There… Tellus. A world where magic and humanity coexist.
But it wasn't always this way.
Long ago, humanity feared magic. Magicians were branded as heretics, hunted like witches, and burned at the stake. Just like Earth did. The only difference? Magic in Tellus was far more widespread. You can probably guess what happened next one mistake, one act of arrogance, changed everything.
It only took one church. One foolish decision.
They burned the wife of the Wizard King.
The world never recovered.
That night, the skies wept fire, and the earth trembled beneath an onslaught of vengeful sorcery. Wizards, mages, and sorcerers once scattered, once hunted rose as one and crushed humanity beneath their wrath. What chance did men with mere steel and arrows have against beings who could reduce mountains to dust with a flick of their fingers?
Humanity lost.
The Wizard King's conquest was absolute, but his reign was short. Upon his passing, his five children divided his vast dominion, giving rise to what is now known as the Towers the ruling domains of magic. The Tower of White, Tower of Black, Tower of Blue, Tower of Red, Tower of Green, and Tower of Purple each a kingdom unto itself, ruled by the descendants of the King.
Centuries passed. The war faded into history, and an uneasy peace settled between magicians and the magicless. Other races elves, dwarves, and spirits, long in hiding emerged from the shadows and joined the world once more. A treaty was forged: no war between magic and magicless shall ever be waged again. Coexist, or be erased.
It wasn't much of a choice.
Even now, centuries later, the wounds of the past remain. Magicians still look down upon those without magic, treating them like Earth once treated those with different skin. They call it Magism a remnant of hatred, a reminder that, despite the peace, the scars of war still linger.
But this story isn't about that war.
This is the story of a boy born with far too much magic for his own good.
Breathless.Choking.
The first sensations I remember from the moment I was born.
The doctors told my parents I wouldn't last more than a few months. That it would be best to let go.
Heh. As if that would ever sit well with them.
Nine months of waiting, only to be told to give up their child? They refused. Relentlessly.
My death sentence wasn't because of an illness or a curse. No, it was because of my own magic.
My mana core was cracked overflowing, unstable. My own magic was suffocating me, poisoning me from the inside. My heart, my lungs, even my blood flow everything was breaking under the sheer volume of mana within me.
I suppose it was inevitable.
My mother is Rosalie Licht, the Master Mage of the White Tower, wielder of healing and holy magic, a beacon of light.
My father is Ebenholz Darkven, the Master Mage of the Black Tower, a necromancer and master of darkness, the abyss incarnate.
A love story forged from seven generations of bitter rivalry. And the result? A child too powerful for his own good.
My older sister, at least, was lucky her body handled our family's massive mana reserves with ease. I wasn't so fortunate.
Seven years. That's how long I've lived. Seven years of my parents pouring everything they had into keeping me alive. Seven years of my sister dedicating herself to helping me endure.
Am I spoiled? Probably.
A rich family? Check.
An influential bloodline? Check.
A loving family that refuses to give up on me? Check.
Damn. How lucky am I?
My name is Vant Licht Darkven, youngest child of Rosalie Licht and Ebenholz Darkven.
And if my fate is to be crushed by my own power then so be it.
Today was the day.
Yeah… the day I could finally be proud of myself.
By losing a limb, of course.
"Vant, do you want ice cream on the way home?"
A soft voice called out, lighthearted yet warm. A white-haired young woman Aria Licht Darkven held onto her little brother's arm as they walked through the crowded streets.
Her little brother, Vant, exhaled a slow stream of dark bluish smoke from his lips. Not real smoke though to the untrained eye, it might as well have been. The wispy tendrils curled like something from a tobacco pipe, and that's exactly what it was designed to look like.
The Magical Pipe a crude, old-fashioned device created by Ebenholz Darkven, their father. It wasn't meant for leisure. It was the only thing keeping Vant from exploding into a mist of raw mana.
Seeing a seven-year-old smoking would naturally startle passersby, but if they knew what would happen if he stopped, they'd be far more terrified.
Before the pipe, his parents had tried other methods magical leeches that drained his excess mana, but those had their own risks. The leeches produced mana poisoning as a rebound effect, making them more dangerous than helpful. The pipe, as horrible as it looked, was the lesser evil.
Vant had long since grown numb to the pain.
His body was a time bomb, every second spent suppressing the unbearable sensation of his very existence tearing itself apart. Every fiber of his being constantly shredded and rebuilt, his own mana eating away at him. Without the pipe, the pain was unspeakable. Agonizing.
So, he puffed.
And nodded.
Aria chuckled, ruffling her brother's messy black hair before leading him toward the store. Her grip was firm but gentle an unspoken promise that, no matter what, she would always be there to hold him together.
Inside the store, the scent of sweet cream and sugar filled the air, mingling with the faint, ever-present trace of mana smoke curling from Vant's lips.
