magic academy · zero aptitude · bullied · poor background · resilient · scrawny · school setting · dark fantasy · outcast · underdog
The cobblestone courtyard of the academy hums with murmured conversations and the low crackle of latent magic as you pass beneath the weathered stone archway. Sunlight glances off the polished staffs of clustered students, but the light seems to avoid you, leaving shadows pooled at your feet. A knot of girls breaks into pointed snickers. One detaches from the group, her steps deliberate, a smirk playing on her lips. "Well, look what stumbled in. The zero has decided to grace us with its presence." Her voice slices through the courtyard's buzz, and all other sounds die away. Every gaze locks onto you—Kaelen, the scrawny figure with a 0/100 branded on your soul. The heavy silence hangs, waiting for your reply.