Samuel sat on the steps outside his family's mansion, his hands tightly gripping his knees. His eyes were focused on the road that led to the village. The road was clean, the dirt path often busy with villagers coming and going, but today it seemed empty. His family's mansion, a massive building of stone and marble, stood behind him like a prison. It felt like a cage.
Samuel had been born into a noble family, the kind of family that controlled land and had power. His father, Lord Armand, was one of the more respected nobles in the region. His older brother, Victor, was next in line to inherit the family's wealth and status. But Samuel would never be anything. At least, not in the way his family hoped.
Samuel was soul-less. He had no Soul Core, the source of a person's power. And in a world where a person's Soul Core defined their potential, not having one meant that Samuel was seen as nothing. His father's disappointment in him was clear, and his brother Victor made sure to remind him of it every chance he got.
The Soul Core was the essence of a person's ability to wield magic. Everyone had one, some stronger, some weaker. The average person had a Soul Core strength of 1, while some rarer individuals had a Soul Core strength of 3. But the nobility, the people with true power, typically had stronger Soul Cores. The higher the Soul Core, the more magic a person could wield. The Soul Kings, the most powerful individuals in the world, had Soul Cores that far exceeded what normal people could ever dream of. They controlled entire continents, each ruling with the power of their Soul Core strength.
The Soul Kings had Soul Cores of 7. And the strongest of them all, King Spartacus, had a Soul Core of 10. His power was godly, and even the other Soul Kings recognized his dominance.
But Samuel wasn't born with a Soul Core at all.
From the moment he was born, his family had kept him hidden. They didn't want anyone to see the curse that had been placed on their bloodline. A noble family without a Soul Core? It was unheard of. Samuel's existence was an embarrassment.
As he grew older, it became more and more obvious that he had nothing. He couldn't wield magic. He couldn't even practice the basic spells that other children his age could. His father tried to teach him, but it was clear that Samuel had no potential. It didn't matter that he was born into nobility. His lack of power made him a liability. And so, his family abandoned him.
Victor, Samuel's older brother, especially made it a point to remind Samuel of his worthlessness. Victor was the heir, and he was strong. His Soul Core was a 3, which was a high number in their family. But Samuel? Samuel had nothing. It made him a target.
Victor would mock him in front of their parents, telling him how pathetic he was. He would call him weak, a failure, and sometimes Samuel would even hear his father sigh in frustration when he thought Samuel wasn't listening.
"You're useless, Samuel," Victor would say, always with a cruel smirk on his face. "You'll never be a real noble. You'll never have the power to even stand in front of anyone important."
The worst part wasn't even what Victor said. It was how the rest of the world treated him. No one cared. His family would host grand dinners with other nobles, but Samuel wasn't allowed to sit at the table. He was left to eat in his room, isolated from everyone.
And it was worse when Samuel had to go to the academy. There, the other noble children would taunt him, whispering behind his back, and making sure that everyone knew he was the soul-less one. No one dared to befriend him, not even those who had once been his closest acquaintances. They were afraid that being associated with Samuel would lower their status,
He dropped out.
But Samuel's life was about to take an unexpected turn.
One afternoon, when Samuel was fifteen, a group of nobles dragged him out to a cave in the nearby forest. They had been picking on him for years, but today was different. Today, they decided they were going to have some fun.
The group of boys was led by Reid, the son of a local noble family. Reid's Soul Core was a 2, a step above most common folk, but not nearly as powerful as the more prestigious families. Even so, he was still a noble, and that gave him a sense of superiority over Samuel. Reid was joined by Ethan, a tall and quiet boy with a 3 Soul Core, and Tobias, who was more hot-headed and brash but had a Soul Core strength of 2. Together, they decided it was time to teach Samuel a lesson he would never forget.
"Get in there, freak," Reid sneered as he shoved Samuel toward the entrance of the cave.
Samuel, exhausted from the constant bullying, didn't fight back. It was easier to just follow them. The cave was deep and dark, and Samuel felt a wave of dread wash over him as he stepped inside. But it wasn't the darkness that scared him. It was the magic.
The magic of the nobility was something Samuel had always envied. Every noble child had the ability to manipulate one of the core elements: fire, water, wind, earth, time, blood, or thunder. Each element was linked to their Soul Core, and the stronger the Soul Core, the greater the power over that element.
Reid controlled fire. He was confident, his flames dancing around his fingertips with ease. Ethan controlled water, using it to manipulate the environment and create barriers or traps. Tobias controlled wind, using it to create gusts that could knock people off their feet or deflect attacks. All of them had magic that Samuel could never hope to wield.
But in this cave, surrounded by his bullies, Samuel was powerless.
"You've been a disgrace to our families, Samuel," Reid said, his voice dripping with malice. "I think it's time you learned your place."
Reid raised his hand, and a ball of fire formed at his fingertips. The flames flickered with heat as he approached Samuel, who stood frozen, his heart racing.
"I'm going to show you just how weak you are," Reid said, smirking. He tossed the fireball toward Samuel, who flinched and closed his eyes, bracing for the inevitable pain.
Without thinking, Samuel reached for a dagger that was hanging from his waist. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was something. His hand closed around the hilt, and as he swung it forward,
But nothing came.
Instead, the fireball stopped midair, suspended in the air, and then, with a violent burst, it exploded into nothing.
Samuel's heart pounded. He looked up, confused.
Reid, staggered then dropped to the ground bleeding from his mouth.
Ethan and Tobias screamed,
This time, Ethan uses the water that he, controlled wrapped around Samuel's neck, strangling him with a vice-like grip. Samuel couldn't breathe. He gasped for air as the water tightened.
It felt like his lungs were going to burst. He struggled, but the more he fought, the tighter it became. His vision blurred, and his body went limp, almost passing out from the lack of air.
Then he saw a system that told him soul extraction complete (fire magic)
A sudden burst of fire exploded from his hand, engulfing Ethan and Tobias
in flames. The water around his neck evaporated instantly, and Samuel's body collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
He could hear the screams of his bullies as the fire continued to burn, but Samuel couldn't move. He was too weak. His vision blurred, and his mind weak. He had just killed them. He had used fire magic, the very element his bullies had controlled.
But it wasn't over.
As the flames died down, Samuel saw their bodies, charred and lifeless.
He had killed three nobles.