Chapter 57: The Divide
Ronald, Tina, and Edmund moved carefully through the dim, eerie depths of the Stone Forest. The forest always felt alive, like it was breathing just out of sight, its strange sounds creeping up on them at unpredictable moments. Twisted roots jutted out from the forest floor, snaking in between the trees like the tendrils of some forgotten creature. In the stillness, the occasional rustle of leaves or snap of a twig set their hearts racing, their nerves on edge. It had been over a month since the Tower had opened the gates to the Inner Perimeter, and yet the unsettling nature of the forest never seemed to fade.
Ronald couldn't shake the feeling that the Stone Forest was watching them. The dim light barely penetrated the dense canopy, casting strange shadows across the ground. Every time they ventured out, there was a creeping sense of something unnatural lurking just beyond their vision. The oppressive atmosphere clung to him like a second skin. He hated it. He glanced at Tina and Edmund, noticing the tension in their faces. Even they, with all their confidence and pride as gifted, were on edge. But they would never admit it.
Tina broke the silence first, her voice dripping with disdain. “I’ve seen the non-gifted walking around here like they’re invincible. It’s laughable. They don’t even realize how pathetic they are.” Her tone was casual, but there was an undeniable venom behind her words. She kicked a rock aside as they walked, her eyes narrowing. “Freaks. Some of them will be lucky if their experiments don’t turn them into something worse than what we fight out here.”
Edmund nodded, his face twisted into a sneer. “They’re used to filth. It’s no surprise they’re not as afraid of dark and dirty places. They’ve lived like that their whole lives. We’re different—this is beneath us. We come from families that understand magic and have wealth and power. We weren’t meant for crawling around in the mud.” His voice was sharp, with a layer of superiority that Ronald had come to expect from him. “Besides, once we’ve grasped our mana fully, none of this will matter. We’ll be able to crush anything that comes our way.”
Ronald stayed quiet, his stomach twisting with discomfort. He had been around Tina and Edmund, and their haughty attitudes weren’t new to him. They both came from noble families with deep connections to magic—families that had given them a head start in understanding mana and its applications. For them, the non-gifted were little more than pests, an inferior group destined to struggle and fail. But Ronald couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of unease as he listened to them. He’d met non-gifted recruits before, Sena, Nando, Abel, and Isabella, and they were anything but weak. In fact, they seemed stronger in ways that made him question everything he'd been taught.
As they traversed deeper into the eastern part of the forest, Tina’s eyes flickered with suspicion. “Ronald, remind me again, why did you want to come out here? You’ve been quiet since we left the Tower.”
Ronald hesitated. He had brought them to the eastern lakes under the guise of gathering resources, but the truth was far more complicated. He had been delving into some non-gifted research recently, and the thought of exposing that to his friends made him uneasy. He knew how they would react, but he had hoped—foolishly, perhaps—that they might understand.
“I... I’ve been looking into something,” Ronald began, his voice tentative. “Something tied to non-gifted techniques.”
There was a sharp pause. Tina and Edmund exchanged incredulous glances before bursting into laughter.
“Non-gifted techniques?” Tina scoffed, her voice dripping with mockery. “You’ve got to be kidding. Why in the world would you waste your time on that?”
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Edmund’s smile was smug as he shook his head. “You can’t be serious, Ronald. We’re gifted. Why would you even think about dabbling in something so beneath us? It’s pointless.”
Ronald felt his face flush with frustration. He had expected ridicule, but it still stung to hear their dismissal. “It’s not about that,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “It’s about power. The non-gifted have found ways to become stronger, to manipulate magic in ways we haven’t even considered. And if it makes us stronger—strong enough to protect the Tower, to protect humanity—then why does it matter where the knowledge comes from?”
Tina folded her arms, her expression turning cold. “Because it’s dirty magic, Ronald. It's unnatural. The non-gifted are obsessed with trying to keep up with us, but they’ll never succeed. We have the real power. We’re the ones who will make a difference.”
Edmund nodded in agreement, his voice laced with scorn. “You need to rethink this, Ronald. We’re above that. The non-gifted can scramble for scraps all they want, but in the end, they’ll still be beneath us. Let them rot.”
Ronald clenched his fists, feeling the weight of their words. He had hoped to convince them to see the bigger picture, to understand that strength was the only thing that mattered in the end. But it was clear they couldn’t—or wouldn’t—see past their own arrogance. Defeated, he nodded. “Fine,” he muttered. “Let’s just go.”
Just as they turned to leave, a sharp sound pierced the air—a low, guttural growl that sent shivers down their spines. Ronald spun around just in time to see a large, grotesque creature lunging at them from the shadows. It resembled a rat but was far larger and more nightmarish, with glowing red eyes and jagged teeth that dripped with saliva. A dark, pulsating aura clung to its mangy fur, making it clear this was no ordinary creature—it was tainted with some twisted form of magic.
“Get back!” Edmund shouted, his hand already reaching for his mana, but the creature was fast—faster than they had anticipated.
Tina was the first to react, drawing upon her earth affinity. The ground beneath her feet trembled, and with a swift motion, she summoned a jagged wall of stone, blocking the creature’s initial charge as she also made her skin tougher. The beast slammed into the barrier, snarling viciously, but it didn’t stop. It clawed its way up the stone, leaping over the top with terrifying speed.
Ronald felt his heart race as he tried to summon his own mana. His hands glowed faintly with the blue hue of water affinity, but the creature was relentless, swiping at him with razor-sharp claws. He dodged, narrowly avoiding the strike, but his mind was racing—this wasn’t just any forest creature. It was something far worse.
Edmund finally unleashed his own power, focusing his fire mana into a whip of flame that engulfed the creature’s side. The rat-like beast screeched in pain, its fur catching fire, but it didn’t fall. Instead, it turned its glowing red eyes on Edmund, snarling with a terrifying intensity. It lunged again, but this time Ronald was ready.
With a quick motion, Ronald sent a surge of water mana toward the creature, the liquid striking its burning body. It struggled, the flames sizzling against the water. Tina took the opportunity to strike, sending a earthen strike on the creature followed by picking up a stone on the side and smashing it down on its side, finally pinning it to the ground.
They stood there, panting and shaken, as the creature writhed beneath the stone before finally going still.
“We need to get out of here,” Tina said, her voice breathless but steady. “This place is worse than I thought.”
Ronald glanced at the creature, his mind still racing. He offered to heal the minor injuries they had sustained, but both Tina and Edmund shook their heads, rejecting his help. It was clear the tension between them hadn’t been lessened by the fight—if anything, it had grown worse.
“We’re leaving,” Edmund said, his voice firm. “This was a waste of time. Let’s get back to the Tower.”
Ronald watched as they turned and started back toward the Tower, leaving him standing there alone. He felt a strange mix of defeat and frustration, but also something else—determination. He knew what he had to do.