[: 3rd POV :]

Now in the middle of a desolate outskirt, where a field lay strewn with the remnants of a catastrophic event, Daniel trudged slowly.

The boy's small frame was almost lost amid the twisted wreckage and scorched earth.

In front of him, seven humans walked purposefully, their eyes scanning the horizon for threats.

"Can't you move any faster?" the captain of the team yelled back at him. His voice carried a harsh edge, filled with impatience and authority.

The captain's appearance appeared intimidating.

With a deep scar ran from his left eyebrow, cutting across his eye and down his cheek.

It was a mark of past battles, adding to his intimidating presence and making him look even more domineering.

His stern gaze fixed on Daniel, urging him to quicken his pace despite the boy's evident exhaustion.

With his sword hanging from his black belt, the captain's appearance was undeniably threatening.

"You're just slowing us down!" one of the team members sneered.

This man, a mere sidekick, lacked any particularly notable qualities.

His scornful remark was aimed at Daniel, whose slow pace was testing the patience of the group.

The rest of the team, however, remained indifferent to his words.

They neither sympathized with Daniel nor expressed any concern for his well-being.

Their focus was on point and they were committed to completing the mission assigned by their General.

Reclaiming this desolate outskirt was their goal.

The treatment of Daniel was a secondary concern, if it was a concern at all in the first place.

Their survival and the success of their mission were all that mattered to them.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll do m-my best," Daniel apologized timidly. Even though he had done nothing wrong, he had no choice but to apologize.

Out of all seven members of the team, Daniel was the only one who still retained a semblance of decency and honesty.

Despite the widespread corruption engulfing the world, Daniel's aura of dignity remained untainted.

His appearance was striking with messy silver hair framed his face, and his blue eyes held a depth that could captivate anyone who looked into them.

There was an unexpected naiveté about him that often took people by surprise, as if he hadn't yet been hardened by the harsh realities surrounding him.

But that naiveté is a weakness itself.

Moreover, Daniel's innocence was coupled with a significant drawback and that is his powerlessness.

Unlike the others, he had not managed to awaken any special abilities, leaving him at the mercy of those around him.

This lack of power meant he couldn't retaliate against the harsh treatment he received from the rest of the team.

He was a vulnerable figure amidst a group hardened by survival and driven by a mission that left little room for empathy.

There is no fairness without power, and with power, every words can be law itself.

Normally, a person would unlock their awakened abilities by the age of ten, known as the Age of Awakening.

By that age, most individuals had already discovered their unique powers.

However, in Daniel's case, he was already seventeen and still had not managed to awaken.

This made him an anomaly.

While there were instances of people awakening their abilities later than usual or through intense emotional experiences, Daniel had yet to experience any such awakening.

Despite his hopes and efforts, no surge of power or transformative event had occurred to grant him the abilities that others around him possessed.

This lack of power set him apart, making his situation even more precarious among the team.

There were other, more extreme ways to forcefully awaken abilities, but the costs were prohibitive, both financially and personally.

The process was dangerous, with a staggering 70% of those who underwent it either suffering permanent mental disorders or dying as a result.

This high risk made it an unfeasible option for Daniel.

He couldn't afford the procedure, and even if he could, the odds of survival and retaining his sanity were slim.

For Daniel, this method of awakening was out of the question.

He had to live, after all, and preserving his life and mind was more important than acquiring powers through such perilous means.

After all, he has to live in order to execute his revenge.

"Fucking useless. Why did the General even put this guy on our team? He's just wasting our time and dragging us down,"

The captain said purposefully, his words cutting through the air like a blade.

"Well, at least he can be our pack mule,"

The second guy joked, prompting a chorus of laughter from the rest of the team.

Their mocking laughter echoed around them, but Daniel remained silent.

He could only grip his fists and bite his lip in frustration.

If one looked closely, they would see the glistening droplets of tears forming in his blue eyes, which he quickly wiped away with his sleeve.

Daniel's heart was fragile, his mind not particularly strong, and yet he had somehow managed to survive despite years of such treatment.

