"The wind howled. The stench of dried blood reeked through the battlefield. The field of corpses stretched throughout the distance. I always knew power like this could be dangerous in the wrong hands... but I never thought it would be the most dangerous with me. I trampled my way through the pile of disfigured bodies, resting my sword on my shoulder and gripping the handle tightly. Then, he also emerged across from me. I always knew he despised me, but I never imagined it would go this far. He drew his sword and started charging at me. I struggled to lift my blade; my arm was busted. The adrenaline coursing through me was enough to break my body... this was life or death. I managed to pick it up and began charging at him. I never wanted this, but if necessary... then so be it. Then-"

"Wait, wait, wait". The old man interrupted, "Start from the beginning, the real beginning. If you want my help with this war, then I want all the details."

I hesitated, "Yes, sensei," I replied. "I guess it started as..."

****

Zero Langham

I ran through the hallways, pushing everyone aside. My excitement was filling me up. Then, I finally found him."

"Ay Zero!" He yelled through the hallways. I walked up to him.

"Toho! We did it! We actually got in!" I blurted as we did our handshake.

I just got accepted into Celestia Academy, the most prestigious academy in my hometown of Celestiala and still one of the best on the continent. We worked our asses off to get in, and we finally did. Toho and I also got into the same class, led by Sensei Gohan. We made our way to the classroom, room A001. We entered the classroom to meet our new teacher, Sensei Gohan. His physique was tough, muscle creased through his forearms and shoulders. He gave off an aura that pressured us, yet his face was sincere. His gentle voice told us to pick our seats. Toho and I walked past the aisles of many desks, even though the number of students was small. I shook my head, moving a strand of my wheat-like colored hair out of my eye.

My gaze turned to this girl. She was adjusting her uniform and skirt in her seat. Our eyes met.

"Hey. Can I sit here?" I asked. 

"Yeah! Of course, " she replied. Her smile was bright, her eyes soft, yet she gave off a strong presence. I sat behind her, and Toho sat to my right. A gap separated us.

She turned around in her seat and smiled again. "So, what's your name? I'm Terra Kincaid." Then Toho introduced himself to her. Then I did.

"I'm Zero Langham," I introduced myself as another girl skips through the aisle that separates me from Toho.

"I'm Anya!" She yelled, joining in on our conversation. She wrapped her arms around Terra's neck and hugged her.

"Are you sisters?" I asked. Terra explained that they were childhood friends, and Toho and I nodded. 

A loud thud came from across the classroom. When we all looked over, we saw another student, almost similar to me in looks. He was sitting on the back of a larger student.

"A fight already?" Toho asked while chuckling. The student got up and began to charge up an attack but was stopped by a mysterious figure that flashed before him. 

"No magic or abilities are allowed to be used by those under the age of 16." The figure said, his voice was cold. It was Gohan. His once sympathetic persona was erased.

***

We began the introduction with our teacher, Gohan. Gohan was actually a Superior Sorcerer. Superior Sorcerer is the rank given to those at the top of the Sorcerer world. The lowest rank was Rookie, followed by D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, Warrior, and Superior.

All students under 16 are unranked. Once you are above 16, you can get tested and ranked. Gohan was a retired Superior Sorcerer. After Gohan finished his introduction, the students went up and introduced themselves individually. 

"The name is Caelan Rook," The young man announced. "My technique is Phantom Forge. It allows me to mold Essence into a chosen weapon or object."

Essence is the fundamental energy that flows through everything in the world. It is the core force that gives life to all beings, objects, and natural phenomena. It exists both within the physical realm—which can be seen as energy or power—and within the spiritual realm, where it connects the mind and soul of every living being. Essence travels through and is used through passages in your body called Essence Veins.

Every individual has an Essence Pool, which is the reservoir of energy they can draw from to perform various techniques, shape their environment, or manifest their abilities. This pool is finite, and the more Essence a person uses, the more they deplete their reserve. To prevent exhaustion, balance is essential when wielding Essence.

