The Evolution of Mana Echoes

Ch 6 - Pt 2 The Beginning of an Uncertain Path

Then—

“ALRIGHT!!! LET’S DO THIS!!!”

Tyda’s shout rang out across the whole area, loud and full of energy. Heads turned toward him right away, many looking annoyed or surprised.

“Hey kid, shut your mouth!” someone called out sharply.

Tyda blinked and looked around. A handsome young man with sharp features and a proud look pushed his way through the crowd and stopped right in front of him. He crossed his arms and looked Tyda up and down with clear dislike.

“Do you really not understand what just happened?” the young man asked. “Weaklings like you aren’t part of any of this. Know your place.”

Whispers spread fast through the crowd.

“Wait, that’s Marco.”

“Right! The Fifth Prince of Danes Kingdom.”

“He has Divine Mana, you know. A total genius.”

“Of course he is—he’s the son of Great King Achfried, the Crimson King. They say he will become one of the Crimson Knights someday.”

Tyda stared at Marco. Marco stared back, chin raised, daring him to say something. Neither looked ready to back down.

Then a soft, clear voice cut through the whispers.

“Hold on, Marco.”

A beautiful girl walked forward, her long brown hair swaying behind her like silk. She stopped beside the prince and glanced between him and Tyda.

“Don’t you think you are being a little too harsh?” she said calmly. “He has no mana at all. Picking on someone weaker than you is not exactly what a knight should do, is it?”

The crowd started whispering again, louder this time.

“That’s Princess Mary, right? From the Abyss Kingdom.”

“The kingdom of witches… I heard it’s cursed land.”

“People say vampires and werewolves live there too. Isn’t she dangerous?”

Several people stepped back, keeping their distance. Mary didn’t even glance at them, as if their fear meant nothing to her.

Tyda scratched the back of his head and frowned at her.

“Hey, witch,” he said plainly.

Mary turned slowly toward him, lifting one eyebrow.

“I don’t know if you were trying to stop that rooster-looking guy from yelling at me,” Tyda went on, “but it sounds like you were insulting me too.”

Mary’s eyes went wide, and Marco’s face turned red with anger.

“Ha?!” The prince pointed at his own chest. “Who are you calling a rooster?! My name is Prince Marco! Make sure you remember it properly!”

Mary sighed deeply and shook her head.

“Silly prince.” She looked at Marco with pity. “Watch your words. How can he remember anything if he doesn’t even have a brain?”

Tyda’s eye twitched.

“HEY! HEY! HEY!” He pointed at both of them, looking frustrated. “One more insult from either of you, and I’ll knock both of you down right now!”

Marco laughed out loud. Mary covered her mouth and smiled, looking amused. Neither took him seriously at all.

“And what exactly are you going to do, mana-less?” Marco asked, a smirk spreading across his face. “You talk too much. Even in front of the Great Sage and all the guild leaders, you couldn’t stay quiet.”

Mary nodded dramatically, pretending to agree.

“He’s right,” she said, then gasped in a playful way. “Oh no—he says he will beat us up. I am so scared.” She pressed a hand to her chest and acted like she was shaking.

Tyda’s jaw tightened.

“You two only act tough because you have Divine Mana,” he said, cracking his knuckles loudly. “Why don’t you both come at me together right now? Let’s see how strong you really are.”

The crowd got excited. Everyone leaned in, wanting to see what would happen next.

Marco’s smirk turned sharp and dangerous.

“You asked for this.”

Thick, glowing red mana rose from his body, wrapping around him like fire.

“Don’t blame me if you end up dead before you even reach the garrison.”

Purple, shadowy mana swirled around Mary, cold and strange.

“I won’t hurt him too badly,” she said softly. “I just want to turn him into my puppet after this. He would make such a funny little toy.”

Tyda narrowed his eyes. Suddenly he pointed a finger straight past Marco, staring hard at something behind him.

“Huh?” Marco frowned and looked over his shoulder. “What is it? What are you looking at?”

Tyda kept staring, his face serious.

Marco turned his whole body around to get a better look.

The moment his back was turned—

BAM!

Tyda’s fist slammed hard into Marco’s face.

The prince flew backward, stumbling several steps before falling flat on his back in the dust.

The whole crowd went completely quiet. Some gasped, others choked on their own breath. Mary blinked quickly, clearly shocked.

Marco lay still for a second, then slowly lifted his head, his face burning red from shame and anger.

Tyda pointed down at him, a wide grin on his face.

“Divine Mana? Prince? Is that really all you have?” he teased.

The crowd erupted into noise—cheers, shouts, laughter, and angry arguments all mixed together.

Marco jumped to his feet so fast his cloak flapped around him. He pointed a shaking finger at Tyda.

“YOU TRICKED ME!” he roared.

Tyda shrugged casually.

“You called me brainless, remember?” He crossed his arms. “And yet you fell for the easiest trick in the book. Who is the stupid one now?”

The noise grew louder. Some people laughed, others shouted insults.

“Tyda, you good-for-nothing!” someone yelled.

“No wonder Prana didn’t give you mana! You are nothing but a cheater!”

“You don’t belong here! Go back to your village and chop wood or farm the land!”

Tyda’s smile faded completely. Those words hit him like stones, one after another. His hands clenched into fists again, and his breathing turned heavy and fast. Every insult opened up old wounds he had carried for years.

Finally, he could not take it anymore.

“SHUT UP!!!”

His voice boomed across the mountain, echoing off the rocks. Everyone fell quiet again and stared at him.

