"A Defier?!" Arion was astonished.
There was a good reason for Arion's astonishment since Defiers were people who practically went against the natural laws by using the worldly energy known as Prana to strengthen themselves and evolve to a higher state.
Everyone dreamed of becoming a Defier, and most were even ready to sacrifice anything to become one.
After all, who didn't desire more strength and power? To achieve miracles? To use those powers to get what they want and to oppress their enemies? To explore their limits?
There were countless reasons for people desiring to become a Defier. But the most important reason was to fight against demonic monsters known as the Dreadlings!
These horrendous creatures plagued the whole world, and there was not a day where people did not die to these monsters.
It was said that these monsters originate from the dreadful Abysmal Sea surrounding the islands, and they were even more of a threat since they had the ability to spring up from the ground and eat people alive.
So, those who wanted to fight these terrifying monsters and survive thirsted for power to become a Defier.
However, all the benefits of being a Defier come with a price, and not everyone was destined to become a Defier in their life.
One had to be lucky enough to be born with the right talent and potential to become one, or one had to make enough sacrifices and risk their lives more than the lucky ones to become a Defier.
But for most, no matter how hard they tried, they would never be able to become a Defier in their whole lives.
And the main reason for this was because, to become a Defier, one of the basic requirements was that they should be born with a Pranic Heart.
Any living being with a Pranic Heart would have the ability to draw Prana and use it to empower themselves.
But only a small minority of them were lucky enough to be born with a Pranic Heart, and it mostly depended on their parents as well.
For instance, the Ingerna Isle, which was the island Arion was living on, had a total population of almost seven million people. And barely 10% of that population were born with a Pranic Heart.
And those who were born with them were treated like kings in Arion's village, named the Rimefall Village, which was surrounded by the endless and dangerous Abysmal Sea.
In fact, the same treatment was prevalent across the whole Ingerna Isle, which spanned more than two million sq. kilometers area and Arion's village only took up a small area on the corner of this island.
However, in Arion's case, even though he was born with a Pranic Heart, he strangely was unable to make a connection with Prana and use it to strengthen himself.
But the most unfortunate thing was that the nerves in his lower half were completely damaged, thus leaving him in a paralyzed state. With such disabilities, he was seen as even more worthless than a useless commoner and was left to rot in a slummy orphanage.
He would have died a horrible death if not for Mei arriving at the right time as his savior when she had visited his orphanage as a Healifier.
He didn't know why but Mei took a liking to him and offered to take him away from the orphanage and give him proper care and love, something no one else cared to give him.
Healifers were even better than average physicians since they had healing powers that could help people recover faster.
All he knew was that she was a traveling Healifer with no relatives or family and decided to settle down in Rimefall Village with him after taking him in.
And the fact, Arion was most proud of Mei was that she was a Defier!
Although she was not very strong or powerful, he knew she was someone who specialized in healing people by using Prana.
Unfortunately, Arion's nerves were in a destroyed state, because of which Mei realized that a miracle had to occur for Arion to heal his body.
There was only so much she could do with her abilities, and since Arion couldn't draw upon Prana, Mei found it impossible to treat him.
The most puzzling thing for her was that her powers were unable to affect Arion's body.
Otherwise, she could have found a way for him to recover slowly, even if it was difficult.
However, she never held back her love and care for him and never let him feel less whenever she spent time with him.
But because she had to work to earn money, he was alone for some time of the day.
And if he ventured out on his own, he would get bullied by rowdy kids and get insults thrown upon him for trying to use certain facilities only a Defier should use, like the famous Golden Monolith erected in the middle of the village.
It was a special and precious block of stone that could allow aspiring Defiers to attune themselves with Prana and improve their control over it.
There was one stone in every village, and people say that these have been here for a very long time, and it was not clear who placed it there.
There would be a long and tiring queue since each person was allotted a certain period to use it and leave.
And Arion, despite being an Inert as Defiers term for those not able to use Prana, would go near the Golden Monolith every day in hopes of awakening his ability to use Prana.
So, the others couldn't help but feel that Arion was wasting their time by using something he had no right to. If he can't use Prana, then he should stop wasting others' time and sit at home....well...that's what all of these people thought.
Since he at least had a Pranic Heart, he never gave up on his dream to become a Defier and support Mei instead of letting her toil and work all on her own. There was not a day he didn't feel guilty about it.
But that was not the only reason for his motivation to become a Defier.
The only reason most of the adults don't make it difficult for him was because of Mei.
She was extremely popular not only for her breathtaking beauty but mainly because of her medical skills as well since her skills were in demand the most no matter where.
A Defier like her with exceptional skills would be treated with more respect than normal Defiers.
After all, she was the best Healifier in the village and even the neighboring ones while some even dared to say that she was the best in the whole island!
People from other villages would either visit her to catch a glimpse of her poetic beauty or to employ her medical expertise.
Seeing how astonished Arion was, Mei, smiled and said, "Well, when I examined him, he indeed has a Pranic Heart. So, for him to survive such a fall with these injuries, he must be a Defier. We will know more about him for sure once he wakes up," Mei said as they almost reached their home.
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A/N :- Guys, show this novel some love by dropping powerstones and help it stand out in the contest, ty :D