Alex had finally turned fifteen.
The day had come.The day of the Grimoire Selection Ceremony.
He walked with Asta and Yuno toward the great tower, just as he'd seen in the anime countless times before—But now, it was real.
As they entered the hall, he was shocked by the number of people.Crowds of teenagers, nobles, peasants, and hopeful faces all waiting to receive their magical book.
An old man at the front of the tower gave a long speech.
Alex didn't listen.
No one did.
They were all waiting for one thing:The moment their grimoire would float down to them.
One by one, books descended from the air—bright, glowing, bound in colors of red, green, silver…
Everyone was chosen.
Except for two people.
Asta.And Alex.
A murmur passed through the crowd.Then laughter.
"What a joke!""Two losers with no magic!""Why even show up!?"
Alex clenched his fists.
He expected this.He knew he had no magic.
But still…
The rejection hit harder than he imagined.
"Not even a cursed book wants me..."
He looked at Asta—Still smiling, pretending not to care.
But Alex saw it.The pain behind his eyes.
"He'll get his grimoire," Alex thought. "He's the hero, after all."
And just like that—The day ended.
Later, under the fading sun, Alex wandered into the forest with his traps.
He often hunted.Not because he enjoyed it…But because it gave him control.
The first time, a bear nearly killed him.
Now… he had become the predator.
After a while, he heard something snap.
He ran toward it—And was surprised to see a man in expensive, clean robes caught in one of his snares.
A noble.
The man shouted angrily, and his guards rushed over.
Alex tried to help—
But they didn't care.
"You filthy commoner!"
A blast of lightning magic struck him.
His body froze. Muscles clenched. He fell.
Then came the kicks. The spells. The laughter.
They beat him without mercy.
As he bled on the ground, his mind twisted in rage.
"They're just like them.""Rich pigs who think they can hurt whoever they want.""They took everything from me."
"I'll kill them. I'll kill every one of them."
Something snapped inside him.
The guards backed away, suddenly uneasy.
Then… something fell.
A book.
The noble's grimoire.
Alex saw it.
He didn't know what came over him.
He crawled toward it—And began to bite one of the pages.
"STOP!" the noble screamed.
They rushed forward again, but Alex kept biting.
Blood filled his mouth.Tears burned in his eyes.
He laughed—not from joy, but from pain, hate, madness.
"You think you're better than me?""You think you can break me again?""You think I'm trash!?"
He tore into the book like a starving animal.Not because he wanted power—But because it was theirs.Because it wasn't his.
And for the first time…He felt something stir in the air.