In the shadow realm, a vast and surreal dimension shrouded in eternal twilight, where shadows are alive and the laws of reality bend and twist. 

The sky is a swirling expanse of gray and black, with no visible sun, moon, or stars. Occasionally, streaks of purple and deep blue lightning arc across the horizon. The land is barren and fragmented, covered in jagged cliffs, black sand, and rivers of viscous, glowing shadow energy.

The ruler of the realm dwells in the palace at the center of the realm. He's seated on his throne, his blade next to him. His face is featureless, and he is dressed in full black armor with a hood.

The man lets out a sigh and complains, "This is starting to be less fun. Have the humans finally decided to give up?"

{Alastair Voss: God of the Shadows and the Shadow Sovereign of the Abyssal Council}

"We're currently unsure. For the past five years, there hasn't been a report of them attacking. The gate that connects the two realms remains untouched."

{Keir: The Dark God of Space and Time and also a member of the Dark Triad of the Abyssal Council}

"This sucks, those damn humans who thought were powerful because they got their hands on Astral magic," Alastair added. "How is the gate connecting to the Celestial realm going?"

"It looks like it will take quite some time because the God of Cosmic order is preventing entry," Keir answered.

"Tch, that damn father of yours," Alastair complained.

"Lord Alastair, it seems the humans have returned. They've gathered outside the Gates with quite the army."

{Grey: The Dark God of Death and also a member of the Dark Triad of the Abyssal Council}

"My only interest is in the God they serve, and neither of them, but very well," Alastair added as he got up from his throne. "If they prove to be entertaining then I'll engage them. Summon the rest of the Abyssal Council."

"Right away," Grey said as he turned into a shadow and disappeared.

Outside the shadow gate situated near a large sea known as the Azure Sea. A large army has gathered before the entrance, each wielding different weapons and wearing white and black armor with a symbol of a stylized sun with twelve rays, each radiating outward. The rays alternate between solid lines and wave-like shapes. Surrounding the sun is a halo of silver stars arranged in a circular pattern.

Alastair comes walking out of the gates with his servants and creatures of the shadow realm behind him.

"You humans never learn and keep asking for more. If you want me to send you to the God of Cosmic order, then I'll gladly do it," Alastair said while summoning a condensed flame ball on his palm.

One of the members of the army dressed in golden armor, with two swords on each waist, has orange hair and is riding on a white horse steps forward to confront Alastair.

"Your reign of terror ends here, Lord of the Shadows, Alastair Voss," the golden knight said as he slowly drew out his blade.

"Huh? Who is that shining dude?" Alastair asked with a stupid expression (Though his face was featureless)

"The name's Sylvester Armstrong, one of the five leaders of the Twilight Empire and one who has been chosen by the Gods to be an Astral Guardian," Sylvester said, afterward swinging his blade to the side and sending out a mini wind wave.

"The humans call him an Astral Hero. The current strongest among those that possess Astral magic," Keir said.

"You seem to have intel on every single thing, Space God Keir. Did that intel tell you that this will be the last time you set foot on the human realm," Sylvester points his blade forward and emits a golden aura.

"You're right, I have gotten bored of this realm. That's why we'll be headed to the Celestial realm. So you're right about it being the last time we set foot," Alastair added as he drew out his blade. "Because we'll turn this filthy planet to dust."

He cloaks his blade in dark energy, blowing everything around him away, and he and Sylvester both charge in for each other and begin to clash.

This was the event that occurred a thousand years ago. The greatest battle humanity has ever faced - the battle between dark and light, which decides the fate of the world. A thousand years later, after gaining victory in the great Celestial war, humanity's civilization grew and expanded vastly. Nations were built and humanity was divided.]

[During the one thousand-year timeline, due to greed and need for power, humanity engaged in continuous wars. Among all 20 nations that divided themselves, four nations stood in power and no kingdom could go against them. They were known as the Quad of powers.]

[Among the four is a nation that has given birth to great warriors who wield powerful Astral magic. The nation became the most successful nation in 200 years. They were known as the Kingdom of Nevan.]

[Another thing that occurred in the thousand years was a strict system that determines your role in society. The system is known as the Astral Benediction, or some may call it the Celestial blessing.]

[The Astral Benediction is a blessing received from the cosmic realm that allows you to use supernatural abilities known as Astral magic.]

