Kael stepped out of the infirmary with a single, burning certainty: he would never be like his classmates.
The bright sun of the Academy courtyard felt like a spotlight on his failure. Everywhere he looked, students were using mana as if it were an extension of their own limbs. A group of first-years was practicing floating small stones, their faces lit up with pride as the pebbles danced in the air. To them, the world was a playground of endless energy. To Kael, it was a silent reminder of the wall he could never climb. He felt different, and deep down, he knew his exclusion was more than just a lack of mana. He was an anomaly in a world of perfect patterns, but he didn't yet realize how right he was about that feeling.
His first thought upon leaving was to find Mina Everlight. He needed to thank her for staying by his side when everyone else had written him off as a lost cause. He found her in the Great Library, a massive stone hall filled with the scent of ancient parchment and the low hum of protective enchantments.
Mina was tucked away in a corner, surrounded by thick volumes on mana-restitution and core stabilization. When she saw him, she stood up so quickly her chair scraped loudly against the floor.
"Kael! You shouldn't be out of bed yet," she whispered urgently, her eyes scanning his pale face for signs of collapse.
"I'm fine, Mina. I just wanted to thank you. For everything," Kael said, his voice softer than usual.
Mina looked down at the books on the table. "I was just... I was looking for a way. There has to be a reason why the healing magic didn't work. I'm worried, Kael. If you get hurt again, if something happens... we won't be able to save you."
Kael felt a flash of irritation. He knew she meant well, but the look in her eyes was one he was beginning to hate. "I don't want your pity, Mina. I don't want anyone to look at me like I'm a broken glass that needs to be glued back together."
"It's not pity, it's reality!" Mina countered, her voice rising slightly. "You are mana-less in a place where mana is life. How do you expect to survive here?"
"By changing the rules," Kael replied, his jaw tightening. "If I can't live in your world, I'll find another way to stay standing. I'm done waiting for a miracle that isn't coming."
Leaving Mina alone with her books, Kael headed toward the lower levels of the Academy. He walked past the grand halls and the floating gardens, descending into the damp, dark basements where the sunlight never reached. This was where Grael lived, far from the prestige of the upper ranks.
The "Pit" was a vast, open space of cold iron and grey sand. Grael was there, leaning against a massive anvil, his scarred arms crossed over his chest. He watched Kael approach with a piercing gaze.
"So, the ghost decided to walk," Grael said, his voice echoing in the cave.
"You said I should come when I could walk," Kael retorted. "I'm here. Now tell me... what are you going to teach me? And why do you care about a mana-less student?"
Grael laughed, a dry sound that had no humor in it. "Sit down, boy. You think the world started with those pretty little crystals they give you in the light? You think mana is the foundation of everything?"
Kael sat on a cold stone bench. "That's what they teach us. Mana is the source. Without it, there is nothing."
"Lies," Grael spat. "Before the mages built their towers, there was only the earth and the iron. Mana is a gift, but it's also a cage. It made humans soft. It made them forget that the world is built on physical laws that don't care about your spells. You see those students up there? They are like puppets. Cut their mana-strings, and they fall. But you... you have no strings to cut."
The conversation lasted for hours. Grael spoke of the old world, of a time when men fought with the strength of their own backs and the sharpness of their own steel. He explained that mana was just a layer of paint over a much deeper, harder reality.
"To survive here, you must become something the mana cannot understand," Grael said, his voice turning serious. "You must forge your body into a weapon that doesn't need energy to strike. Your reflexes must be faster than an incantation. Your bones must be harder than a stone spell. It will be pain. It will be blood. Most people quit after the first day."
Kael looked around the dark room. He felt the cold iron of the weights and the rough sand beneath his boots. For the first time, he felt like he belonged somewhere.
"I won't quit," Kael said.
"We'll see," Grael replied, a small, dangerous smile appearing on his face. "Tomorrow at dawn, the real world begins. Don't expect me to be gentle just because you're broken."
Kael left the Pit with his heart hammering in his chest. He was still weak, still injured, and still the "zero" of the Academy. But as he walked back toward the light, he felt like he was carrying a secret that none of the mages above could ever comprehend.