I never get used to the headache that come with waking up in this place. It starts right behind my eyes every time I step out of the dormitory and breathe the air. The air here is heavy and thick with what the locals call ambient mana but to me it just feels like humidity that stuck to your skin.My name is Chase Royce and I am the only person in the Grand Academy of Magitech who gets sick just from walking to class. I am not from this world. I just woke up here one day without a map or a guide stranded in a place where physics take a backseat to magic.The morning sun was hitting the spires of the Academy and making the white stone glow like it was holy. Around me students were walking in groups and laughing and showing off their powers. A guy with fox ears was floating a stack of books behind him with a lazy flick of his finger.A girl with glowing markings on her skin was lighting a small flame in her palm to warm up her coffee because the morning was cold. They use magic for every

I pulled my hand back from the edge of the pillar. I couldn't let them see me. If Sylvia saw Chase Royce standing there she would scream at me to run and then she would die.I looked at the gauntlet on my arm. The crystal was humming in the socket. It sounded like an angry hornet trapped in a jar."Don't blow up," I whispered.I pressed the button.The world turned into pain instantly. It wasn't like getting punched or cut. It felt like someone poured molten lead into my veins. I wanted to scream but my throat seized up. The sound died in my chest.The violet light exploded from the gauntlet and crawled up my arm. It didn't look like the smooth magic the Zodiacs use. It looked like oil. It was thick and dark and it bubbled as it hardened into plates over my uniform.I fell to my knees gasping for air that tasted like ozone and burning rubber. The armor was heavy. It felt like I was wearing a car. The helmet formed last snapping around my head with a hiss of pressurized air that sounde

"Zero mana compatibility."The words hung in the air like smoke in a zero-gravity chamber. They didn't just say I was bad at magic. They didn't say I had a weak Link. They used the technical term. Zero.My heart stopped beating for a second. I thought I was flying under the radar. I thought Professor Valerius just put a "fail" grade on my file and moved on. I didn't think it was flagged in the main medical database.If they knew I was a true Null then they knew I didn't belong here. The Academy student visa requires at least a 5% compatibility rating just to ensure you don't die from ambient mana poisoning. I faked my entrance papers. I lied on the application.And now they knew.I looked past the doctor at the two Zodiac Corps soldiers. They weren't looking at me like I was a patient. They were looking at me like I was a threat. Or maybe just a disgusting bug that crawled in from the outside."I..." My voice cracked. I swallowed hard trying to get some moisture back into my throat. "

They let me out two days later, but it didn't feel like a discharge. It felt more like a prisoner transfer. The doctor gave me a final scan, checking my ribs and the lingering burn scars on my arm, before producing a bulky grey bracelet from a locked drawer. He clamped it onto my left wrist with a heavy click that sounded like a jail cell closing."Biometric monitor," the doctor explained, tapping the plastic casing. "It tracks your heart rate, blood pressure, and neural activity. It also functions as a proximity sensor. If you leave the Academy grounds without authorization, it will alert security immediately. And if your vitals drop below a certain threshold, it alerts the morgue."He looked me dead in the eye, his expression completely devoid of sympathy. "Do not take it off, Mr. Royce. You are under medical observation, which means you are technically property of the research division until further notice."I nodded because I didn't have a choice. I was a Zero with a barcode now.

I squeezed the handle.The cutter bit into the servo cluster and sparks flew. The drone screeched a horrible electronic sound and its legs locked up. It collapsed onto the belt twitching."Move!" I grabbed Sylvia's arm and pulled her up."There's more," she gasped pointing up.Three more drones were dropping from the ceiling. They landed on the belt with heavy thuds surrounding us. They weren't just cleaning up trash anymore they were in security mode."We can't fight them," I said. "I don't have a weapon.""I can't cast properly," Sylvia said her face pale. "My mana flow is blocked by the pain."I looked around. The conveyor belt was stopped. The incinerator intake was about fifty feet away a giant black maw that led to the fire. I looked at the control panel on the wall of the walkway above us but it was too far to reach.But the wiring...A bundle of heavy cables ran along the side of the conveyor belt powering the magnetic drive."Sylvia," I said. "Can you cast a lightning spell?