In the Kingdom of Nuntium, the world's largest newspaper hub, a tense atmosphere exploded into uncontrollable chaos.
News of Cora's death, one of the Four Justices, shook the entire nation. She fell in a massive battle against all kingdoms alongside the Republic's Peacekeeping Forces. Printing press workers rushed to prepare headlines, while radio stations continuously broadcast the same news, turning the entire city into an information epicenter. In one widely circulated photo, Cora lay with a faint smile on her face, her body surrounded by the Celestials, the World Leaders. Cora, known as the most feared Dark Abyss in the world, her death became an undeniable historical moment. As news of the Republic's victory reached every corner of the continent, celebrations erupted everywhere. The world cheered, as if this victory was the end of all threats.
Thirty Years Later...
In a secluded region at the edge of the Aqua continent lies a small kingdom called Summer. It's surrounded by green pastures, dense forests, and simple villages. One of them is Flower Village, where common folk live peacefully.
In the middle of the village, a boy stood on a large rock. His sharp black eyes sparkled with fierce spirit. His tan skin was slightly darkened from frequent sun exposure. He stood about 170 cm tall, with forming shoulders and a straight posture. His hands and feet looked somewhat muscular, reflecting a well-trained physique.
"Today's my first day at the Royal Academy!" he shouted loudly, then jumped off the rock with joyful laughter.
Villagers paused their activities to watch the boy. Their smiles blossomed, as if Noora's spirit was their pride.
"Do your best, Noora!" an old man called from a distance.
"Become a strong mage, Noora!" a young woman added, lifting her basket of fruit.
Among the crowd, a middle-aged woman approached Noora. It was his mother, Shita. With a gentle smile, she said, "I believe in you, Noora. Don't forget to take care of yourself, okay?"
Noora looked at his mother with sparkling eyes. "I'll definitely make you proud!"
Shita gently ruffled her son's hair, then smiled warmly. "I know you can."
At the Royal Academy Gates
The grand academy gates stood majestically before Noora. The building was immense and adorned with intricate carvings, showcasing the glory of the sorcerers who studied there.
"The academy is so cool!" Noora exclaimed excitedly. His steps felt light, as if the dream he had chased for so long was finally drawing near.
However, amidst his joy, he didn't notice the unfriendly stares from some students standing near the gate.
"Look at that," a blonde-haired boy said, crossing his arms.
"That's Noora, right?" his friend added, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What's he doing here?"
Ignoring the whispers, Noora continued to gaze at the academy building. A wide smile still adorned his face, oblivious to what the surrounding students were truly thinking.
Noora enthusiastically stepped towards the academy gates, but accidentally bumped into a girl standing in front of him. The girl fell, her eyes immediately glaring at Noora with extreme displeasure.
"Ugh..." Kaira grumbled, her face annoyed as she got up.
She was a girl in a long white noble robe, adorned with dove patterns on the sleeves and hem. Her light blue hair, as bright as the morning sky, was neatly tied in a noble style that bespoke her status and composure. Her Oriental white skin looked smooth. She stood about 165 cm tall, with a pair of light blue eyes, the same color as her hair, radiating elegance and charisma.
"Hey! Are you blind?" Kaira touched the ground briefly before directing an angry glare at Noora.
Noora, surprised, just smiled. "Oh, sorry," he said cheerfully, seemingly unfazed.
"Sorry?" Kaira frowned. "Don't you see who you bumped into? I'm Shirogane Kaira, the daughter of the kingdom's number one noble!"
Noora tilted his head in confusion, maintaining his innocent expression. "I don't know you," he replied simply.
"He's an idiot, no wonder he doesn't know, hahaha!" one of the students there scoffed.
"Not just stupid, he's a commoner too," another student chimed in.
Kaira was silent for a few seconds, then haughtily turned and walked towards the academy door. "Be careful next time," she said with a faint smile, as if showing she was being gracious enough.
The students who witnessed the scene exchanged glances, bewildered.
"Why is she suddenly nice to Noora?" a surprised student whispered.
"I've never seen her smile," another student said.
"I wonder why?" a third student mumbled.
Noora, feeling strange, just shook his head. "She's so weird," he thought to himself.
"YOU'RE THE WEIRD ONE!" a student shouted, flinging words with annoyance.
Noora just burst out laughing. "Hahaha."
Inside the Academy Hall
Upon arriving in the academy hall, Noora felt his excitement soar. The room, filled with students from various places, made him even more eager to begin everything.
"Wow, I can't wait!" Noora exclaimed with sparkling eyes, looking around the bustling hall.
Suddenly, from among the crowd, a voice called his name.
"Noora!"
Noora immediately turned and saw a girl smiling brightly at him. Her name was Yue.
"Yue!" Noora responded with a cheerful voice.
