Dragon Crusader

A boy could be seen walking out of the servants quarters within the Burton mansion.

You could draw two conclusions just by taking a glance at him, he was sick, and he needed some sleep.

His body was unhealthy skinny, not to mention his two glaring panda eyes, evident of sleep deprivation.

The rest of his features were normal. short height, black eyes and hairs, and an appearance typical of a boy his age. If anything he was somewhat ugly, courtesy of his small frame and eyebags.

His name was Emil. he was a servant of the Burton family and he was just done having lunch.

He couldn't afford to relax even within his break though, there was a mountain of work left to do, and he had to get them done before sunset.

"Look who's here."

A boy his age appeared from behind and grabbed him.

Before Emil knew, a punch was flying at his face, but stopped inches away from it.

Emil closed his eyes ready for the impact, which never came.

"Hahahaha."

The boy burst into laughter.

This person's name was Ricard, the young master of the mansion.

He'd made it his pastime to harass Emil and torture him on a daily basis.

"Don't be afraid I'm not gonna hit you.

You're not even worth beating."

The boy retracted his hand with a bratty grin on his face.

"You've heard haven't you? I've awakened my mana core and elements, wind and water.

I'll officially become a student of the royal academy in a few day's time.

I heard you haven't even awakened yet despite turning 14 soon have you?"

Ricard slowly backed away and started talking.

"Anyway, I'm gonna be gone for a while. i hope you miss me, cause when I come back I'm gonna have a lot of fun with you."

After making his announcement, he turned his back and started walking away under Emil's wary eyes.

"Oh..."

He came to a stop for a moment and turned his head.

Before Emil could even tell, Ricard's foot was deeply implanted into his stomach.

He bent down and started puking whatever he had for lunch.

"I lied about not hitting you earlier.

See you loser."

Ricard left for good after making that exclamation.

Emil wiped his mouth and got up after struggling for a while.

He couldn't do anything to Ricard.

He was the young master of the house, that alone was enough to render a servant like him powerless.

But that wasn't even the main reason.

He was too weak, a punch from Ricard could break his bones.

He couldn't even defend himself let alone fight back.

Emil completed his chores and returned to his quarters as the sun set.

When it was time to sleep, the reason behind his panda eyes were revealed.

From midnight to dusk, he was sweating and writhing in pain in his bed, with his pillow in his mouth to prevent him from breaking his own teeth.

Six hours of excruciating non stop pain, every single night, for his entire life.

It was a rare condition he was born with, and there was no cure for it except one.

Cultivation.

Emil was abandoned by his parents at a very young age, he was merely a child.

The only possession they left him was an inconspicuous black ring with the head of an unknown creature carved into it.

Within the ring, was a cultivation manual that helped him both cure his condition and get stronger, or so he was told.

But he could only open it upon awakening.

However, not everyone was able to awaken a mana core and become a magician.

Only 1 out of ten people could do it.

If your mana core didn't awkanen by the age of 14 then there was no chance of it ever awakening.

Emil was gonna turn 14 in less than a couple months and If he didn't awaken by then, he would have to remain a servant for the rest of his life, while enduring the bone piercing pain of his condition every single night.

All his hopes and dreams would be shattered.

He wouldn't even be able to fulfill his promise.

Emil's parents were war heroes. They saved the kingdom from devastation over a decade ago when the largest magical beast horde in the history of Arran kingdom invaded them.

He was raised with love and care by them. he, not for a second believed his parents abandoned him. He knew there must've been a reason behind their disappearance, and a reason they entrusted the ring to him.

Also.

He also made a promise to them.

And only by becoming a magician could he fulfill that promise.

With the way things were though, he could only hope for a miracle to happen, and for himself to awaken.

Such thoughts passed through Emil's head as despair and exhaustion filled his body.

"Damnit."

He furiously punched the wall.

"Dammit Dammit Dammit!"

*Thud*Thud*Thud*

"That son of a gun Ricard awakened as an elemental saint and he's only 12."

*Thud*

"Why am I so useless? I can't even awaken my mana core!"

*Thud*Thud*

The thudding sounds from his room became louder and louder as he punched the wall in frustration.

"At this rate I'll never become a magician."

Tears in his eyes and snot hanging from his nose, he raised his bloody hand for one last punch.

"Goddamit!"

*BOOM*

A sound loud enough to wake up every servant in the servant's quarters resounded through the air as Emil punched a massive hole through his room's thick concrete wall.

Emil was stunned, the hole laying beside his eyes too bizarre to comprehend.

By no means did he have the physical capabilities to punch a hole of that magnitude through the wall.

By no means could any human being do it.

There was only one answer.

"H-Holy shit..."

Emil muttered.

A servant rushed to him and stared at both the wall and Emil in awe.

He could tell what happened... He understood what happened.

"You did it Emil..."

"Yeah, i did it."

The man and Emil looked at each other.

Emil did it, he'd finally awakened just months before his 14th birthday.

"I did it! Wooooooooh!."

That night, the cheerful yells of a boy could be heard throughout the servants quarters.

It didn't last long as the reality of the situation dawned upon Emil.

He blasted a huge hole through his room, and he was gonna pay for that.

It didn't dampen his excitement though.

What did a hole like that matter? He'd finally awakened!

And from the looks of it, he was a Knight.

Knight, Mage, it didn't matter. All that mattered to him was that he awakened. He finally had a chance to fight for his dreams.

As he was about to raise his hands and cheer again, intense pain that assaulted his right arm turned his cry of joy into pain.

He'd broken his arm.

....

The next day, Emil was awakened to unbelievable news.

He pinched himself a few times to make sure he was awake.

"Ummm, sir, are you sure you got the right person? I'm a servant here, I'm sure you've seen me a few times. I just awakened last night, so there's no way."

Emil said to the man in front of him.

"There's certainly no mistake.

The order was issued to you."

The man announced.

"However, if you don't find the offer appealing then... You have every right to refuse."

A grin formed on his lips, evident that he was teasing him.

"Oh no no no, I'm fine I Uhhh, I'm gonna go pack my stuff. I'm just, thank you."

Emil took off towards his quarters absent-mindedly.

He must've been in a dream.

Cause otherwise, he was headed for the Royal Academy right now.

The best magic academy within the entire kingdom.