Ralt leaned back in his chair, the glow of the phone screen casting long shadows across his dimly lit room.
His fingers traced absent patterns along the armrest, his thoughts pulling him deeper into the past.
For as long as he could remember, he had been an outcast.
A curse.
A being to be feared.
And that never changed.
No matter how much he tried, no matter how much he wanted to be seen as more than a monster, people always recoiled from him.
The maids who avoided his gaze, their hands trembling as they placed his meals on the table before fleeing.
Even his own father, who should have been the one person to offer him love, had never once looked at him with anything but resentment.
It was suffocating.
To live every day knowing that even the air around him seemed to carry whispers of his sins.
But this academy…
It was the first glimmer of hope he had ever allowed himself to hold onto.
They trained people to control their abilities.
To master them.
To turn them into something useful instead of something feared.
If he went there, if they truly taught him how to wield his power rather than be consumed by it, then maybe the world would finally stop looking at him like he was a walking disaster.
Maybe his father would no longer see him as a mistake.
Maybe he wouldn't have to eat alone, trapped in a house that felt more like a prison.
Maybe he could finally touch something, someone, without of taking their life away.
The thought settled deep within him, filling the hollow space in his chest that had been carved out by years of isolation.
For once, he had a goal.
A purpose.
A dream.
He clenched his fist, determination sparking in his eyes.
"This is my chance." He said, "My one opportunity to prove, to myself and to everyone else, that i am more than the monster they believed me to be... And i would not let it slip away."
Ralt sat in the dim glow of his room, his gaze fixed on the phone screen as if it held the key to his future.
His mind was a storm of thoughts, but for once, they weren't clouded by doubt or fear.
He had made his decision.
He was going to the Hero Academy.
The thought alone sent a surge of energy through him, a rare and unfamiliar feeling.
This wasn't just a fleeting desire or a hopeless dream.
It was a path.
A chance.
For years, he had been trapped in a cycle of isolation, defined by a power he could neither control nor escape.
Every interaction ended in fear, every glance held contempt.
He had spent his entire life being told he was dangerous, a curse, something to be hidden away.
But what if he could be more?
What if he could turn this ability, this thing that had only ever brought him suffering, into a strength?
The Hero Academy was the only place that could make that possible.
They trained people like him.
They taught them how to wield their powers, how to use them with precision and control.
If there was any place in the world where he could learn to master what had once felt like a death sentence, it was there.
And if he succeeded, if he truly learned to control his power, then no one would ever look down on him again.
No one would call him a monster.
No one would flinch at his presence or whisper behind his back.
His father would no longer have a reason to see him as a failure...
"I am not just going to join the academy..."
"I am going to rise above everyone's expectations."
"I am going to become the strongest... The greatest."
"And one day, the world that had cast me aside would have no choice but to acknowledge me."
Ralt stood before his room door, his fingers hovering just inches from the handle.
A simple movement.
A twist of the wrist.
A push.
That was all it would take.
Yet, he hesitated.
His heart pounded in his chest, his breath steady but heavy.
It had been years since he had last opened this door.
The last time he had stepped beyond it, things had gone terribly wrong.
He had learned his lesson that day.
Some doors were better left closed.
But today was different.
Today, he wasn't opening this door out of curiosity, or out of rebellion.
Today, he had a purpose.
A goal.
He wasn't doing this just for himself, he was doing it for his future.
He clenched his jaw, forcing away the unease creeping up his spine.
He couldn't let his past define him.
Not anymore.
With a sharp inhale, he reached forward, grasping the cold metal handle.
His grip was firm, but his hands trembled slightly.
Then, before doubt could creep back in, he turned the knob and pushed.
The door creaked open.
For years, this room had been both his home and his prison.
But today, he had taken his first step toward breaking free.
He exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
There was no turning back now.