Yue was a brown-haired girl the same age as Noora. She was also from Flower Village and had been friends since childhood. Their bond was very close, like siblings. Yue was a shy girl, rarely showing anger, and always tried to maintain harmony.
Yue nodded, "We finally meet."
"Right, finally," Noora replied, happy to see his friend.
Yue lowered her gaze slightly, but her smile didn't fade. "I hope we succeed..." she said softly, full of hope, though seemingly a little hesitant.
A few minutes later, the hall doors opened, and a man entered the room. With a steady stride, he walked to the podium in front of the students.
"Good morning, everyone!" the man greeted with a wide smile.
The students replied in unison, "Good morning, Master Gon!"
Master Gon, the academy head known for his friendly demeanor, raised his hand. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Master Gon. I am the head of this academy. Without further ado, I want to welcome all of you."
He paused, looking at the newly arrived students, then continued. "Before you begin learning your first magic, there's one thing you need to know about me."
The students listened curiously.
"I love fishing," Gon said with a mischievous smile. "Not only that, I also compete in fishing tournaments! Hahaha!" as he pulled out a fishing rod from his pocket.
Everyone chuckled lightly, and some laughed a bit forced, hearing Master Gon's light humor.
After several minutes of listening to Master Gon's long speech, Noora began to feel bored. He spoke softly, but still clearly enough.
"What a boring speech," he complained, slightly annoyed.
Yue turned anxiously, immediately lowering her voice, "Not so loud, Noora," she whispered, trying to calm her friend.
But, unexpectedly, Master Gon looked directly at Noora. "Noora, come up here," he called, his voice firm but not harsh.
Yue sighed and whispered, "I told you so..."
Noora felt his spirit reignite. With a wide smile, he immediately stepped forward, ready to face the challenge.
Master Gon looked at Noora with attention. "Introduce yourself to everyone," he said kindly.
However, some students in the back immediately spoke mockingly.
"We already know your name!" one student shouted.
"You're famous for being stupid and weird," another student added.
"What are you doing here? You won't even have magic like us. Hahaha!" the student said, joining in the laughter.
The laughter echoed throughout the hall. Yue, seeing Noora standing in front, couldn't hold back her sadness. "Noora..." Yue mumbled, her face full of worry.
But Noora, despite being surrounded by ridicule, stood tall. He held the microphone and with a firm voice said, "You underestimate me too much! I am Noora! The person who will become the Greates Mage in the world! And then I will earn the title God of Magic!" He smiled widely, full of confidence.
Kaira, hearing Noora's words, was surprised, her eyes widening slightly.
Master Gon, watching with sharp eyes, nodded. "In that case, you will be the first to try activating your magic," he said hopefully.
In the middle of the hall, Gon materialized a large, brightly glowing crystal. The crystal was almost as big as a large table and shimmered with a striking green light.
Noora was surprised to see it. "What is this?" he asked, a little confused.
Gon explained calmly, "This is Gemini. This crystal allows you to access magic faster than waiting a long time. It absorbs mana energy from nature and connects it to your DNA through your hand when you place your hand on its surface."
Noora nodded, understanding a little. "So, I just need to place my hand on it?" he asked further.
"Exactly," Gon replied. "Now, place one of your hands on this crystal."
Without hesitation, Noora immediately stepped forward and placed his hand on the green crystal, feeling very impatient.
"Keep in mind," Gon continued seriously, "There's a chance you won't gain magic power from this crystal. If that happens, it means you won't be able to use magic."
Suddenly, the crystal glowed with an intensely bright light, and mysterious energy flowed through Noora's hand, entering his body.
"It worked!" Noora exclaimed with great joy.
The surrounding students were surprised and whispered to each other.
"No way?!" Kii shouted, still disbelieving.
"He's just a commoner," Pory said mockingly.
Kaira, who was watching, remained silent.
Yue smiled widely and ran to Noora. "You did it, Noora!" she cried proudly.
The light that had initially shone brightly on the crystal disappeared, and Gon looked at Noora meaningfully.
"Destiny favors you, Noora," Gon said with a voice full of conviction.
Noora slightly raised his finger, and a small ball of light appeared from his index finger.
Noora was surprised, "Light?!"
The students who saw it began to comment on the incident.
The first student, mocking, "What can you do with that light? Hahaha!"
The other student added, "You're better off as a street lamp."
Gon gave Noora permission to return to his place. "You may return, Noora."
Noora smiled happily. "Finally, I have magic!"
The other students began to come forward one by one. Out of 15 students who tried, only Noora succeeded.
Pory shouted in frustration, "Why couldn't I?!"
Kii, feeling it was unfair, also grumbled, "This is so unfair!"
The student next to him also felt envious, "I'm jealous of Noora."
When it was Kaira's turn, she confidently stepped forward and placed her hand on the crystal. Soon after, light appeared from her hand.
Kaira smiled widely, "It worked!"
A short while later, it was Yue's turn. After a moment, light also appeared from her hand, making Yue very happy.
