Reawakening with Limitless Mana

[Kevin's POV:]

My spell forces people to relive the darkest moment of their life—a memory they wish they could forget. Something that haunts them, something that shakes them to the core.

I've used this spell before. And every single time, the result has been the same. They fall. Because no one walks through life without carrying a memory that can break them.

I have seen people crying, begging, and breaking before me when I use it. I love to torture criminals with it and one of the reasons why I was invited by the Capital was because of this single skill.

I have the ability to mentally break a person.

Still, I don't enjoy using it. Especially not on young students who are full of dreams—dreams of becoming warriors and heroes.

But I was asked to. And there was a reason behind it.

I'm not the only one who uses Dark magic. In the future, these students might face enemies who force them to confront their past... and if they're not ready, they'll fall apart. That's why these tests exist—not just to push their bodies to the edge, but to test their minds too.

When it came to Arthur—my brother—I hesitated.

I didn't want to hurt him. He's my little brother, after all.

But I knew he wouldn't want me to go easy on him. Arthur never wanted special treatment.

So, with a heavy heart, I cast the spell.

I showed him the nightmare he feared the most.

I believed the spell would take him back to that night—

The night our family was attacked.

The night I awakened in this world.

I thought he might collapse like the others...

Or maybe rise above it—just like he did that day, when he stood tall and wiped out every last demon.

But what happened next…

I can't explain it.

I've never seen him cry.

Not once.

No matter how bad things got.

Even when Dad looked lost… even when we were cornered, he stood firm. Calm and unshaken.

He always carried himself like the eldest—

Even though he was the youngest among us.

That's why…

When I saw him cry, I froze.

His face twisted in pain.

Tears fell.

And suddenly, he looked so small, so lost… that I forgot how to breathe.

Guilt crushed me like a wave.

I had vowed to protect my family—to keep them safe, to keep them smiling.

But here I was…

The reason why my little brother—who never showed fear, who never let anyone see his weakness—was crying.

It shattered me.

I nearly forgot there were others still waiting for their turn under the spell.

But then—he moved.

And what I saw next… shocked me even more.

He stepped out of the sand field.

He didn't fall. He didn't stagger.

And he didn't walk back to his spot.

He didn't even look at me.

He walked—

Straight toward Grace, the heiress of the Montclair house.

It was as if the only comfort he could find in this world… was her.

Everyone watched in silence as he walked straight up to her, leaned in, and whispered something we couldn't hear.

And then—he rested his head on her shoulder.

Just like that.

Grace didn't flinch.

She wrapped her arms around his back, holding him close—

Supporting both his weight and the burden of those heavy artifacts.

Her hand gently moved along his spine, as if trying to ease whatever storm raged inside him.

And then…

He stopped moving.

He passed out in her arms, completely still.

As if he trusted her more than anyone else—

As if, even in that broken moment, she was his safe place.

Of course, I was worried for him.

But beneath that worry...

I felt something else.

Curiosity.

What was his connection with her?

What was his relationship with one of the most important figures in this story?

°°°°°°°

[Third Person POV:]

"Ah…"

Arthur stirred from his slumber, chest rising and falling heavily.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the light. He was lying on a stretcher, still inside the gym. The sandfield was still there, and a few students remained on it, still enduring the test.

Then his gaze shifted—

To the two figures beside him.

"How do you feel now?" Elowen asked gently, her voice carrying a hint of worry. The redness around her eyes made it clear—she had cried.

Arthur gave a slow nod and pushed himself upright.

"Here."

The silver-haired princess handed him a bottle of water.

Arthur accepted it and drank in silence. As the cool liquid went down his throat, he stole a glance at the redhead beside Elowen.

Grace.

Her expression was unreadable.

She wasn't even looking at him.

He remembered everything.

Every image the spell had forced him to relive.

Every word he had spoken.

Returning the bottle to Elowen, he quietly asked, "Did I hurt you?"

Elowen hesitated, then glanced toward Grace.

She didn't know what had passed between them, only that Grace hadn't said a word since—

Not to her.

Not even to the medic.

She had just stood there, eyes fixed on Arthur.

Elowen tried talking to her and even Kevin approached her to ask if she was fine.

She just nodded and kept looking at Arthur...as if tearing her eyes away from him might hurt him. Or her.

Finally, Grace broke her silence.

Her voice was calm, but her tone left no room for argument.

"After the assessment, we need to talk. And you're not running away, got that?"

Arthur blinked. Her sudden boldness caught him off guard.

He nodded dumbly.

What happened to her? he wondered.

Just then, the final batch of students finished their round, and Luci's voice echoed across the hall, calling everyone to line up as they had at the start.

Elowen and Grace left his side reluctantly.

Arthur rose to his feet, keeping his gaze low. He didn't want to think about what he saw during the nightmare. Not yet.

He glanced to his right.

Tony stood beside him, quiet—his usual cheer gone. No jokes. No smirks. Just silence.

And it wasn't just him.

All the students who had finished the trial—especially those who had made it to the third round—stood silently. No gossip. No chatter.

Arthur wasn't surprised. Everyone has a past they want to forget about. Arthur wasn't an exception.

Out of the original hundred, only forty remained.

'The first challenge was this brutal…? Are they only planning to accept a handful this year?' Arthur wondered, a strange unease settling in his chest.

"I will now tell you the points you have scored in the first round, to encourage you to do better and gain a chance to participate in the fourth round."

Luci picked up the clipboard and flipped the pages.

The students took a deep breath, bracing themselves for the revelation.

"Antonio: 120 points, Ginny: 135 points..."

The names continued and soon many faces bloomed into smiles upon hearing that they had done better than they had expected

Soon, Tony's name came up, "Tony Kerbeus: 180 points."

Many gasped and turned to look at him with admiration.

But their expression suddenly shifted when the next name came up, "Arthur Stronghart...195 points."

"Woah!"

"...nearly perfect."

"He did cross all the obstacles."

"That guy is no joke."

While the others were praising him and Kevin also smiled proudly at his brother, Arthur had a deep frown on his face.

The lady continued and two familiar names came up, "Grace Montclair: 160 points...Elowen Gravemark: 125 points."

Arthur waited until she was finished relaying the score of the last student before raising his hand.

Somehow Luci was expecting this but she still asked, "Yes, Arthur?"

"I want to ask that despite crossing all the hurdles I wasn't given full marks...why?"

Luci smirked, "You forgot what I said? The time you take to finish the trial also matters? You were five seconds away from a perfect score."

Arthur clicked his tongue...damn! Only if he had not dwelled on his memories so much...

But there was no point in crying now. He had only lost five points. He had at least forty more to spare.

He must focus now. His feet might have wavered, but he still hasn't forgotten his end goal.

He had to fight against the instructor.

Soon, the instructor looked at the same council officer who created the sand field and stepped forward.

Again, he slammed his hand on the ground and several long walls started erupting from the ground, making long paths across the gym, dividing them by rock walls.

Five different corridors were made and their opening was near the entrance.

"Now, inside each tunnel, there are several traps, and a few beasts chained up. Each and everything possesses mana so you can sense them using Detection or just rely on your luck. Remember, if you come out within five minutes, you get a hundred points. But if you bring out dead remains of beasts inside...you will get bonus points~"

Arthur grinned at that. He knew this test was made for him.

******

A/N:- Thanks for reading.