a sore losser..
Time seemed to slow down—one second felt like an eternity.
Raze stepped forward, his heart pounding violently in his chest. Every eye was on him, some curious, some mocking, but none expecting anything grand. He swallowed hard, his throat dry as he reached out, pressing his hand against the cold, smooth surface of the crystal ball.
Please... give me anything... just anything, he begged inwardly, his silent prayers echoing in the void of his mind.
The moment his palm made contact, the ball shuddered as if reacting to something foreign, something unknown. A flicker of light pulsed within, then another, and suddenly, the crystal burst into a chaotic storm of colors.
Bright white, then deep crimson. A flash of blue, then golden yellow. Green, silver, black—every known element flashed through the ball in rapid succession. Gasps spread through the hall as the ball continued shifting erratically, unable to settle.
"What is happening?!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"He's shifting through all the elements!" another voice cried out.
The ball vibrated violently in his hand, the colors glitching and flickering unnaturally, like a broken prism.
Kael, watching from the sidelines, clenched his fists. His mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening.
No, this isn't right. Mom said he had no magic. How could he be getting every element? That's impossible!
Then, before anyone could comprehend it, the ball stopped.
A single color emerged, swallowing all others—
A deep, unnatural shade of dark purple.
It was unlike any element ever recorded. Not fire, not water, not air, not earth. Not even the rare elements like lightning or ice. It was something entirely unknown.
A deathly silence filled the hall.
Crack!
A thin fracture ran across the crystal's surface like a spiderweb. Then—
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The entire ball shattered into tiny fragments, falling to the floor like scattered diamonds.
Raze took a step back, his mind blank. What... just happened?
The whispers started first.
"Did he just break the testing crystal?"
"That only happens when someone has no magic at all!"
"He made the ball malfunction! It couldn't find any element, so it shattered!"
Then, laughter erupted.
Mocking, jeering, cruel laughter.
Raze flinched as the sound surrounded him, growing louder, suffocating him. His face burned with embarrassment as he clenched his fists.
"I-It was purple!" he shouted, trying to hold onto that moment before it broke. "Before it shattered, it was purple!"
The laughter only intensified.
"Delusional fool!" A sharp, regal voice cut through the noise.
A girl stepped forward from the crowd, dressed in lavish robes embroidered with golden patterns. Her platinum blonde hair shimmered under the light, and her piercing blue eyes looked at him with nothing but disdain.
The Royal Princess.
"You really think you're so special that you would get every element and some made-up purple nonsense?" she sneered. "You were a mistake!"
More laughter followed her words, but Raze barely heard it. His nails dug into his palms as he stared at the fragments of the crystal.
No, she's wrong... I know what I saw. It was purple. It was real!
The elder of the examination hall finally raised his hand, silencing the crowd.
His gaze fell upon Raze, not with anger, nor pity, but with a strange curiosity.
"Raze Tenebris," he said, his voice calm but firm. "The princess is correct. One cannot attain all elements. And as for purple... there is no such element recorded in history."
Raze's breath hitched. "B-But—"
"The testing crystal must have malfunctioned. What I can sense from you is clear—you do not possess any magic. And to control elements, one must first have magic. That is the only explanation for why the ball broke." The elder's voice remained steady, unwavering. "You are not a mage, Raze Tenebris. That is the truth."
Raze's world came crashing down.
The words echoed in his mind, repeating over and over again, louder and louder, until they became deafening.
Not a mage.
Not a mage.
Not a mage.
Nyx, watching from a distance, clenched her fists. She had always been by Raze's side, watching as he struggled through life, friendless, different, always overshadowed by others—including his own brother.
Kael had been a normal child, playing with friends, basking in the warmth of companionship. Raze, however, had spent his days in solitude, training endlessly, lost in books or in the quiet presence of their mother and Nyx.
Nyx rushed to him as he stumbled out of the hall, wrapping her arms around him. She could feel his silent tremors, the way he clenched his fists, holding back the weight of his emotions. And then, finally, his tears fell—silent, but undeniable.
Kael returned moments later, beaming with pride, his friends congratulating him.
"Mom! I got two elements!" he announced, expecting warmth, expecting celebration.
Their mother turned to him with a small, weary smile. "I'm really proud of you, Kael. You did well." But even as she spoke, her eyes remained on Raze, her embrace around him unbroken.
Kael's excitement dimmed, the proud grin slipping from his face. His friends cheered, patted his back, but their voices faded into the background. His mother hadn't even looked at him properly. Only Raze held her attention. A strange, unfamiliar bitterness stirred in his chest.
Something changed in him that day.
The sky was dark by the time Raze returned home. Dinner was set on the table, but he had no appetite. He barely acknowledged Nyx or Kael as he walked straight to his bed, pulling the blanket over himself.
That night, he lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
Fate was cruel.
He clenched his fists under the blanket.
Why?
His throat tightened, and the tears came, silent and bitter.
Why did you bring me here just to suffer? Why show me everything, just to take it away?
Ding!
A faint chime echoed in his ears. His breath hitched as a glowing screen flickered into existence before him.
[Condition requirement completed]
[Element awakening completed]
[Legacy granted: The Hollow Monarch Legacy]
His eyes widened.
Everything was about to change.