Hiro woke up in the morning and found himself in shackles.
{What? Why me?}
Silim entered.
- "Silim, why am I chained up!?" —H
- "It was the boss’s order." —S
- "Why?" —H
- "He was worried you might escape after defeating him." —S
{So that’s why. I don’t even know what to say.}
{If I tell him I don’t plan to escape, he won’t believe me. If I say I beat Scot by accident, even *I* wouldn’t believe that.}
- "Tch..." —H
{I guess I’ll have to live with my hands chained to the wall.}
Silim left. Aida woke up and spoke sleepily.
- "Hiro, was Silim here? Did something happen?" —A
Hiro smiled.
- "No. Everything’s fine." —H
- "Okay." —A
{Silim could’ve at least said something to Scot. Everyone here is against me—except one. Aida is the only one who treats me without lies. I don’t know what I’d do without her.}
Several months passed.
{I’ve really come to cherish my conversations with Aida. We talk a lot and have a good time. She’s a great companion.}
Soon, it would be Aida’s and Hiro’s birthday. Hiro didn’t know his own birthday, so Aida suggested they share hers. Hiro agreed.
The day arrived. Hiro woke up later than Aida and saw Silim leaving her cell.
- "Aida, was Silim here? Any news?" —H
- "Nothing special. Hiro." —A (her voice quiet and gloomy).
{Weird. The last time she sounded like this was the day she was taken from her parents and brought here.}
- "Aida, happy birthday!" —H
- "Huh? Oh... Thanks, Hiro. You too." —A
{She’s clearly not in the mood.}
Half the day passed.
- "Hiro." —A
- "Yeah?" —H
- "I need to talk to you about something serious." —A
- "Go ahead." —H
- "Some people are buying me. An elderly couple who want a child since they don’t have any." —A
{So that’s what Silim told her.}
- "I see." —H (flatly).
- "Hiro... I’ll have to leave. I might not see you for a long time—if ever again." —A
- "Hiro." —A
- "What?" —H
- "I love you!" —A
- "Promise me—" (she started crying, her voice trembling with forced cheerfulness) "—that we’ll meet again soon and become husband and wife! Promise me!" —A
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- "Of course. Of course it’ll happen." —H (matching her tone, comforting her).
- "You promised! Keep your word!" —A
- "Of course, Aida. I *will* keep it!" —H
Silim arrived, opened Aida’s cell, and led her down the hallway. As she passed Hiro’s cell, their eyes met. Aida had beautiful dark red hair, bright crimson eyes, and delicate features.
- "You have pretty hair." —A
- "So do you." —H
Aida took in Hiro’s appearance too—from his hair to his black nails.
After that, Hiro never saw Aida again.
---
A year passed.
They stopped feeding Hiro. The only energy he got came from the ambient mana around him.
{I keep absorbing mana, but I’m afraid to expand my radius beyond the corridor and rooms. I don’t know where Aida is—what if I accidentally affect her? I’ve also heard about major institutions: the Arcane Magic Academy, the Kingdom of the Severing Blade, the Kingdom of Parrying, and the Kingdom of Assault. All of those are swordsmanship-focused except Arcane. Maybe Aida will study at the Magic Academy?}
Hiro discovered he could not only absorb mana but *control* it. He clenched his fist, focusing on the cell bars—and the iron warped under his will.
{So I can do this too. Good.}
Over time, Hiro began losing his sanity. He became perpetually sullen, frustrated, yet eerily composed. Whenever someone passed his cell, he glared at them with barely restrained fury. Dark thoughts festered in his mind.
{*Why? Why am I—with this power—locked up like a dog!?*}
But the moment he remembered Aida, he snapped back to himself.
{*Sigh... I hope Aida’s okay. I need to keep myself together. But why are they keeping me here?*}
---
Another year passed. Hiro turned seven.
The morning was calm, but Hiro noticed a magic-suppression seal on the floor. Later, Silim arrived.
