If I remember correctly, I was thirteen.

  That was the year my father took me to the Kingdom’s University of Magic. He presented me to the Head Mage himself. I still remember the test clearly. My Void Magic—rare and dangerous—was already impressive. But it wasn’t just the type. It was my control.

  Even at thirteen, I had mastered what most students wouldn’t touch until their twenties.

  The Head Mage was stunned. He had never seen a student like me.

  I was offered a full scholarship on the spot.

  The Head Mage said,

  “Your skills are one of a kind, kid. Don’t waste your potential becoming an adventurer. Don’t throw that potential away crawling through caves.”

  My father agreed. I could tell it hurt him a little—he had always dreamed of training me as an adventurer like him. But he knew I was meant for something more. He told me so, again and again.

  “This is your chance,” he said. “Don’t be afraid of greatness.”

  Lilyan was with me too.

  I hadn’t even realized it until then, but she had stayed by my side ever since my mother’s death. But I barely knew more than her name at the time, but her presence always brought me peace.

  She told me her father, Moryardy Rickhold—a noble merchant—had secured her a place at the University too. She wanted to become an adventurer, strong and independent. Her father, always practical, wanted to form an adventurer team to support his trade business.

  I didn’t care about his reasons. All I cared about was that she was there. A familiar thread from home.

  And after a month from getting accepted I left my home to go to the University

  Leaving my father’s side for the first time was hard. But I stayed strong. I couldn’t let him down.

  I started my lessons the very next day.

  They gave me the basics—spell chanting, channeling drills, magic control theory. All of it was beneath me. My father had trained me in all these years ago. I wasn’t some amateur learning how to hold a wand.

  Still, I obeyed the system. I didn’t have a reason to challenge it.

  Lilyan was there too, keeping me grounded. She dragged me away from my seriousness, teased me when I overthought things, made the silent halls feel alive .

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  I kept studying. And I excelled. I was the top student. My grades were unmatched. The instructors said I was destined to be the greatest mage of my generation.

  Life felt peaceful again. A future I could believe in.

  Until…

  I think I was sixteen. I don’t remember exactly.

  I took a Magic Nature Test.

  I didn’t need one. Everyone already knew I was gifted in Void Magic. But it was mandatory.

  At first, the crystal reacted just as expected—swirling with deep shadows, the mark of Void affinity.

  I laughed and turned to leave… and that’s when it changed.

  The crystal pulsed again—once, violently—and then glowed with a strange golden pattern. A new magic signature emerged showing a hidden an unawaken magic .

  Time Magic.

  My breath caught.

  Time Magic.

  A forgotten art. A miracle. A power from ancient history. Scholars wrote about it. Dreamed about it. And now it was mine.

  I was thrilled.

  Until I looked up.

  The room had gone cold.

  No one said anything. Instructors stared at the crystal, then at me.

  Their admiration faded instantly. Their faces turned pale. The air turned heavy.

  One of them whispered,

  “Go back to your room.”

  No explanation. No celebration. Just that.

  I didn’t understand.

  So I went to the Head Mage, requested a break from my studies, and returned home. I didn’t explain why.

  I just needed to talk to my father.

  It was evening—I think.

  He welcomed me warmly. We sat for dinner like old times.

  I told him what happened. The Time Magic. The way the instructors reacted.

  His face darkened.

  “Are you sure this isn’t a prank?” he asked.

  I told him it wasn’t.

  He was silent for a long time.

  Then he said something I’ll never forget.

  “I knew it would return. I just didn’t think it would be you.”

  “That stupid curse…”

  I asked him what he meant.

  He sighed and said,

  “No matter what happens, son… I will still love you. And if the world stands against you, I will stand and fight beside you.”

  And then he told me everything.

  Long before the Kingdom existed, one of our ancestors—an ancient mage—wielded both Void and Time Magic. His power was so immense, entire nations united to bring him down. But before his death, he cast one final curse:

  “One day, someone of my blood will inherit my powers. That child will bring misery upon the nations in endless cycles.”

  The prophecy.

  A burden I never asked for.

  I was terrified. Would I become a monster?

  I started hearing whispers in my head that night.

  But they stopped when my father looked me in the eyes and said:

  “It’s just a myth, son. You are clever. You are kind. You are strong. Don’t let this decide who you are.”

  “Don’t let a stupid legend dictate your life.”

  His words were the only thing holding back the darkness growing inside me.

  And for a while… they worked.

  I returned to the University.

  But….Everything had changed.

  Students who once admired me now avoided my gaze. Teachers who praised me grew cold. Some outright ignored me.

  Then came the whispers.

  The accusations. The carved words on my door:

  “Curse.”

  “Shame.”

  “Murderer.”

  “Criminal.”

  I kept my head down. I focused on my work. Lilyan never left my side, but the world had made its decision.

  I was the cursed one now.

  A year passed.

  At graduation, I received my scroll in silence. Another student gave the valedictorian speech—even though I had the highest scores.

  I said nothing.

  I just walked home alone.

  The future that once burned bright now felt cold and empty.