After the end of the Legendary Age—
Elizabeth Rozenheart was just a child.
And the capital of Rozenheart stood proud.
The Capital of Rozenheart, known simply as Elarith, was a city carved in elegance. It was built atop a raised hill plateau with its skyline being filled silver spires and blue banners, and its rooftop was that of polished stone. With beautiful, pale marble streets between white villas and a great bronze bell that chimed from the High Cathedral on the hour… it was beautiful and wealthy.
Every street was lined with tall trees grown from the royal nursery, elm, birch, and the blueleaf tree that was unique to Rozenheart soil.
At the heart of it all was the Rozenheart Palace; an enormous, pristine estate surrounded by water and crescent gardens. The palace walls were black and white, veined with gold.
It was here that young Elizabeth often wandered. Only 13 years old, barefoot in the sacred grass, still learning how to curtsy properly but already able to recite lineage history better than most grown nobles. Her white hair was tied in twin braids with the eyes of a curious child.
Every guard knew her, and every servant adored her.
"Lady Elizabeth, shouldn't you be studying with the court tutor?"
"Already finished!" She responded, giggling at the servant. "Mama said I could have the rest of the morning to myself, so I'm gonna go play with Kyto!"
The court adored her, but not just because of her blood. Elizabeth was kind. She shared her candy with stable boys, helped maids carry books to the library, and once gave her clothes to a child who had none. She wasn't spoiled, even though she could have been. That was what made her loved.
Even the high priests of Odin who led the Palace Chapel said she was a child that carried light in her spirit.
But not everyone saw that as a gift.
One man stood out among them all… and that man was her Father, Boris Rozenheart; in his eyes, Elizabeth was a disgrace. She didn't deserve a luxury life, or to be called a Rozenheart, she was a Manaless child without anything special.
"Boris, you're overreacting!" A woman stood in the middle of the mansion downstairs with long white hair, and the eyes of Elizabeth herself. One could easily mistake her for an older twin sister, but this was the mother, Augbren Rozenheart.
"That child doesn't belong here! Not once in our family history have we raised a Kaizamei!"
Boris responded in anger. With brown hair and a long beard, it was evident that he was the father, especially given his bulky size.
"So what do you expect us to do? Abandon her? She's our daughter, Boris!" Augbren held the hem of her dress, stepping forward in anger. "We will not abandon Elizabeth just because she's a misfit!"
Boris, in a fit of rage, balled his fists and averted his gaze. He controlled his anger as much as possible, heaving a deep sigh.
"That child ruins our reputation! For so many years we've birthed strong, noble mages, yet she cannot perform magic."
Augbren lowered her head and closed her eyes. Realization was apparent in her face.
"Mages who can fight with Magic are common among our lineage… and yet she cannot do such a simple task! The only skill she has is denying the usage of mana! So tell me, Augbren, what purpose does she serve in our family?"
Augbren shook her head back and forth.
"She's still… our daughter… Boris."
Boris squeezed his eyes shut, facing the other way.
"Daughter or not, she's a failure. Elarith has resisted the corruption and militarism of other rising kingdoms for years now, and we've even survived the Mythical and Legendary Age. If she were to become the next head of this family, then all hope would be lost."
Boris took his leave, dismissing himself from Augbren.
"She will become one of those warriors who rely on chi... we cannot have that in our family."
Running through the garden outside, Elizabeth was chasing after someone.
"Hey, that's not fair, you're using magic to run faster!" Shouted the Rozenheart.
"Ahaha, cmon Liz, try catching up!"
It was Kyto, her childhood friend.
They've been friends forever, growing up in Elarith together, and even going to the same school.
"Hrrrghhh!" Elizabeth sprinted at Kyto at full speed, reaching out her hand to tag him, "Haaah!"
She was an inch away, but he cast the spell Flonta and took flight.
"Hahaaaa, you missed me again!"
Elizabeth fell forward into a field of flowers, groaning.
Above her, Kyto hovered in the air with his feet meters off the ground. He was smiling down at her, hands on his hips like he'd just won a battle.
