Ren is lying on a cold stone floor. His body is trembling. Chains hold his wrists. He’s too thin. Too pale. His lips are cracked. His voice is barely there.
Ren Alderis (MC)
[whispering]
… Is it… over?
Mage 1
[coldly]
He’s still alive?
Mage 2
How? He shouldn’t have lasted ten seconds with that much mana pressure.
Ren blinks slowly. There’s dried blood under his nose. His breathing is shallow.
Ren Alderis (MC)
I… I didn’t mean to survive…
They ignore him. The glowing mark on his wrist pulses faintly—just enough to be noticed.
Mage 1
Wait. That mark—
Suddenly, the air crackles. The ground shakes. A surge of magic bursts from Ren's body, wild and out of control
Ren Alderis (MC)
[terrified]
N-No… please… stop—!
Explosion. Screams. Then silence
The lab is in ruins. Walls scorched. Tables shattered. A faint hum of leftover magic buzzes in the air. In the center of it all—Ren lies motionless, small, and broken
Mage 1
[coughing, crawling from the rubble]
H-He’s… still breathing?
Mage 2
[staring at Ren’s wrist in horror]
The mark… Look.
The mark glows gently, like a heartbeat. It pulses with something ancient—not human.
Mage 1
[whispers]
That’s not just any spell mark. That’s a Crest of the First Circle…
Mage 2
He’s a vessel. The power was reacting to him.
Mage 1
Not reacting. Belonging
A long silence.
Mage 2
[voice flat, cold]
Send word to the Council.
The experiment failed—but the subject survived.
Mage 1
We can't keep him here
Mage 2
Then send him to the Academy and tell them to keep him under observation
Comments