<h4>Chapter 1336 Crashing Down</h4>


    Elias Martins Duffy was a man who loved Magic since he was a little boy.


    He was so enamored by the concept of bending thews of the world and achieving supernatural effects through the wondrous energy of Mana.


    He patiently waited for the day he would turn five years old so he could finally Awaken and be a proper Mage.


    Unfortunately… he could not.


    It was only until he became nine years old that he could finally do so, and even then it was barely.


    Apparently, he had a very poor aptitude for Magic.


    The Mana Fragments in his body were in very small quantities, and the rate of production was also incredibly slow.


    He was never going to be the kind of Mage he desired; forever doomed to not being enough.


    Did he give up, though?


    No!


    The major source of motivation for him was Lewis Griffith, the man who revolutionized Magic despite being inept.


    Unlike Lewis Griffith, who had been born Inept, he still had some measure of Mana.


    As such, he was determined to learn as much as he could about Magic and contribute to themunity as much as he could.


    Elias Martins Duffy tried to enroll in the great Ainrk Magic Academy, but after failing the exams countless times, he settled for being the apprentice for a local Mage he found around.


    The Mage taught him everything he knew, but it still wasn''t enough.


    Not only was he incredibly average, but he wasn''t very powerful either.


    This Mage was never going to help him achieve his dream of contributing to the world of Magic.


    Elias knew he needed more!


    As a result of his impatience, he went behind his master''s back and studied the materials that were kept off-limits to him.


    That was when he found out the secrets of the Blood Stone.


    ording to the books, this was forbidden Magic—never to be used due to its immense danger, incredible potential, and moral hazard.


    The threat such Magic could pose on the world was astronomically high if allowed to be mainstream.


    Elias did not know how his master had such materials with him, but he chose to use them for himself.


    He initially felt guilty about it, but soon after he numbed himself and ignored his inner conscience.


    It was only afterpleting the preparations necessary for the Blood Stone creation, and sacrificing his Master in his sleep, that Elias made a rather shocking discovery.


    His Master—the Mage whom he had learned under for so many years—had also been nning on using him to make a Blood Stone.


    The Mage had been suffering from an obsessive sense of inadequacy and desire to push his Magic to the next level.


    Apparently, some group gave him the resources needed to research the Blood Stone and make one.


    Elias was only able to find this out by chance, and not only did he feel betrayed by the actions of his master, but he also felt justified in his actions.


    He had been right all along!


    After this experience, he fled to the Slums of a rather corrupt Lord.


    By paying a fair sum of money that he obtained from his Master, he was able to secure somend at the edge of the territory and start his new life there.


    Of course, moving in wasn''t easy.


    Living among the lowlives of society had its downsides, but Elias quickly found a way to turn it into something of benefit.


    ''No one cares about some countryside slums!'' He had thought. ''I should be able to use them toplete the Blood Stone!''


    And so, he began to rid the world of the scum and lowlives that upied it.


    One after the other—dozens after dozens—for several decades.


    The long wait was unavoidable since the ones gifted with Mana lives better lives in the better parts of the Lord''s territory.


    It was unfortunate that themoners in the slumscked the quality needed to quickly form a Blood Stone, so the process took very long toplete.


    Since Elias did not want to draw any attention to himself, he patiently amassed the lives and Mana he had taken—waiting for the time when his Blood Stone would be perfected.


    And finally… after waiting for so long… that time was finally here!


    However…


    "Haa… Haaa…"


    Mr. Duffy, as he was known by the public, was currently kneeling on the ground.


    He still tightly clung to his broken staff, almost as if his life depended on it.


    Blood dripped from his ragged lips as he struggled to breathe.


    "H-how… how did it end up like this?"


    He was currently standing at the center of the debris that was once his home.


    Remnant embers of energy danced around, and destruction surrounded him. However, none of those things were the focus of this old man''s attention.


    Instead, he was staring at a single person.


    The boy that stood in front of him.


    "Your Blood Stone is ruined now. All those lives you extinguished… all for nothing."


    As Neron said this, Mr. Duffy''s eyes trailed to the top of his staff where his blood-red gem was supposed to be located.


    What he found there was a mere fragment that had a dull scarlet color.


    It had no glow or luster, only resembling a cheap jewel.


    All of Mr. Duffy''s hard work and years… everything he had ced his dreams on… it had all disintegrated in the blink of an eye.


