"Everyone, gather in the temple's main hall!"
A loud, regal voice boomed across the temple grounds, echoing from atop a grand podium at the heart of the sacred hall.
It was Priest August the head of the temple his golden robes flowing like fire as he commanded the attention of every child present.
Once the crowd had quieted, he began his speech with solemn weight in his voice.
He spoke of the Ceremony of the Eclipse a sacred coming-of-age rite observed by every child born in the Land of Moonveil.
This ceremony would decide their future.
Specifically, it would determine which mana core each child would awaken.
A mana core... a mystical organ that manifested within the body on a person's sixteenth birthday. It wasn't just a source of power it was a destiny. One's mana core dictated their elemental alignment, magical potential, and the type of abilities they would wield for the rest of their life.
Fire. Water. Wind. Earth. Lightning. Gravity... etc.
A person's mana core didn't just define their magic it determined their worth.
Rare mana cores such as Gravity, Magma, or the legendary Time core were treated like divine blessings. Those who awakened them were often elevated to near-royalty, regardless of their origin.
Meanwhile, common elements Fire, Earth, Water were seen as low-tier. Mundane. Worthless.
Trash.
Among the children gathered for the Ceremony of the Eclipse was a boy named Mark a simple commoner with worn shoes and calloused hands. His eyes, however, were filled with fire. Not from the element he might receive, but from sheer determination.
He wasn't just here to awaken a core.
He was here to change his fate.
"I just need one rare core... Time... Magma... even Space," Mark muttered under his breath. "Any of them will do."
That was his only chance.
The Magic Knight Academy, the most prestigious school in the Land of Moonvale, was known to accept only nobles. But there was one exception those who awakened rare mana cores. For them, bloodline didn't matter.
Mark needed to be one of them.
He had no title. No riches. No family influence.
Just a dream to lift his parents and little sister out of poverty. They had given him everything they could, even when it meant going hungry themselves. That guilt haunted him more than anything.
He had to repay them.
He had to become someone.
As Priest August concluded his speech, his voice rang out one final time. "Sisters of the Temple, guide the children to their chambers. Let the Eclipse shine upon their fates."
The temple doors creaked open, and the robed sisters began escorting each participant to their designated rooms.
Mark followed one quietly.
Soon, he stood before a set of enormous golden doors, intricately carved with dragons, phoenixes, and mythical beasts. The sheer craftsmanship made his jaw drop.
"Damn... this thing looks expensive," he whispered to himself, half joking. "Wonder if I could break off a piece and sell it..."
The doors slowly parted.
Inside was a tranquil chamber illuminated by floating blue orbs. In its center, a shallow pool of crystal-clear water shimmered with mana.
A temple sister, her silver hair tied in a ceremonial braid, stood beside the pool. She gestured gently.
"Enter the water, my child."
Mark hesitated for only a moment before stepping in.
The water was cool, almost unnaturally so. His heart pounded in his chest, not from the temperature but from fear.
If he didn't awaken a rare core…
If he ended up with something common…
He'd be stuck.
Just another poor boy in a noble-ruled world.
His family would continue to struggle.
And the nobles would keep looking down on people like him.
Mark clenched his fists under the water, closed his eyes, and waited for his fate.
The temple sister clapped her hands twice.
The still water around Mark suddenly surged upward, swirling into motion. Mana rippled through the room like a silent storm. The sacred water twisted and coiled around him, forming a spinning orb of liquid light.
"The ceremony has begun," the sister announced, her voice calm yet trembling.
But then something happened that broke her composure completely.
The orb of water began to glow brighter and brighter until it burst outward with radiant force. Within that glowing sphere, a massive dragon, forged entirely of shimmering mana and liquid energy, roared into existence.
Its body coiled in the air above Mark, translucent and divine. Its eyes were filled with ancient power.
The sister staggered back, her breath stolen. "Wh-What is this…? I've never seen a mana core manifest like this before... Could this be… a new element?"