Behind the counter, a woman worked the ice cream machine, her hands moving with practiced ease. Unlike most strangers, she didn't react to the sight of a seven-year-old with a pipe, nor did she show any surprise at their presence.
"The usual, Lady Licht?" the shopkeeper asked, her voice polite but flat.
"Yes, please." Aria smiled, her tone casual.
As the woman scooped their order, Vant absentmindedly puffed his magical device, exhaling another thin wisp of dark blue smoke.
And then, he noticed it.
The shopkeeper's hand trembled slightly as she scooped the ice cream. A small detail insignificant to most but in this perfectly air-conditioned store, where the cold should have made sweating impossible, beads of perspiration ran down her temple.
Her movements were sluggish, unnatural.
Something was wrong.
Vant puffed again, his instincts sharpening as he scanned the store.
Outside, through the glass window, a lone figure sat at an outdoor café table. His face was hidden beneath the brim of a Sherlock-style hat, the curve of a ceramic cup touching his lips as he took a slow sip of coffee.
Then, in a subtle motion, he reached up and tapped the side of his ear a communication device.
"They're here. Confirmed target."
Their eyes met.
For a single, frozen second, the man stiffened.
Of course he did.
How could he have expected a seven-year-old to see right through them?
The sound of a pickup truck's tires screeching against the pavement rang out like an alarm. It wasn't just speeding it was barreling straight toward the ice cream shop.
Vant's Magical Eye activated in an instant, feeding him information faster than his brain could process. The trajectory. The velocity. The distance.
It wouldn't hit him.
But Aria
"SISSY!"
His body moved before his thoughts could catch up. Pushing. Shoving her aside with all the strength his small frame could muster.
Then
CRASH!
The truck plowed through the store's glass walls, shards flying like a deadly rainstorm.
Vant wasn't fast enough.
His left arm still outstretched from pushing his sister
BWAMMM!
The truck's metal frame collided with it.
CRACK.
A sound more violent than shattering glass.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!"
Agony.
Agony like he hadn't felt in years like his entire body was being torn apart at the molecular level. Like his flesh was unraveling into nothingness, his existence being shredded like the day he was born when his mana tried to consume him from the inside out.
His blood splattered onto the white-tiled floor. His arm was pinned beneath the wreckage, twisted at an angle that shouldn't have been possible.
"VANT!!" Aria's scream rang in his ears.
CLICK.
The sharp sound of metal sliding into place.
Vant's eyes snapped toward the counter.
The woman the ice cream shop owner stood there, trembling. A pistol in her shaking hands, pointed straight at Aria.
Her lips quivered. Her face was pale, drenched in sweat.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, voice cracking. "They have my child."
Aria's eyes widened in realization.
BANG!
A hole.
Its edges sizzled with heat, the wound still glowing faintly. Blood dripped in slow, rhythmic drops onto the checkered tile floor.
The ice cream shop owner staggered, her hands trembling as she dropped the pistol. Her legs gave out, sending her crashing to her knees, her breath coming out in ragged gasps.
A gaping cavity had been burned straight through her torso, revealing the shattered remnants of her spine.
Blood bubbled up from her throat, spilling past her lips in scarlet rivers.
Aria stood before her, hand still raised, a white magic circle hovering at her palm's center.
Light Pierce.
There was no doubt who had drawn first.
The woman had pulled the trigger.
But light is faster than a bullet.
Her spell had vaporized the shot mid-air, reducing the metal to nothing but steam, leaving only the sound of its execution ringing through the broken store.
The woman's body twitched violently, her pupils shrinking.
Aria's eyes remained locked on her, unwavering.
Then
The woman lunged, fingers scrambling toward the pistol once more.
Maybe she thought that if she could just kill Aria, her child would be saved. Maybe she had already given up on her own life.
But in the end
SLINK.
PSST.
A thin, searing beam of light punched through her skull.
She collapsed instantly, her body falling limp before she even registered she was dead.
The only sound that followed was the quiet thud of her corpse hitting the blood-slicked floor.
Aria's hands trembled as she gripped her brother's shoulders, his small frame limp against the cold, blood-stained floor.
"VANT!"
She shook him, but there was no response. Her breath came in short, panicked gasps as she took in the rapidly growing pool of crimson beneath him.
So much blood.
Her heart pounded in her ears, drowning out all thought. What do I do? What do I do?
Then
A low groan.
The driver stirred, wiping the blood from his face. His fingers twitched, his sluggish gaze locking onto Aria's panicked form.
A golden opportunity.
A chance that might never come again.
His hand shot to his side, gripping the handle of his holstered handgun.
He pulled it free, aiming straight at Aria's head.
Click!
But before he could pull the trigger
"DON'T YOU HURT HER!"
BURST.
The next instant, the man's torso erupted.
A wave of scorching blue energy expanded outward, the entire side of the truck disintegrating into a fine mist.