[The most blessed individuals, believed to have been chosen directly by the Gods are called the Divine Royals and are worshipped by the kingdom as they act as intermediaries between the cosmic realm and the mortal realm. Those with high blessings but not at the level of Divine Royals are called sanctioned nobles. Then the majority that receive smaller blessings are known as the common folk and are ridiculed, culled, and abused for receiving such small blessings as they are perceived to not have God's favor. But those without a blessing...]

In the City of Everglade, in the State of Ravenshade, Nevan. A middle-level academy known as Orangefield Middle School, where the protagonist of the story attends. In Class 3-F...

"That's the history of Nevan and the rest of the world. The Armstrong Family leading the nation led us to become the most successful nation, as they are Divine Royals," the teacher said.

The school bell rings and all the students rush to pack their belongings.

"Okay kids, make sure to prepare for your final paper. The graduation ceremony will be a month later, so get ready," the teacher said.

"Right!" All students exclaimed.

At the back of the Orangefield schoolyard, three delinquents pin a young boy with a purple buzz-cut hairstyle against the wall.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the young boy without a single ounce of Astral magic," the lead delinquent said with a smug look on his face.

"What do you guys want, Ren?" The young boy asked with a subtle shudder and avoided gaze, conveying fear.

"You were supposed to be calling us master, you outcast. You who the Gods have not even looked at," the bully on the right said.

"You know what we came for right? Make it fast because some of us have plans."

{Ren: The Ring leader of his little mob. Society rank: Common. Blessing Rank: D Tier. Notable Skills: Orange flames (Active), Agility enhancement}

* Ren has white hair, ear piercings, and tattoos all over his body. (Seriously, how do they allow kids like this on school grounds)

"I'm sorry... I don't have it with me right now," the young boy said as he trembled in fear, avoiding eye contact with Ren.

"You see now you've messed. The only one chance that kept you from getting hurt," Ren added as a sinister smile emerged on his face. "It's people like you who deserve divine punishment."

The other two bullies grab the boy by both his arms. The boy tries to fight his way out but one of the bullies connects a knee to his abdomen, stopping his resistance. Now the young boy is rendered unable to move.

"Based on the Astral Benediction system, this isn't even considered bullying. The ones with Astral magic are always in the right!" Ren shouted as he summoned a small flare at the palm of his hand.

The young boy began pleading with Ren, "Please, stop... Please... Stop!!"

Ren burns the right side of the boy's face, and the boy starts screaming in agony while Ren and his goons let out evil chuckles.

An hour later, the young boy returns home, after dragging himself with the right side of his face burnt, clothes tattered, scars all over.

The majority that receives smaller blessings are known as the common folk and are ridiculed, culled, and abused for receiving such small blessings as they are perceived not to have God's favor. But those without a blessing are shunned and called cursed or outcasts.]

[My name is Kael Voss, I'm the kid getting bullied an hour ago, I'm currently 17 years of age. In a world of the Astral Benediction system where everyone is blessed with Astral magic, I was born without an ounce of Astral magic.]

I grew up in Everglade City, in the State of Ravenshade, after I was shunned by my father. At age 12, after I retook the Blessing rites and still came out unblessed, I faced abuse at the hands of my older siblings. My father sent me away to my grandfather's home in Everglade, which was about to face ruin and left me all on my own.]

I managed to make money to sustain myself by working as a servant in noble households in the upper cities. Even there I faced abuse at the hands of the nobles.]

Kael enters his house only to find it vandalized and broken in. He heads to the living room and sits at his desk. He pulls out a slice of bread, takes a bite, and starts shedding tears.

"Why do the Gods hate me so much? What did my ancestors or family do for me to receive such treatment? ... I hate this stupid life," Kael sobbed.

The next day at the school rooftop after the completion of the final examination. Kael is lying down on the roof ground, looking at the sky. He has an eye patch and is wearing a skull face mask.

"Man, I want to die. If I can reincarnate with Astral magic, that will be cool, though I don't think I have what it takes to take my own life," Kael complained as he looked at the clouds.

He hears the rooftop door unlock. He looks and he sees a beautiful blonde girl with yellow pupils dressed in the orangefield uniform walks through.

"Ah, there you are. I finally found you," the blonde girl said with a smile on her face as she brushed her hair back.

"Eve..." Kael called out in surprise.

