The sun was still shining, but for Zein, the world felt cold.
He walked slowly through the village paths, his hands shoved into his cloak. People whispered when he passed. Children pointed. Some laughed. Others just looked away.
He was the boy who had failed his Awakening.
No power.
No spark.
No future.
Zein tried to ignore it. He kept walking, head down, but his heart was heavy. His steps dragged, like each one carried a thousand stones.
And then, he heard the voice.
"Well, if it isn't the powerless prince," someone sneered.
Zein turned.
A boy stood there with two others behind him. The boy wore a fine blue robe and a golden chain with his family crest—House Varn. His name was Kale Varn, son of a powerful elder. And Zein hated him.
"What do you want, Kale?" Zein asked quietly.
Kale smirked and stepped closer. "I just wanted to see how it feels to look down at someone who used to act so high and mighty."
"I never acted like that," Zein said.
"You didn't have to," Kale said. "Your father did it for you."
The other boys laughed.
Zein clenched his fists.
"I don't have time for this," he said and turned to walk away.
But Kale grabbed his arm.
"I'm not done," Kale growled. "You embarrassed the whole clan. You think we'll just let that go?"
Zein yanked his arm free. "Let go of me."
Kale shoved him hard in the chest.
Zein stumbled backward, but caught himself.
Then Kale swung.
Zein ducked.
Instinct kicked in.
He punched Kale in the side, making him grunt. One of the other boys jumped in, grabbing Zein from behind.
"Let go of me!" Zein shouted, struggling.
But the third boy struck him in the stomach. Zein gasped, knees buckling. Pain hit him like a hammer.
Kale came again—this time hitting Zein right in the face.
Blood burst from his nose.
Zein dropped to the ground, groaning.
The world spun. His face throbbed. His hands shook.
He tasted blood in his mouth.
"You don't get to act like a hero anymore," Kale spat. "You're trash now. Remember that."
They kicked dirt at him and walked away laughing.
Zein lay there, coughing, his body aching. His eyes burned—not just from pain, but from the weight in his chest.
He had tried so hard. So hard to be something. To matter.
And now he was just a joke.
In the evening, Zein sat alone by the fountain near the training yard, pressing a cloth to his bleeding nose. The water shimmered under the moonlight, soft and calm—so different from how he felt inside.
He didn't even hear the footsteps.
"Zein…"
He looked up.
It was Taro, his best friend.
Or… he thought he was.
Taro had dark brown hair, kind eyes, and always wore the same old tunic—simple, like his heart.
Zein tried to smile. "You came."
"I saw the fight," Taro said, kneeling beside him. "You okay?"
Zein nodded slowly. "I'll live."
Taro reached into his satchel and pulled out a small healing salve.
"Here," he said, gently dabbing it on Zein's face. "This will help."
For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence was… safe.
But then Zein noticed something strange. Taro wasn't looking at him.
He looked… ashamed.
"Taro?" Zein asked.
Taro stood up quickly and stepped back. "I can't be seen with you anymore."
Zein blinked. "What?"
"My family… they said I have to stay away," Taro said, voice shaking. "You've been marked as cursed. If I stay near you, I'll lose everything."
"Taro, we've been friends since we were six!"
"I know," Taro whispered. "But you don't have magic. You're… nothing now. And Kale—he's the heir now. I can't go against him."
Zein's breath caught.
"So you're picking him?" he asked, eyes wide.
Taro didn't answer.
That was the answer.
Zein stood up slowly.
"I see," he said, his voice flat. "So when I had power, I was your friend. But now that I've lost it, you're afraid of me?"
"I'm sorry," Taro mumbled.
"No," Zein said bitterly. "You're not. You're just a coward."
Taro winced but turned and walked away.
Zein watched him go, heart pounding.
Another crack formed inside him. Another piece lost.
The Next Morning…
The whole clan gathered in the stone courtyard. Elders in robes. Warriors. Children. Even the healers. All stood in a circle around Zein.
He stood alone in the middle, bruised and silent.
A tall stone table stood behind the elders. On it, the Clan Seal glowed red. A symbol of judgment.
Elder Rahm, his father, stood at the front.
"This boy," Rahm said, loud and cold, "has failed to awaken. He has fought members of the clan, disrespected elders, and now walks without honor."
Zein stayed quiet. He knew arguing would change nothing.
"We do not kill the weak," Rahm continued, "but we do not keep them. Zein, son of Rahm, is no longer part of the Aetherborne Clan."
Murmurs moved through the crowd like wind through dry leaves.
Rahm raised his hand. "Strip him of his name."
Two guards stepped forward and pulled the crest from Zein's chest. The silver pin snapped off, falling to the ground with a sharp clink.
Zein looked up at his father.
Rahm didn't even blink.
"By order of the clan, you are banished to the Cursed Woods. Take nothing but what you wear. Survive… if you can."
The crowd parted as the guards opened the great wooden gate.
Beyond it, the dark forest waited.
The Cursed Woods—a place full of wild magic, monsters, and stories of people who never returned.
Zein took a deep breath.
He looked around at the people who had once called him one of their own.
No one stepped forward.
No one spoke.
Even his childhood friends stood still, heads down.
Zein's eyes stopped on Taro for just a moment.
Taro looked away.
Zein gave a small, bitter smile. "I won't die," he said softly. "You'll see."
Then he turned and walked through the gate.
The doors slammed shut behind him.
And for the first time in his life, Zein was truly alone.
*****
Deep in the Trees…
The wind in the Cursed Woods was sharp. The trees were tall and twisted. Strange sounds echoed between the trunks. Branches moved when they shouldn't.
Zein walked carefully, each step slow.
His body still hurt. His heart hurt worse.
He found a small hill and sat beneath a thick tree.
The night came quickly, dark and silent. Only the stars kept him company.
Zein pulled his knees to his chest and stared up.
"I'll make it," he whispered.
"I don't care if I have to break the world open… I'll come back stronger. I'll make them regret everything."
The woods answered with silence.
But somewhere… deep in the darkness…
something old was listening.