**Warning: the following chapter may contain content that some readers find disturbing. I do not go into detail about what happens and only imply for readers to interpret what is happening, as I do not wish to glorify or hurt those that have been through these situations.**
Raze had no trouble reaching the section of the Academy he needed to get to. He remembered everything; the pathways in the academy hadn't changed, and neither did the rooms.
Everything was well maintained just like it was before. Unlike his time since he had been to Alterian for real, his time since he had been at the academy was a lot longer than that.
'I can't believe he became principal in the end, and it was his way up into the Grand Magus,' Raze thought.
'When I was a child, the Grand Magus system didn't even exist. The world hadn't agreed on the one system of higher powers. It was the same for Idore. His items had yet to become world renowned, but even then he continued to mark all of the items that he enchanted. There is one of two possibilities.'
'That the mage that used to visit the slums back then was Idore himself, or a mage that he had given one of his items to.'
Thinking about all of it still brought him back memories to when he was a child. Each time the mage in the mask would visit, it would give a shiver down his entire body, and a deep sickness in his stomach that no matter what he did felt like it was impossible to remove.
The mage with the iron mask looked around at the parents with the children in hand. For a moment, his eyes laid on Raze, as he stared him up and down.
"I promise that he is just as good as usual, he's just been playing outside a bit, keeping himself fit!" His father said.
The mage then turned to look away, and as he did, he went over to another household. It was too far away for Raze to hear, but there were a few nods here and there, and then the mage handed something over from his pouch to the parents.
Their eyes lit up with delight, and shortly after, the mage with the iron mask had entered the household with the child.
The rest of the parents that were out with their children looked upset and soon returned inside. When Raze and his father did, immediately the smile on his face disappeared and Raze's shoulder was hurting.
He could feel his father's fingertips digging into his shoulder.
"Dad… that hurts… it hurts!" Raze said.
"You know what else hurts!" His father threw him into the wall. "Not being able to get any food for the next week! You're his favorite, but you know why he didn't pick you, because you're no good, you're useless!"
His father ran over, and started to hit Raze over and over, and it wasn't the first time this had occurred.
On one of his days out, Raze as usual was searching through the areas at certain spots. From above there were drainage spots, or just spots in general where things would fall. This was where he would find most of the books that he had found.
Today, while searching through everything, he had stumbled upon a magic book. It wasn't the first time; he had stumbled upon a magic book explaining wind spells before.
However, it was useless; no matter what he did, and how hard he tried to learn the spells, he could do nothing. He had memorized the magic circles, the patterns, and stated the words to go with it.
At that point and time, Raze believed that it was true, that those that lived underground just weren't meant to learn magic. Which was why when he had grabbed the book, he wasn't too excited at first.
When reading through some of its contents, though, he noticed that this was the basics of magic book, and Raze, for the first time, was learning of something known as a Magic Core.
The excitement filled his eyes, and there was hope for his life for a moment. For days, Raze read the book and did as what was told. There were plenty of secret spots and nooks hidden away from the others that were far away.
If anyone caught what he was doing, they would just laugh at him more, but he didn't let that bother him until one day he had finally done it; he had finally created his Magic Core.
"I did it!" Raze said, his eyes glowing. "I can feel it running through me; I can feel it through the air, and the Core that I made, it's a Wind Core! I wonder why I got this; was it because I was trying to learn the wind spells from before? Wait, now that I have a magic core, shouldn't I be able to cast some spells?"
Raze looked around, as anything he could see, and then looked at some of the piles of trash where there were plastic bags on the top.
"Push of the Wind!" Raze cast, picturing the magic circle in his head, and just like that, a breeze of wind moved the bags, ruffling them down the pile of trash. This was Raze's first taste of magic.
Raze had continued to practice the spells, trying them all out, but he realized something. He was unable to produce anything above a 1-star spell, and from the books he had read, it seemed it was something that would be impossible, at least while he was down there.
When returning home one day, his father seemed to be in a bad mood. It was usual, but a little worse.
"You brat, I'm in so much pain, and it's all because of you! And if you can't make any money, then you might as well be gone!" His father shouted as he dived in.
He proceeded to beat Raze just like he had done before, again and again. Raze's eyesight was blurring, his body hurt, and as he looked at his father on top of him with his fists for a moment, he pictured the mage with the iron mask.
'I don't know what's worse… but what I do know is, I don't want this. I don't F*cking like this! I don't want any of this; I just want to… I just want to be on my own!' Raze thought.
The beating continued, one after the other, again and again, until.
"Get off me!" Raze shouted. "Stop it! Don't.... Don't…. Don't… Touch me!" Raze screamed, and swung his hand out.
"Silent Strike!" Raze said; his hand was covered in sharp wind magic, and as it went across his father's neck, it had sliced it open. Blood had started to pour on top of him, falling onto him.
Quickly, Raze had moved out of the way, and saw his father's body slowly fall to the ground.
Raze stood there for a moment, having no clue what to do until he had decided there was only one thing he could do, run. He ran and ran, ran out of the slums, ran from anyone that knew him, from everyone that he remembered from all of that past.
And that's when he decided that he would leave the underground world. He had something now; he had something that those above had as well, he had Magic.
"These memories," Raze said, holding his head as he was inching closer to his vault, finally arriving at his old classroom. "These aren't fun… but I remember, back then I thought it was my chance to start a new life, and for a moment, I thought the same thing back then, but Ibrain, you ruined my chance, the one who I used to call friend."
