Chapter 1: Who Am I

As Jon Camidge, a bright and ambitious 13-year-old adolescent, emerges from his school gates, his heart swells with an overwhelming sense of gratification and triumph, knowing that he has conquered his midterms exam with flying colors. As he navigates his way through the bustling crowds, his mind races with thoughts of the much-needed rest and relaxation that awaits him back at his humble abode. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Jon arrives at his doorstep, where he opens the door.

Jon opens the old, wooden door as his hands touch the brown, cold doorknob. "I'm home," Jon says as he opens the door, where he was greeted by the raspy sound of opening an old door. "Huh? Where did everyone go?" Jon questions himself as he tries to find his family.

Jon takes a step in his house and enters, where he sees a slightly cracked table in the living room, where the ethereal living room surrounds him, where he feels like the place is haunted.

Jon searches for his family, which he thinks is missing. However, despite Jon's efforts to search for everyone, he only managed to find lots of broken things, a mangled family picture, which seemed like it fell a few hours ago, and a mottled note placed on a table.

Jon checks what is written in the note, "We're sorry Jon, but we just can't take care of you, we prepared some supplies for you in your sister's room for you. We hope you understand. Thanks. Love, Mom, and Dad."

As Jon reads the note, he becomes despondent. He feels hopeless, and he feels like he has just lost everything. Jon is confused about his situation and his emotions as he had never felt this sad before.

Jon, who realizes he had just lost everything, decides to reach out for help, by going outside and asking his friends what to do. Jon walks on the street, empty and depressed. The melancholic atmosphere surrounds the neighborhood, while the barren garden that used to be verdant surrounds each yard.

Along the way, Jon manages to ask 2 friends, named Ken and Michael. "Hey Micheal and Ken, if you lost everything, what would you do?" Jon asks, as his expression becomes serious.

"To be honest, I don't know what to do. If the guy who lost everything were me, I'd try to get a job I guess." Micheal said as he became curious about Jon's sudden change of behavior.

"Well, I think I'd find a second chance in life, to find a new meaning to live," Ken said, as he grabbed his handkerchief and wiped his sweat, as if he had just played basketball.

"Well, I guess I'll go, thanks for the advice." Jon sighs in disappointment, as he isn't satisfied with their answer. "Goodbye friends, I won't be able to hang out for a while," Jon says as he walks to return to his house.

After getting advice from his friends, he couldn't get a conclusion. Jon decides to rest, to get some ideas to restart his life. However, that night was the last night that he will experience on earth, as his life was about to change.

As Jon falls into his deep sleep state, he sees objects from his dream. He sees a crown and a mysterious object that resembles something that Jon couldn't quite explain. However, there was one item that stood out. It was a bright ball of light that floated next to Jon.

When Jon touched it, he was suddenly transported into a modern city, where the busy atmosphere overwhelmed Jon.

Due to the overwhelming atmosphere, he accidentally trips and falls from a very high building.

As Jon falls, he feels the wind howling through the air as the sky turns dark. Jon felt like everything was real, and suddenly, he felt panicked, as adrenaline rushed through his body.

"Am I dying?" Jon mumbled as the wind rushed through his back.

Jon decided to look down, as he felt something had changed. However, when looking down, instead of a busy road, where the crowded streets are covered by cars and people are nowhere to be found. Instead, Jon found a bright light.

Jon was falling into the light, he slaps himself to see if what he is feeling is real. "Wait, this is real?" He then felt the pain as he hit the light.

Jon fell unconscious, and he didn't remember anything past that. However, Jon felt a sudden burst of energy that woke him up.

As Jon wakes up, he finds himself in the arms of a woman, who seems to be delighted at the sight of Jon and seems to vaguely represent a mother.

Jon hears an excited female voice, "Honey! Our baby is awake! What should we name him?"

Jon hears a manly voice, "Let's name him Jon Arnvell, I think the name suits him."

Jon realizes that he had just reincarnated into a new world, as Jon Arnvell. He sees a man with lush green eyes, and blonde hair, which resembles a father. The man approaches Jon and looks at him. "Honey…" The man says as his hair spikes upwards. "Aren't you concerned?" The man said, as his face turned pale.

