Dethroned.

“It seems we have found our next special being... wonderful.”

My name is Sora, and I am a 12-year-old who lives alone in my town. My parents abandoned me at birth, so I’ve had to fend for myself. The municipal government provides me with bi-weekly payments to cover my basic needs such as food, water, clothes, and bills. It’s a harsh reality for someone my age to have to worry about paying bills, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Around 95% of the world can use mana, and over time the school curriculum has shifted towards mana-related subjects. Today marks my first day of middle school, and we begin to learn about mana. It’s a thrilling prospect, and I’m glad the world has evolved in this way. I dream of becoming a hero like the ones I see on TV, saving people and being the greatest hero ever.

As I walked to school, I took in the surroundings. The school was massive, and the air was filled with the excited chatter of so many people.

“Hey, Sora.”

“Yo, Rayne. Are you excited to start learning about mana?”

I saw her eyes glow with a smile, and I knew her answer.

“Of course I’m excited!”

“YO SORAAAAAAA!”

“Leo, can you please keep it down? We’re right beside each other.”

“I’m just so excited to finally use magic!”

“I can tell.”

“Sora!”

“Enzo? I’m surprised to see you here!”

“That’s not very nice, Sora.”

As we walked to our class, we took in the massive size of the school compared to our elementary school.

“Sora, it’s good to see you back.”

“Good to see you too, Myra.”

“Alright, class, settle down. Welcome to Magic School, where everything you learned in the first 6 years is irrelevant. If you’re not here to learn mana, then you don’t belong in my class. I don’t want simpletons wasting my time.”

Leo’s outburst broke the quiet anticipation that had filled the room, as we all waited to hear what our instructor had to say about the mysterious art of magic. Her voice was calm and measured as she confirmed Leo’s question, confirming that we would be embarking on a journey of learning how to harness the mystical powers of magic.

I couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement as I realized that I wouldn’t have to endure any more of the dull, mundane studies that had filled my early years of education. Magic was far more fascinating and captivating than anything I had learned before, and the thought of being able to wield its power was almost intoxicating.

I leaned in, eagerly asking our instructor how long it would take to master this incredible ability. Levi echoed my question, and we listened closely as our teacher explained that it could take a decade or more to become proficient in a single element of magic. There were many different elements to explore, each with their own unique abilities and specialties, such as fire magic, water magic, and earth magic.

I couldn’t help but be curious about our instructor’s own experience with magic. I asked her how many elements she had mastered, and my heart raced as she revealed that she had already conquered three of the fundamental elements: fire, water, and earth. I was amazed at the thought of being able to combine these different elements to create even more powerful forms of magic, and I knew that I wanted to learn all that I could from her.

As we left the classroom, Leo’s stomach growled audibly, reminding us all that we still had a life outside of magic. He suggested that we grab burgers with everyone, and I eagerly agreed.

Later on, as we walked out of school, I noticed a young boy being bullied by an older student. Without hesitation, I approached them and put my hand on the bully’s shoulder, hoping to stop the cruel behavior. The bully turned to me, his eyes flashing with anger and aggression.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he sneered, threateningly.

I stood my ground, refusing to back down. “Stay out of my business, kid, unless you want some of the smoke,” he spat, trying to intimidate me.

I felt a surge of disgust at his behavior and his pathetic attempt to scare me. “You’re pathetic,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

The bully’s fist came at me like a raging bull, but I was ready for him. I parried his attack with ease and countered with a swift kick to his gut, sending him flying into the nearby lockers. As he struggled to get back up, he conjured up a flame in his hand, attempting to hurl a fireball at me. But it was a feeble attempt, and I dodged it with ease.

Angered by my evasion, he lunged at me again, but I was ready. I grabbed his head and slammed it against the locker, then the ground. But he was not done yet. He conjured up another fireball, which he hurled at my face. The burning sensation was unbearable, and tears streamed down my face as the smoke choked me.

But I was not about to give up. He grabbed me by the shirt and started pummeling me with his fists, relentlessly striking me until I was bruised and bloodied. Through the haze of pain, I could barely hear a teacher’s voice asking about the fight.

As we were ushered to the headmaster’s office to explain the situation, my mind was reeling with a mixture of emotions- anger, pain, and a burning desire to never back down again.

“Sir,” I said calmly, my heart racing with the adrenaline from the fight still coursing through my veins, “with all due respect, he attacked a fellow student and I was just there to intervene which caused this fight.”

“THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED!” the other student protested, his face twisted in anger.

“I would love to hear both sides of this story,” the principal interjected, his voice calm and measured.

