Andy hated school. It wasn't the classes—he was good at those. It was the other kids. The Gifted ones. They walked the halls like they owned the place, their mana-powered abilities on full display. Some could summon fire, others could move objects with their minds. Andy? He could do nothing.
He was a Null.
He sat in the back of the classroom, head down, trying to blend into the walls. It never worked.
"Hey, Null!" a voice called out. He didn't look up. He knew who it was—Kael, one of the most obnoxious Gifted kids in the school. Kael sauntered over, a smirk on his face. "What's the point of you even being here? You're just taking up space."
Andy kept his eyes on his desk. "I'm here to learn, same as you."
Kael laughed. "Learn what? How to be useless?" He flicked his hand, and a small flame appeared in his palm. "See this? This is power. You'll never have it."
Andy clenched his fists under the desk but said nothing. Arguing would only make it worse.
The teacher walked in, and Kael backed off, but not before shoving Andy's desk hard enough to knock his books to the floor. He sighed and bent down to pick them up.
No one helped him.
---
The class dragged on. The teacher droned about mana theory, something Andy found fascinating but couldn't use. He took notes anyway, scribbling down every detail. Maybe, if he understood how mana worked, he could find a way to level the playing field.
"Andy," the teacher called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Can you explain the difference between mana infusion and mana manipulation?"
He hesitated. He knew the answer, but he also knew what would happen if he got it right. The Gifted kids hated when he showed them up.
"Mana infusion is the process of embedding mana into an object," he said quietly. "Manipulation is controlling mana directly."
The teacher nodded. "Correct. Good job, Andy."
Kael snorted. "Big deal. He can memorize a textbook. Doesn't mean he can actually *do* anything."
Andy ignored him, focusing on his notes. He didn't need Kael's approval. He didn't need anyone's.
---
Lunch was worse. He sat alone at a corner table, eating the stale sandwich he'd packed that morning. He could hear the laughter from the other tables, where the Gifted kids sat, showing off their abilities. One girl was levitating her lunch tray, making it spin in the air. Another boy was creating tiny ice sculptures on the table.
He ignored them, focusing on his food. But Kael wasn't done with him.
"Hey, Null!" He shouted, walking over with his friends. "You know what's funny? You're so weak, you can't even defend yourself. What happens if a monster attacks? You'll just die, right?"
Andy didn't look up. "I'll figure something out."
Kael laughed. "Yeah, sure you will." He leaned in close, his voice dripping with mockery. "You're nothing, Andy. You always will be a nobody, hear me? A nobody."
Andy's hands tightened around his sandwich, but he stayed silent. He'd learned long ago that fighting back only made things worse.
---
After lunch, he had gym class. It was the worst part of his day. The Gifted kids used their abilities to dominate every activity, leaving the Nulls in the dust. Today, they were playing dodgeball.
Andy stood at the back of the court, trying to stay out of the way. Obviously it didn't work. Kael hurled a ball at him, and it hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.
"Nice try, Null!" He shouted, laughing.
Andy picked himself up, his ribs aching. He didn't say anything. He just walked to the sidelines and sat down.
The coach didn't even notice. He was too busy cheering on the Gifted kids, who were showing off with every throw. Andy watched them, his jaw tight. He hated feeling helpless.
---
After school, He walked home alone. The streets were crowded, but no one paid him any attention. He was just another Null, invisible to the world.
When he got home, he went straight to his room. It was small and cluttered, filled with broken gadgets and spare parts he'd scavenged from the trash. He sat down at his desk and pulled out an old radio he'd been working on. It didn't work, but he liked taking it apart, seeing how it was put together.
As he tinkered, his mind wandered back to school. Kael's words echoed in his head. '"You're nothing, Andy. You always will be a nobody, hear me? A nobody."'
He frowned. "I'm not nothing," he muttered to himself. "I'll prove it."
He didn't know how yet, but he would. He had to.
---
That night, he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His body ached from the day's bullying, but his mind was racing. He thought about the Gifted kids, their powers, their arrogance. He thought about the monsters that roamed the city, the ones the Gifted were supposed to protect everyone from. He thought about his parents, who had died because the Gifted hadn't been fast enough.
"I'll never be like them," he whispered into the darkness. "I'll never rely on anyone else. I'll make my own power."
It was a promise to himself. And he didn't break promises.
---
The next morning, he woke up early. He had an idea. If he couldn't use mana, maybe he could find another way to fight back. He grabbed his backpack and headed to the library before school.
The library was quiet, almost empty. He went straight to the tech section, pulling out books on biomechanics, AI, and energy systems. He didn't understand half of it, but he was determined to learn.
As he flipped through the pages, he found something interesting—a section on mana stones. They were rare, but they could be used to power technology. His eyes lit up. If he could get his hands on one, maybe he could build something that would give him an edge.
He spent the rest of the morning reading, taking notes, and sketching ideas. By the time the bell rang, he had a plan.
---
School was the same as always. Kael and his friends taunted him, the teachers ignored him, and he kept his head down. But this time, he had a goal. He wasn't just surviving anymore. He was working toward something.
After school, he went to the junkyard. It was a dangerous place, full of broken machines and scavengers, but it was also the best place to find spare parts. He spent hours digging through the piles, looking for anything useful.
By the time he left, his backpack was full of wires, circuits, and other scraps. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
---
That night, he worked late into the night, tinkering with the parts he'd found. He didn't know what he was building yet, but he knew it would be something. Something that would change everything.
As he worked, he thought about Kael, the Gifted, and the monsters. He thought about his parents. And he thought about the promise he'd made to himself.
"I'll show them," he muttered, tightening a screw. "I'll show them all."