Suddenly, Jon forcibly blinked and found himself a year later in a medieval world filled with lots of magic. He tries to look around to investigate even further. As Jon looks around, he sees a map and he saw that he had been reborn into a world named Sarelis, where Jon's house can be found in the Earles continent.

As Jon crawled through the wooden floor, he could see a book that had absurd proportions. Jon blinked, as he reached for the book. it was already 7 years later. He was casually walking around the busy town when he heard a blast coming from one of the in the village.

"The monsters! They are here!" One villager shouts as he runs away from the detonation caused by the monsters.

Suddenly, a swarm of monsters with a big teal snake attacked the village. Jon's mother was in charge of protecting the refugees and letting them escape, while Jon's father, Elias Arnvell, fought the monsters along with the village guards.

Everyone ran away from the snake, and a high-ranking noble with blue hair decided to run away as well, while grabbing the hand of a light blue haired boy who was running away from a building that a massive snake came out of.

A heated battle occurred, where fires spread across the battlefield. However, the giant snake rampaged across the village. Elias was the only one who tried to stop it. Elias stood in front of the snake and attempted to stop it.

"Damn snake, you've killed countless innocent lives. I will make you pay!" Elias shouted as he slashed through the snake's black and tough scales with his Mythril sword powered by his elements.

Despite the deep cuts, and the burns around the snake, it was still alive. It then prepared a big earthquake by infusing magical power in its tail.

While all that action was happening, Jon saw a little girl with brown hair and with brown eyes that looked like the dirt across the battlefield, who was crying, and shouting for someone to save her. "Mommy! Daddy! Please save me!"

Suddenly, a big, intimidating, and powerful ogre known as the ogre lord came to attack the little girl. The little girl was screaming, petrified, and unable to move at all. The only thing she could do was cry.

The ogre got closer, as it was about to strike the little girl with his thick club. The ogre's club was nearing the girl, and it was about to hit her. However, before it could hit the girl, Jon appeared in front of her and he used a big beam of white energy which killed the ogre.

Jon fainted, as he used a big amount of his energy to save the girl. He fell to the ground, and the girl tried to catch him.

As the snake was about to cause a massive earthquake, a sudden big burst of energy hit the snake, killing it, and also killing millions of the monster army, saving the village.

As Jon's consciousness was fading, he saw the little girl running towards him. "Hey! Wait! You should tell me your name." The girl said, trying to catch Jon, who's consciousness was a fire that was almost burned out.

As Jon fainted, he was woken up by a ray of light. As Jon opened his eyes, he saw himself in a lush forest, surrounded by tall, green trees. Despite having woken up, he felt heavy and unable to move. He then heard a voice that told him that he had woken up 6 years later in Jon Arnvell's body as a 13-year-old boy.

"Huh? Who are you and where did this voice come from?" Jon asked, as he was looking around, trying to figure out where the voice came from.

"I am a voice, and I am nowhere to be seen." The voice said, confusing Jon like the waves that roam around the ocean, searching for the answer to things.

Jon looked at his stats. "Is this high?" Jon said, while looking at the stats that he has a 7 digit number in his stats, while showing that it was next to something called Soul Strength.

Suddenly there was a burst of energy that rushed through Jon's body. With the burst of energy, Jon manages to escape the forest, and as he ran through a bush, he saw a busy city that seemed familiar.

Jon walked towards the city and he saw stall after stall, but he couldn't recognize any of them. "Have I been here?" Jon says to himself as he looks around and feels a sense of familiarity.

Jon felt skeptical, as he doesn't remember anything about this village. Suddenly, his brain hurts, where he notices that he is slowly losing his memories of his past life and being replaced by the memories of Jon Arnvell.

Jon remembers Jon Arnvell was a child that showed no emotion. In this world, having no emotion means you do not have the ability to use magic. People with no soul become part of the army. Most people without a soul are commoners, as they usually don't have a way to learn magic as they are illiterate.

