Volume 1: The Boy With No Magic
Chapter 1: The Boy With No Magic
The world worshipped magic.
Bloodlines were blessings. Affinity was identity.
And those without it were nothing more than shadows under another's light.
That was the law in the Empire of Aurathal.
And that was the law inside the towering gates of Noxharte Academy.
Aero Nacht stood silently as those gates creaked open.
Tall obsidian walls stretched like a fortress, engraved with shifting runes that responded to the presence of mana. The air shimmered with spellfields layered atop each other. Floating sigils buzzed above the courtyard like living stars.
The students poured in—most carried themselves like royalty. Nobles from Flamehouse Dynasties, heirs of Hydromancers, Thunderborn duelists… each of them wore their crest like a second skin.
Aero wore black. No crest.
No glow.
No presence.
He stepped onto the mana-activated floor.
Nothing lit up.
Whispers followed.
"That's him."
"The boy with no affinity."
"F-Class. Can't even activate a beginner sigil."
"Why would the Academy accept a complete zero?"
They didn't whisper behind his back. They did it near him—like he was background noise, not worth fearing.
He didn't respond. He never did.
Inside the grand lecture hall, Aero sat at the back. Alone.
The hall itself was a masterpiece of enchanted architecture—hovering crystal boards, memory-scrolls swirling in the air, desks that shifted to each student's aura type.
Everyone's desk adjusted.
His didn't move.
He sat without complaint.
The instructor, Master Kaellin, stood at the front.
A tall, fire-type mage with noble lineage and the confidence of a man used to obedience.
"Today we'll begin by testing core reaction. I'll scan your souls. Place your hand on the Sigil Stone, and you'll be assigned a class rank: S to F."
The murmurs began again.
"This'll be funny."
"Didn't he already take this test?"
"He probably breaks the stone."
"Or it breaks from disappointment."
Aero was called last.
Always last.
He placed his hand on the Sigil Stone.
Nothing happened.
Not even static.
The stone pulsed once—a faint, hollow vibration—and then dimmed.
"F-Rank," the instructor said, frowning. "Void affinity—unreadable. No usable traits."
Laughter.
But Aero didn't blink.
Combat Class – Later That Day
The training yard was filled with glowing circles and element projectors.
Students were split into teams for basic spell control duels.
Aero was left out—again.
"No point putting a shadow into combat."
One noble—Rael Vornhart—grinned.
He was a third-year fire prodigy, arrogant and loved attention. His aura burned red as a sunflare.
"Hey F-Class… try not to flinch."
He raised his hand, summoned a fireball—not lethal, but fast enough to cause pain.
It fired.
The class turned.
Aero didn't move.
The fireball froze midair.
No chant. No defense spell. Just—stillness.
Then…
It shattered.
Like glass. Sparks fell in silence.
Everyone stared.
Rael stumbled backward.
"W-What… how—?"
Aero lowered his hand.
"I removed the concept of your flame. Just for a moment."
Silence. Real silence.
Even the instructor said nothing.
No one saw a spell circle.
No one understood what had happened.
Aero walked past them, slowly.
Inside his sealed soul… a crack formed.
And something ancient stirred.
Far above the school, in the Headmaster's Tower, a crystal mirror flickered.
The Headmaster—a Grand Mage once known as "The Binder of Dimensions"—stared at the image of Aero on the field.
His hands trembled.
"That boy… That presence…
Could it be… him?"
End of Chapter 1