The morning bell echoed through the glass walls of Astra Magic Academy, its tone clear and melodic, a sound meant to inspire, but to Ethan, it was the toll of another miserable day.
Ethan Vale was average height and lean, his build skinny rather than bulky, shaped by hardship instead of training.
His dark hair fell messily over sharp green eyes that always seemed alert, as if he were conscious of the world around him and he was right to do so.
Students flooded the marble courtyard like a sea of colours. Some wore shimmering badges representing their elemental affinity, and each badge glowed faintly, pulsing with magic energy.
Ethan's badge was black.
He walked with his head lowered, clutching the strap of his worn leather bag. The whispers began almost immediately.
"Look, it's the Shadow Reject."
"I heard his core can barely form a shadow in sunlight."
"Pathetic. Even the cleaning bots have more mana than him."
Their words stung sharper than any wound but he ignored them and kept walking toward the classroom. He was already used to their teasing. Standing outside his classroom doors, his reflection in the glass was pale, tired eyes too sunken for a boy of sixteen.
His dark hair framed a face that could've been handsome if it wasn't always lined with defeat.
Inside, the classroom buzzed with chatter and magic sparks. Students practised minor spells before the instructor arrived. One ignited his hands in flame, and another froze her drink into perfect ice shards. Ethan sat quietly in the corner, avoiding eye contact.
"Hey, Ethan," came a mocking voice. It was Rylan Drake, the top student in their year and heir to the Drake Corporation, a family known for its beast-forged weapons. His red badge glowed like a miniature sun.
Rylan grinned. "Heard your shadow fizzled out again during training yesterday. Tell me, does it at least twitch when you sneeze?"
The classroom erupted in laughter. Ethan clenched his fists under the desk. His magic core had formed six years ago when he was ten, but it had always been unstable. Most children could manipulate their element within months. Ethan could barely make his shadow flicker.
"Leave me alone, Rylan," he muttered.
Rylan's grin widened. "Or what? You'll make my shadow… slightly darker?"
He snapped his fingers, and a small flame danced above his palm. "You know, sometimes I forget we even allow your kind here. Weaklings with trash elements should be out cleaning dungeons, not studying beside elites."
"Enough!"
The voice came from Instructor Velra, a tall woman with silver eyes. Her presence instantly silenced the room.
"Sit down, Rylan. You may have power, but arrogance makes you no better than a beast."
Rylan smirked but obeyed.
Velra's gaze lingered on Ethan. For a moment, there was something like pity there. Then she turned to the board. "Today, we'll discuss core resonance, the process by which your element strengthens with emotional stability. Power is not born from talent alone but from control."
Ethan's mind drifted. Emotional stability? How could he have that when his life was chaos?
------‐
That evening, the academy's training grounds buzzed with energy. Students were testing their elemental combat techniques under the supervision of assistant instructors. Ethan stood on one end of the field, trembling slightly as he faced his opponent Rylan again.
"Try not to faint this time," Rylan sneered.
Ethan activated his shadow power. A faint ripple spread under his feet a flicker of darkness that stretched barely two meters before fading. Rylan's fire roared to life, forming blazing circles around him.
"Pathetic," Rylan muttered.
Before Ethan could even prepare, Rylan's flame burst forward, exploding near his feet. He stumbled back, coughing as smoke filled his lungs. The watching students jeered, phones recording every second.
"Stop!" Velra's voice echoed, but Rylan's next attack was already coming.
A spiral of fire hurled toward Ethan's chest.
Something deep inside him snapped.
For a moment, time slowed. The world blurred into silence. He saw his reflection in Rylan's burning eyes, not a weak boy, but a flicker of something… darker. The shadow beneath him shivered, twisted like it wanted to move on its own and protect its master.
Then it vanished.
The fire slammed into him full force, throwing him across the field. He hit the ground hard, pain exploding through his ribs.
When he opened his eyes, the sky had dimmed. The sun was setting, and the laughter of his classmates faded as they left the field. Velra had dismissed them. Ethan lay still, breathing raggedly.
"You'll never belong here," Rylan's voice lingered in his head. "You were born weak."
---
By the time Ethan got home, the streetlights were flickering on. The house was small and worn, tucked between tall apartment blocks. He stepped inside quietly.
"Ethan?" a soft voice called. It was his sister, Lena.
She was small and slight, her shoulders often drawn in as though she were trying to take up less space in the world. Her dark hair was usually pulled back in a simple tie, more for convenience than care, with loose strands falling around a pale, tired face. Her green eyes were gentle but uncertain, carrying the quiet fear of someone used to disappointment.
She smiled often, not because she was happy, but because it was easier than explaining how fragile she felt inside.
"You're home late again," she said, running up to him. "Were you training?"
"Something like that," he murmured, forcing a smile.
She frowned, noticing the bruises on his arm. "They did it again, didn't they?"
Ethan hesitated. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine, Miss Velra gave ma a healing potion."
"Just be careful." She said as she went back to watch the television.
Another voice thundered from the back room.
"Ethan!"
It was their father, Garen Vale,a tall man with sharp eyes dulled by disappointment and drink.
"Do you know what I heard today?" he said, stepping into the room. "That my son got beaten again in front of the entire academy."
Ethan tensed. "It wasn't....."
"Don't speak." Garen slammed a fist on the table. "Do you know how much it costs to keep you in that school? And for what? So you can be the class failure?"
Lena flinched. "Dad, stop!"
"Stay out of this, Lena!" he barked, and she recoiled.
"You were born with shadow magic," he spat. "Out of all possible elements, you got that and you still can't fight, can't heal, can't defend. You're nothing but a burden."
Ethan's throat tightened. He wanted to shout, to cry, to tell his father how unfair it was, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he just nodded, his fists trembling at his sides.
"Go to your room," Garen muttered. "I don't want to see your face."
---
That night, Ethan lay awake, staring at the cracked ceiling. The city outside buzzed with neon lights and magic-powered drones flying through the skyline. A world full of wonder but none of it for him.
His thoughts drifted back to when he was ten, when his core had first formed.
Back then, he'd been excited, hopeful. Until the light in his hands turned black and the instructors labeled it "Shadow."
They'd told him it was rare, but weak.
Unstable. Dangerous if pushed too far.
Ever since then, the world had treated him like a mistake.
Why did it have to be me? he thought bitterly.
He reached for the only comfort he had, a small pendant his mother had made him from a broken core shard. It's light has soon gone out but it was precious to him.
"I'll protect lena" he promised his mother on her deathbed.
But he couldn't even protect himself.
Outside, thunder rolled in the distance. Rain began to fall, each drop tapping softly against the window. Ethan closed his eyes.
Somewhere deep within him, the shadow stirred again,quiet, waiting.