Ankit and his father quietly waited for their turn.
One after another, children entered the testing room.
Every time the door opened, another result was announced.
“Fire Affinity!” Cheers erupted from one family.
A few moments later…
“Water Affinity!” Another family celebrated with joy.
Then came…
“Wind Affinity!” “Earth Affinity!” “Sky Affinity!” No matter which element they received, every child’s parents left the hall with bright smiles on their faces.
Then…
A loud voice echoed through the hall.
“Ankit, son of Sore!” Sore looked down at his son.
“Come on, Ankit.” “It’s our turn.” Ankit’s face lit up.
“Yes, Dad!” Inside, however, his heart was racing.
Finally…
The moment I’ve been waiting for all this time has arrived.
I’m finally going to learn what my power is.
Outside the room, the waiting parents immediately began whispering among themselves.
“So it’s finally his turn…” “I’m curious.” “How many affinities do you think he’ll awaken?” “My guess is two.” Another person shook his head.
“Who knows?” “He might even awaken three.” “He isn’t an ordinary child, after all.” Without paying attention to the whispers, Ankit and his father stepped inside the testing room.
The examiner looked up from his desk.
His eyes landed on Ankit, and he frowned.
“Mr.
Sore…” “According to your application, your son is only one and a half years old.” He looked Ankit up and down.
“…But this child looks older than three.” Sore immediately waved his hands.
“N-No, that’s not the case!” “He really is one and a half years old.” “He just has an unusually fast natural growth.” The examiner raised an eyebrow.
“Is that so?” “Well…” “I suppose that’s not my concern.” “My job is simply to determine his affinity and record the result.” With those words, he opened a wooden box.
Inside lay a brilliantly glowing crystal.
The moment Ankit saw it…
His heartbeat quickened.
This is it…
The crystal that will reveal my power.
What kind of affinity will I awaken?
Will I inherit Grandpa’s abilities…?
Grandma’s…?
Or maybe Dad’s Earth Affinity…?
What about Mom’s…?
He couldn’t stop smiling.
Honestly…
What more could I ask for?
I’ve been reincarnated into a fantasy world…
And now…
I’m finally about to receive my own powers.
Aah…
I can’t wait!
The examiner held out the glowing crystal.
“Come here, child.” “Place your hand on the Crystal Ball.” Ankit slowly reached out.
This is it…
Now the real fun begins.
He gently placed his hand on the crystal.
…
Silence.
The entire room fell deathly quiet.
The examiner frowned.
“…What?” He stared at the crystal in confusion.
Nothing had happened.
After a few seconds, he looked at Ankit.
“Child…” “Please place your hand on it again.” Ankit lifted his hand and obediently placed it back onto the crystal.
Once again…
Nothing.
The examiner’s expression became increasingly strange.
Sore couldn’t help asking, “Is…
something wrong?” The examiner took a deep breath before replying.
“…I can’t detect this child’s Mana Core.” Sore’s eyes narrowed.
“I see…” The examiner quickly continued, “Don’t misunderstand.” “This does happen occasionally.” “Some children are born with an extremely weak Mana Core, making it difficult for the crystal to detect.” “But we won’t give up just yet.” “If we can’t detect the Mana Core…” “We’ll try identifying his elemental affinity directly.” He walked over to a cabinet and returned with five different colored stones, placing them carefully on the table.
Ankit watched everything in silence.
So my Mana Core couldn’t be detected…
But he’s still trying something else.
I’ll just wait.
The examiner looked at him again.
“Alright, child.” “Place your hand on each of these stones, one by one.” Ankit obeyed.
One stone…
Nothing.
The second…
Nothing.
The third…
Nothing.
The fourth…
Nothing.
The fifth…
…
Still nothing.
The examiner stood there in complete silence.
After a long moment, he lowered his head.
“I’m…
sorry.” He turned toward Sore.
“I’m afraid there’s nothing more I can do.” His voice became heavy.
“Your son possesses…” “…no detectable Mana Core.” “…no Magic Core.” “…and no elemental affinity.” “I truly am sorry.” Sore slowly closed his eyes.
He took a long, silent breath…
Then simply stood there without saying a word.
It was almost as though…
…he had already expected this outcome.
Meanwhile…
Ankit stood completely frozen.
His mind had gone blank.
…No magic?
How…?
How could this happen?
How did I ever convince myself…
…that I could live peacefully in a fantasy world?
Fear slowly crept into his heart.
Will everyone stop loving me now?
Will they call me a disgrace…
just like they did in my previous life?
Will they laugh at me…?
Will they abandon me…?
His hands began to tremble.
What am I supposed to do…?
What can I possibly do now…?
“Come on, Ankit.” Sore’s voice was calm.
He gently lifted Ankit onto his shoulders once again and silently began walking home.
Neither of them spoke.
The road that had once felt full of excitement now seemed unusually quiet.
Sitting on his father’s shoulders, Ankit’s heart was filled with fear.
…Is this the end?
Will Dad take me home…
Call me a disgrace…
Laugh at me…
And throw me out of the house?
What will Grandpa think of me?
Will everyone abandon me…?
The memories of his previous life slowly resurfaced, one after another.
His breathing grew heavier.
Just then, Sore suddenly broke the silence.
“Listen carefully, Ankit.” His voice was gentle, yet firm.
“There’s no reason to be so heartbroken.” “Powers are never fixed.” “Having magic isn’t the only path in life.” “A person can create strength in countless different ways.” He smiled without turning around.
“And remember one thing…” “As long as your father is alive…” “You’ll never have to carry this burden alone.” “So stop worrying.” “I’ll always stand beside you.” The moment those words reached Ankit’s ears…
The fear that had been suffocating him began to melt away.
Tears quietly streamed down his cheeks.
Not because he was weak…
But because, for the first time in both of his lives…
Someone had accepted him without caring whether he possessed power or not.
He buried his face against his father’s head, silently crying as Sore continued walking toward home.