Sovereign of The Abyss

Woosh!" A bag flew through the air, its strap flailing as it spun toward the end of the hallway.

“Hey, Miko! Fetch your precious bag!” a boy jeered, his tone thick with mockery.

Miko sprinted after it, sweat dripping down his face. “Give it back!” he shouted, voice cracking.

The bullies laughed. One of them, tall and sharp-faced, intercepted the bag mid-air and tossed it to another.

“Come on, Miko. Crawl for it!” the tall boy sneered.

“I’m not crawling,” Miko replied, trying to keep his voice steady despite the tremble.

“Oh, look at him! Acting all tough now.” The boy stepped forward, shoving Miko’s shoulder hard.

“Crawl!” another chimed in, punting the bag further down the hallway.

Miko clenched his fists, his heart thudding. He stepped forward, refusing to back down.

“Not moving, huh? Fine—take this instead!”

A fist struck his stomach. He doubled over as laughter erupted around him. Blows rained down, but he stayed silent, gritting his teeth against the pain.

“Pathetic,” one sneered.

“Why is he even here?” another muttered. “Charity case doesn’t belong in this school.”

“Does he even have a family? Maybe he should join them in heaven,” a voice added cruelly.

The bullies sauntered off, leaving Miko crumpled on the floor. His cheek pressed against the cold tiles as whispers from onlookers buzzed around him.

Slowly, he pushed himself up, brushing dirt from his uniform. His hands shook as he grabbed his bag, now scuffed and frayed.

“Just another day,” he muttered, limping toward his next class.

**

Inside the classroom, rows of sleek desks filled the space, illuminated by floating mana orbs. The teacher, stern and gray-haired, stood at the front, his voice sharp.

“All right! Let’s go over this one more time,” he barked, striking the glowing whiteboard with a pointer.

“Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, Lightning and Light,” the teacher looked towards the classroom.

“These are the top of the bunch elements,” he said, dropping the pointer.

“Affinity plays a key role here, Affinity refers to a person's natural connection or alignment with a specific element or type of magic. Let’s say you come from a lineage of fire mage’s. You would definitely have a strong affinity for fire.”

“Can anyone explain the relationship between elemental forces and magic?”

“Yes, Casy?”

“Magic is the manifestation of elemental forces—fire, water, wind, and earth—channeled through a mage's affinity.”

“Exactly. In as much as we have the top of the bunch elements, we also have elements like metal, sound, poison and some other useless elements which are not common here in the city of Lunaria,” the teacher said.

The door creaked at the back of the room. Heads turned as Miko slipped inside, clutching his bag.

The teacher’s eyes narrowed. “Speaking of useless elements. Late again, Miko?”

Miko froze. “I... uh...”

“Let me guess,” the teacher said with a smirk. “Your imaginary bullies stole your bag again?”

“They actually did,” Miko muttered, face burning as laughter rippled through the class.

“Bullies? In a school like this? Stop making excuses and sit down. Useless.”

Miko ducked his head and shuffled to the back corner. But just as he reached his seat, the bell rang.

“Another class missed,” he whispered as students gathered their things.

“Head to the training grounds!” the teacher called. “Transfer trials are next.”

Excited chatter filled the air as students rushed out.

“Finally!” someone cheered.

“Time to show off!” another grinned.

Miko stayed seated, watching them leave. He sighed, gripping the edge of his desk, his shoulders slumping.