[This is Eve, she's the most popular girl in our school, scratch that, she's the most popular and most beautiful girl in the whole state. She's been scouted by model agencies in all states, called to entertain the Count, and has both genders falling for her, including me. She's also my childhood friend since both our parents are well acquainted.]

"I was wondering why you were not down there celebrating with the others. What are you doing up here on your own?"

{Eve Wilson: Orangefield student. Society rank: Common. Astral Rank: D Tier. Skill: ???}

"Nothing much, just contemplating how I'm planning to die," Kael replied.

"What?" Eve chuckled softly as she sat beside Kael.

The two began conversing for about 15 minutes straight.

"What?! You were bullied again!?" Eve questioned Kael with a concerned expression, her brows furrowed and a slight frown appeared on her face. She added, "I told that jerk to stop bullying you. Why didn't you fight back?"

"How do you expect me to fight against three Blessed?" Kael questioned.

"You're right... I'm sorry," Eve added. "Is that why you're wearing a face mask?"

Kael removes the mask and Eve sees the bruises near his mouth. Eve places her hands on her mouth and her eyes widen as she's shocked.

"I'm really sorry Kael," Eve said as she placed her hand on Kael's cheek.

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Kael said as he put on his mask.

A gyaru girl with red hair, and large earrings, dressed in the school uniform but wearing the jersey on her waist, comes walking through.

"There you are. Weren't we going to karaoke with the boys?"

{Eris Wagner: Orangefield student and Eve's friend. Society rank: Common. Astral Rank: D Tier. Skill:???}

"My bad, I'll be there," Eve added. "If anything happens please let me know."

"Right," Kael replied with a flustered face and a smile.

As Eve gets to her feet, Eris looks at Kael with a pensive frown on her face.

"..." Kael looks back in confusion.

Eve walks up to Eris and waves back at Kael with a soft smile.

"You still hang out with that guy?"

"Please Eris, don't be so cruel towards him," Eve said as they both walked out of the rooftop.

[Despite looking so innocent, Eve hangs around delinquents. I've tried so hard to get her out of that group but my efforts are always in vain. She even began dating my bully Ren in our second year. And because of my relationship with Eve, Ren's bullying only worsened, no matter how many times Eve begged. It's even getting hard to hide my bruises.]

Kael returns downstairs from the rooftop and all eyes are on him. He heads to his locker and opens it only to find sand in the locker.

"... They're at it again," Kael said with his eyelids lowered, with brows knitted, and a slightly open mouth expressing sorrow.

He takes his shoes out of the locker, dusts them off, and puts them on. He grabs his bag and walks out of the school premises. Kael is walking down the road, heading home while reading a webtoon on his phone and having his hand in his pocket.

As he's about to cross the road, he sees a truck loading a monster with everyone around taking pictures.

[Ashenfiends, these are creatures that appeared in our world 200 years ago. They make their way through a metaphysical crack in unknown areas and wreak havoc. These creatures are what put a hold on the Quad War and forced humanity to come together and battle them. The Ashenfiends feed off spiritual energy to allow themselves to grow stronger and live longer.]

"What are you looking at freak?" One of the passers-by recording the scene snarked at Kael.

"Sorry!" Kael squeaked as he tightened his grip on his bag and ran off. He arrives home, tosses his bag to the side, and sits on his Futon. After a few minutes, his room is a mess and he's reading a light novel.

[The ones fighting against these Ashenfiend Creatures are what the people call the Astral Magus. The Astral Magus are elite, awakened soldiers who channel the energy of the Astral Realm to wield extraordinary powers in service to the kingdom and are revered as protectors and enforcers of order.]

[I too have once dreamed of becoming an Astral Magus, everyone's gotta dream. But with the way I am, that dream is far-fetched. I mean, the people of Everglade will beat me close to death if I ever spoke of them. So I prayed, if I ever had the chance and awakened, I'd use my powers to stop discrimination. But there's never been reports of someone who awakened after age 12, and I'm powerless against the Blessed.]

A few days later...

[It's been exactly four days since we finished our final exam and made it through. Graduation is just days away, good thing it's not the passing you. My plans were now for me to enter a high school to study medicine.]

Kael hears a knock on the door, he checks it out and sees Eve standing at his door with Eris and Ren behind her.

"Eve..."

"Kael... Can we talk?"

TBC in the next episode!!