Techno City was a large and vast city filled with towering structures, and just by looking at it, anyone could tell that only people with great wealth and power lived there. But even a great city has its dark side.
Far away from those towering buildings, there was an area known as the Black Zone, or at least that’s what people called it. It was a dirty place with old, crumbling houses, a place some described as “falling apart.”
Some people called these two places the city of heaven and the city of hell.
Prejudice was something clear and obvious among the citizens of Techno. But there was one thing everyone agreed on: technology and intelligence were everything. It didn’t matter where you came from—if you were intelligent, you would be respected.
But among them, there was one boy who didn’t care about any of that… because he had a dream. A dream of becoming a wizard.
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In the Black Zone, in a more remote area, there was still a small, old, dark house where a single light shone from a window.
The room was lit by a candle that was nearly melted on top of a dresser. The room itself was small, with only one bed, and the clothes had to be hung on the wall with nails.
On the bed was a boy who looked about fifteen years old, next to a girl just a little older. She was reading a book to him, and he was fully focused on every word.
The boy’s name was Demian. He wore a slightly worn black outfit and gray pants with blue accents. His black hair was messy, and his brown eyes had the warm color of clay.
The girl’s name was Luna. She was beautiful—despite her messy and slightly dirty hair, anyone would call her beautiful. She had long black hair, sharp eyes, and a thin nose. She wore a slightly old white dress.
At that moment, Luna was reading a story about an ancient wizard who could destroy mountains and open the sea with just one spell.
“Sister, is this story really real?” Demian asked, curiosity shining in his eyes.
“I don’t know, Demian,” Luna said, running her hand through his hair. “But I’ve heard that magic is something rare… something only special people possess.”
“Special, huh? Then I’ll become a wizard. That way, we can have a better life, sister!” Demian exclaimed, jumping off the bed.
“Calm down,” Luna said softly. “I don’t think having magic in this city would be a good thing.”
“Why?” Demian asked.
“This city only cares about technology and intelligence. I don’t think they’ll be interested in magic. And besides… you’re not exactly the smartest, Demian,” Luna explained.
Demian, who had been excited, looked at his sister with a sulky expression. “Are you calling me stupid, sister?”
Luna let out a small laugh. “I didn’t say that. I just meant… you’re a little lacking in intelligence.” She patted the bed lightly, calling him back.
“That’s the same thing as calling me stupid!” Demian exclaimed, climbing back onto the bed.
Luna got up and tucked the blanket over him. “That’s enough talking. It’s time to sleep now. Just close your eyes.”
Demian turned to the side. “Even so, I won’t give up on my dream.”
Luna smiled softly at him as he faced away. Then she took a blanket from the wall, laid it on the floor, and lay down beside the bed.
“Good night, Demian.”
She looked up at the bed and saw her brother apparently asleep. “Good luck, silly boy,” she whispered before closing her eyes.
A while later, Demian turned toward her and murmured, “I’ll definitely give you a better life, sister.”
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The next morning, the sun was shining on Demian’s face. It was probably around 7 a.m. The reason the sun was hitting his face was that there were no curtains on the window.
Bothered by the sunlight, Demian tried to cover his face with his hand, but it didn’t work. So he pulled the blanket over his head.
Moments later, he came out drenched in sweat. “Ugh, it’s so hot! Who can sleep like this?” he exclaimed.
BAM!
Just as Demian was about to try sleeping again, he heard a loud noise at the door. He quickly looked over and realized Luna wasn’t there.
“Where did she go?”
Getting out of bed, Demian walked to the door and opened it. “Sister, are you there?” he called, but got no response.
“I’m not selling!” Luna’s voice shouted from the entrance.
“Sister?”
Hearing her voice, Demian rushed toward it. As he got closer, he could hear people arguing.
“I already told you I’m not selling our land!” Luna’s voice rang out firmly.
Luna was standing at the doorway, facing two men in suits. They were clearly not from the Black Zone.
“Girl, just accept our offer. No one else will pay you what we’re offering,” one of the men said.
“Yeah, we’re paying more than triple what this place is worth,” the other added.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: no matter how many times you come here, I won’t sell my family’s land!” Luna shouted.
“You’re such an annoying girl,” one of the men muttered.
The amount they offered would have easily allowed Luna to buy a much better house for herself and Demian. But she had a reason for refusing—this house was their last memory of their parents, and she wasn’t willing to let it go.
“Girl, accept the deal while we’re still being nice,” one man warned, stepping closer.
“Are you threatening me?” Luna took a step back.
“Enough. You two.”
A calm, cold voice spoke from behind the suited men. They stiffened and turned around.
“Sir, you didn’t need to come. We can handle this stubborn girl ourselves,” one of them said.
SLAP!
The sound of a slap echoed.
“Who said you could talk?” the man in white said coldly.
The man trembled. “I’m sorry, sir. I was wrong.”
The newcomer was dressed differently—he wore a white suit and had a tattoo of wings on the back of his hand.
He approached Luna. She tried to step back, but he grabbed her hand.
“This is your final answer, girl?” he asked.
Even though she was afraid, Luna gathered her courage and answered firmly. “Yes.”
“I see… Let’s go,” the man said, turning away. The other two looked confused but followed him.
Luna exhaled in relief, went back inside, and found Demian standing there.
“Sister, are you okay?” he asked.