All the anger, frustration, shame, and pain he had held inside since the ceremony began boiled over, rising hot and sharp in his chest.

Before he could say anything else, Bren and several other boys from his village pushed through the crowd and grabbed him by both arms, holding him tight.

“Hey! Let go of me!” Tyda struggled, trying to pull free.

Bren sighed, his face tight with worry.

“Stop it now, Tyda. You have embarrassed all of us enough for one day.”

They dragged him away, ignoring his protests, pulling him toward the path down the mountain.

“We are going home.”

From behind them, Mary watched everything happen, her eyes shining with interest. A slow, amused smile spread across her face.

“I like this boy,” she said softly, giggling to herself. “He could turn out to be such a fun toy.”

Back in Lerin Village, the story of what happened on Sigil Mountain spread faster than wildfire. By the time Tyda and the others arrived, almost everyone had heard every detail—from the Great Sage’s frightening warning to Tyda punching the Fifth Prince right in the face.

Teacher Long heard the whole tale and immediately burst out laughing. He leaned back in his wooden chair, laughing so hard he nearly fell over. Tears ran down his wrinkled cheeks.

“Hahahaha! Tyda! Of all the people in the world, it just had to be you!” He pointed at Tyda, gasping for air between laughs. “I am so lucky to be alive at the same time as you! I get to watch the adventures of a mana-less fool!”

“Teacher!” Tyda groaned, dropping onto a bench and covering his face with his hands. “Please stop.”

“I can’t help it!” Long wiped his eyes, still chuckling. “This is the best story I have heard in years.”

Rona sat nearby, shaking her head with a mix of amusement and worry.

“What happened to all that confidence you had?” she asked gently. “You challenged two noble heirs in front of thousands of people. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get into?”

Tyda leaned back and stared up at the ceiling.

“I don’t know,” he mumbled. He sighed deeply, his shoulders dropping. “I was just angry. So angry I couldn’t hold it back anymore.”

Teacher Long’s laughter slowly faded. His expression turned thoughtful, and he stroked his long white beard.

“Tyda,” he said seriously.

Tyda looked up at him.

“Not having mana does not automatically make you weak,” the old teacher said. “That much is already clear.”

Tyda stayed quiet and listened.

“Think about it,” Long went on. “Normally, every person gets one blessing from Prana. Only one. But what if… what if something inside you blocked the mana from entering?”

Tyda blinked in surprise.

“This is just a guess, mind you. There is no proof at all,” Long added quickly. “But look back through history. King Xeno had Divine Mana—stronger than almost anyone before or after him. Yet there are old, hidden records… stories that suggest there might be something even greater. Something beyond Divine Mana itself.”

Tyda shook his head right away.

“I don’t care,” he said, his voice tired and flat. “I am done thinking about it. I am just tired.”

He stood up and walked out of the room, leaving everyone behind.

As night fell, Tyda went straight to his small room at the back of the house. Outside, the rest of the village was still getting dinner ready; he could hear laughter and voices from the main building, but none of it reached him.

He lay down on his bed, arms folded under his head. The room was quiet. Too quiet.

Everything that had happened that day played over and over in his mind. The glowing blessings. The cheers. The celebrations. Thousands of people filled with new power and hope. Everyone except him.

His eyes slowly closed.

Why?

The question came back, sharp and painful, just as it had every day for years.

Goddess Prana… why did you reject me?

His throat felt tight.

I tried my hardest. I trained longer and harder than anyone else. I waited for this day for years. I dreamed about it.

His breathing became uneven.

So why…?

A single tear rolled down his cheek. Then another. Then another. The wall he had built up inside finally broke.

“Why…” His voice shook, barely a whisper.

“Why…”

More tears fell, soaking his pillow. His whole body shook as he tried to hold it all in.

“Whyyyyy…”

He covered his face with both hands, and a broken sob escaped his throat.

“It hurts… everything hurts.”

The disappointment. The shame. The fear of what lay ahead. The uncertainty that now filled every part of his future.

For years, he had dreamed of becoming an adventurer, of standing beside heroes, of seeing the world beyond the mountains. For years, he believed this day would change his life.

It did. Just not in the way he wanted.

Outside his door, Maya stood quietly. She had come to bring him food, but stopped when she heard his voice. She listened to every word, every cry, every broken question.

Tears formed in her own eyes and ran down her cheeks. She pressed a hand tight over her mouth to stay quiet. She had always known Tyda as someone who smiled no matter what, who laughed through hard work, who kept moving forward even when things seemed impossible. Hearing him break down like this hurt more than she could say.

Inside the room, Tyda stared up at the dark ceiling through blurry eyes. No answers came. Only silence.

The future that once looked clear and bright had turned into a road covered in thick fog. He could not see what lay ahead.

The Great Sage’s words repeated endlessly in his head: The boy abandoned by mana. The impossible one. The greatest threat. Salvation or ruin.

None of it made sense. But none of it would leave him alone either.

He did not know what would happen at the Eastern Garrison. He did not know what rank he would get, or if he would even be allowed to stay. He did not know why Prana had turned him away. He did not even know if he truly belonged among the chosen ones.

All he knew was that the sun would rise tomorrow, whether he was ready or not.

The road ahead looked uncertain. Dangerous. Lonely.

But somewhere deep inside, past the pain and the tears and the heavy weight pressing down on his chest, a small, stubborn spark remained. It refused to go out.

Even if the whole world said he did not belong. Even if the goddess herself had rejected him.

The story of Tyda was only just beginning. And the future waiting for him was far bigger, far stranger, and far more dangerous than anyone in the world could ever imagine.