Panic and awe warred inside her. Without another word, she turned and dashed out of the chamber, robes fluttering behind her as she went to fetch Head Priest August.
But inside the chamber, Mark stood alone eyes shut his core still taking shape.
And then…
Pain.
Heat.
A torrent of memories surged through his mind like a dam had burst. Thoughts that weren't his. Or rather used to be his.
Another life.
Another world.
Flashes of misery, cold loneliness, and brutal pain struck him like lightning.
A boy cast aside by the world.
A mother who ran away, abandoning him to rewrite her life as if he never existed.
A father who drowned himself in liquor and rage.
A home that wasn't a home, just four walls of hate and silence.
He had been an only child. No siblings to lean on. No warmth. No love.
Just fear.
Mark saw it clearly now his past self. A teenager sitting in his room, curled on a mattress with a cracked phone in hand, pretending the world outside his door didn't exist.
Then came the sound of footsteps. Slurred speech. The door creaking open.
His father.
Drunk. Furious. Carrying a half-empty bottle of cheap liquor.
"Still ignoring me, you little shit?"
CRASH!
The bottle shattered against his skull.
And just like that, it all ended.
Cold darkness swallowed him.
But death… wasn't the end.
Because now he was back. In a different world. In a different body.
A second chance.
A new name. A new fate.
The mana orb around him pulsed with wild power as his core solidified. The dragon above let out a deep, echoing growl before slowly descending merging into Mark's chest as if becoming one with his very soul.
The pain was unbearable.
And yet…
His eyes shot open.
And they glowed with a strange light.
SPLASH.
Mark collapsed back into the shallow pool, water rippling around him as the glowing dragon dispersed into shimmering mist.
His breath was ragged.
His hands trembled.
But his mind was clear crystal clear.
The memories of his past life had returned in full. Every ounce of pain, every bruise, every scream... all of it flooded back like a tide he couldn't stop. The bitter loneliness. The betrayal. The blow that ended it all.
But that life was over.
Dead.
Buried.
And Mark had no intention of letting the past shackle him again.
He slowly stood back up, the cold water lapping at his knees. He stared down at his reflection eyes that once looked dull and lifeless now glowed with power. Slitted pupils. A faint glimmer of gold and blue mana spiraling through his irises.
He took a breath.
And then smiled bitterly.
"That was just the beginning," he whispered.
This time… things were different.
His parents in this life though poor were kind, selfless, and full of love. His little sister's laughter echoed in his memories like a lifeline. This family wasn't perfect, but it was real.
He would protect them. Provide for them. Rise for them.
A sound broke the silence BOOM!
The doors burst open with urgency, and Head Priest August stormed in, eyes wide with alarm. His ceremonial robes dragged behind him, soaked slightly by the pool's mist.
He looked around wildly until his gaze fell on Mark.
Mark turned slowly, locking eyes with him.
Their gazes met.
The priest froze.
His breath hitched.
He stumbled back a step.
Not out of fear but reverence.
Those eyes…
Glowing with dense mana, their shape unmistakably reptilian. As if staring into the gaze of a celestial beast.
"W-What's wrong, sir?" Mark asked calmly, stepping forward.
Each step he took sent gentle ripples across the pool, as if the water itself bowed to him.
Priest August rushed forward, grabbing Mark by the face with trembling hands. He examined the boy's eyes closely, mouth quivering in disbelief.
"This… This is impossible…"
He leaned back, voice cracking with awe.
"It's really you... You've been chosen by the Heavenly Dragon…"
Mark blinked. "Heavenly Dragon…?"
The priest fell to one knee, placing a hand over his chest in sacred salute. "A core of legend. One not seen in over a thousand years. A dragon not born of fire, water, or shadow but of heavenly mana itself. The bridge between realms."
He looked up, eyes shining with emotion.
"What is your name, child?"
Mark hesitated.
And then, with strength behind his voice, he answered:
"My name is Markus... Markus Rosefield."