Julius had taken care of everything he needed and was now waiting for the wagon that was supposed to pick him up.

  "He's taking forever," he muttered. Just as he was about to give up waiting, he heard the distant sound of horse hooves approaching.

  "Finally." Julius stretched and walked toward the wagon.

  A large, brown wooden wagon pulled by two horses stopped in front of him. Sitting at the front was a middle-aged man wearing a wide-brimmed hat to shield himself from the sun.

  "Are you Julius Wolfseif?" he asked.

  "Yeah," Julius replied, and the man gestured for him to climb into the back of the wagon.

  Inside, Julius noticed someone already sitting there—a tall, slim young man around his age. Julius sat across from him so they faced each other. On closer inspection, he recognized him.

  "You’re the one who passed the trial first, right? Your name was..." Julius thought for a moment.

  "Jon Bricks," the boy replied.

  He had been the only one still standing when the professor cast his spell.

  "Looks like we’ll be sharing the ride," Julius said, noticing someone was missing. "Where’s Shadow? Shouldn’t he have been picked up first, since he lives way down south?"

  "No idea," Jon replied.

  "Not much of a talker, huh," Julius thought. "Well, maybe that’s for the best." They continued their journey in silence.

  After several hours, night fell and the wagon came to a stop. They heard the driver get out and approach the door.

  The driver poked his head in. "We’ll have to rest here for the night. It’s too dangerous to travel after dark—demons or bandits might attack."

  Julius and Jon climbed out and looked around. They were in a small, worn-down town.

  "Where are we?" Julius asked.

  "A little place called Dirt-City," the driver answered.

  "What kind of name is that..." Julius muttered.

  "There’s an inn up there. We should be able to get a room." They followed the driver.

  The inn was the only building that wasn’t falling apart. Inside, travelers were already drinking beer and ordering food.

  "Wait here. I’ll get us a room," the driver said and went to the receptionist.

  A muscular man sitting nearby looked at Jon and Julius. His body bore scars from battle, and he looked like someone who trained hard.

  "What are you lookin’ at, brat?" he growled at Jon, who ignored him and walked past.

  "What a coward," the man mocked, then turned his attention to Julius. "And what are you staring at, you bastard?"

  The alcohol was clearly talking. Julius didn’t back down.

  "An ox like you belongs in the fields, not in a tavern," he said.

  The man stood up, furious. "What did you just say, you little shit?!"

  Julius stood his ground.

  "Wait, wait!" the driver rushed between them. "He’s my passenger—headed to Lidoris." He pulled out an emblem and held it up.

  The man spat on the floor. "Damn nobles," he grumbled and sat back down.

  "Noble?" Julius’s blood boiled, but the driver held him back.

  "Please don’t cause trouble here. If we’re late, it could get you in trouble with the academy. Lidoris takes punctuality very seriously."

  "Whatever." Julius grabbed his room key and left the tavern. He couldn’t sleep anyway.

  He wandered the quiet streets. The town felt abandoned.

  "Hmmm..." A small light caught his eye at the end of a street. As he approached, he heard voices.

  At the end of the alley, people—children, adults, and elders—sat around a fire. When they noticed Julius, they fell silent.

  "I didn’t mean to intrude," Julius said, but he was only met with suspicious stares.

  A strong wind blew, extinguishing the fire. The children began to cry.

  "This is your fault," a drunken man slurred, pointing at Julius.

  "What?" Julius was taken aback.

  He took a deep breath, walked up to the extinguished fire, and snapped his fingers.

  The embers flared back to life, and a strong flame rose, illuminating the alley.

  The drunk man fell back in shock, dropping his bottle. "You... you’re a noble, aren’t you?!"

  The others looked frightened.

  Julius’s veins bulged with anger. Being called a noble was the worst insult to him.

  "I’m not a damn noble. Say that again and I’ll knock your teeth out."

  Everyone stared at him, stunned. Then someone burst out laughing.

  "Hahaha! Not a noble? You should’ve said so right away." An arm wrapped around Julius’s shoulders. "Come on, have a drink."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Someone smacked the man on the back with a stick. "He’s too young to drink, idiot."

  "Where the hell have I ended up..." Julius muttered.

  ———————

  Now Julius sat with the others by the fire, chatting and laughing.

