Morning in the Village
The village square buzzed with life. A crowd had gathered, voices clashing like waves.
"Did you hear?" one man said, wide-eyed. "All the monsters are dead!"
"Yeah, I heard," replied another, "but what's really strange is that all the mana in their bodies seems to have been drained—completely dry."
"That's not even the weirdest part," chimed in a third. "I saw them myself. Not a single wound, not even a scratch—but every last one of them is dead."
Just then, an older man pushed through the crowd, catching his breath. "I just came from the site. Some of the young ones tried to dig out the mana cores…"
"And?"
"They were gone. Already gone. Like someone had taken them clean out—without leaving a trace."
A hush fell.
Then a voice from the back broke the silence, half joking, half in awe.
"This world's secrets are deeper than the hairs on your wife's—"
"Ha! Aasaa!"
"Aaaa!"
"Haaa!"
"But whoever… or whatever did this," the man continued, "did a big favor to our village. Next month's the migration season, and the monsters were just about to rampage through the village"
"Ha! That's true," someone replied, nodding. "We'd be hiding in our homes or digging graves if this didn't happen."
-------------
At Sam's House
The morning sun filtered gently through the windows.
Two children—twins, a boy and a girl, both with features strikingly similar to Sam—tipped down the hallway toward his room. Their steps were slow, careful, like sneaky little spies on a mission.
Reaching his door, they glanced at each other with a grin—then flung it open.
"Brother!!"
They sprinted inside and leapt onto the bed in one smooth motion.
Sam stirred, groaning as the weight of two playful bodies landed on him.
"Wake up, brother! Haaa!"
"You're late again, brother! Haaa!"
They bounced around, giggling, tugging at his blanket like mischievous little whirlwinds.
Sam yawned and lazily waved his hand.
"Yeah, yeah… I'm awake…"
Then he promptly turned over and sank back into sleep.
The twins exchanged a knowing look.
"It's the same thing every morning," Liya whispered like a sneaky mouse. She leaned close to Sam's ear and said softly,
"Brother… today, Mom's mood is not good."
Lane, the younger twin brother, chimed in next.
"When Dad came home from morning- meeting.... he said something to Mom. After that, she got really quiet."
Sam's eyes opened slowly as memory hit him—last night
Realizing what might be going on, he sat up
Without saying a word, he kissed Liya on the forehead, then Lane on the head, and dashed toward the bathroom.
"Brother! You didn't even brush your teeth!" Liya squealed, wiping off the kiss with her sleeve.
Lane just smiled, watching his older brother disappear
**************
At the Dinner Table
The family sat together, the warm aroma of fresh food filling the air.
Sam's mother moved quietly, placing dishes on the table with care. She gently set down plates in front of the twins, then Sam, then her husband. Her face was calm, but her eyes held a heaviness—one only Sam seemed to notice.
Sam glanced at his plate, then slowly raised his eyes toward his father.
"…Dad," he began, voice low, "did something happen?"
His father paused mid-bite, looked at Sam, then shifted his gaze to his wife for a moment… then back to Sam.
"No, nothing serious," he said finally, voice steady. "Just that… some monsters outside the village were found dead. That's all."
But Sam could tell—his father's eyes didn't match his words.
His mother didn't speak. She quietly sat down beside them, her hands folding on her lap, but her food was untouched.
Sam looked between the two, the room suddenly heavier
As his father spoke, Sam watched him carefully.
That calm voice. That steady expression.
But Sam knew better.
He had scanned both his parents once—out of curiosity. And what he saw had shocked him.
Multiple cores.
Not just high mana levels, not just one, but multiple cores—a rare trait, even among elite mages. It was then Sam understood:
His parents were not ordinary.
They knew more about the world than he did. Much more.
They had faced things he couldn't yet imagine.
And now, sitting at the dinner table, pretending nothing had happened, they were doing what strong people do best—hiding fear behind calm faces.
Sam looked again at his mother. Her hands were still. Her eyes were distant.
His father? Saying it was just monsters found dead?
Sam knew that wasn't the real concern. The real fear wasn't the monsters. It was what killed them.
And if no one came forward to claim such a powerful kill...
Then it could only mean one thing.
Something—or someone—unknown had arrived.
And in a world like this, unknown means danger.
And fear.
He thought to himself
'Mom… Dad… you don't have to fear the other anymore.'
'In this world… I won't let anything disturb our family. Not now. Not ever.'
Then he clenched his fist under the table—his resolve hardening like stone.
