephyr Dominion resonated, not merging, but moving together.
The wind surged outward in a controlled arc.
Men were hurled away like leaves.
One hit a tree and didn't move.
Another vanished into the dark, screaming.
Silence followed.
I dropped to one knee, gasping, the dominion flickering before collapsing.
Exhausted.
Alive.
I didn't wait.
I ran into the forest, legs trembling, branches tearing at my clothes. Only when no pursuit came did I collapse against a tree.
Breathing hard.
Alive.
I stared up at the moonlit canopy.
"This world…" I whispered, "…isn't forgiving."
I clenched my fists.
Next time, I wouldn't be the one running.