Kai walked through the castle gates, his shoulders stiff, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his skin. The laughter of the nobles still rang in his ears, their mocking voices pressing against his thoughts like a chorus of contempt.
Rejected.
Cast aside.
Ordinary.
The words gnawed at him, clawing at every part of his being, but he refused to let them break him—not now, not yet. He needed to leave, needed to tell his mother, needed to face the reality that his dreams had crumbled before they could even begin.
As he stepped onto the worn stone path leading away from the castle, a sudden burst of laughter erupted ahead.
Kai stopped.
A group of nobles stood in his way, dressed in their fine garments, their polished boots untouched by the dirt of the world he had lived in all his life.
And at their center stood a boy with crimson hair, his smirk stretching wide with cruel amusement.
Xaren.
Kai didn't know much about him—only that he was wealthy, privileged, and proud enough to let the world know it.
The moment Xaren saw him, his grin sharpened. "Well, well, look at what we have here," he mused, loud enough for everyone to hear. "The reject."
The group laughed, their voices dripping with mockery.
Kai clenched his jaw, saying nothing.
Xaren stepped forward, hands in his pockets, radiating effortless arrogance. "It's a shame, really," he continued. "You thought you were special, didn't you? Thought you could crawl out of whatever gutter you came from and stand beside us?"
Kai exhaled sharply, keeping his gaze ahead. He wouldn't let them get under his skin.
Xaren tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "I'll make you an offer."
Kai stiffened.
"You can be my servant," Xaren said casually. "Or, better yet, my slave."
The laughter grew louder.
Something inside Kai snapped.
His lips curled into a vicious sneer. "I'd rather eat dirt."
The laughter halted.
Xaren's expression darkened, his amusement vanishing in an instant.
"You want to eat dirt?" he murmured, voice dropping into something far more dangerous.
Kai barely had time to react before the ground beneath him shifted.
It happened fast—too fast. The stone path rippled unnaturally, the earth moving as though alive.
Then—
A massive hand, sculpted entirely from hardened soil, erupted from the ground.
Before Kai could move, it grabbed him.
His body jerked violently as the earth's grip tightened around his torso, lifting him off the ground effortlessly.
The air was stolen from his lungs.
The nobles cheered, watching with gleeful delight as Xaren controlled the massive earthen limb, shifting his fingers slightly to make the construct squeeze harder.
Kai gasped, struggling against the crushing force, but it was useless. The grip was unrelenting.
Xaren smirked up at him. "Let's see if you still have that mouth on you now."
Then—he slammed Kai into the ground.
Pain exploded through his body, the impact rattling his bones.
Laughter erupted around him, cruel and deafening.
Kai wheezed, coughing hard as he tried to move, but Xaren wasn't finished.
The earth hand lifted him again—this time higher.
"Stop!"
The voice was sharp, cutting through the mockery.
Rico.
He shoved his way through the group, his expression stormy with frustration. "Enough, Xaren. He's already leaving. Just let him go."
Xaren scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Why should I?"
"He's done nothing to you!" Rico snapped.
Xaren tilted his head. "Except insult me."
He tightened the earth's grip around Kai.
Kai gritted his teeth, his body trembling from the pressure.
He couldn't escape.
He couldn't fight back.
"Please," Kai rasped, hating himself for saying it.
Xaren raised a brow, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Begging already? How disappointing."
Rico stepped forward. "Enough! If you don't let him go—"
Xaren chuckled, cutting him off. "What are you going to do? Hm? Fight me?" He lifted Kai higher, ignoring Rico entirely.
"I've got a better idea."
Kai stiffened.
Xaren grinned. "I'll throw him into the jungle."
The nobles roared with laughter.
Kai's blood ran cold.
"No," Rico said quickly, stepping forward again. "Don't be stupid—"
Xaren waved him off, his smirk unfazed.
"See you never," Xaren mused.
Then—with a sharp flick of his wrist—he sent Kai flying.
The world lurched.
Wind howled past Kai's ears, his body soaring violently through the air, his limbs weightless against the force of his launch.
The castle grew smaller, the nobles vanished, the ground below turned into a blur of shifting greens—
Then—darkness.
Kai crashed through the treetops, his body colliding with thick branches, leaves slicing across his skin as he plummeted downward.
He hit the ground with brutal force.
Pain.
Unrelenting, suffocating pain.
Everything blurred, his body unresponsive, his mind slipping.
Then—silence.
---
Inside the castle, Aurora stood at the window, watching as Kai disappeared from sight.
She did not move.
She did not speak.
She simply watched.
And for the first time in a long while, she felt something close to regret.
But she couldn't intervene.
Not yet.