Mana existed everywhere.
It flowed through the atmosphere like an invisible ocean, surrounding every living thing without discrimination.
Most people could neither see nor sense it.
To them, mana was nothing more than a mysterious force spoken about in legends—the source of miracles performed by those who had awakened.
But mana itself was not power.
It was only the beginning.
Within the vastness of the world existed countless forces, each possessing its own nature.
Lightning.
Fire.
Wind.
Darkness.
Life.
And many others whose existence ordinary people could scarcely comprehend.
Those who awakened did not simply learn to control one of these forces.
They became connected to it.
And the stronger they became, the deeper that connection went.
At the beginning, an awakened person merely touched the nature of their element.
Eventually, their body could no longer be separated from it.
Their soul would begin to change.
And at the highest levels, the distinction between cultivator and element would become almost meaningless.
But such heights were far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
For the common folk of the Lionel Kingdom, awakening was already considered a miracle.
And even reaching that first step required something most could never afford.
Dragon Blood.
A rare golden liquid obtained from the dangerous Land of Beasts.
The process of awakening wasn’t as simple as drinking it, nor was possessing mana enough to guarantee success.
The body had to withstand the transformation, and the person had to possess the potential to form a connection with an element.
Many failed.
Some never awakened at all.
Others could not afford to try.
Dragon Blood was an extraordinarily valuable resource, and the price was enough to place awakening firmly beyond the reach of ordinary families.
Only nobles, wealthy merchants, powerful organizations, and cultivators with sufficient resources could casually obtain it.
For poor farmers, awakening was little more than a distant dream.
And yet…
There was one place where that dream could be seen every day.
At the very center of the capital of the Lionel Kingdom stood a magnificent academy.
Its enormous castle rose above the surrounding city, with towering spires that seemed to pierce the clouds.
Ancient trees surrounded the grounds, their enormous branches stretching toward the sky, while flowers of strange colors bloomed along carefully maintained paths.
But the academy’s greatest treasure could not be seen.
Mana.
The concentration of mana around the academy was several times greater than that of the surrounding region.
According to the stories passed down through generations, the land had once been touched by beings whose strength far surpassed ordinary cultivators.
Whether the stories were true or not, the result was undeniable.
Mana constantly gathered around the academy.
For awakened cultivators, it was an ideal place to grow stronger.
For those who had never awakened…
It was a place where they could only stand outside and dream.
Far from the academy stood a young boy.
He stared at the distant castle with an expression filled with longing.
His name was Eric.
He was fourteen years old, lean and of average height, with messy black hair and sharp eyes.
His family were simple farmers.
They owned no powerful bloodline.
They possessed no influential connections.
And they certainly couldn’t afford Dragon Blood.
Eric knew all of this.
He had known it for years.
But knowing something didn’t make accepting it any easier.
He wanted to awaken.
More than anything, he wanted to see what lay beyond the ordinary life he had been born into.
He wanted strength.
He wanted to travel.
He wanted to see the world beyond these endless fields.
And, perhaps more than anything else…
He wanted to leave something behind.
A name.
A story.
Something that would prove he had existed.
“Ahhh…” Eric sighed, running a hand through his messy hair.
His eyes remained fixed on the distant academy.
One day, he thought.
One day, I want to stand there.
“Eric!
Eric!” The familiar voice of his sister pulled him from his thoughts.
He turned around.
Rachel stood a short distance away, holding a basket in her hands.
“Why are you standing there staring at the academy again?” she asked with a sigh.
“You know people like us will never get the chance to awaken.” Eric gave the academy one final glance.
“I know.” He looked down.
“But isn’t there some other way?” His voice carried a mixture of frustration and longing.
“It’s unfair.
Someone can be born with the potential to become powerful, but if they’re born poor, they might never even get the chance to discover what they’re capable of.” Rachel folded her arms.
“If there really was another way, don’t you think more people would know about it?” Eric fell silent.
She walked over and handed him the basket.
“Now stop dreaming and help me carry these goods to the market.” Eric reluctantly took it.
The siblings began walking home together.
Neither of them knew that before the next sunrise…
Their ordinary lives would come to an end.