    "How… how did you do it? I don''t understand…"


    A five-year-old brat destroying a Blood Stone? How absurd was that?


    "I don''t know…"


    "Eh?" Mr. Duffy''s eyes popped wide open the moment he heard that answer.


    He didn''t expect a kid to have all the answers as to theplicated process of what had just urred right now.


    However, he also wasn''t expecting something as mundane as ignorance.


    "It doesn''t matter now, does it?"


    Despite how much he wanted to disagree with the kid, Mr. Duffy could not.


    He only hung his head and muttered in agreement.


    "I… I guess so."


    For a moment, there was silence between the two of them.


    Despite the fact that the two were meant to be seething in rage and hate for each other, there was a surprise calm.


    The tension in the air was palpable, but the two soaked it all in.


    Until finally…


    "Is Magic really all that great?"


    … Neron spoke.


    "You did all of this for Magic. Is it really that amazing?"


    All of his friends were gone now. He would never see their smiling faces or their frowning demeanors.


    He could never y with them. They were lost to him forever.


    All because of a man''s desire for Magic.


    "Was it worth it? All of those lives… even yours! Everything for the sake of something like that!"


    Yera''s words yed in Neron''s mind, but he shut it out almost instantly.


    He already knew he was different, but still…


    "Just because you don''t have what I have… does that mean you can do something like this?! I… I just… I don''t understand…"


    Neron truly could not understand.


    As he stared at Mr. Duffy''s downcast face, he expected an answer that could perhaps illuminate his understanding.


    "I… I don''t know."


    That was the only answer Neron got.


    "What?" He asked, slowly feeling something rise within his chest.


    It was rage.


    "I just… I just wanted to use Magic. I wanted to be like the Great Sage. I wanted to… h-help people, and… and…"


    The more Mr. Duffy spoke, the more his eyes widened at the realization of the sheer horrors he had wrought.


    The true nature of his actions slowly began to reveal itself to his old and rotting mind.


    He was never correct.


    All this time… he had lost sight of what he truly wanted as Elias Martins Duffy.


    That boy had grown to be this bitter old excuse for a mass murderer.


    But the question remained… if he could go back in time… would he do it again?


    Mr. Duffy already knew the answer to that.


    "I… I just wanted to use Magic. It''s not… it''s not my fault that I wasn''t born with enough talent!"


    That''s right! If he could, he would do the same thing again.


    "I-I was just ridding the world of the hoodlums that no one cared about! Sure, they died, but their sacrifice was supposed to birth something glorious! I could have used this power to help the world! To cure people, to save lives, to heal… I could have…"


    As Neron heard all of these being spouted by the man before him, he narrowed his eyes and creased his brows.


    Disgust filled his eyes, and a burning distaste for the man soon extended to the thing he worshiped.


    MAGIC!


    "You shouldn''t exist…"


    It was impossible to know if he was talking about the man before him, or the very concept of Magic.


    One thing was for sure, though.


    "Die."


    As Neron raised his hand and stared down at the babbling man, he desired to end his life.


    Blue sparks of Mana gathered around Neron''s hand, and its bright embers lit up the grim night.


    ~SWISH!~


    In one swift motion, Neron beheaded the man, remembering how the heads of his friends were also deprived of their bodies.


    "Haaa…" As Neron watched the head of the man roll, he felt hollow within.


    How did things turn out this way? What was he supposed to do now?


    As these questions swirled in his mind, he heard footsteps approaching.


    "Stay back." He muttered, his voice audible enough for the one behind him to hear.


    While Neron did not know who it was, he could decipher he was an adult man.


    He was also incredibly strong.


    "Hey, kid… calm down." As the man''s deep voice reverberated in the air, Neron felt a tightening in his chest.


    After that, his consciousness got blurry.


    ''W-what…?!''


    "My name is Mordred Kaelid. I''m a Grand Mage of the Kingdom."


    Neron could hardly register those words as he fell to his knees.


    All his senses were fading—and fast. Within a few more seconds, he was going to faint.


    "Do not fret. I won''t harm you."


    As he heard these words, Neron''s eyes fel shut and he copsed.


    Not on the cold, hard ground, but on the soft cost of the man who held him tightly.


    "I won''t let anyone harm you."


    *


    *


    *


    [A/N]


    Thanks for reading!


    The chapter was cathartic, wasn''t it? This seven-chapter stretch is pretty much the prologue of Neron''s story.


    The real deal happens after this.