The constant ridicule and belittlement weighed heavily on him, but he endured, driven by an inner resilience that defied his outward vulnerability.

His naiveté and unawakened state made him an easy target, yet he persisted, hoping that someday, somehow, things might change for him.

For years, Daniel had endured the same cruel bullying repeatedly, all because he was a normal human with no abilities.

Each taunt, each sneer, and each dismissive remark burrowed deep into his heart, festering into a quiet rage that he could never express.

Powerless, he could only hold this anger inside, his frustration mounting with every passing day.

But what if that rage were to burst forth if he suddenly possessed power?

Would his kindness and naiveté remain intact, or would the newfound strength corrupt his gentle nature?

Was he this way, kind, unassuming, and vulnerable, because he lacked abilities, or was it his true character?

These questions haunted him as he bit his lip and wiped away the tears, trying to maintain his composure.

The relentless bullying made it hard to remember who he truly was beneath the hurt and the helplessness.

His fragile heart held onto hope, even as his mind was battered by years of cruelty.

For how many years had he been left alone, with no friends willing to stand by him, shunned because of his lack of powers?

And for how many years had he returned to his worn-out home, where no one waited for him, the silence only amplifying his loneliness?

His childhood friend had once been his constant companion, a beacon of light in his dark world.

But she had moved on to her own path, leaving him behind.

Even now, that same fool, Daniel, remained loyal, patiently waiting for her return.

Her last words to him echoed in his mind, a bittersweet memory that he clung to in his darkest moments.

"Wait for me, I'll be back, and when I return, we'll finally be together,"

She had said, her face a mix of sadness and hope.

Her smile had held a promise of a future where they could be blissfully together, despite the cursed world they lived in.

Daniel held onto that promise, enduring the cruelty and loneliness with the faint hope that one day, she would come back, and he wouldn't have to face the world alone anymore.

Perhaps, he didn't really believe it anymore, but it was just the only thing that kept his entirety, mind and heart in peace.

It was like words of hope that gave him the courage to live, and if the truth is out, maybe he would change to a different person.

 Of course, no one knows whether she has truly left him or not but he's still too naive to that day, Daniel has a dedicated heart to wait for her. 

The mission Daniel had joined with the team was to clear out the monsters roaming an abandoned land that was once vibrant with life.

It wasn't just their team, dozens of others had been dispatched as well, each with the same grim task.

Daniel's participation in the mission was not because of his combat skills or strategic importance, but because he served as the "backpack."

It was a hassle for the team members to carry their own supplies, pills, potions, and equipment, so they relegated this burden to Daniel.

This was the only role they deemed him good for, reducing him to little more than a human pack animal.

Daniel painfully accepted this harsh reality.

Despite the cruelty and disdain he faced, he refused to let it break his spirit.

He resolved to carry the heavy bag, even though it often felt like it was breaking his bones.

With every step, he pushed himself to bear the weight, determined not to let his lack of powers define his worth.

He gritted his teeth and continued to try and catch up with them.

However, their pace was relentless, and he struggled to keep up.

The truth was painfully clear.

He was too slow, his legs unable to match their speed, and the heavy bag on his back weighed him down, threatening to crush him under its weight.

Each step was a struggle, and as he trudged forward, he finally stumbled and fell to the ground, the weight of the bag pinning him down.

This made the captain even more furious.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" the captain screamed, his voice so loud that Daniel's eardrums felt like they might burst.

The captain stormed over to him, his face twisted in anger.

He gripped Daniel's hair and yanked him up, pulling him close until their faces were inches apart.

The captain's bloodshot eyes glared into Daniel's, a mix of rage and contempt.

Daniel winced in pain, his scalp burning where the captain's fingers dug in.

He could smell the captain's rancid breath, feel the heat of his fury.

His heart pounded in his chest, a mix of fear and frustration surging through him.

He wanted to fight back, to stand up for himself, but the heavy bag and his own powerlessness held him down.

He could only endure, hoping the captain's rage would subside before it became something even more dangerous.