Chapter 3: The Fractured Destiny
The Grand Arena of the Royal Academy of Argun was a marvel of ancient architecture, a sprawling amphitheater carved from enchanted white marble that shimmered like pearl under the morning sun. High above, the banners of the kingdom fluttered in a cold wind, but inside the arena, the air was stagnant and heavy with the scent of incense and the electric hum of concentrated mana.
Today was the day of the Strength Test—the crucible that separated the elite from the common, the destined from the discarded.
In the center of the stadium, resting upon a pedestal of obsidian, was the Primal Crystal. It was a jagged, five-meter-tall gemstone that pulsed with a faint, rhythmic violet light. It wasn't merely a stone; it was an ancient relic capable of peeling back the layers of a student's soul to measure their raw magical output.
"Silence!"
The voice of Headmaster Valerius cut through the nervous whispers of the crowd like a serrated blade. He stood on the high balcony, his golden robes catching the light, his eyes cold and judgmental. "The path of a mage is not paved with dreams, but with power. The crystal does not lie. It will show us the truth of your existence. If you are weak, you are a burden. If you are strong, you are the future."
The test began. The instructors called the names with a clinical indifference. One by one, students stepped forward, their faces pale with terror. They would place their trembling hands on the cold surface of the crystal, and the gemstone would hum.
White light... Low Tier.
Pale blue... Mid Tier.
Deep Sapphire... High Tier.
Most students barely managed a flicker of blue. The teachers scribbled notes with expressions of mild disappointment. To them, most of these children were just fodder for the kingdom's armies.
"Sai Marx."
The name acted like a sudden drop in temperature. The stadium fell into a silence so profound you could hear the heartbeat of the person standing next to you. Sai stepped out of the shadows of the student formation. He was a vision of absolute, frigid perfection. His uniform was spotless, his posture as rigid as a statue, and his eyes... his eyes were like two frozen lakes of obsidian, reflecting nothing and caring for no one.
As Sai walked toward the pedestal, the girls in the upper stands leaned forward, their breath catching in their throats. To them, he wasn't just a fellow student; he was a god in mortal clothing, a figure of mythic beauty and terrifying potential. Even the senior instructors leaned in, their professional masks slipping to reveal genuine awe.
Sai reached the crystal. He didn't hesitate. He didn't pray. He simply raised his hand and pressed his palm against the gemstone.
BOOOOOOOM!
The reaction was instantaneous. The ground beneath the pedestal groaned. A shockwave of pure, crystalline mana rippled outward, fluttering the robes of the Headmaster stories above. The crystal didn't just glow—it erupted. A blinding, violet radiance consumed the arena, so bright that many had to shield their eyes. It wasn't just the volume of power; it was the purity. The violet shifted into a deep, regal indigo, shot through with veins of silver light.
The teachers stood up in unison, their chairs scraping loudly against the stone.
"Incredible," one elder whispered, his voice trembling. "That isn't just High Tier... that is the resonance of a Saint. At seventeen years old? He is a monster."
Sai withdrew his hand. He didn't smile. He didn't look at the crowd. He remained mute, a silent king amidst the wreckage of everyone else's expectations. To him, this wasn't an achievement; it was merely a confirmation of what he already knew. He turned and walked back to his spot, leaving the crystal still vibrating from his touch.
"Next," Headmaster Valerius said, his voice shaky as he tried to regain control. He looked down at the list, and his expression soured instantly. A cruel, thin smile touched his lips. "Volt Laywin... step forward. Though, I suggest the cleaners be ready. We wouldn't want the boy's lack of talent to bore the crystal to death."
A roar of mocking laughter exploded from the noble students.
"Hey, Volt! Don't trip on your own feet this time!"
"Is the crystal even going to feel him? Maybe we should give him a magnifying glass to find his mana!"
Volt walked forward. Each step felt like a mile. He could feel the weight of a thousand eyes on his back—eyes filled with pity, disgust, and mockery. He looked up at the crystal, then at the Headmaster, who was looking at him as if he were a stain on the marble floor.