I stepped forward with my posture being aggressive. “Take a good look at me and think to yourself who initiated the fight,” I spat, pointing at my bruised and battered face. “He’s a year older than me, he knows how to use magic. I do not know how to use magic whatsoever. It should be obvious who is the instigator.”

As the principal listened to both sides of the story, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of the situation bearing down on me. The memories of the fight were still fresh in my mind. I remembered the heat of the fireballs that the other student had thrown at me, the smell of burning hair and skin as they singed my eyebrows and eyelashes.

“Okay, here is what I will do,” the principal said finally, breaking the silence. “Both of your parents will get calls from the school informing them of this incident.”

“Fair enough,” I said, relieved that the situation wasn’t worse than it could have been.

“NO, NOT MY MOTHER! PLEASE I BEG YOU!” the other student wailed, collapsing to his knees in front of the principal’s desk.

I nodded my head and walked out of the office, trying to ignore the pit of guilt that had formed in my stomach. I didn’t have to worry about facing my parents because there were no parents to go home to - I was alone to begin with. I walked over to the local burger joint, hoping to meet up with my friends and distract myself from the events of the day. But by the time I got there, everyone was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts and my disappointment for missing the chance to eat some juicy burgers with my friends.

“I’m home,” I said as I walked into my empty and quiet house, the weight of the day heavy on my shoulders.

I have always longed for the warmth of a loving family, but it was a feeling that remained foreign to me. From the day I was born, I was alone. I spent my childhood in a foster home until the age of eight, where I was deemed capable enough to take care of myself. But the foster home was no haven - it was a gloomy place filled with despondent children who had either been put up for adoption or had lost their families in tragic incidents. The stench of urine and smoke permeated the air, and the environment was far from ideal for any child to grow up in. However, I could not bring myself to hate my parents for abandoning me; I simply felt indifferent towards them.

The next day, I was rudely awakened by the squawking of chickens in my neighbor’s yard. After searching for my uniform, I left for school, only to be stopped by Leo at the front of my house.

“Why weren’t you at the burger joint yesterday?” Leo inquired, concerned upon seeing the bruises on my face.

“I got into a fight. I saw a kid being bullied, so I intervened, and he resorted to using fire magic on me.”

“You took on someone who could use magic and held your ground?” Leo was impressed.

“He was weak. Even if I knew magic, I wouldn’t have needed to use it. He was all bark and no bite.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay!”

With that, Leo and I headed to school. The campus was massive, and the scale of its grandeur could only be appreciated when seen with one’s own eyes.

“GUYS!” Rayne called out to us as she approached, panting heavily.

“What’s up, Rayne?” I asked.

“I need both of you to see this.” She grabbed both Leo and me by the arm and dragged us to the back of the school, where a group of senior middle schoolers were bullying the weak yet again.

“Do you all have nothing better to do?” I asked them, my eyes narrowing.

“What are you going to do about it?”

All three of the bullies gave me a smug grin and began to laugh, thinking I was a weakling who couldn’t use magic.

“WHAT ARE YOU LAUGH-?”

“Let me handle this,” I interrupted Leo.

I stepped forward, my eyes narrowed with a steely determination. The three bullies stood there, snickering and sneering, thinking they had the upper hand. But they had no idea what they were up against.

One of them lunged forward, throwing a punch my way, but I easily dodged it, moving with the grace and precision of a dancer. I continued to close in on them, inching my way towards the helpless child who was cowering behind them.

Another mindless jab was thrown my way, but it was child’s play to block it with ease. And then, in one swift motion, I took down another thug with a single kick. Only one remained, and he was visibly shaking with fear.

He slapped his hand onto the ground, and began reciting some type of incantation that I couldn’t understand. Suddenly, the ground beneath me began to crack and split apart. Rock pillars flew out of the ground, at least ten of them coming at me with a vicious force.

I swerved through them, my body moving with the agility of a jungle cat. One by one, I evaded them, and then, without warning, I connected my fist with the bully’s jaw, feeling the satisfying crackling sensation of bones breaking beneath my knuckles. He was sent flying into the air, soaring at least 20 feet before crashing down to the ground with a sickening thud.

It was over in a matter of 30 seconds. The bullies lay on the ground, groaning and moaning, nursing their wounds. The helpless child was safe, and that was all that mattered.

“Are you okay?” I asked, turning to the child.

“Thank you... truly,” the child replied, their voice shaking with relief.

I stood there, my heart pounding in my chest, my mind racing with a rush of adrenaline. It was moments like these that reminded me of the power that lay within me, even without magic.