Weak

15 Years Later.

Eldoria Academy.

BOOM!

Explosions blasted all around the air, as the sound of weapons clashing resounded in the chaos of battle. Amidst the battlefield, there stood a lady.

Her form was delicate and frail as it trembled, yet her features still radiate warmth that seemed to erase the chaotic situation around her.

The lady's gaze was locked on me, as a soft smile graced her lips, but the moment was shattered as, in the next second a sword pierced through her chest.

"Noooo! Haaa... Haaa...". I cried out in the room, as my hand stretched towards something or perhaps someone, though grasping nothing but empty air.

My breath came in ragged gasps, as sweat dripped down my pale face. The pain in my chest was almost overwhelming, as it tightened.

"Not again," i muttered under my breath. Troubled, as i ruffled my hair with trembling hands. The pain in my chest slowly began to dull, however the weight of the vision still remained.

Dreams like this had become constant nightmares for me, a relentless cycle that had traumatized me, since i began to understand things.

And in the recent years, these strange dreams had only intensified. Sometimes in the dream, the scene would change, placing me in strange world, a different place altogether.

In the changed dream, the towering skyscrapers replaced the buildings, ships different from what I had seen roamed in the outside sky, the air thier was filled the sound vehicles different from carriages i know.

Every dream felt like a puzzle to me, making me, sometimes wonder if they were somehow connected to each other.

As if they were fragments of life i had lived or perhaps living, i don't know. What ever was the case though, the dreams still haunted me each now becoming more vivid and painful from the last one.

Closing my eyes, i took a deep breath, the images of the dream fading, as reality cleared my thoughts. However the lingering ache in my chest still remained, never letting me forget about the mystery around me.

Looking at the clock, i noticed that it was still early morning. Feeling that i need some fresh air, to clear my mind, i decided to go outside.

After grabbing some more comfortable clothes, to change from these sticky ones, i headed towards the bathroom.

Click.

The door opened with a subtle sound, as i stepped inside, the coolness of the bathroom greeted me. Walking over to the basin, i washed my face with cold water.

The chill of the water helping me, in shaking off the remnants of the dream that still lingered my mind.

As the droplets of water ran down my face, i took a deep breath, letting the coolness calm the turmoil inside me.

Though, the pain in my chest was still there as it lingered. To be honest, I was beginning to understand that these dreams were more than just nightmares. The dreams literally felt like I was living in them, as if they were connected to my very soul.

I stared at my reflection, the familiar dull white hair falling softly around my face, my grey eyes seemed to hold an infinite depth. My skin was pale, but it only added to my charm, making me ethereal, almost like as otherworldly beauty.

A beauty that had become both a blessing and a curse for me. The same handsome face that had attracted countless envious gazes and fueled the relentless bullying that I have suffered throughout my life.

I could still hear the taunts echoing deep in my mind, the whispers of how my appearance made me "unnatural," how it made me stand out in a world where blending in, was a form of survival.

Yet, despite all the cruelty, i had grown used to the pain. I had learned to endure to push through it, though it never quite stopped stinging.

With a deep sigh, i wiped my face dry, my eyes lingering on the mirror one last time. It almost felt like, as if the person looking back at me was someone i know, yet he was someone i couldn't fully comprehend.

I wasn't sure where the dreams came from, or why they felt so real. But they were a constant reminder that there was more to my existence than what i had been led to believe.

****

As, the morning sun bathed the world in golden light, casting a warm glow over everything it touched. Azhreal stepped outside of his dorm, the cool air brushing against his face, as took a deep breath.

Even after years, his body was still weak from the poison, however he didn't know that, he just thought that he was inherently frail.

With that he immediately began to run. The rhythm of his feet that hit the ground was steady, but with every passing moment, he felt a growing sense of frustration.

"Haa, haa... even without mana, why is my body so weak?" he muttered under his breath, as his chest heaved with exertion.

Despite his years of relentless training and the unnatural strength that he had felt in certain moments, his stamina was anything but exceptional, in a negative way of course.

After only ten minutes of simple running, he was on the brink of collapse. His body failing him in the simplest of tasks.

He came to a halt, his hands resting on his knees as he gasped for breath. The sweat trickled down his face, stinging his eyes. However.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Come on, you should be able to do more than this," he motivated himself.

With one last deep breath, he took off again, more determined to push past his limits, though the doubt still gnawed at the edges of his thoughts.

After 30 minutes.

Azhreal layed on the grass, as he panted heavily, his chest heaving with each shallow breath. The pain in his limbs was unbearable, but his will to push forward had somehow kept him from giving in completely. Feeling the state of his body he cursed under his breath, as frustration laced his every word.

"Ah, fuck," he muttered, as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Perhaps I should ask Old Man something about this... With his knowledge, maybe he could tell me what's wrong with me." Azhreal's mind raced, as he wondered what kind of answers he will get but something inside him, told him that even those wouldn't be enough.

But what he didn't know, however, was that the very "Old Man" he was thinking about was watching him from a great distance, as his piercing gaze kept fixed upon him from the highest point of the central tower.

There, Elaric stood silently at the top, his eyes were filled with an unusual trace of pity. He could see the boy's unwavering determination and will, the way he pushed through his limits without hesitation, everyday.

However Elaric also knew the painful truth — there was only so much, even a person as stubborn as like Azhrael could do when he bound by such powerful restrictions.

Elaric's thoughts drifted as he observed the boy from afar. "What kind of sealing magic did Cassandra use?" he wondered. He had seen many forms of magic in his long life, but nothing like this.

The seals on Azhrael body were unlike anything he had ever encountered before, no matter how hard he had tried, he couldn't understand them. That was a rarity, that both troubled and intrigued him.

He also couldn't help but marvel at the boy's strength. "What kind of monstrous body does he have?" Elaric mused himself quietly.

He had witnessed Azhrael break through his seals slightly multiple times before, but even with that extraordinary resilience.of his, the boy had no idea how much more he could have achieved if even, once those seals were finally lifted.

Elaric's gaze lingered on Azhrael for a moment longer. "Perhaps soon enough, you'll understand," whispering he vanished.

After all the fifteen years were coming to an end.