The Sky-Reaching Spire of Astraea was crowded today. Thousands of teenagers stood in line, their faces pale with a mix of fear and excitement. Today was the Day of Awakening, the day the Gods would choose their champions.
"Step forward, Kael of the Iron-Blood Clan!" the High Priest shouted.
Kael walked toward the massive, glowing 'Crystal of Truth.' His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. In a world where your 'Mana Rank' determined your worth, this moment was everything.
He placed his palm on the cold, vibrating surface of the crystal.
One second passed. Two. Five.
The crystal, which usually glowed bright blue for warriors or gold for mages, remained... dead. It was as dark as a starless night.
"No mana," a whisper started.
"Look at his soul... it's empty. A Void Soul!"
"A disgrace to the Iron-Blood Clan. He's a Zero!"
The High Priest looked at Kael with eyes colder than ice. "Kael. You have been rejected by the Heavens. You are a 'Null'—a creature with no future. Guards, remove this stain from the Spire."
Kael didn't cry. He didn't scream. He looked at his shaking hands. Rejected? By whom? By Gods who have never seen me bleed? As the guards dragged him away, his own father, the Great General of the clan, turned his back. "I have no son who is a Zero. Throw him into the Abyssal Rift. Let the monsters have what the Gods didn't want."