On a quiet night, when the stars shone brightest and bathed the continent of Lazarus in their glow, the sound of muffled sobs echoed through the royal castle.

  “I don’t want you to go,” whimpered a little girl, rubbing her tear-streaked cheeks with her small hands.

  On the grand, luxurious bed lay an old woman. Her breathing was shallow, her time nearly at an end. The room, adorned with golden ornaments and heavy velvet curtains. Yet, despite its splendor, the only thing that mattered in this moment was the child standing beside the dying woman.

  With trembling fingers, the elder reached out, gently running her hand through the girl’s hair. Her voice was weak, yet filled with warmth.

  “My dear child, it is time for me to go. My place in this world has been fulfilled.” She smiled faintly. “I know it will be hard for you to walk in my footsteps. But I believe fate will be kind to you.”

  “I hate them all!” The girl clenched her fists. “No one comes to visit you. No one cares. I hate them!”

  The old woman sighed. “It may seem that way, but not all people are bad.” Her gaze drifted into the distance, as if she could see beyond time itself. There was nothing she regretted about her long life. And yet—one last wish remained.

  “I wish… I could see the king one last time.”

  Suddenly, her body convulsed. Her eyes snapped open—glowing with an intense light, as if the universe itself had ignited within them. Then, just as quickly, the glow faded.

  “Oma?” The girl froze. “What happened?!”

  She knew exactly what had just occurred. A vision. Her grandmother had the Blessing of Sight, just as she did.

  Tears streamed down the old woman’s face. Her frail body trembled, and in a broken voice, she whispered:

  “He has been born.”

  “Who? Who has been born?!”

  The elder struggled for breath, her fingers clutching weakly at the sheets. Her final strength was slipping away.

  Then, with one last gaze into eternity, she spoke her final words:

  “He will destroy the world.”

  Meanwhile, in a small village, a second child was born into the Wolfseif family.

  “It’s a boy,” the man said with a trembling voice, holding the newborn child in his hands. Carefully, he passed the baby to his wife and sat down beside her. Together, they gazed at their child, tears of joy streaming down their faces.

  A little girl stood by the bed, staring at the newborn boy with wide, fascinated eyes. She now had a little brother.

  “Julius. That is his name,” the woman whispered.

  The father smiled with excitement. They had chosen this name long ago, should their child be a boy.

  “Look, Anja, you have a little brother now,” he said gently.

  The night passed peacefully. The family spent the evening with tears of happiness and warm laughter, until the flames in the fireplace faded and the night swallowed the stars.

  Thirteen years had passed, and once again, a group of children was causing mischief in the village.

  Julius had turned thirteen, and together with his friends, he played pranks on the neighbors. Their group consisted of five members:

  Noah, a tall boy with an impressive build for his age. Although he was only a year older than Lazarus, many mistook him for an adult. His family were farmers, tending to the village’s crops—no wonder he was so massive. Anyone who saw his father working in the fields knew at a glance whose son he was. He had undoubtedly inherited his father’s physique, earning him the nickname “Bull.”

  Then there were the Paul twins, Jin and Jina. A boy and a girl—thankfully, or else their friends would have had a hard time telling them apart. Both had blonde hair, and despite being a boy, Jin had delicate, almost feminine features.

  Bon was the smartest—and the most mischievous—of the group. He was the same age as Lazarus, and since they lived next door to each other, they had grown up together. They were almost best friends.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Bon always wore glasses, even though he didn’t need them, just to appear more intelligent. His medium-length brown hair was neatly combed back to give him a polished look. And he had a very specific reason for this effort: Anja, Julius’ sister.

  She was three years older than him, but that didn’t stop Bon from trying to win her heart. That was also the only reason he and Julius were almost best friends.

  As always, the group met near the village entrance at their self-made campfire spot.

  “Your sister is pretty late today,” Jina said, concerned.

  “She’s probably meeting her boyfriend,” Jin teased.

  Bon instantly jumped up, grabbed Jin by the collar, and shook him violently. The very thought of the love of his life being with another man was unbearable.

  “She would never have a boyfriend! We belong toge—”

  But before Bon could finish his sentence, a cold chill ran down his spine.

  Julius had stood up. His gaze was dark—dangerous. He moved toward the two boys with a look that promised pain.

  BAM! BAM!

  Two swift hits to the head, and both were on the ground, groaning in pain.

  While Jin muttered an apology, Bon threw himself at Julius, headbutting his stomach and pushing him backward. They would have started a full-on brawl if Bull hadn’t stepped in and pulled them apart.