  "Kick those damn nobles in Lidoris right in the ass, yeah!" a man slurred, trying to demonstrate a kick and falling over.

  A woman beside Julius shook her head.

  "What happened to this town?" Julius asked. The mood shifted.

  After a pause, the woman spoke.

  "This town was built by commoners and farmers who were tired of being the nobles’ joke. They came here and built a city just for us. The fertile land made farming easy, and we sold vegetables to earn money. But the nobles didn’t like that. They demanded outrageous taxes. When we refused, they threatened to destroy our fields and homes."

  Julius clenched his fists. "Those bastards... So that’s why the town looks like this?"

  "No. That came later. When the king heard of our struggle, he came himself and declared our town independent."

  "The king?" Julius was surprised.

  "He was a good man. He stood up for us." Tears welled in her eyes.

  "So why is the town ruined now?"

  "The king couldn’t stay forever. The nobles were furious. They hired criminals and bandits to destroy our town. They burned the fields, looted the treasury, and kidnapped women and children."

  Julius stood up. "That’s horrible. Didn’t the king do anything?"

  "He couldn’t. There was no proof. The nobles denied everything, and by then, the damage was done. Over time, more and more people left, and only those who had no other choice stayed."

  Another gust of wind blew, and the fire went out.

  "Not again..." Julius reignited the flame.

  "Where’s Mina?" a woman cried. A child was missing. A distant scream echoed briefly, then fell silent.

  The woman collapsed, sobbing. "Not my daughter. She’s all I have."

  The men stood frozen, helpless anger in their eyes.

  "Get to safety. I’ll bring her back." With a gust of wind, Julius launched himself into the air.

  ———————

  The gust of wind had catapulted Julius far over the city, giving him a sweeping view of the entire landscape below.

  “Judging by that scream…”

  He spotted someone in the distance—floating midair, carrying something under their arms.

  “That has to be her.”

  With another wind burst, he propelled himself forward, chasing after the figure.

  “She’s heading into the forest.” Julius followed.

  He landed among the trees, but there was nothing around—just the rustling of leaves.

  “Damn it. Where did they go?”

  Just as he looked around, a knife came whirling through the air—aimed straight for his head.

  He barely blocked it with his hand.

  “Ahh, shit.”

  He yanked the blade out of his arm. Blood poured from his upper arm.

  “Reinforce.”

  The spell slowed the bleeding, but the wound still ached.

  Julius couldn’t see his attacker—only movement among the branches and whispers in the wind.

  “Slice—Wind Slash!”

  With a single motion, he unleashed a gust so sharp it sliced nearby trees clean in half. Trunks toppled and crashed.

  “You’re a mage. Interesting…”

  A figure stepped out before him, holding the child under one arm. The man wore a hood, his face hidden.

  “That magic… You must be a noble. We didn’t mean to attack you. We’re only after the kid.”

  He lifted the child by her legs like a toy.

  “You bastard…” Julius glared darkly.

  “Relax, we don’t want trouble. We were paid to do a job. But if you’re after the kid too, maybe we can make a deal.”

  “A deal? What do you want with her?” Julius growled.

  “We sell her to nobles. What they do after that… not our concern. I’ve never seen someone again after I handed them over,” he chuckled.

  “Why so serious? Aren’t you here for her too?”

  “I’m no noble. And you’re going to hand the child over. Now.” Julius’s tone turned deadly.

  “Oh, is that so?”

  The man turned and grinned, then bolted.

  “Wait!” Julius ran after him—when something tugged at him from behind.

  A hand reached for him—he barely dodged in time.

  “Another one.”

  Another hooded figure stood in front of him.

  Julius turned—now surrounded by three enemies.

  “I can’t tell if they’re armed…” He dropped into a combat stance.

  “Fireball!”

  He hurled a blazing orb at the closest figure, who dodged with ease.

  “He’s fast.”

  All three charged him. Julius leapt into the air just in time.

  “Three against one… I need to end this fast.”

  He braced himself.

  The trio spread out, surrounding him.

  But Julius only stared at the one directly ahead.

  “Burn to ashes—Fireball!”

  The massive flame shot forward.

  The enemy tried to dodge—but his feet were rooted in hardened earth.

  The fireball hit him dead-on.

  His cloak caught fire. His body dropped to the ground—charred and lifeless.