There are different Essence Types, each tied to a specific aspect of life or natural force, such as fire, water, wind, earth, or even more abstract concepts like light, shadow, or time. Techniques are abilities that can be used via Essence. Innate Techniques are techniques you are born with. Everyone commonly has one, except the rare few with two or more techniques. There is another type of technique: Learned Techniques. They are techniques that can be learned. Innate Techniques can never be learned. During fights, Innate Techniques are typically used to give an upper advantage, but we often fight by coating our bodies with Essence and Learned Techniques.  Learned Techniques are mostly how we fight in battles; they are able to be learned by anyone, and many are more powerful and harder to learn. A couple of Learned Techniques involving common basics like Fireball, Thunder Strike, Water Beam, and more.

Essence is both a source of power and a reflection of harmony. It can be manipulated to create, destroy, or transform, but it must always be controlled carefully. Overuse or improper handling can lead to Essence Drain, where the user’s life force is depleted, resulting in exhaustion, injury, or even death. Mastery of Essence requires physical strength, mental clarity, discipline, and a deep understanding of the world around them.

Caelan finished his introduction and then went on to the next. The next person was the student who caused the fight earlier.

"Everyone!" He yelled, "Be honored. You're in my presence, Lucian Wraith."

I suddenly became interested. "Wraith," I whispered to myself. It was the name of one of the most noble family in Celestiala. My family once actually met the Wraiths. "You're telling me this kid, Lucian, is their child?" I asked myself.

"My Innate Technique is Spectral; I can summon and control spirits or ethereal beings and use them as scouts or attackers. So yeah, I'm pretty cool," Lucian said with a smug grin on his face.

"I'm looking at my notes here, and they say there is also a downside to your technique." Gohan interrupts, raising his eyebrow.

Lucian stutters, "Well, sometimes my spirits are unpredictable and might turn on me or go rogue..." He finished. 

I looked around the class and could tell from the expression on everyone's faces that they all recognized him from the noble family.

"Next is Zero Langham." Gohan pointed to me. 

The classroom muttered about my last name. I stood on the small podium and managed to say hello. One random student stood up:

"You're from that famous noble family, Langham?!" she yelled. 

"Sit down, Kara." Gohan retorted. "It is true though. Your fellow classmate here is from the Langham clan."

I gave out an exasperated sigh. Then, the same girl that blurted out stood up again:

"I'm so sorry for your parents," She said in a more gentle voice.

"Kara! Sit!" Gohan yelled. "We are sorry for bringing that up, Zero."

"It's fine," I replied. "My name is Zero Langham, and I am from the Langham family." I started. I looked around the classroom and found Lucian staring at me. I looked at someone different. I looked at Terra and continued, "My technique is..." I trailed off, remembering a certain memory. 

"Perhaps you should sit down? You don't look well," Gohan put his hand on my shoulder. I got off the podium and returned to my seat behind Terra. It felt like all eyes were on me, including Terra. 

Terra whispered, " I knew your name sounded familiar." She remarked. "Are you alright? You didn't look so well after that student blurted out."

"I'm alright, thanks though," I quickly responded. She nodded, turned back around, and focused on the introductions.

I couldn't focus on anything else afterward. The sudden memory of my parents' last words came to my mind after that girl brought it up.

***

I was only 4 years old. My parents dropped me off at my Aunt's house. 

"Where are you going?" I asked. I was so gentle and innocent back then. 

"Just a small errand, sweetheart. Aunt Vierma will be here for you. By morning, we'll be here," My mother responded.

"Bu-B-But that's so long, and I don't like sleeping," I said

My mother chuckled, "How about we invite Toho over the weekend?". 

My eyes lit up, and I nodded. I slept that night. I never had any worries during these times... until I woke up. The sound of cries downstairs woke me up. I checked the window, and it was still night. I sneaked down to find my Aunt Vierma bawling while this older gentleman was comforting her. He was tall and wore a black suit. He noticed me immediately and warned my Aunt. She put me back into bed while still crying. I never understood what happened until the next morning. My parents never came back from their errand. They had guards surrounding them, but some attacker took out all of them and was strong enough to kill my parents. This news broke me far beyond anything. Not even Toho could help my case. I've always been the strongest due to my technique, but this was the first time I felt powerless. From that day, my aunt took care of me. My aunt became my everything, and I swore to myself to fight, to keep fighting for her. 

***

I snapped back to reality from my memories.