The assassin barely had time to let out a strangled gasp before his body was reduced to smoldering ash, his final expression frozen in shock.
The attack had been instantaneous.
And at its center
Vant.
His small frame trembled as more blood burst from his lips, staining his already crimson-streaked chin. His body spasmed from the backlash of his own magic, pain tearing through him like searing knives.
"VANT! NO, NO, NO PLEASE!"
Aria frantically reached out, her hands glowing with soft, white light.
Healing Magic. She had to stop the bleeding.
Her mother's words suddenly echoed in her mind
"ARIA. NEVER, EVER USE HEALING MAGIC ON YOUR BROTHER, OKAY?"
Her breath hitched.
She remembered.
The last time she had tried to heal him
His body had nearly collapsed in on itself.
Because Healing Magic didn't just mend wounds it increased magic flow.
And Vant's body was already overflowing, barely holding itself together.
Healing him… would only make it worse.
Her hands froze mid-air, paralyzed by the weight of her own helplessness.
Please… please… something… God… Mother… Father…
Aria's body trembled as she slumped against Vant's small, fragile frame, her arms wrapping tightly around him. His shallow breaths barely stirred against her neck.
Her heart pounded.
He's slipping away.
Her teeth clenched so hard they might shatter.
There was no time.
Teleportation Spell.
A spell that could move them at the speed of light. A spell she had never fully mastered.
A spell that if she failed could tear them both apart.
But if she hesitated
Vant would die.
She hugged him tighter.
The air around them shimmered, and a brilliant white magic circle spun beneath them, growing larger, symbols pulsing with desperate energy.
Please, please just work!
Then
"THEY'RE HERE! SHOOT HER!"
A hail of gunfire erupted.
Aria barely had time to react she raised her hand, and a translucent Light Barrier flickered into existence.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
Bullets slammed against it, bouncing off in harmless trickles of light but the barrier was weak.
Too rushed. Too fragile.
The gunfire stopped.
Then
"MOVE ASIDE, MAGICLESS MUTTS!"
A voice, deep and authoritative, rang out.
A robed man stepped forward, his hands weaving in sharp, precise motions.
A searing ball of fire crackled to life in his palm, heat distorting the air around it.
FWOOOSH!
He hurled it.
The fireball collided with Aria's barrier
CRACK!
Splinters of light fractured across its surface.
Aria's breath hitched.
It's breaking.
Come on, come on
Her magic circle spun faster, energy surging
Please, please work!
BZZZT!
Aria's vision blurred for a moment. A cold sweat ran down her back as realization dawned
She was out of mana.
Her reserves, normally vast, had been completely drained. The stress, the panic it had forced her spell to consume five times the normal amount of mana.
Her lips trembled.
No, no, no…
Her hands, still wrapped around Vant, shook.
She bit down on her tongue, hard enough to taste iron.
Please anything! Just not my brother!
Memories flashed before her eyes.
Vant, bedridden, unable to move, yet still laughing over a storybook.
His smile, was always so gentle, despite the pain he endured.
His warmth, the way he always leaned against her, trusting her.
No. I can't lose him.
A soft touch against her lips jolted her back to reality.
Her wide, teary eyes met Vant's.
Despite the agony, despite the blood pooling beneath him, his trembling fingers pressed against her lips, and
Fuuuhhh
A cloud of dark blue smoke was exhaled from his pipe-like device.
Aria instinctively inhaled the mana-laced mist, her body seizing for a moment as raw energy surged through her veins.
Vant…!
Her grip on him tightened as the burning mana flooded her system.
Her teeth clenched.
Her brows furrowed.
She focused.
The magic circle beneath them spun faster.
Symbols glowed, light cascading upward
Like a reverse rainfall, droplets of luminescent magic rose into the air
And then
"STOP HIM! BREAK THE DAMN BARRIER, YOU MUTTS!!!"
The roar of desperation echoed through the battlefield as a heavy-caliber sniper rifle was braced against the glowing magic wall.
Click shnk.
An armor-piercing round was loaded into the chamber.
Normally, such a bullet would never breach a properly cast magic barrier. But Aria's willpower was faltering. Her mana was running dry. The barrier had weakened.
The sniper took a deep breath. Calm. Precise. Deadly.
Finger on the trigger.
Bang!
The rifle kicked back with brutal force. The bullet, a steel-tipped projectile enhanced with anti-magic properties, spun through the air like a drill.
It made contact
It spun, digging, cracking
CRACK PRANG!
The barrier shattered.
But
They were gone.
A burst of white light flickered in the air where Aria and Vant had just been.
Teleportation successful.
The sniper's smirk vanished.
The robed man stiffened. His face twisted in pure rage.
"NOOOOOO! DAMN IT!"
He flung his tome to the ground, its pages scattering across the floor.
The bullet that should have ended everything had found nothing but air.