thewisperingsleep

Raze was nothing—a weak, powerless boy scorned by everyone in his world. Born with neither strength nor talent, he was destined for mediocrity, trapped in a kingdom where only the strong ruled. But fate was crueler than he imagined. Betrayed and left to die, his story should have ended there.

Yet, in the abyss of death, something awakened within him. A power older than time itself—a void that devoured all, reshaping him into something far beyond mortal comprehension.

The Hollow Monarch

The first thing Raze noticed after being born into this world was the constant examinations.

At first, he thought nothing of it—he was an infant, after all. But as time passed, he began to realize something was off. While the room cheered for his brother, Kael, his own presence seemed to bring only whispers and worried expressions.

The doctors and priests came to check on him daily. They barely looked at Kael after the initial tests, satisfied with the results. But with Raze, it was different.

Even though he couldn't understand the language yet, Raze could feel the tension in the room whenever the doctor spoke to his mother. The way her hands trembled ever so slightly. The way she looked down at him with both sadness and hesitation.

Then, one day, he heard one name repeated over and over during the doctor's visit.

At first, it meant nothing to him. But when he saw the doctor gesture toward Kael with a smile—then toward him with a troubled frown—the meaning slowly started to click.

A Cruel Joke of Fate

"The younger one, Kael, has an incredibly high mana absorption rate. A true prodigy in the making!" The doctor's voice was filled with excitement. "With his talent, he could one day serve in the royal palace."

Then came the pause. The shift in tone. The weight in the air.

"But... the other child, Raze... He has nothing.only thing he has is a unnatural way of look at people not like a newborn but like a grown kid observing"

His mother's arms tightened around him. The doctor sighed.

"Not a single drop of mana. It's as if the world itself has rejected him."

Raze had suffered in his past life. A miserable existence filled with pain, loneliness, and betrayal.

Now, even in this new life, fate had mocked him once more.

A world of magic. A brother blessed with everything. And him? Cursed to be nothing.

Five Months Later

His mother still cared for him. That much, he knew. But there was always a shadow in her eyes when she looked at him. A sorrow she couldn't hide.

One afternoon, she took him outside for the first time. The air was cool and refreshing, the sky painted in golden hues as the sun began to set. He felt her arms gently rocking him as she spoke.

"My little Raze… don't worry, my love. What if you don't have magic? You still have me… and your brother. We will always be by your side."

Her voice was warm. Comforting. But there was a hint of something else beneath it.

she had no clue that the inphant she had in her hand is already understanding what she was saying

she always had been close to him in love or pity maybe both.

she always talked to him about his future as her own and little by little the baby raze picked up the words and had a basic understanding of the new language even thought his body could not speak

"What if you can't become a magician and serve in the royal palace? You can always become…"

For a moment, she didn't finish the sentence. As if saying it out loud would make it real. As if she couldn't bear to speak a future where he would never be great.

A future where he would always be lesser than Kael.

Raze didn't know what she was going to say. A merchant? A farmer? A servant?

Even if the world had abandoned him.

Even if fate itself had turned its back on him.

unnatural...