"Y'know you guys can take it easy on me, right?" I managed to squeak out. I groan as another punch hit me in the liver. Should I even finish high school? Not like I have enough money to go to go to college anyways.

Soon enough they get bored and leave me alone so I'm able to go to class. I walk in my class right after the bell rings and my teacher singles me out "Jay your late for the third time this week, I'm sorry to do this but you need to go to the office now." One of the jerks friends snicker as I grab my things and walk to the office.

"Sit down Jay." Usually I would get a quick talking to, however this time it felt different. "You've always been a relatively good student, good grades, and not in much trouble but.." The principle hesitates "I've talked it over with the other teachers and we believe you are more suited for the industrial district. We know you have no magic but.."

I start tuning out and think about the fact he had basically sentenced me to a lifetime of grueling manual labor. The industrial districts lie outside the city and are where resources are mined and brought to fuel the city. People born with magical abilities have the advantage they are born with to live in the cities while the less talented must live in the slums.

Jay did have some magic but it was so little that you could not tell him apart from an ordinary human, he tried to work hard at school to make up for what he lacked in magic but it was too much for him. I looked in his eyes "Your asking me to quit?" He took a deep breath "Yes."

I felt the burning eyes from my classmates as I walked out the front entrance of the school. It was midday and my grandma was working a full shift at the factory so I decided to go to the edge of the city, where the start of the forest begun.

I never really left the city due to magical beasts and the fact I was considered weak; I passed the magical barrier protecting the city and walked down the trail that was most trampled. On my walk I saw all the greenery that the city doesn't provide, I even smelled fresh air. over time the sun lowered signaling that I should return before my grandma gets home.

Man I wish I could be stronger so I could live out here, its so freeing. As soon as I turned around I saw these little glowing white bugs fluttering off the main path, I had a feeling that I should- no, needed to follow them. The trees started looking more sickly and the environment more hostile but right as I was thinking about turning back the bugs flew into a cave full of greenery and flowers.

As the bugs landed on the flowers to drink the nectar I walked into the cave and met a dead-end. In the center of the wall a little crystal emerged and as I got closer I saw it wasn't just an ordinary crystal- it was a mana crystal!

Mana crystals are sometimes dropped by stronger magical beasts and they have been known to give abilities to sorcerers resulting in the sorcerer getting stronger. They aren't cheap or easy to acquire, its my lucky day!

I tugged the crystal out from the wall that had held it for seemingly hundreds of years, and cracked the crystal open to give me more magical power. I instantly felt a surge of power flow through me and started seeing past memories, however they weren't quite mine. "Lord, Shall we charge forward?" "It's the moon God!"

I felt my vision blurring and my mind shutting down. I woke up in the same cave, in the same forest but it seemed different. I couldn't see the city's bright lights, and I could no longer smell any of the smog from the factories.

A torch emitted light through the cave, it was a girl who seemed to like dressing old-fashioned "Who are you?" "I.. uhh.." She looked at me with a confused face "Did you hit your head mister?" 

Who calls people mister in this day and ago also why is she wearing such old fashioned clothes? "Well I'm gonna assume you did." She gave a light hearted laugh and I put my hand over my eyes and laughed too, not because it was funny, but because I felt so tired and confused.