Heroes and Villains.
Gods and Demons.
Saints and Sinners.
Two sides of the same coin, merely the result of ones own perception.
The perfect example lay within the history of Gaius Dreamonia.
There are records of him being called The Immortal Master, The Benevolent Teacher and even the Sage of Kindness.
Yet in the History textbooks, he was known as the Tyrant, The Immoral Fiend, Demon of Hate, Shackles of Freedom...but his most renowned epithet was something more..it was the Immortal Betrayer.
Hundreds of years ago, Thousands of Gaius' disciples were faced with an apocalyptic threat known as the Origin of Sin. A fierce battle was waged and heroes fell like flies.
When the Beast was finally slain, the remaining Heroes made a deeply disturbing discovery. The Origin of Sin was a beast that was being controlled.
And the master of the beast was their teacher who had fought alongside him! Horrified by his betrayal yet unable to slay him, the Heroes did what they could to stop their fiendish immortal teacher.
They subdued him and his body was then carved up and scattered to every corner of the world, never to be made whole, lest he betray mankind once more and destroy the world.
The site of the grand battle was immortalized in history and it is also the place where the Hero Academy was created.
The Hero academy was supposed to be a place of equality, justice for all and a place to grow your own strengths.
That was the ideal world Cain Sinthorne had imagined when he came to the Academy...yet reality was often much crueler.
Despite being 7th in line to Sinthorne Kingdom, he was considered a failure by his siblings, his people and even his own father.
Why? Simply because the Skill he had awakened during the Ceremony had been a mere F Rank.
While his siblings had garnered skills like Holy Swordmanship and Flame Mastery, all he had received was Consume. A passive skill that increased the effects of elixirs and food by 10%.
He could still remember the silence in the cathedral. The way the priest's voice had faltered when he read the name of the skill aloud.
"Consume."
A skill so pathetic even the temple clerics tried to console him with pity in their eyes. His father, King Rhadamus, said nothing. Just turned his back and walked away. His siblings didn't even bother to mock him. Their scorn was too deep for words.
From that day on, Cain was treated like a walking disgrace. A stain on the Sinthorne name.
He was allowed into the Hero Academy not because of merit, but because of politics. A royal name had weight, even if the person carrying it was considered a joke.
No one said it outright, but the whispers followed him through the marble halls like a curse.
F Rank. Useless. Waste of a royal birth.
His only consolation was the two people who had stayed by his side. His best friend Abel and the love of his life and fiancé Julia.
Abel had trained with him in the art of the sword, yet did not express disdain when he crushed him in every spar.
Cain knew he was holding his best friend back but was grateful that he stayed by his side.
Mary had shown promise as a Mage but always took time out of her busy schedule to spend time with him and even help him with his own magical studies. She truly cared for him.
Or so he believed.
It all came to light in the Twisted Grove.
Unlike the newer training dungeons beneath the Academy, this one was ancient. Older than the Academy itself. A place sealed long ago after too many students had vanished within its depths. Most thought it was just a cautionary tale used by instructors to scare first-years.
But recently, rumors had spread.
They spoke of a relic hidden deep inside. An artifact said to trigger a second awakening. A rare chance to manifest a new skill, separate from the one granted at birth.
To someone like Cain, it sounded like a miracle. A second chance. Maybe even the only one he'd ever get.
So when Abel came to him and said he believed the rumors, Cain didn't hesitate. Julia joined without question, her voice warm and encouraging, her hand slipping into his like always. They were the only ones who still treated him like a person. The only ones he thought still cared.
They delved into the dungeon together, deeper and deeper, past the shallow ruins into a place choked by roots and shadow.
They had found an ancient altar, with an amethyst necklace resting upon it. Without thinking, Cain reached out his hand to try and take it.
He never saw it coming.
His fingers had barely gripped the chain when his body froze at unexpected pain. Looking down, he saw a blade had pierced his stomach.
But it wasn't just any blade, No. It was Abels blade. With sorrow in his eyes, he turned his head back as blood began to pool in his mouth.
"Why..."
The single word came out with the metallic liquid being spat from his lips and dribbled down his chin.
"Why? Why you ask?"
Abel's face twisted into one of mockery and delight. He twisted the blade, causing a wave of agony to wash over Cain.
"The question should be why now! Because now that we are at the academy, we don't need you anymore! We can finally be rid of a parasite that has been weighing us down for years!"
Cain failed to understand what he was saying. We? That was when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Julia standing there. Smiling.
"Aww does the pathetic prince believe that I truly loved him~? I almost feel bad..Almost!"
Julia's voice was sickeningly sweet yet it took on an icy edge
"Just being near you made my skin crawl! Every touch, every breath was enough to make me nauseous! If it wasn't for your heritage and your ability to get Abel and I into this school, I would have pierced your heart with a dagger myself!"
Cain's lips trembled, but no words came. His vision blurred. Whether it was from the blood loss or the shattering of everything he believed in, he didn't know.
Abel yanked the blade from his gut with a sickening squelch and let Cain crumple to the cold stone floor.
"You clung to us like we were your last hope," Abel said, pacing in front of him. "It was pathetic. You actually thought we were friends. You really thought she loved you."
Julia crouched beside Cain, her face close to his, her breath warm against his cheek.
"You were just a name, Cain. A stepping stone. A royal fool with a crown made of garbage. Your title let us walk into places we didn't belong. Your blood gave us connections. That's all you ever were. A convenient key."
Her fingers reached down and gently brushed his bloodied cheek. The tenderness made it worse.
"And now you've run out of use."
She stood again and raised her staff.
Cain's arms trembled as he tried to push himself up, but his limbs refused to obey. His body was failing. His mind was collapsing.
"I… I loved you…" he whispered.
Julia snorted in amusement.
"That's the funniest part. You really did. Gods, it was adorable. Tragic. You wore that love like armor, thinking it made you strong."
Abel grabbed her waist, pulling her close as he laughed.
"He thought this dungeon would save him," he said. "He actually believed he'd awaken some miracle skill and rise above the bottom of the barrel."
Julia leaned into Abel's shoulder, smirking.
"Then let's do him one final favor and send him to where he belongs~!"
She raised her staff with one hand and with a short chant, a blast of air slammed into him.
His body flew backwards, tumbling over the ledge.
The world spun. The light vanished. And then the fall began.
He plummeted into the black, every breath rattling, every heartbeat fainter than the last.
Above him, he heard their laughter.
Not kind. Not regretful.
Triumphant.
It soon became the only thing he heard as he plummeted into the abyss below.