"What a disappointment you have become," the Baron remarked, his voice as cold as the mountain winds.
The man speaking was Lois Valkarin, the Baron of the North. A legendary defender against the demon tides, he was a man of iron and stone. To Kaelith, however, he was a judge who had already passed a sentence of "guilty."
"Father—please. Don't. I'll try again, I promise," Kaelith pleaded.
He lay defeated on the training floor, his muscles aching and his spirit shredded. He had spent every day of his life trying to bridge the gap between himself and his family's legacy.
"YOU CAN'T EVEN USE MANA! YOU USELESS PIECE OF TRASH!" the Baron roared, his presence shaking the very air in the room.
This was the heavy truth of Kaelith's existence. Unlike his legendary brothers, who had awakened their mana at a young age with ease, Kaelith's attempt had been a disaster. In his desperation to catch up to them years ago, he had pushed his body too far, causing his internal pathways to collapse. He had broken his core, leaving him a "Zero"—a hollow vessel in a family of titans.
Despite being a "useless piece of the North," Kaelith never stopped trying to earn a single look of pride from his father. But every effort was met with the same wall of ice.
The morning of his sixteenth birthday arrived. In the Holy Kingdom, sixteen was the year of the Awakening. It was a sacred rite where a youth's internal energy was finally stabilized, allowing them to officially manifest their mana and discover their "Sword Talent"—a unique martial affinity granted by the Heavens. For Kaelith, who already had a ruined core, this ceremony was his final, flickering hope.
A sympathetic knock came from his bedroom door.
"Kaelith," the Head Butler called softly. "The Baron asks for your immediate presence."
"Coming," Kaelith replied, his face hardening into a mask of stoicism.
He walked through the grand hallways, ignored by some and mocked by others. The servants whispered as he passed, ridiculing the "Average Son" who couldn't hold a candle to his brothers. Having been the target of their scorn since he was a small child, Kaelith had grown numb to the sting.
He reached the Great Study. The doors were imposing, built to make a man feel his own insignificance. Inside, the Baron sat surrounded by mountains of tactical reports and ancient lore.
"Father? You called?"
Without looking up, the Baron began his ultimatum.
"Kaelith, this is your last chance to redeem yourself. If you aren't able to at least awaken a sword talent today, you will be kicked out. Your mana core is already a goner, anyway. Don't let your martial talent be a mockery to our bloodline as well."
The words were a final blow. Kaelith bowed, his heart a heavy stone in his chest, and returned to his room to prepare for the ceremony that would decide if he still had a home—or if he would be cast into the dark.