Chapter 2: The Weight of a Laughing Legacy
That night, sleep refused to come.
Shinji lay on his bed, staring at the wooden ceiling of the small but spotless house his parents had left him. The glowing Arcane Core in his chest pulsed warmly, like a second heartbeat. Every beat brought new questions.
What is the Dawn Tribe?What kind of god do they worship that grants power through laughter instead of mana?Why does Mr. Light's life have a limit?And why… why me? Of all the people in this broken world, why did he choose a powerless orphan like me?
He pressed a hand over his heart, feeling the gentle thrum of foreign power. For the first time in his life, the future didn't feel like an impossible wall. It felt like a door someone had finally kicked open for him.
The next morning, loud knocking rattled the front door.
"Shinji! Kiddo! You alive in there?"
Shinji bolted upright, hair wild, eyes still half-closed. He stumbled across the room and yanked the door open.
Light Sabre stood there in casual clothes, arms crossed, wearing an exaggerated pout.
"Shinji!!! Good job opening the door! I've only been knocking for almost ten minutes!"
"S-Sorry, sir!" Shinji bowed frantically. "My alarm's broken and I—"
Light waved it off with a laugh, but his eyes softened when he glanced past Shinji into the quiet, tidy house.
"Anyway… where are your parents? Shouldn't they know you're about to start hellish training?"
Shinji's smile faltered. He looked down at his bare feet.
"I… don't have parents, sir. They died during the big disaster when I was a baby. My neighbors took care of me until I turned five, then they moved me into this house. They said my father bought it before everything went wrong. My mother saved every coin they earned and put it in an account for me."
He smiled faintly, though his voice trembled.
"Ms. Aska told me my father was a genius sorcerer… and my mother was a brilliant medical wizard. I never met them, but… I love them anyway. They gave me this home. It's the only thing I have left of them."
For a moment, Light Sabre didn't speak. His usual grin disappeared completely. His eyes glistened.
"Shit…" he muttered under his breath, quickly rubbing his eyes. "I'm way too soft for these conversations."
He cleared his throat and forced a smile back on.
"Alright, enough of that. Pack light. You're taking the entrance exam for A.M.A. — Arcadia Magitech Academy. I already enrolled you. Starting next week, you're officially a Senior High School student there."
Shinji's eyes widened.
"A.M.A.? The A.M.A.? The most prestigious academy in the entire kingdom?!"
Before Light could answer, Shinji threw himself forward and hugged the hero tightly, face buried in his chest.
"Thank you, sir… Thank you so much. I don't deserve this. I really don't…"
Light froze for a second, then gently patted the boy's back. He could feel Shinji's shoulders shaking.
"You're crying again, aren't you?"
"I can't help it!" Shinji sniffled loudly. "This is too much… No one's ever done anything like this for me."
An hour later, after a simple but warm breakfast, Light leaned back in his chair, expression turning serious.
"Listen up, kid. Now that I've given you my core, there's no going back. Tomorrow we begin intense training. And when I say intense… I mean it. You're going to bleed, sweat, and probably curse my name more than once. But if you want any chance of passing A.M.A.'s entrance exam, this is necessary."
Shinji clenched his fists, eyes burning with determination.
"I understand, sir. I'll fight with everything I have. I won't waste this chance you gave me."
Light grinned, proud. "That's the spirit."
The next two weeks became a blur of pain, growth, and laughter.
They left Limana Kingdom and traveled to the dangerous western outskirts — a wild coastline where massive mana barriers were constantly under siege by waves of Maiju. There, surrounded by crashing waves and monstrous roars, Light pushed Shinji beyond every limit he thought he had.
During one brutal evening, a horde of Class 5.5 Maiju surged toward them from the left.
"Stay back, kid!" Light shouted, aura flaring. "Pacific Light Barrage!"
Golden spears of light tore through the sky.
But before Light could finish them all, something awakened inside Shinji. His eyes glowed with deep violet-black energy. The core in his chest roared to life.
"Abyssal Surge!"
He moved like a storm.
"Abyssal Dominion: Rotterdam Slam!"
A devastating shockwave exploded outward as Shinji slammed his fist into the ground. The horde of Maiju was blasted apart in one brutal strike.
Light Sabre stood frozen, eyes wide.
"What in the actual—? A brute-force slam that creates a shockwave on impact…? Kid… you just surpassed me on your first real try."
Shinji threw his head back and laughed — loud, wild, and full of pure joy. The same kind of laugh Light Sabre was famous for.
Light's expression softened into something between shock and deep pride.
"Shinji… you okay?"
"Yes, sir! I think I entered some kind of flow state," Shinji said, still grinning even as his legs trembled. "But… I can't move now."
Light chuckled and walked over, ruffling the boy's hair.
"That's the backlash. First time using power like that? Your body needs time to adjust. Rest. You did incredibly well." He paused, then smiled warmly. "I was right to choose you."
The training only grew harder.
Strength drills with massive logs. Mobility training across collapsing ruins. Days of hunting, refining mana circulation, and pushing his body until it screamed.
One evening, while Shinji devoured grilled bird meat like a starving wolf, Light tried to give advice.
"You're growing fast, kid. That sharp mind of yours? Use it to save lives, not just—"
"Mmmph—! This meat is so good, sir!" Shinji mumbled, completely focused on eating.
Light pinched his ear hard.
"Ow ow ow! Sorry, sir! Haha!"
By the final week, Light challenged Shinji to a week-long duel with no rest.
"You won't sleep properly until you can land a clean hit on me," Light declared. "I'll ambush you from every angle. Show me what you've got."
The battles were merciless.
Day one: Shinji couldn't even keep up with Light's speed. He was sent flying repeatedly, coughing blood and frustration.
But he kept standing.
By day four, he could catch objects thrown at him and dodge most ambushes. His body grew faster, tougher, more resilient.
On the final day, Shinji's eyes burned with determination.
"Abyssal Surge: Amsterdam Pulse!"
A rhythmic burst of speed and power exploded from him. He chained strikes like flowing water through city canals. Two solid punches finally landed on Light's guard.
They didn't knock the hero down — but they made him stagger.
Light Sabre burst out laughing, genuine delight on his face.
"Well done, kid! You earned my respect. You grew faster than I did at your age. Get some rest. Tomorrow, we head back to Limana."
The next morning, as the sun rose over the waves, master and apprentice began their journey home.
Shinji walked taller now. The boy who once cried on the pavement after being told his dreams were impossible now carried a laughing god's legacy in his chest.
Light Sabre glanced at him and smiled quietly to himself.
This kid's going to shake the world.
To be continued…