The Lightning Mage

56 | The World of Magic

CW: This chapter contains gore and violence. Reading discretion is advised.

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Life was unfair.

"Eh, the neighbor's daughter got into Raffles, why can't you?"

"You say you are studying so hard, but you still fail? How can my son be so stupid?"

"All your classmates got into college except you! I don't get it, why are you not more like them?"

Life was so unfair.

No matter how much he had worked, no matter how much he had pushed himself, it had never seemed to matter. While everyone else had strolled along a paved road, he had had to slog against a torrential river, a violent windstorm, and an avalanche altogether.

And when he had looked around, all he had seen were the intact smiles on their faces, the spirit and vigor in their eyes... and their smooth, bruise-free bodies. How was it that they could do it, but he couldn't?

Why couldn't he?

And the more he had looked, the more he could see the way people had been looking at him. The loathing, the contempt, the disgust—they had been gushing out from his parents while seeping out from his friends. He could see them all, masked behind the fake smiles, veiled behind the politeness.

"Useless." "Stupid." "Worthless." "A waste of space and a waste of money."

"Why did I even spend time and money on you when you're just going to amount to nothing?"

Life was so fucking unfair.

But no more.

It turned out that life was only unfair to him because he had been living in a world where he didn't belong. A world where your only merits were your academics, a world where the end goal was so unclear and arbitrary, a world where the weak were superior, as long as they had the money or the grades. He did not belong, and thus he had been inferior.

The world where he belonged, was a world dominated by power, where strength determined everything.

And in this world of magic, he was strong.

Magic was so intuitive—so natural—and, in the words of Gazini, he had picked it up "like a god". Within a few years, he had mastered enhancer magic, telekinesis, and even transmutation, surpassing every fighter he had ever challenged, surpassing even his teacher.

And most importantly, in this world of magic, he was looked at without the loathing and contempt, without the stupid masks of politeness. It was genuine fear from his victims, routine nonchalance from his teacher, and—for the first time in his life—pure admiration from Gazini.

Yes, the old wizard was the only one in his life who believed in him and his ability, the only one who ever respected and appreciated him. Gazini's look of awe, painted by a crazy and intense excitement, was a look he had never seen before. Not in his friends, not in his teachers, not in his parents. Especially not his parents.

Thus, he decided to give his all to serve Gazini, the person who had brought him to this wonderful world. He would do anything in his power to help this old man in whatever he was aiming to do, even if it meant pushing himself to his limits with his sword fighting lessons, even if it meant mutilating his body for the experiments, even if it meant kidnapping and killing a bunch of insignificant folks. He would do anything because Gazini allowed him to be strong, to be superior.