You thought this was a normal story?

Chapter 1

Ziel was hungry. That was the first thing he thought when he woke up, he needed food. He knew it would be coming soon. The position of the sun told him that it was midday, and the clan member who gave him food every day would come to him with food.

The clan member was his only source of communication with another human being, and the only reason he was still alive right now. He was a guard for the Blackhammer clan, and his lunch break started at midday, when he would buy Ziel some bread and come and give it to him.

He was very thankful for him, because without him he would probably be dead long ago.

Ziel had been the heir to the Blackhammer clan, and when he turned 12, like any other child, he would have his talent tested by the clan's eldest.

On that fateful day, Ziel had tried to cycle his aura for the first time and had only felt incredible pain. The eldest made him retry it 3 times and failed to move his aura even slightly every single time while his father watched. Then, the eldest had said possibly the worst thing he could have said.

"Zero talent. He can't even move his aura."

His father looked at him with disappointment, which soon turned to anger.

"You know how much time and resources we spent on you? Just for you to be worthless!" Spittle was flying from his lips, and his face reddened.

"I banish you from the clan and don't ever come back!"

At the tender age of 12, Ziel had been kicked out of the house, his brother had walked in, confused at why his father was shouting.

"Sha' ren, why are you shouting at Ziel?"

For a 10-year-old, he was incredibly articulated and polite.

"Your elder brother, Ziel, has zero talent in manifesting ink." His father ground out through gritted teeth, like he was talking about a demon who had slaughtered his whole family.

"He is being banished from the clan, for being worthless and incompetent."

His brother shifted his eyes from his father to him, Ziel flinched at the penetrating gaze that had been set upon him, he could read Jaron's face clearly, he was disappointed, his younger brother was disappointed with him. One word came from his mouth, but it meant much more coming from him than his father.

"Worthless."

Ziel shook himself out of the memory, tears had started flowing down his face, and his eyes were wet. He gingerly moved his arm and used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe away the tears.

It had been 4 years since then, but Ziel hadn't been just sitting in his self-pity down an alley this whole time.

He had been practicing, every day Ziel would spend hours trying to cycle his aura. He had become unbelievably close to completing a fully cycle a few times. And once he did, he would be able to move normally again. It still caused him an extreme amount of pain to move his aura, but he had managed to stop himself from screaming when he was in pain, and even to keep his focus enough to continue cycling. However, the pain still managed to overwhelm him before he could finish a whole cycle. But he had been getting closer and closer over the past four years.

It was pitiful, the best inkfelds cycled constantly and finished each cycle in under a minute, and here he was, trying to do one cycle after years of practice. The first thing a 12-year-old kid would learn to do, is meditate every day and cycle for an hour.

He wasn't even on the same level as children.

Ziel decided to try again, before the lunch man came. He focused, projecting his will inwards. He felt the aura gathered up in a tiny ball near his stomach. He focused on it and touched it with his will.