Jon Arnvell was a special case, however. His parents have a soul, so he should have a soul, but he didn't. Slowly, Jon remembers that he had a bad childhood, and he wasn't the smartest. He had no siblings, and he was mainly reading books. He was a gloomy person, showing no expression every day, which affected his childhood. He was alienated by the kids around his neighborhood because he had no emotion.

Suddenly, Jon forgets all memories of Jon Camidge, and the memories of Jon Arnvell were rushing towards his head faster and faster, as the head-splitting headache he was feeling rapidly increased its pain.

Jon decides to find a place to experience his pain, so he walks down a quiet alleyway, where the musky scent permeates the air. As he approaches a private bathroom, he quickly slips inside, hoping to avoid any prying eyes. As he steps onto the cold stone floor, Jon begins to monologue.

Jon enters the bathroom and steps through the cold stone floor and he starts monologuing. "Who am I?" Jon questions, his confusion palpable. "All I know is that I'm Jon Arnvell, but I feel like I'm not him. Honestly, I don't understand why I'm so conflicted about myself. Am I having an identity crisis?" Jon monologues, as he starts scratching his head, peering towards the mirror, wondering if the person staring at him is himself.

"I'm me, Jon Arnvell, son of the Arnvell family but I feel like some part of me is not mine." Jon questions his identity asking himself who he really was. "But, that part is the thing I have been missing this whole time, but why was it missing?" Jon continues, as he slaps himself in frustration. "I never had this part for my whole life, and I felt empty, and left out," Jon says, as he holds the cold, stony sink while his green eyes become teary.

"My parents told me that I was missing something when I was 2, and I felt empty. I didn't feel anything, while the kids outside were joyous, as they were playing with each other. However, when I asked to play with them, they treated me like I was a creep. I remembered my parents' words and figured out that I was a soulless kid." Jon says as tears run down his eyes.

"I had been missing a soul, and I never felt any emotion at all." Jon says as he wipes off his tears that keep flowing. "Everyone treated me like an outsider and an outcast, and after getting this soul." Jon says as he reminisces about his terrible past. "I finally felt emotion, but it feels unethical having this soul." Jon says as he feels conflicted with the soul he has.

"Well, whatever is done is done. There is no turning back, and the past cannot be changed. Hopefully, I can use my soul for good." Jon says as he attempts to calm himself down by wiping his own tears and convincing himself that he will use his soul for good things.

Jon left the bathroom, with a sense of acceptance. However, as he left the bathroom, he saw a tall man that looked familiar. "Hey, Jon! What are you doing here in the alleyway?" The man said, as he noticed Jon.

"Oh, hey Marcus! I have to go and do something, bye!" Jon says, as he fled away from Marcus, the tall 16 year old man who is a merchant.

As Jon fled away from Marcus, he wondered if Jon hid something from him, so he decided to return to his cart to sell his goods.

Jon ran through the town where he stumbled upon his house that looked brand new. Jon walked towards the wooden door, where he knocked and heard the nostalgic sound of the door opening.

"Jon! Where were you!?" Elias said, as he sighs in relief as he was worried about Jon who had been missing for a few days.

"I collapsed somewhere in the forest, where I heard a voice that led me back here." Jon said as he walked inside the house, where he went upstairs and decided to rest inside his room.

In the evening, Jon was hallucinating, thinking that someone was inside his room, worrying him.

"Wh- who's there!" Jon says as he looks around, searching for intruders inside his shabby room while standing up from his wooden chair.

Despite Jon's feeling that someone was there, he didn't see anyone. After realizing that nobody was there, Jon heard a knock on his door. When he opened the door, he saw Elias whose face was tense as he frowned.

"Son, your mother is now gone." Elias said, trying to hold back his tears. His eyes became watery as he broke the news to Jon.

"What?!" Jon said, feeling nostalgic as he feels like this has happened to him before. "H-How, and why?!" Jon says as he breaks down into tears.

"Well, apparently she was assassinated by someone. I heard that the assassin had blue hair, but that was all the information I have." Elias says as tears run down his face, while his eyes are hinting anger and fury.