- "Hello. Happy birthday." —S
- "Thanks." —H
- "Well, I’ll be going—" —S
- "Why was a suppression seal placed here?" —H
- "So you noticed, you demon spawn." —S
- "What?" —H
- "*Why are you keeping me here!?*" —H
- "At first, you were just a slave. But a four-year-old defeating a 4th-rank swordsman? *How?* After that, you went from slave to prisoner." —S
- "..." —H
- "We’re keeping you here so you don’t hurt anyone. You’re seven now—your hellish power is growing. Did you think I wouldn’t notice the bent bars? I personally requested 4th-rank mages to reinforce your cell with barriers. Because shackles alone won’t hold you, *demon spawn*." —S
- "Then why not just *kill me!?*" —H
- "You’ll be studied starting this year. Once they’re done, you’ll die." —S
- "Have a nice day, demon spawn." —S
Hiro fell into brooding silence until nightfall. He sat on the floor, thoughts churning.
{*I’m so tired of this. Tired of shackles that won’t let me move. Tired of this cell I’ve been rotting in for years. Tired of people looking at me like a monster. Tired of never once stepping outside in four years. I can’t take it anymore. Aida must be far enough by now. I’m scared of affecting her with my radius—but I can’t endure this! To hell with everything!*}
- "**Territory Expansion!**" —H
Hiro’s mana absorption radius exploded from 5 square meters to **500 square kilometers**. He began draining *all* mana within that range.
---
Far away, a masked girl and a tall man walking together suddenly froze as mana was ripped from their surroundings. The man immediately turned toward the epicenter and strode forward.
Meanwhile, Hiro found himself in a misty void.
- "Where am I?" —H
His voice echoed.
Before him stood a black silhouette of a man. Around Hiro, multicolored spheres materialized—then shot into his body.
Back in the real world, the purple seal on the floor shattered. The shackles on Hiro’s wrists cracked and exploded. Flames erupted around his body.
Hiro opened his eyes—now glowing bright violet, wreathed in the same fire (from this moment on, his eyes would remain this color, no longer black). Though the entire cell burned, Hiro stood, walked to the bars, and melted them with a touch.
He stepped into the hallway. Everything around him was ablaze.
Silim stood in his path, sword drawn.
- "So you’ve awakened, demon spawn." —S
- "My name is *Hiro*." —H
Silim charged. His sword struck Hiro’s palm—and shattered into fragments. Hiro looked surprised. Silim looked terrified.
The man stumbled back, stared at his broken blade, then screamed and lunged again.
Hiro raised his hand.
With a mere gesture, Silim—along with chunks of the floor and walls—was hurled down the hallway, crashing through the steel door at the end.
This was the power of **Mana Control**.
{*Rest in peace, Silim. For treating Aida kindly.*}
Hiro walked on, reaching the domed training ground where he’d once fought Scot—who now stood waiting.
- "Hello, Hiro." —S
- "Hey, Scot." —H
- "I’ve been expecting you." —S
Scot drew his sword.
- "Hiro, I won’t let you pass." —S
- "Try me." —H
Hiro raised his hands. A massive fireball formed above him, swelling as he fed it absurd amounts of mana. It cycled through colors—finally turning **black**. Hiro compressed it into a tiny, dense sphere hovering above his palm.
- "So you’re a mage too. Silim was right—you *are* a demon spawn!" —S
Hiro hurled the sphere. Scot slashed it with his sword—
**BOOM.**
The explosion obliterated everything.
---
Hiro woke up lying in the snow seconds later. He stood, surveying the aftermath.
No buildings. No traces of them. No snow—just a crater. A blizzard raged around him.
Hiro smiled.
{*Did I really escape that cursed place? I don’t remember. I just expanded my radius and ended up... somewhere. Strange.*}
He trudged forward. Snow melted beneath his feet before he even stepped on it.
{*I don’t feel the cold, but it’s definitely below freezing.*}
Two figures emerged from the storm—a tall man and a masked girl.