  Once again, they sat around the fire in silence. Bon straightened his hair and shot Julius an angry glare.

  Julius, irritated, turned away—then suddenly froze.

  Something didn’t feel right. His sister was never late.

  There was no reason to worry—or was there?

  Anja had always been better than him. Even though they had grown up poor, with uneducated parents, she was different. She was smart, strong—a genius.

  By the age of ten, she had already mastered magic without any help. The villagers called her a prodigy. She had even been sponsored, giving her the rare chance to attend a magic academy in the city—an opportunity usually reserved for nobles and the wealthy.

  That was why they were all waiting for her. They wanted to hear her stories, to know what life in the city was like.

  For commoners like them, attending a magic school was an unattainable privilege. Anja was a miracle.

  “There she is!” Jina suddenly shouted, pointing down the road.

  Anja had returned.

  They all ran toward her, surrounding her in an instant.

  “Sister, where have you been? Did something happen?” Julius asked, his voice filled with concern, while the others stared at Anja, their eyes full of curiosity.

  “Oh my goodness! I completely lost track of time. I’m so sorry!” She clasped her hands together and smiled apologetically.

  Bon nearly collapsed, his face turning bright red. Her radiant smile had, as always, completely thrown him off balance.

  Julius shot him an annoyed glance but quickly lost interest. He turned his attention back to his sister.

  “You have to tell us what happened, Sister!” he said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

  They sat together around the fire, all eyes expectantly fixed on Anja.

  She began telling them about her day at school. Even though it was almost always the same routine, the five friends loved listening to her stories.

  As always, she was the top student in her class. But even though she never said anything, Julius had a bad feeling. She always spoke of nice things at school, about her friends—but for the past year, no one had ever come back to the village with her. It felt as if she was always alone.

  The nobles and wealthy despised commoners. The very idea that someone like her could attend the same school—and even outperform them—must have been unbearable for them, Julius thought.

  “Why do you look so down?” Anja asked her younger brother, noticing his lowered gaze.

  Julius straightened up, shook his head, and smiled. “It’s nothing. Just keep telling us your story.”

  The others quickly jumped in. “But why are you so late today? Something must have happened!”

  A sly grin spread across Anja’s face.

  “Something incredible happened.”

  Everyone held their breath—none of them had ever seen her this excited.

  She explained that a rumor had been spreading across the continent: a boy, the same age as Julius, had been born with the Blessing of the Neun Wunder.

  Their jaws dropped.

  Even though they had never gone to school and had limited knowledge, Blessings were no mystery to them. Every person was born with a chance—however small—to receive one. While there were many different tiers, the Neun Wunder were beyond extraordinary.

  They were among the most powerful Blessings in existence, granting abilities so incredible they would be hard to believe without seeing them firsthand.

  Anyone possessing such a Blessing would instantly rise to prominence in the world.

  The group jumped up, cheering and laughing. None of them had received such a Blessing, but just hearing about it was thrilling.

  Anja continued, “The entire city was in an uproar. Even if it was just a rumor, there had to be some truth to it. Otherwise, the nobles wouldn’t be making such a big deal out of it.”

  After all, in the entire kingdom, only two known individuals possessed a Blessing of this level—one of them being the King himself.

  While the others were still celebrating, Julius looked down, a somber expression on his face.

  “Imagine if you got a Blessing like that, Julius. What would you do?” Jina asked.

  Everyone turned toward him. Only now did he realize how much of a dark aura he was giving off.

  He didn’t want to ruin the mood, but he couldn’t suppress his frustration. “It’s probably a noble.”

  The excitement died instantly.

  Julius didn’t like nobles. He hadn’t met many, but he had his reasons—especially because of his sister.

  “That’s true,” Bon said, adjusting his glasses. “High-tier Blessings are always passed down through noble bloodlines. Someone like us getting one… it’s just a dream.”

  Bon always tried to act and dress like an intellectual, mostly to impress Anja. But Julius knew that Bon didn’t have to pretend—he actually was intelligent.

  The mood had soured.

  Julius hadn’t meant to dampen their spirits, but he couldn’t hold back his thoughts.

  Then, suddenly, Anja laughed.

  Everyone turned to her in confusion. Had Julius said something wrong?

  “You guys are so adorable when you act so serious.”

  Bon turned bright red and looked away in embarrassment. Julius jumped up, his own face flushed.

  Anja giggled. “Alright, then. Shall I tell you one more thing?” She held a finger to her lips. “It’s not a noble. It’s a commoner.”