The rays of the midday sun filtered through the sun-drenched leaves, casting playful shadows on the foliole-covered ground. Small animals darted across half-buried trails, scavenging for fallen nuts and berries. Fat-bellied insects nestled in the moss-covered trunks of the thick, majestic trees that soared from the ground toward the cerulean blue sky.

The symphony of birds calling to one another, animal chittering, and the hum of insects filled the air. Unexpectedly, the sound of desperate panting shattered the tranquil scene as a small girl stumbled and collided with one of the moss-covered trunks. Small animals scurried for cover, birds fell silent, and the forest plunged into an abrupt quiet. The heavy breathing echoed in the sudden stillness.

Jayde Freehold sprang off the ground, her legs trembling from fatigue. Using her left arm to brace against the moss-covered trunk, she bowed her head, her sticky black hair hanging limply and covering her face as she greedily gulped in air.

After a couple of minutes, Jayde lifted her head. Eyes filled with desperation and despair scanned her surroundings, barely registering the natural beauty around her. Her sole focus was putting distance between herself and those pursuing her.

Her small teeth gnawed on dry, cracked lips, drawing small beads of blood as she threw a desperate look over her shoulder. Pushing off the tree trunk, Jayde accelerated, soon sprinting through the small forest.

Jayde's heart raced, fever-bright eyes darting around as she navigated fallen logs and broken branches. Her hand covered the right side of her aching abdomen. Sweat streamed down her pale face, thorny branches leaving numerous small red cuts. Muscles burned, but despite exhaustion, Jayde didn't halt her sprint.

Knowing that capture meant a terrible ordeal, Jayde envisioned the torment her second uncle would inflict, urging her to hasten her pace. Chorus howls, interspersed with barks, growls, and whines, reached her ears. She stumbled and fell, small sharp stones biting into her hands and knees.

Not registering the burning pain, Jayde scrambled to her feet. Despair filled her as she thought, 'The seeker hounds have picked up my scent.' Maniac energy fueled Jayde as she grabbed fistsful of her hair, eyes darting frantically. Her scalp stung as she pulled out small clumps of hair. Panic stole rational thought as she raced off.

Her breath came in small, hot spurts. Scar-riddled fingers curled into dainty, sweaty fists, swinging forward as if to run faster. Excited howls, yips, and barks of the seeker hounds echoed behind her.

'By the gods, please let me live,' she silently prayed, throwing herself forward with greater abandon. Lungs burned, heart raced, and the air felt insufficient as she sprinted, limbs trembling with fatigue and panic.

Born in a world where magic was commonplace, Jayde stood alone, cursed with a weak body and no magic. Considered a waste, she had faced thirteen years of being told to be grateful for not being drowned at birth. Branded a freak without magic, Jayde ran blindly in frantic panic, heedless of caution.

Throwing desperate looks over her shoulder, she failed to notice a small animal burrow in front of her. Her right foot plunged into a deep hole, and she tumbled to the ground. Sprawled face down in rotting vegetation, she raised her dirt-covered face, attempting to lift herself up.

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Shooting, stabbing pain in her right ankle made her cry out. Realizing her ankle couldn't support her, dread filled her as she crawled to hands and knees, fear of what lay behind her propelling her forward like a baby over mushy vegetation on the ground.

✦✦✦

An hour later, Jayde's fingers and hands were raw and bleeding, legs and arms trembling with fatigue, sides of her abdomen aching terribly. Barely any strength left, she lifted her head, gauging the distance to the Dark Forest. It still looked too far away, seeker hounds closing in.

Tears slowly leaked from her eyes. Despair and hopelessness enveloped her heart and soul. Knowing she wouldn't make it, Jayde resigned herself to the dreadful fate awaiting her, resting her back against a broken tree trunk.

With her back against the dark wooden trunk, Jayde stared unseeing up at the blue sky above her. Small tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. Returning alive to the Freehold Estate would lead to a slow and torturous end. Thoughts darted disjointedly as she tried to figure a way to avoid the pain she knew was coming.

'If only I had a dagger,' she thought wistfully, 'then at least I could slit my own throat or plunge it into my heart.' As the wishful thought crossed her mind, Jayde let out a short, bitter bark of laughter. She never had the courage to take her own life, having considered it many times in the

past, but always chickening out. Cursing herself for being a weak coward, she tried to think of a plan to reduce the suffering that awaited her.

After discarding numerous strategies and ideas, the only feasible plan was to make her second uncle angry. He loathed her, notorious for his short temper. If she could provoke him enough, he might forget his strength as a Rank A fire sentinel and impulsively end her life.

Jayde hugged her drawn-up knees, bowing her head, her thoughts returning to earlier events in the day that led to her current plight.

✦✦✦

6 hours earlier.

Jayde's day had started like any typical day, rising before the sun, bathing in the small lake on the Freehold Estate. After donning a clean robe, she hurried to the main family wing, entering the large kitchen on Restday. Assigned to work in the kitchen, she found it preferable to the labor on workdays.

The kitchen had stone floors, racks with pots and pans, and counters for dish preparation. Aroma of cooking dire-boar and the sounds of slaves toiling over stoves filled the air. Jayde, happy it was Restday, worked for three hours, helping prepare breakfast for the leading family.

Afterwards, Mama Dee, the head of the kitchen, sent her off to rest, ordering a return within an hour to assist with lunch. Apron pockets bulging with 'liberated' food, Jayde waved to Mama Dee, who rewarded the kitchen staff that morning. Mama Dee handed Jayde a fresh scone, feeling its slight warmth against her leg through her dress.

Content with her harvest, Jayde hummed a happy tune, sneaking through a seldom-used courtyard. Looking for a quiet spot to enjoy her scone, she avoided other slaves and servants who would beat her for the food. Small and frail, malnutrition made her look younger than thirteen, yet physically strong for a magic-free human.

In a secluded garden, Jayde sat on a stone bench, savoring the scone. For a moment, happiness filled her; her stomach wasn't empty, Mama Dee had only smacked her once, and today was one of the better days.

Dusting crumbs off her hands, Jayde prepared to leave, planning to hide the rest of her 'liberated' food before returning to the kitchen. If quick, she might steal more food, maybe even meat, imagining the taste, saliva filled her mouth. Standing, she left the garden.

Following a stone path toward the slave pits, Jayde heard voices—her third sister Saphira and her younger cousin Edvard. Saphira, a Silver rank Fire Sentinel knight class 4, and Edvard, a Silver rank water Enchanter Knight class 3.

Although Saphira was Jayde's third sister, Jayde wanted nothing more than to just run away from both her and Edward.

Just like everyone else in her family, they made her life a living hell! What for? - because she was born magicless.

Jayde should have been born a powerful mage, but fate sure knew how to play cruel jokes on her.