"Again"
A voice resounds in the hall, echoing ominously.
"But Father..."
I reply, my voice trembling, my hands shaking, knees on the floor; unable to stand up from the pain.
"From now on; you are not one of our own, why should I spare you?"
Eating the words that I was about to blurt out, I can't do anything more but to gulp in fear.
Yes, from this day onwards I am no longer a Magus.
The man in front of me, the man who is torturing me, he is... my Father.
I loved my Father.
He was like an idol to me.
Into his hands, I trusted my everything.
Into his hands, I commended my dreams.
But now, in his eyes, he has already forsaken me.
In his thoughts, he has already forsaken me.
And, in his heart, he has already forsaken me.
"Wake up. Or I will no longer be merciful."
So I do so, I grab a Magic Tool that is used to drain Magic Circuits of their power.
And the Tool burns, it scorches like hell on earth.
The flow of Magic overruns my whole being, traversing through the Magic Circuit System as if electricity were coursing to my veins. The problem is that there is so much magic coursing through the Circuits that they burn out from over-exertion.
The overuse of my Magic Circuits is so intense that burning marks start appearing in your skin. The marks resembled the Magic Paths that I have lost.
"Again."
But it is not enough, just as the stone-cold voice of your Father reminds me.
Tears well up in my eyes, blood comes out slowly from my mouth, and for the first time in my life, I glare at my Father.
I won't appear weak in front of him. Not anymore.
Even if I am vomiting coagulated-blood, even if my face is white from the paleness... I will not falter in front of him.
"Do I even have to do this for you?"
A Father is supposed to be a figure of protection.
A Father is supposed to be a figure of guidance.
He used to be one. My Father, someone who used to look after me.
But not anymore.
"Where did I go wrong?" I ask him full of tears, spilling out blood into the floor.
That question finally makes him stagger.
Closing up his eyes, and looking like he suddenly aged, Father answers slowly.
"There are some sacrifices that have to be done. When the angels deserve to die, even a god cries."
Anger wells up my whole being. Because it had to be done; he is shattering my hopes, my dreams, my body, and my future.
"I hate you."
"And you have the right to do so. I am a failure as a Father, but not as a Magus."
"Is that more important than your child!?" I cry out loud, my voice crumbling on despair.
A moment of silence permeates the ambiance.
"Yes."
Anger fills your head, but I know I can't rebel, I don't have the energy nor the strength.
I have to comply, even if I'm hesitant to.
I have to survive. To survive another day to spit in his face. To show it is possible that I can go on even if I am not a Magus anymore.
Grabbing the Magic Tool, I burn out all of my Magic Circuits, only stopping after there is only one left.
And I pass out.