"I-I can't accept this!" Jon said, as he became enraged, hearing the fact that his mother was assassinated. "I'm tired of losing the people I love! Our neighbors, they died." Jon says as he starts gritting his teeth. "My animal friends were killed, and now, even my mother?!" Jon said, clenching his fist, as tears ran down through his face.

"I'm tired of letting people die or being distanced away from me. I just wanted to live a normal life, a life where I wouldn't be abandoned or have my loved ones killed." Jon said, remarking his tragic life. "If it's the only way, then I will protect everyone! No matter what the cost! I will get stronger for others to protect them!" Jon said, vowing to not let another life die.

"O-okay son, I'll be leaving now. Good night, you should sleep." Elias said, as he closed the door and left.

As Elias left, Jon was in a dilemma, wondering if what was happening now was real, as cold sweat dripped from his face. He was very anxious, as he couldn't believe that his mother had died as soon as he returned home.

"Wh-why!?" Jon said, as he sat on the chair next to a table filled with books. "After I came back home, I received bad news!" Jon says, as he bangs his fist on the table with anger.

"Am I the cause of all this?" Jon says, as his eyes become teary.

"Am I the reason for all of the bad things happening to this world!?" Jon says as he felt a heavy weight on his back.

"Is it because of me that my mother died?" Jon says, as he leans down towards his table.

"Was it because of me that the village was attacked?" Jon says, as tears come down from his eyes.

"Am I the reason for why I was always isolated from my childhood?" Jon says, as he saw flashbacks of children throwing rocks at him.

"Am I a…" Jon says, as the rocks from his flashback felt more realistic, as the pain from his childhood hasn't left him.

"...monster?" Jon says, as his tears fall from his eyes while he felt like those tears became an ocean he was drowning in.

Jon suddenly felt like he was drowning in his thoughts, as he suffocated in negativity. The overwhelming presence of negativity alerts Elias, however he doesn't do much about it.

"W-what on earth!?" Elias says as he sensed a highly concentrated amount of dark energy that seeps from Jon's room.

"Oh no… has it been broken?" Elias says as cold sweat falls from his hands.

"The seal… did he break it?" Elias says, as his skin turns pale.

A few days have passed after the incident and Elias has decided to enroll Jon in the prestigious academy called the Amisyce Academy, where all students are from rich, noble families. Although Jon may be despised by the nobles, as he is a commoner, Elias knows that Jon will eventually be accepted there.

Despite the unrest by the nobles that will be caused, Elias wants Jon to be happy, as he wants him to live a happy life, so Jon could accept his mother's death.

Elias then visits the headmaster of the academy, Fredrick Froebel, who is Elias' good friend.

As Elias approached Fredrick's office, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Fredrick's deep voice echoed from the other side, "Come in."

Elias entered the office and greeted Fredrick, "Good morning, Fredrick. How have you been?"

Fredrick looked up from his papers and greeted Elias with a smile, "Good morning, Elias. I've been well, thank you. What brings you here today?"

Elias cleared his throat and began, "I have a request to make. My son, Jon, has been struggling since the loss of his mother. I want to enroll him in your academy, hoping it will give him a sense of purpose and help him improve his magical abilities."

Fredrick nodded and replied, "I understand your concerns, Elias. But I must remind you, our academy is quite prestigious and the tuition fee is quite steep. Are you sure you can afford it?"

Elias nodded firmly, "I understand the cost, Fredrick. I am willing to pay whatever it takes for my son to receive the education he needs. But, I was wondering if there's a way for me to make a contract with the academy. I was thinking, if Jon manages to reach the elite class, the tuition fee and expenses will be waived."

Fredrick leans back in his chair and strokes his chin thoughtfully, "That is an interesting proposal. I will have to discuss this with the board of directors, but I believe we can agree. But I must remind you, reaching the elite class is no easy feat. Are you sure your son is up for the challenge?"

Elias nods confidently, "I have faith in my son, Fredrick. He may not show it, but he has immense power. I believe he can do it."

Fredrick nods, "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, please have Jon come in for an entrance exam. We'll see if he's a good fit for the academy."

