''Let's break up.''

A beautiful young lady with blonde hair and blue eye seriously spoke staring at the young body in front of her across the wooden table. The young boy was startled. Hadn't they just sat down, and these were the first words she spoke? "What?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"I said let's break up," she repeated.

"Why? What happened? I was never mean to you. I always messaged you back—" he started to plead.

"And?" Beatrice made an inaudible 'tsk' sound before continuing, "Clay, you are really the worst understanding boyfriend. You don't even possess the qualities I look for."

Clay's heart shattered at her words. "What...what do you mean? We've been together for over a year."

"You really don't understand, and here I thought you were smart. Well, you were before your talent result came out as a grade. I like capable men, unlike you."

Clay was speechless, his hands trembling. He didn't comprehend anything and didn't know what to say. Beatrice stood up and walked away from the table towards the door. Just as she was about to twist the doorknob, Clay quickly regained his senses and shouted after her, "But a grade is still good!"

Beatrice turned her head and glanced at Clay. "My beautiful appearance deserves someone more talented than a mere grade." She twisted the doorknob and opened the door, leaving the small restaurant.

Ding Ding

The bells on the door jingled as it opened and closed, leaving Clay stunned behind.

After a few moments of complete shock, he regained his composure and quietly muttered, "Status Window."

A futuristic blue hologram window appeared in front of Clay, visible only to himself.

[Name: Clay Crest

Age: 16

Rank: G

Class: None

Titles: None

Vitality: G / Strength: G / Agility: G+ / Stamina: G / Mana: F

Skills: Ice Shard]

Clay stared at his status window. His stats were average, but in the Academy, they were below average. Did he feel guilty or regret for being born with a 'mere' talent by Beatrice's standard in a world of magic and swords where talent and strength mattered? No. He cherished his parents who gave birth to him.

Clay clenched his fists tightly, then unclenched them and deeply sighed. He stood up and walked outside the restaurant, needing some fresh air and peace of mind..

As he walked outside, he looked up at the dark sky with his sea-blue eyes filled with pain. He placed his right hand on his chest.

Ba-dump

'...It's beating quite fast, is it sorrow?' he inwardly thought while feeling the beat of his heart.

Clay took a deep breath of the chilly air, letting it fill his lungs. The crisp night air did little to calm the turmoil in his heart. He couldn't believe Beatrice had broken up with him over his talent grade. He had always thought their relationship was built on more than just strength.

But now, he couldn't help but wonder if she was right. Maybe he wasn't good enough for her. Maybe he was just a below-average nobody in a world where strength and talent were everything. The continues cycle of thoughts was depressing, and he didn't want to dwell on it, he needed to figure out the reason.

He glanced at the direction towards the academy, he could almost see the buildings from all the way over here, showcasing how massive the academy really is. All accepted students were granted access to reside in the dormitory, and he was no exception. He recalled inspecting the dorm before hastily leaving to meet his now ex-girlfriend. The dormitory was modest but tidy, equipped with a bedroom, kitchen, living room, and bathroom. Although he had been assigned to the lowest class, he was grateful for the accommodation.

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Fortunately, he no longer had to endure a daily commute by train from his former residence, which was far from the academy.

As he walked down the busy streets, people of all ages passed him by. The medieval lamps that lit up the walkway had blue-ish colored stones in them, powered by what is now known as 'Mana-stones'. These revolutionary ores were game-changing when they were discovered, but we'll discuss that next time.

Clay tried to sort out his depressing thoughts and contemplate what had transpired at the restaurant.

"Talent?" He remembered texting his now ex-girlfriend that he received a grade in talent during the Avalon Academy entrance exam. It was one of the requirements for passing the exam, but luckily or unluckily, he managed to pass.

'But she isn't the type to judge people.' Clay thought, but his thoughts were jubbled and disoriented, he wasn't clear-headed right now.

With his dull sea-blue eyes staring at the ground, Clay walked the busy streets lost in thought. He accidentally bumped into an old lady, and she bickered at him in a stern voice, "Watch where you're going!" Her voice snapped him out of his deep thoughts, and he quietly apologized. "...Sorry."

The old lady clicked her tongue and walked away.

Clay resumed his walk, but this time, he looked more isolated and alone. Despite being surrounded by the warm glow of the illuminated lamps, no one seemed to care about him.

"Haaa..." Maybe because he realized and understood what had happened, his eyes started to get teary. He rubbed his eyes for a moment. 'Why are my eyes getting watery.. It's just–' He thought.

After walking for a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the entrance of the academy, where two guards stood. Clay took a small card from his jeans pocket, which looked like a credit card.

The rectangular silver card had a black line in the upper-middle, with his name written in bold black letters on the line. Additional information, such as his birthday, year-rank, academy-rank, dorm, talent, and affinity, was also written in bold black letters

[Clay Crest

Birth: 20/5/2139

Year-rank: 787

Talent:

Affinity: Swordsmanship, Ice Magic]

On the other side of the card was "Avalon Academy" and "Class 1-A" written in bold white.

The guard examined the card nonchalantly with a scanning device and nodded. "You can go in," he said, showing little interest.

"Thanks," Clay said, walking past the guards and into the academy.

As he walked through the academy, Clay glanced at the tall buildings and students bustling about, but he quickly made his way to his dorm room. Upon arriving, he used the student card to swipe the key-card lock on the door, and it clicked open.

He took off his shoes and went straight to his bedroom. Clay lay down on his soft, white bed and buried his face in a pillow. Perhaps because he was home, his buried and bottled-up emotions took over.

Drip—

Drip–

Lonely tears ran down his face, neither too much nor too little.

"Why, just why," he muttered to himself.

"I.. why.. do I deserve this..."

Memories of him and Beatrice, one of the happiest moments of his life, flashed through his mind. But it was all a lie.

Suddenly, a memory of his father's voice appeared in his mind. "Son, life was never meant to be fair and just. Don't expect anything from life. Instead, life should expect something from you."

His heart and soul relaxed a little, and he tightly clenched the pillow.

***

"...Cold.'' Clay shivered and wriggled in discomfort.

He opened his dried eyes and found himself staring at the snow-filled sky. Confused for a moment, he soon realized where he was.

'It's the same lucid dream again,' he muttered as he got up and walked around, making crunching sounds on the snow and leaving footprints behind.

For the past few months, he had been dreaming of the same snowy plain every week or so. Initially scary and shocking, he had grown used to it over time. Perhaps it was because of his affinity for Ice Magic that he kept having this dream, but that didn't explain why it had started recently.

Everywhere he looked, all he saw was plain white snow. There were no rocks, mountains, or anything else, making it feel almost like the North Pole. It was dead-silent except for the occasional sound of snow crunching underfoot and the cold breeze blowing past him. He looked up to see the sky blocked by white clouds and snowflakes slowly falling.

The slight cold was seeping through his clothes, and his socks felt especially uncomfortable because it never got wet even though his feet was cold.

He guessed the temperature should be below -5 degrees Celsius. Luckily, his Ice Magic affinity offered some protection from the cold, but he couldn't explain why he felt oddly comfortable in this freezing place.

He wandered aimlessly for a while, hoping to wake up from this lucid dream as he usually did. Then, a sudden bright white light flashed in the distance, catching his attention. He had never experienced anything like this before, so he jogged towards it, his footsteps crunching the snow.

As he drew closer to the source of the light, he noticed movement coming towards him. "Hmm?" As something massive drew nearer, he wondered, unable to discern what it could be.