**Chapter 8: The Weight of a Core**

The forest was still as the last of the Shadow Beast’s energy faded into the ether, leaving only silence in its wake. The group stood over the remains of the creature, its body having dissipated into dark mist. Only one thing remained—a shimmering, dark crystal lying in the grass where the beast had fallen.

Lyra crouched down, picking up the small, gleaming object. Her eyes widened in surprise. "A beast core," she murmured.

Elias, still catching his breath after the intense battle, looked over curiously. "What’s a beast core?"

Lyra stood, holding the crystal between her fingers. It pulsed with a faint dark energy, almost like it was alive. "This is the crystallization of a beast’s mana," she explained. "When powerful magical creatures die, sometimes their essence condenses into these. They’re extremely valuable."

Elias looked closer, the core’s faint glow casting shadows on Lyra’s face. "Valuable? Like how much?"

Griffin, wiping sweat from his brow, chuckled. "More than you can imagine. A core like this, from a Darkness beast, could sell for up to a million tals."

Elias’s eyes widened. "A million tals?!" He had no concept of such a sum. His family’s entire monthly income didn’t even scratch the surface of that kind of wealth. "But why would it be worth so much?"

Lyra nodded, pocketing the core for safekeeping. "Because only elites use them. A core contains the concentrated mana of the beast it came from. Sorcerers with the same element as the beast can absorb the core, drastically increasing their strength. But these are rare, especially darkness cores."

"Absorbing it…" Elias repeated, watching the core disappear into Lyra’s pouch. His mind raced at the idea of something so valuable, something that could make a sorcerer stronger in an instant. "So, only those with the same element as the beast can use it?"

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"Yes," Lyra confirmed. "Otherwise, the core would be useless to you. It takes a lot of skill to absorb the core properly, too—one mistake, and the energy could harm the user. That’s why most normal sorcerers don’t even bother. Instead, they strengthen themselves the old-fashioned way—by draining and refilling their magical energy over time."

Elias nodded slowly, processing the information. He had never thought about magic in such a practical way before. To him, it had always been something distant, something unattainable. But hearing Lyra talk about it so casually made him realize just how deep the world of sorcery really was.

Lyra turned her gaze back to Elias, her expression shifting to one of curiosity. "What’s your element, Elias?"

Elias paused, looking away slightly. He had been dreading this question ever since he joined their group. "I… haven’t awakened yet."

The silence that followed was deafening. All eyes turned to him, and the atmosphere changed in an instant. It wasn’t contempt or mockery that he saw in their gazes, but something else—calculation, perhaps even caution.

"You haven’t… awakened?" Lyra’s voice held a note of surprise, but she masked it quickly.

Elias nodded, feeling the weight of their stares. "Yeah, I… I never got my magic. It’s been three years since I turned 13, but nothing’s happened."

Griffin, who had always been supportive, now wore a look of contemplation. Finn and Soren exchanged glances, their expressions hard to read. Even Kael, who had been friendly earlier, seemed more distant now.

Only Rhea remained unchanged, her cold, indifferent gaze still fixed on the clearing where the Shadow Beast had been. She didn’t even glance at Elias, as if his admission didn’t matter to her in the slightest.

Lyra recovered quickly, offering a small smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. "That’s… unexpected. Most children awaken their magic by 13, and if they don’t, it usually means…" Her voice trailed off, as if she didn’t want to finish the thought.

Elias knew what she was implying. If someone hadn’t awakened by now, they likely never would. He had heard it before, from others in his village. It was why he spent so much time training his body—because he had accepted the possibility that magic might never come to him.

Still, standing here among these powerful sorcerers, it stung more than usual.

Griffin cleared his throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Well, awakened or not, you held your own today, Elias. You’ve got good aim, and that counts for something."

The others nodded in agreement, but the warmth that had been present earlier was gone. There was no malice, but the dynamic had clearly shifted. Elias wasn’t one of them—not fully. And now they knew.

Lyra glanced at Rhea, who remained silent, then back to Elias. "You did well today. But if you ever do awaken… you should be careful. Powers like these can be dangerous without proper control."

Elias forced a smile. "Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind."

The group began packing up, the atmosphere still tense from the revelation. As they gathered their belongings and prepared to leave, Elias couldn’t shake the feeling that everything had changed in a matter of moments. The beast core, the talk of elements and power—it was all a reminder of how far he still had to go.

As they walked through the forest, the weight of the unspoken words hung heavily in the air. Elias’s mind raced, but one thought stood out above the rest: *I will find a way. Magic or not, I’ll prove myself.