"You okay?" He asked.
Elizabeth sat up slowly, brushing bits of grass from her hair.
"Yeah…"
But her voice wasn't convincing.
Kyto landed beside her, crouching.
"You almost had me that time."
"Almost doesn't count…" She muttered. "Not when you can fly and I can't even light a candle."
Kyto's smile faded. "Liz…" A look of sadness crossed his face.
She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. "I tried again last night. Mom stayed up with me. She had me focus on a flame, then on the air, then the sky, trying her hardest to get me to use magic… nothing. I can't feel anything." Her fingers curled around her skirt. "I know everyone has it, but when I reach for it... It's just empty."
Kyto looked away.
"Maybe you'll find it eventually?"
"No, I won't." Elizabeth said quietly. "Everyone knows. Even my father. He won't even look at me when I walk into a room. You saw him during the winter banquet. He pretended I was one of the maids."
Kyto didn't answer.
She looked up at the sky. It was blue and vast, like it didn't know how heavy her chest felt. A few white clouds drifted lazily across the horizon.
Everything in the capital always looked perfect from the outside.
"He called me a disappointment…"
Kyto's eyes widened.
"Who told you that?"
"I heard him yesterday. Through the stairs." She clenched her fists against her knees. "He said I wasn't fit to be a Rozenheart. That I'd ruin the family if I ever took over. That I'm just... a useless child."
Kyto reached out and gently touched her shoulder.
"He's wrong."
"No." She whispered, shaking her head. "He's not. I can't use mana! I've never cast a single spell, and I'm the only one in our family history ever who's manaless. The only thing I've ever done is make things stop working. Magic is disrupted when I walk by, and sometimes my mom's spells just dissolve around me like they've forgotten what to do."
Kyto lowered his hand.
Elizabeth hugged her legs tighter. "Even the teachers at school don't know what to do with me. They say that I'm just a misfit. It's just a nice way of saying I break everything around me."
Kyto sat down beside Elizabeth, hugging her around the shoulder. He was empathetic, feeling every bit of pain she shared.
"…You may be Manaless, Liz, but you still have a strong heart, and that's all that you need sometimes." Muttered Kyto.
Elizabeth faced Kyto with a gentle smile.
"Thank you… Kyto…"
The Cyrodel nodded his head.
"We've been friends since we were five, I'm always here for you, Liz!"
Elizabeth giggled, playing with the corner of her dress.
"That means a lot to me… especially from my bestest friend!"
Kyto crossed his arms, smiling with pride.
"Just leave it to me to make you feel better!"
Elizabeth snickered as Kyto leaned back, placing his palms behind him on the ground.
"Besides… you might not be Manaless for too long after I heard about that one special place."
Elizabeth widened her eyes, staring at Kyto with concern.
"Huh, what do you mean? What special place?"
Kyto looked up into the sky with a big smile.
"I heard it from my foster parents, it's called Mythical Valley."
Elizabeth tilted her head to the side, confused.
"Mythical… Valley? What's that?"
"It's a place that can grant you any kind of wish! I heard that there was an entity there known as the Lady of the Lake… and she was the one who gave King Arthur his sword, Excalibur."
Liz widened her eyes with sparkles dancing around them.
"Oh wow! Really? She's the person who gave King Arthur, Excalibur? How come I never heard of this place?"
Kyto shrugged at her comment.
"I dunno, it's not talked about much… but I did hear it was protected by powerful creatures, and only the 'chosen' can make a wish."
Elizabeth now sat crisscrossed, intrigued by this story.
"Are you saying you wanna go there?"
Kyto faced the Kaizamei with a confident smile, nodding his head.
"Yeah! You want magic, don't you? Well, I want my family back! When we get older, let's travel to the Mythical Valley together, and get our wish!"
It sounded unrealistic and illogical. Nothing more than a kid's dream. But they both were determined.
Elizabeth nodded her head with a smile, lifting her finger.
"Yeah! Pink Promise to Odin himself!"
Kyto lifted his finger with a smile, wrapping it around Liz's.
"It's a promise!"