  The others hesitated, stunned by their comrade’s death.

  “You’ll pay for tha—”

  SLICE.

  A wind blade cut the second’s head clean off.

  “Impossible…”

  The third panicked and ran.

  Julius stood still, staring at the two corpses.

  “Huh…” He staggered.

  “They’re… dead?”

  He felt nauseous. Breathing became difficult.

  “Hahaha…”

  A laugh echoed behind him.

  “You kill them, and now you freak out? You’re a funny guy.”

  The hooded man stood there again—with the child still in his arms. In his other hand, something else.

  He threw it to the ground. A severed head. The third one.

  “Oops. Was that your first time?” he mocked, stepping closer.

  “People without magic are like ants. You just step on them.”

  He stamped the head under his boot.

  Julius stared in disbelief.

  “Come on, don’t tell me you didn’t know…”

  He kicked the skull like a soccer ball.

  “Why do nobles rule this land? Because they’re the strongest mages. If you can’t afford artifacts or use spells, you’re powerless.”

  His laugh echoed again.

  “Commoners are nothing. Easy prey.”

  BOOM.

  A kick to Julius’s gut dropped him to his knees.

  Another to his face sent him flying.

  Julius coughed blood as he rose, shaking.

  “Tell me… are you really not a noble?”

  “Reinforce…”

  He cast the spell, breathing heavily.

  “That spell…”

  The man grinned.

  Julius sprinted forward and punched—but the man dodged effortlessly and countered.

  Another swing—another dodge.

  “What…?” Julius was stunned.

  A kick to his chest threw him back again. He barely stayed on his feet.

  “How…?” he gasped.

  “Hahaha!” The laughter returned.

  “You mages always rely on your magic too much. Ever been in a real fist fight?”

  Julius clutched his chest. The pain made breathing hard.

  “How do you hit so hard without magic…?”

  “Ah, this?”

  The man ripped his hood off.

  Blond hair slicked back. Earrings in both ears.

  “Beautiful, aren’t they? Took me a long time to afford them.”

  “You mean from selling kids, you bastard.” Julius spat, furious.

  The man grinned.

  “We’re not so different.”

  “We are nothing alike.”

  “We kill because we can. Because we’re strong.”

  Julius got into stance.

  “Hey, come on. I don’t want to kill a noble. That’d cause problems.”

  “Slice—Wind Slash!”

  A slicing wind tore toward him.

  “Wha—?”

  The man noticed too late—he was stuck on the ground.

  Julius was sure the attack would land.

  But then… the man smiled.

  He lifted the child in front of him—like a shield.

  Time slowed.

  “Shit, shit, shit…” Julius panicked. The child would die at his hands.

  He searched for a way out—but there was none.

  BOOM.

  A rock collided with the wind slash midair—splintering it.

  Someone stepped from the shadows.

  “Jon…”

  Julius fell to his knees in relief.

  “Is this a party or something?” Jon smirked.

  The man easily broke free from the ground.

  Jon walked toward him.

  “You’re a big guy for a little man.” The enemy grinned.

  They stood an arm’s length apart.

  “He’s using an artifact!” Julius shouted.

  Too late—a kick flew at Jon’s face.

  Nothing happened. Jon didn’t even flinch.

  “What the…?”

  The man was stunned.

  “I don’t want to hurt you. Give me the child. Walk away.” Jon said.

  “Hahaha…”

  “Wind Strike!”

  Wind coiled around the man’s leg—he twisted and kicked Jon again.

  Still no reaction.

  “What…?”

  The man stepped back—tried to create distance—but stumbled.

  “My leg—”

  His foot was trapped in stone.

  “You little—”

  He looked at Julius.

  Jon struck.

  The enemy barely dodged—and had to drop the child.

  Jon caught her midair.

  Julius stepped up beside him.

  “It’s over.”

  The man scratched his head. “Ugh… so annoying. If I kill you, they’ll suspect me.”

  “Oh well… I’ll just find another kid somewhere else.”

  “You bastard.” Julius ready for another spell.

  But the man only raised his hand.

  “Wind Blizzard!”

  A hurricane-force wind slammed into them. Julius struggled to stay grounded. Jon shielded the child beneath him.

  “Had fun, but I’ve need to find a new child. Food doesn’t pay for itself.”

  When the wind stopped, the man was gone.