"I can do it!" Yue exclaimed with boundless joy.
Some other students also succeeded, but some still failed. In about 20 minutes, all the students who tried the experiment had either disappointment or joy.
Pory yelled angrily, "Why couldn't we?!"
Kii, feeling unjust, also grumbled, "This is so unfair!"
Gon put the crystal away, then continued his speech.
"Congratulations to those of you who successfully gained magic. For those who didn't, don't be disheartened. You will also receive physical training to become great warriors, or whatever you desire, as long as you strive. All right, I will conclude today's activities, and you will begin learning tomorrow. Thank you."
With that statement, all the students began to disperse and leave the hall.
Noora looked at his right hand, which was still emitting a small light, then said enthusiastically, "Looks like I need to train my magic first."
Noora walked to the edge of the forest to the north and sat under a large tree, pondering while observing the small ball of light flickering on his index finger.
"Can I do more than this?" Noora mumbled, trying to understand his new power.
He pointed his index finger forward, and suddenly the light shot forward, hitting a tree and leaving a hole in the tree trunk about twice the size of the light ball.
Noora smiled widely, amazed by the power. "Wow, it can be this strong!" Without hesitation, he began to shoot light at several trees in front of him, enjoying the sensation.
However, suddenly someone tapped his shoulder from behind.
"He—"
Noora was startled and almost shot light at the person, luckily the light missed and didn't hit anyone.
Kaira stood there, her face red with annoyance. "Were you trying to kill me?!"
Noora chuckled, feeling awkward. "Hahaha, I'm sorry."
Kaira looked sharply at Noora. "Do you know who I am?"
Noora frowned and looked at Kaira's face, trying to remember her. "You... you're the girl who bumped into me this morning!"
Kaira crossed her arms haughtily. "Watch your words, I am the kingdom's number one noble."
Noora laughed lightly. "You really like boasting about your status, don't you?"
Kaira looked at Noora with a little annoyance. "Of course. Who wouldn't want to be the number one noble?"
Noora shook his head. "I don't. Kids like you are always forced to follow their parents' wishes. So I don't want to spend my time on that."
Kaira was silent, bowing her head for a moment, then looked up again with a harder expression. "But that's not a strong enough reason!"
Noora walked closer, a faint smile on his face. "You'll understand later," he said casually.
Kaira chased after Noora, who was walking lightly along the edge of the forest.
"But by the way, your magic is quite interesting too," Kaira said with a hint of admiration.
Noora glanced at Kaira. "Really? I can shoot light whenever I want. What about you?"
Kaira raised her hand and a small ball of water appeared in her palm. "I have water magic."
Noora looked impressed. "Water?! That's cool!"
Kaira looked down slightly. "However, I'm not yet proficient at controlling it."
Noora smiled enthusiastically. "Don't worry! Everything needs practice."
Kaira extended her hand with an elegant smile. "Oh, I think it's impolite if I don't introduce myself."
Noora shook Kaira's hand with a smile. "Noora, nice to meet you."
Kaira nodded. "I'm Shirogane Kaira."
Noora smiled. "I'll remember your name, Kaira."
Kaira shrugged slightly. "No need to bother."
Noora was curious. "Then, how do you know my name?"
Kaira smiled faintly. "Who in this kingdom doesn't know you with that strange personality?"
Noora chuckled. "Hahaha, I figured you'd say that."
Kaira laughed lightly, with a softer smile. "But don't worry, I won't call you strange."
Kaira suddenly remembered something that made her smile mischievously. "Hey Noora, I have a surprise for you."
Noora looked at her curiously. "A surprise? Food, perhaps?"
Kaira chuckled. "No. This time we're going to face something more exciting. We're going to fight a giant crocodile in this forest!"
Noora, full of enthusiasm, immediately stood up. "Let's go find it!"
They both ran into the forest, with Noora eager to meet the crocodile.
After about ten minutes of running, Noora began to feel tired and hungry.
Noora complained slightly. "Hey, Kaira! How much longer? I'm hungry!"
Kaira smiled widely, still full of energy. "Just a little patience, we're almost there! Up ahead is the river where the crocodile lays its eggs."
After walking for a while, they arrived at the seemingly calm riverbank.
Noora looked around, seeing nothing suspicious. "Where's the crocodile? There doesn't seem to be anything here."
Noora walked closer to the river, but Kaira immediately warned him. "Wait, Noora!"
Suddenly, from the water, a giant crocodile leaped into the air, its mouth wide open, heading straight for Noora!
Noora was greatly surprised, almost falling over. "WOW, IT'S HUGE!" (With wide eyes)
Kaira said seriously, but with a slight laugh in her voice. "You're going to get eaten, Noora!"
The crocodile quickly opened its huge mouth and charged towards Noora.
Noora, confidently, smiled widely. "Well, looks like this is going to be a very delicious dinner."