"You okay?" Toho was shaking me violently, yet his voice was low.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Well, that concludes the introduction class. It was a pleasure to meet all of you, and we will begin education tomorrow to help you be the best you can be. Class is dismissed!" Gohan yelled. Terra got up and walked out of the classroom, surrounded by Anya and a couple others who I didn't know because I wasn't even paying attention. I turned around to meet Lucian in my face. I yelped before pushing him back. "What the hell is your deal?" 

Lucian smirked, "You!" He pointed his finger at me, "Watch your back"

Toho stepped in, "What the hell is your deal?" Lucian let out a laugh with a sense of antagonism.

"There is only a place for one child of a noble in this prestigious school, and it'll be me. Enjoy your stay at this academy, it won't be for long,"

My brows furrowed. I knew the power the Wraiths family held. Lucian's two older brothers were both members of the World Council. They were Governors, so they had immense power. "You trying to pick a fight?" I glared at him.

"Watch your mouth. Keep talking, and I'll turn you into a zero." He chuckled and walked off. "And don't forget, even if your a noble, you're still a Kuro"

***

Toho and I found our dorm room. We both agreed to be roommates to save ourselves some money. I still won't inherit the fortune for another year, so I have to ration the money my Aunt saved up for me. Toho and I settled into our rooms, and we relaxed on the couch and turned on the TV. My mind drifted off as random thoughts went in and out. I cleared my mind and focused. My main focus in coming into the Academy was to become strong and earn a living. I've had an aspiration to become the strongest Sorcerer. Many fall into that delusion and fail, but I know I'm different. But, before I fully commit to that goal, I just need to become a Superior Sorcerer first and cement myself as one of the strongest.

"Ay ay! Listen to this".

"-earch for the Wonders. I repeat: The World Council has officially placed an executive order to divert a small portion of Elor's resources to begin searching for the 7 Wonders." The reporter on the TV repeated.

I stood up, staring at the TV. I always thought it was a myth. The 7 Wonders, each granting an ability over existence. The 7 Wonders took the form of crystals, each a different color. Long ago, during the Great War, The Kuros, my race, used them in an attempt to wipe out all other races on this planet and take it for themselves. They believed they were the superior race; every race believed that, but the Kuros wanted to prove it, and they decided to bring together all 7 Wonders to wipe out the universe. However, they failed in their attempt, and the battle destroyed half of the entire southern part of our planet; it has now become a waste, dead land named Battle Front. The battle was so catastrophic it destroyed just a little less than half of the population... that's billions of lives lost. Even today, our population still hasn't recovered, and the Wonders have been lost throughout the universe. 

"One of the 7 Wonders has been located; it is currently safely hidden. The World Council is plotting its next course of action. I will repeat once more one of the 7 Wonders has been located. This proves their existence, and the World Council plans on locating all of them before other planets do". The reporter on TV exclaimed. 

"This may be a good thing for our planet, Elor, but still, Toho... this proves us Kuros as the genocidal race." I retorted. Toho's expression changed to more somber. The existence of the 7 Wonders has always been considered a myth. However, the entire world still believes that our Kuros ancestors did try to erase our planet's population. But now, the 7 Wonders are confirmed. This proves that Kuros may actually be what everyone says we are. "This is just going to make our lives worse...".

Toho interrupted, "No. It was our ancestors from centuries ago. Also, just because they were discovered proves nothing." My expression still hasn't changed. Toho jumped in again, "This won't change much. After all, once we rise in the ranks and cement ourselves as top heroes, we'll get nothing but respect." Toho shot a smile. 

I smiled back, "You're right." Toho got up, and our hands met in a dap, "Let's do this."

The TV reporter said, "Attention folks, we have more news! The World Council has decided to give us more information. The current Wonder they have found is of unknown details. However, the World Council has come to the conclusion to entrust the first out of 7 Wonders to our planet's number one hero: Seraphis Valenor. She is tasked with finding out the power granted by the Wonder that takes the form of a yellow, orange, golden crystal. She has confirmed that she will appear in public and reveal further details. 

Toho and I glance at each other, "We'll hit the top together," He says enthusiastically.

"Hell yeah," I respond

****

The old Sensei cut in, "I remember that day. It's only been a couple of years since that day. It changed everything."

"Yeah," I replied. A long pause took place.

"Well, a lot has changed," He said. "Come on, continue."

"Yes, Master Renzo"