"Volt... wait," the Headmaster said with a fake, theatrical sigh. "Actually, you try it later. We don't want to ruin the momentum of the elite with... whatever it is you have. Step back."
The laughter grew louder. Volt froze. The humiliation was a physical weight, pressing down on his lungs. He felt like a ghost, a shadow that no one wanted to see. But something inside him—something buried under nine thousand years of dust—began to stir.
He didn't step back. Instead, he took another step forward.
"I said step back, peasant!" Valerius shouted, his mana flaring in anger.
Volt didn't hear him. His vision was beginning to blur. He reached out, his hands shaking, and touched the cold, jagged surface of the Primal Crystal.
Silence.
One second passed. Two. Five. The crystal remained dark. It didn't even flicker.
"Enough of this farce!" a teacher yelled. "You are nothing, Volt. You have always been nothing. Why are you still standing there? You are a void, a waste of Argun's resources. Leave! Now!"
The words hit Volt's heart like poisoned arrows. Why? a voice echoed in the darkness of his mind. Why does everyone look at me like this? Why am I the only one who has to crawl? Why only me?
In that moment of absolute despair, the grief turned into something else. It turned into a cold, bottomless rage. Volt's head stayed down, but his eyes... his eyes slowly began to bleed a faint, incandescent crimson.
Suddenly, the wind in the stadium stopped. Not just died down—it stopped, as if time itself had been frozen. A terrifying pressure began to descend from the sky, a gravity so heavy that the students in the front rows were forced to their knees.
CRACK.
A hairline fracture appeared on the Primal Crystal.
The Headmaster's eyes went wide. "What... what is this?"
Volt looked up. The boy they knew was gone. His pupils had vanished, replaced by two glowing orbs of primordial red malice. His hair began to rise, floating as if he were underwater.
"WHY..." Volt's voice came out as a double-layered roar—his own voice, and a deep, cavernous growl that seemed to come from the earth itself. "WHY DO YOU SAY I HAVE NO STRENGTH?!"
BOOM!
The ground beneath Volt's boots disintegrated, turning into fine dust. The Primal Crystal—a relic that had survived the wars of gods—began to scream. High-pitched, agonizing wails echoed through the arena as the gemstone turned from dark to a terrifying, soul-piercing crimson.
SHATTER!
The crystal exploded.
Million-shards of gemstone flew into the air like shrapnel, embedded in the walls and the floor. A pillar of dark, chaotic energy shot straight into the heavens, tearing a hole through the enchanted roof of the stadium. The instructors were thrown back by the shockwave, their protective shields shattering like glass.
In the center of the destruction stood Volt. His hands were shaking, not from fear, but from the sheer effort of holding back the tide of power that wanted to consume everything.
Deep within the abyss of his consciousness, Sakuna was howling with dark, hysterical glee.
"Yes! Feel it! Let the world taste the shadow of your crown!" the monster hissed. "This is but one percent of your true majesty, My King. Imagine when the other ninety-nine wake up!"
In the midst of the chaos, Sai Marx was the only one still standing. He stared at Volt, his face pale, his calm mask completely shattered. For the first time in his life, Sai felt true, primal fear. But it wasn't just the power. It was the voice.
Why did this power appear in anger? Sai thought, clutching his chest where his own mana was reacting violently to Volt's presence. And why... why does a voice call to me whenever he loses control?
Sakuna's voice drifted into Sai's mind, cold and mocking. "Because the King is no longer dreaming, Little Prince. He is waking up. And when he fully opens his eyes, your world will be nothing but ash."
Sai gritted his teeth, his voice a whisper against the roaring wind. "Who are you? Why do I hear you? What is he?!"
"Patience," Sakuna whispered as the crimson light began to fade, leaving Volt standing in the middle of a crater, his eyes still glowing like dying stars. "When the moon turns to blood, and the stars fall from the sky... I will tell you everything."
Volt collapsed to his knees, the red glow fading from his eyes as he slipped into unconsciousness. The arena was silent once more, but it was the silence of a graveyard. The Strength Test was over. The legend of the Demon King had begun.
Directed by: Ahmed Barozh