'I'll stand against the unknown. Against the monsters. Against the world, if I have to.'
He slowly lifted his head, his eyes sharp and calm, a quiet strength beginning to radiate from him.
'Because this time… I'll be the shield. I'll be the one who protects.'
***********
he took a soft breath and smiled gently.
Trying to change the mood, he looked at his mother and asked,
"Mom… the arrangement for my awakening—it's complete, right?"
His voice was light, but his eyes searched hers.
His mother blinked, surprised by the shift in topic. Her lips pressed together, then slowly, she nodded.
"Yes… everything is ready," she said, voice softer now
Sam smiled wider, giving a confident nod.
"That means I'm officially a beginner mage huh?"
He glanced at Lane and Liya, who were now looking at him with sparkling eyes
"Big Brother is going to become a mage?" Liya asked excitedly.
Lane leaned forward, whispering like it was a big secret,
"Does that mean you can fly now?"
Sam chuckled and ruffled their hair.
"Not yet. But soon... maybe."
A small smile finally touched his mother's lips, and even his father's expression softened just a bit.
The tension didn't vanish—but in that moment, the weight was lighter.
*************
In This World...
When a child turns 15, something changes.
It is the age when both mind and body are considered fully developed—strong enough to endure the burden of magic. That is when they must undergo the most important step in their lives:
The Awakening.
At this age, every young one travels to the Capital Temple—a sacred place where ancient mana converges like rivers meeting in a hidden sea. A place where the very air hums with power.
There, beneath the towering crystal pillars and under the silent gaze of ancestral statues
It is there that their mana wire system begins to form—thin, glowing threads of magical pathways spreading through their bodies, connecting heart, soul, and will.
And at the center of it all, deep inside them, the Mana Core is formed
This ritual is more than tradition—
It marks the moment a person is no longer a child.
************
Sam leaned back in his chair, watching his family. The twins were now playfully arguing over dessert, his mother had finally taken a bite, and his father quietly observed everything like always.
But in Sam's mind, a different kind of thought stirred.
'This world… still clings to old traditions,'
'Everyone waits to turn fifteen, travels to the capital, stands before some ancient altar... like it's the only way.'
His eyes narrowed slightly.
'But awakening doesn't depend on place or age. The real key is knowledge—and two skills.'
'Mana Manipulation… and Scan'
He chuckled silently, a grin forming in his mind.
'If they knew I awakened my core in my room... they'd probably faint but I have to play along now and with the system help they don't know I already awakened.'
A soft laugh escaped him before he covered it with a cough.
*********
Just as the air around the dinner table was beginning to settle, Sam's mother spoke gently, trying to keep her tone casual.
"Dear… I spoke to my family today. They said the arrangements have been made."
Sam's father froze. His calm expression cracked for the first time.
His voice, though still low, carried a sharp edge.
"Why did you talk to them?"
"I've already handled everything for our stay in the capital," his father continued, anger simmering beneath his words. "You know what they're like. You know what they'll try to do."
He glanced at the children—at Sam, Lane, and Liya—then suddenly stopped himself. He didn't want to say too much in front of them.
His jaw tightened.
"Tell them we'll arrange everything ourselves," he said, firm and final.
But his mother looked panicked now, her voice trembling slightly.
"But… I already talked to them," she whispered. "And you know if I say no now…"
His mother looked down, her voice trembling as she spoke softly—almost as if speaking to the memory of the past more than the present.
"Dear… it's already been twenty years…"
She looked at Sam, then at the twins—Lane and Liya—quietly watching, sensing the shift in the room.
"…And after seeing their grandchildren… I think… something changed in their hearts."
She gave a small, tired smile.
Sam's father didn't speak at first. His jaw tightened, fists clenched on the table
*********
As Sam sat there, the silence wrapping around him like a slow-moving fog, the pieces began falling into place in his mind.
He finally understood…
A love story—one buried beneath years of silence and pain.
A young man and a young woman once fell in love.
But their love was not accepted.
Her family—noble, powerful—had already arranged her future. A political marriage to strengthen their alliances.
Love was not part of the contract.
But the young couple didn't surrender.
They ran away—choosing love over status, heart over tradition. They married in secret.
They built a life on their own terms.
And for that… they were cast out.
Sam looked at his mother, the way her fingers gently curled on the edge of the table. The way her eyes flickered with emotion she tried to hide.
So that's what it was," Sam thought.
Now, twenty years later, that past was crawling back—because those same people, who once denied his existence,