CHAPTER 78: DOWN HILL

Being at the peak of his life, Zephyr experienced true happiness for the first time. The triumphant return trip back to his hometown with the protection of an intermediate mage made him wear a wide smile.

The soul saw everything happening from the perspective of Zephyr, so he couldn’t personally see the smile. But he could feel his lips curling upwards occasionally.

After returning home, the first thing Zephyr saw was his frowning uncle. He was gritting his teeth and trying to stay as calm as he could.

Zephyr smiled widely.

Among the people who wanted to see him lose, the uncle was first. And he for certain didn’t like how he left home to become a mage. However, there was nothing he could do anymore.

For the first time, Zephyr mattered more in the family than everyone else. To be the top scorer in the mage selection examination and to be selected to join Storm Tower was an honour that none of the mages in their family line had.

Now, nobody could touch him. There would be no more punches and kicks directed at him anymore. In fact, they wouldn’t dare harm a hair on his head.

He smiled and searched for his sister. Soon, he found and began to speak to her.

Thereafter, the memory blurred. Time passed swiftly as the soul watched the happiest times of Zephyr’s life as fragmented pieces.

’Happy memories are fleeting, while the bad ones are etched forever into the mind. He is like everyone else...’ The soul commented as he watched everything play out like a movie that made no sense.

’...and from the peak of his life, he is about to fall into the abyss.’

As someone inhabiting the body of the future version, the soul knew where this story was going. For some reason, his heart ached as he watched it.

The young Zephyr and he shared a lot of similarities. Even through all their suffering, they carried the spark of hope.

Not the hope that everything will be okay. No, it was the hope that they could make some changes if they worked hard enough.

As everyone who carries this hope, he was about to be tested again.

Zephyr’s blurry memories regained clarity. The scene changed, and the soul found himself sitting alone in a small room.

"Zephy Venturi, is it?"

A man wearing navy blue mage robes walked into the room and asked. He shifted his body and calmly sat in front of Zephyr, holding a piece of paper.

"Yes," Zephyr answered, clasping his hands together tightly under the table.

"You know why you were invited here today, right?" The man asked.

"Hm..." Zephyr nodded.

The man was expressionless as he acknowledged Zephyr. Then he placed the paper on the table and began to speak.

"As you know, your mana core is defective. We conducted many tests and concluded that the possibility of your mana core growing is close to zero. You could try other methods if you want, but we suggest you leave Storm Tower before that." He said and pushed the paper forward.

Zephyr watched, frozen.

Seeing his hesitation, the man sighed and motioned for him to pick up and read it.

Zephyr hesitated again before finally moving his hand forward under the heavy gaze of the person.

Still, after touching it, he couldn’t lift it. The paper felt as heavy as a thousand iron ingots. The burden of lifting it was far too great.

Even without reading it, Zephyr knew what was written on it. He had heard someone mention what happens to failed mages.

Seeing him waste time, the man sitting opposite Zephyr tapped the edge of the table.

"Kid, don’t waste my time." He said coldly.

The thirteen-year-old Zephyr trembled under his gaze. The man was a mage far stronger than his uncle, possibly even an intermediate mage. Just the aura he exuded was enough to make him faint. Fortunately, the man was able to keep his aura under control.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Zephyr finally lifted the paper and read it.

"I, Zephyr Venturi, wish to resign from the Storm Tower due to my inability to become a true mage. By doing so, I also promise to return all material support I received from the tower, including land, money, elixirs, potions, etc, in full. I hereby declare that the Storm Tower has full authority for reclaiming what was given to me if I fail to do so.

Signature

Mana seal

Zephyr Venturi."

Zephyr read the letter aloud slowly, each word heavier than before. His mind blanked when he saw the last few words.

The thought that everything given to him was about to be taken away made him think of his sister and her children. Then, he thought back to what would happen when his uncle knew he had left the tower.

A suffocating feeling hung above his chest. He unknowingly tightened his grip around the paper, making the person sitting opposite him frown.

Zephyr was too preoccupied to notice it. His life was crumbling before his eyes. He was about to fall after touching the sky. There was no way for him to survive...

Suddenly, he froze.

He re-read the words written on the paper.

"It’s written as if I want to leave..." He muttered in a barely audible voice.

"What?" The man sitting opposite him asked, confused.

"It’s written as if I made the decision to leave." This time, Zephyr spoke up.

For the past few days, ever since he knew he had a defective core, he was plagued by the thought of being kicked out.

When?

How?

What would happen later?

All of these thoughts ran through his mind like a rampaging ogre, tearing apart the last bit of peace he had. It reminded him of the time when he lived with his uncle. It was unpleasant to say the least.

Now, when faced with the reality that he was about to be kicked out, Zephyr calmed down. In desperation, he latched onto the fact that the Tower wanted to make him leave willingly. A new hope emerged in his mind.

"Why is it like that?" He asked.

Zephyr noticed a slight change in the posture of the person sitting opposite him.

"That’s how it’s done. Sign now and leave before it gets worse." He said.

"I don’t want to," Zephyr replied.

It was his true thought. He didn’t want to leave the Storm Tower.

Leaving means losing the protection of the tower. Without it, his uncle would certainly make his life a living hell.

And the land and castle bestowed upon them were something he could never earn in this life. After all, he was a mage with a defective core—a failure in all senses. Handing it over means returning to poverty.

The Venturis, though originally a wealthy family, was brought to its knees by the reckless management of his uncle. They barely had food on their table these days.

He couldn’t allow his sister and her children to return to poverty again.

"I don’t want to leave." He said again.

The crease that appeared on the man’s forehead made Zephyr look away. It was the first time he was openly resisting the Storm Tower.

"There is no choice but to leave. We are going to kick you out if you are unwilling to sign the letter. That wouldn’t be a pleasant experience."

Zephyr shook his head.

"No, you are not." He resisted the aura exuded by the man and continued. "The Tower has a reputation to maintain. Kicking out a person chosen as the first in an exam after seeing he was not talented would not look good in the eyes of the public."

Zephyr vaguely suggested that the trust the public had in the tower would disappear if he were kicked out.

"So, you won’t kick me out. That’s why you want me to sign the letter. You care about your reputation. And I don’t."

Zephyr almost cried as he said the last few words. He abandoned his pride and shame. One way or another, he was going to stay as a mage affiliated with the tower.

"Zephyr, there are other ways to make you leave." The man tapped the table in annoyance. "For example, we could make up a reason to kick you out. It could be anything else, other than your talent."

"Then do it." Zephyr wiped his eyes and said. "You and tower masters bragged about my character and my talent to the rest of the magic towers. You even challenged the genius from Chaos Tower in my name, saying that I would defeat their genius five years later after I learned all your teachings."

Zephyr paused to take a breath.

"Do you really want to kick me out after all that? As matter stands, everyone will question what happened when I leave. Those who hate you will make it grand news, questioning the morality and honour of the tower. They will use it as a weapon to harm your reputation."

Zephyr paused again, this time looking straight at the man sitting opposite him.

"So, do you really want to kick me out?" He asked.

His voice cracked at the end as the saliva ran dry.

Sitting opposite him, the mage clenched his fist. Zephyr, the weakest mage in existence, had become a problem for them. As he said, dismissing him was not an option for the time being.

The soul watched everything play out with a smile. The young Zephyr was not a fool. Though he lived like a meek bookworm, he showed he too had a spine in that moment.

’That’s it.’ The soul applauded.