Elias thanks Fredrick and leaves the office, feeling a sense of hope for the first time in a while.

As Elias returned home, he was shocked to see the immense aura that he sensed, and wondered who did it come from.

"Who's there!" Elias said, as he opened the door while he pointed his sword towards the location of the aura.

"I-It's me dad! You scared me." Jon replied, as he put his hands up, while he shivers in fear, wondering if he was about to die.

Elias was shocked, as he thought that Jon had awakened something in him. "Son, did you perhaps feel a sudden surge of power?" Elias asks, as he figures out what happened.

"Well, I did." Jon replied, as he calmed down. "But, it was a small surge of power, so I wouldn't notice at all." Jon said, as he put his hands down.

"Okay then. By the way, I have enrolled you in a magical academy. You will be doing the entrance exam later." Elias said, informing Jon of his decision as he walks inside his room to change his clothes.

Not thinking much about it, a day has passed. Jon woke up to the sound of birds chirping. He saw the bright, blue sky that surrounded the atmosphere in his window. He was pleased to see that everything was okay and knew that he was going to have a good day.

As Jon exits his room, he can see Elias with new clothes in his hand, as he prepares to enroll Jon in the academy.

"Good morning Jon! I've prepared your clothes for your entrance exam, so grab them and put them on." Elias said, as he gave the clothes to Jon who felt ecstatic.

Jon simply nods, and returns to his room to put on his new clothes which fit perfectly. Jon then hears the same voice. "Human, you are the chosen one. Check your stats, and don't let anyone know, but only you."

Jon checks his stats to see that he has a ??? element, which he was confused about. He also saw a title, which was The Chosen One.

"The Chosen One, huh. That's an odd title." Jon said, as he was subtly remembering a faded memory where he graduated from a level in school.

"Jon Camidge? Who's that?" Jon said, as he was lost in thought.

"Anyway, I'll go prepare now." Jon said, as he finishes changing clothes and leaves the house.

Jon and Elias walk towards the admission area, where he was put to the test against nobles. Gossips can be heard everywhere, as they had never seen or heard a boy like Jon to attempt to join the academy.

As Jon walked towards the tent where the test master is, he was asked a question. "Why are you here? You need a letter of recommendation-" however, as the test master was going to finish her question, she was cut off by Elias, who showed her a letter of recommendation by Fredrick Froebel, as the test master's eyes froze in shock.

"Okay. Please put your hand in this crystal ball, and now try to imagine that you are pouring your soul's energy into this ball." The test master said, as she put a crystal ball on the wooden table.

When Jon put his hand in the crystal ball, it started to glow, shining brighter every second until it shattered, where the shards flew everywhere.

"Ahh!" The test master said, covering herself. "Your son is automatically admitted to the academy. His level of power far exceeds the best students. Please proceed to the dorm area at room 343." The test master said, as she was paralyzed and in shock.

"Thank you. We'll be leaving now." Elias said, waving his hand to the test master.

"Wait… isn't that Elias Arnvell?" The test master wondered. "Isn't he a grand mage? What is he doing here with a kid?" The test master wondered, as she was astonished and confused.

As Elias was walking with Jon, he was suspicious of the test master, however his thoughts were cleared as Jon and Elias parted ways in front of the dorm.

"Bye Jon! By the way, there will be a butler who will put your stuff in your room. Good luck!" Elias said, as he waved his hand to Jon, wondering when he got strong.

"Woah! This building is massive." Jon said, as he walked towards the dorm building.

As Jon entered the dorm, he was shocked to see a big, and luxurious room. He immediately decided to make himself home, as he waited for the butler to come.

The butler eventually arrived and unpacked his things. "Thank you Mister…" Jon said, as he was looking for the name of the butler.

"No problem Mr. Arnvell. By the way, I am Stephen Glenn, one of the many butlers in this school." The butler said, bowing down and introducing himself.

As time passed, Jon ate lunch and dinner. He was informed by Mr. Stephen that the first day of school starts tomorrow, Jon slept early that night, ecstatic of his first day of entering the Amisyce Academy.