“Of course! Didn’t you see how your sister scared those guys off?” she said, hiding her trembling hand behind her back.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, the three men walked together.
“Sir, are we really just leaving that place?” one of the men in black asked.
“Of course not,” the man in white replied coldly. “We already gave her one last chance. She refused. So now… we’ll have to do it the hard way.”
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A little while later, Luna went to lie down, saying she was tired, and Demian decided to take a walk outside.
‘What happened earlier was serious,’ he thought. ‘She tried to hide it, but I could tell she was shaken. I should have helped her.’
‘I really need to find a way to use magic.’
Lost in thought, Demian didn’t notice a hooded figure walking straight toward him. They collided, and Demian fell to the ground.
“Ah!”
He tried to get up, but the hooded man offered him a hand.
“Thank you,” Demian said, accepting the help.
“No problem, kid. You seemed distracted,” the man said.
“Yeah, I guess I was.”
“But, uh, sir… when are you going to let go of my hand?” Demian asked, looking down.
The man stared at him for a moment and then said, “It seems… you’ll need this soon, kid.”
“What?”
An electric wave surged through Demian’s entire body. He fell to his knees, screaming in pain.
“What are you doing?!”
“I’m giving you a gift. Just endure the pain for now,” the man said calmly.
‘What is this? It feels like thousands of ants are eating me from the inside out! I can’t stand this!’
“Just a little more, kid.”
Demian kept screaming until the man finally let go. Demian collapsed unconscious on the ground.
“Excellent. I wasn’t wrong about this boy. He truly has incredible talent,” the man muttered before disappearing.
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A few hours later, Demian woke up on the ground, still in pain. He tried to get up but couldn’t.
“What… did that guy do to me?” he groaned.
Minutes later, he finally managed to stand, though his legs trembled.
“Okay, I should go home. My sister must be worried.”
As he walked, he noticed something strange—his body felt… different.
“Weird… I can feel that tingling again, but without the pain.”
When he reached his house, he noticed the front door was wide open.
“I have a bad feeling about this…”
As he approached, he heard crashing noises.
“Stop! Please don’t do this!”
‘Luna!’
Demian ran inside as fast as he could.
“Shut up, girl!” (SLAP)
He reached the living room and saw his sister being struck across the face. In that instant, rage exploded inside him. Lightning crackled around his body, and his hair rose slightly.
“DON’T TOUCH MY SISTER!”
He charged at the man at superhuman speed. Before the attacker could even react, Demian’s fist connected with his face, sending him flying through the wall.
Sparks and lightning danced wildly around Demian, destroying parts of the house.
“Demian!” Luna gasped, shocked.
He rushed to her side. “Sister, are you okay?”
“What… what was that, Demian?”
“I don’t know. I just saw him hurting you and attacked with everything I had,” he explained.
“That was… magic.”
They both turned toward the voice.
“It’s you,” Luna whispered.
The man in the white suit from earlier stepped into the room.
“Why are you doing this?” Luna demanded.
“I told you to sell the house. You refused. So now, I’ll have to do this the hard way,” he said calmly.
“I don’t know why you want our house,” Demian shouted, “but I won’t let you destroy it!”
“You shouldn’t get too confident just because you used a little magic, boy. I can see it—you’ve just awakened your power. You can’t control it yet.”
“We’ll see about that!”
Lightning burst around Demian as he rushed toward the man at incredible speed.
“Impressive speed,” the man said, catching Demian’s punch effortlessly, “but not enough to beat me.”
CRACK
He squeezed Demian’s fist, and the sound of bones breaking echoed through the room.
“Aaahhh!” Demian screamed.
“It’s not over yet, boy.”
The man lifted him and threw him into the air, then pummeled him with a storm of punches too fast to see. Demian crashed into the wall, blood covering his face, but he was still conscious.
“Incredible,” the man said. “You subconsciously used your mana to defend yourself at the last second. You have great potential. What a shame you’ll die here.”
“Wait!” Luna shouted, standing between them. “Don’t kill him! I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll give you the house—just spare my brother!”
Demian tried to move, but his body wouldn’t respond. He just wanted to protect her.
“You want me to spare him? Would you die for him?” the man asked, staring into her eyes.
“Yes,” Luna answered without hesitation.
“You’re quite the sister, girl.”
The man formed a small red energy ball at his fingertip and aimed it at her head.
“No! Don’t do this!” Demian screamed.
Luna looked at him and smiled weakly. “Live well, and become a great wizard, my little brother.”
“Please, don’t! I’m begging you!” Demian cried as tears streamed down his face.
BANG.
The only thing Demian heard was the shot—and then the sound of his sister’s body collapsing to the floor.
“AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
His scream was so loud that it scared away the birds outside.
“Well, the job’s done,” the man said coldly. “Now I just need the deed to this house.”
But as he turned to leave, he heard Demian muttering.
“I swear… I’ll kill you for this,” Demian said through gritted teeth. “I swear I’ll kill you, you bastard!”
The man smirked. “Interesting. I’ll look forward to seeing how you plan to kill me, boy.”
He knelt down, staring into Demian’s eyes. “That murderous intent… it’s incredible.”
“Don’t worry, boy,” he added with a grin. “I’ll take you somewhere that will make you strong… fast.”
“What are you talking about?!” Demian shouted.
The man punched him, knocking him out cold.
“Alright, boy. You’re coming with me… to the Coliseum. I can’t wait for the day you come after me, Demian.”