Unfeeling Mages

After the war, all mages in Grashiatania were genetically modified. They could not feel pain, be sacred, or sad. Mages lived a sheltered, peaceful life. No death, no pain, no suffering. (mages can and do die its just that death isn't readily seen like murder or illness.) There is one and only one place that all mages and non-magic users are forbidden to enter.
From the past war, there is a scar on their kingdom. A small island called the Runic Island. On this island there is a stone tower. In this tower there is Miya. Miya grieves for her lost people and her brother every year on the 18th of April. She is alone and no one knows she exists.
On the 18th of April, Joel (pronounced Joal- like goal with a J), a talented training mage or a Fristan, witnesses a comrade's death. A painful death. New emotions are instilled in him and he embarks on a journey to avenge his comrade, only to find that nothing is exactly how it seems.