"Swing harder, Rai!"
My sword wobbled through the air like a dying fish.
The training dummy didn't even flinch. Probably because it was made of wood and not fear. Or maybe because it knew the truth: I was the weakest trainee in the academy.
I tried again. Slashed from the side.
My arms shook. The wooden sword slipped from my sweaty fingers and hit the dirt with a sad thud.
Silence.
Then came the laughter.
From every direction.
"Oh come on, did he just drop the sword?!"
"Is it too heavy, Princess Rai?"
"Try using two hands next time—on your pillow!"
My face burned, but I didn't say anything. If I opened my mouth, I might cry or bite someone. Both were bad ideas.
"Hey, Rai!"
I turned.
Too late.
WHAM.
A fist slammed into my cheek. I hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. Rough ones.
The sky above spun.
Kairen stood over me, his golden hair perfect, his smug smile even more perfect, and his muscles… irritatingly perfect.
"You should thank me," he said. "That punch probably taught you more than all your worthless training combined."
"You're right," I muttered, blinking stars away. "It taught me you hit like a squirrel."
He punched me again.
I woke up in the infirmary. Again.
The ceiling was familiar. I was starting to think it was judging me.
"You sure like coming here," said old Granny Miru, the academy's healer. She pressed something cold against my swollen face. "Starting to think you're doing it for the attention."
I groaned. "I just wanted to train…"
"You? Train?" she laughed. "Sweet boy, you've got the fighting strength of a muffin."
"Maybe I'm a war muffin."
She snorted.
I smiled. It hurt.
Let me tell you something real.
I'm E-Rank. Lowest of the low. Dirt-level. Worse than dirt—because dirt can at least grow things. I got no magic, no aura, no fancy last name. Just me, my bruises, and my stubborn, idiot heart.
They said I should quit.
Said I was a waste of space.
Said I'd be lucky to survive a fist fight with a squirrel, let alone a demon.
But I never quit.
I don't care how many times I fall down.
As long as I get back up one more time, I'm still in the fight.
That night, I sat in my "room"—a glorified closet with a bed, a broken window, and a mirror that cracked every time I looked too hard at it.
I stared at myself. My face was swollen. One eye was black. My lip was bleeding again.
Still, I smiled.
"I'll get there," I whispered. "Even if I have to crawl through fire and eat dirt with a spoon."
The mirror didn't laugh.
It looked tired, like me.
The Next Day
They sent us to the forest for "scouting practice."
Translation: "Let's dump the newbies into demon-infested woods and hope they don't die."
Instructor Margo stood in front of us. She looked like she ate nails for breakfast and used lightning as deodorant.
"There are reports of demons near the western tree line," she barked. "You're not here to fight. Just observe and survive. Got it?"
"YES MA'AM!"
"Kairen leads the squad," she added.
Of course he does.
Because nothing says "teamwork" like putting a jerk in charge.
The forest was quiet. Too quiet.
Birds didn't sing. Leaves didn't rustle. Even the bugs were holding their breath.
"This place feels wrong," I whispered.
Kairen rolled his eyes. "Don't wet yourself, E-Rank."
I glared at his back. "One day, I'm gonna snap that nose off your face."
"Keep dreaming," he said, not turning around.
We reached a clearing. The light felt heavy. Like it was being pushed down by something invisible.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
Everyone stopped.
Growl.
It didn't come from the trees.
It came from underneath us.
I stepped back. "Kairen—"
Before I could finish, the ground exploded.
BOOM.
Dirt flew. Trees cracked. Something big rose from the earth like a nightmare climbing out of hell.
A demon.
Ten feet tall. Skin like burned stone. Horns twisted like blades. Eyes red like fire eating through coal.
And it was hungry.
Kairen raised his hand. "FIRE SPI—"
Too slow.
The demon slammed into him with one arm. CRACK. Kairen flew through the air like a rag doll and hit a tree so hard it splintered.
Screams.
Everyone ran.
Except me.
My legs wouldn't move.
My body wanted to flee, but something rooted me there.
The demon turned toward me. Its eyes locked onto mine.
It smiled.
"You," it said, voice deep and rough like thunder rubbing against steel. "You smell… like him."
My heart skipped.
"W-What?"
The demon stepped forward.
Closer.
Its heat hit me like fire.
"His blood. His fire. Inside you."
I stepped back.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
It grinned wider. "Then let me wake it up."
It raised its arm.
The world slowed.
I knew I couldn't dodge.
I was going to die.
Here. Now.
As an E-Rank.
No powers. No glory.
Just dirt and fear.
And then—
something snapped inside me.
Not bones. Not fear.
Something deep.
My eyes burned. My chest exploded with heat. The world changed color.
And from the ground—
flames rose.
But not normal fire.
Black fire.
Hungry. Twisting. Screaming.
The demon froze.
Its smile vanished.
"You—" it hissed. "That flame... it's his. It can't be—"
My body moved on its own.
The fire wrapped around my hand.
And I punched.
The demon screamed.
Not from pain—but from memory.