Hizashi No Kage

  Chapter - 2

  The magic had awakened in Akash. And it wasn’t any ordinary magic — it was **Light Magic**, considered one of the most powerful abilities in existence. What made Light Magic special was its versatility: it excelled in attack, defense, and support — all three at once.

  The news spread like wildfire: a woodcutter’s son from Jot village could wield **Light Magic**. Anyone who heard it was left stunned. Overnight, an ordinary boy had become extraordinary.

  Fame attracts unwanted dangers as well. Soon, powerful mages from neighboring regions began arriving in Jot village, each bringing tempting offers. Everyone wanted to claim Light Magic for themselves. After all, mages capable of using Light Magic were so rare they could be counted on one’s fingers.

  Among the many proposals came one from the priest of Kija city’s church.

  Like all the others, his condition was the same: hand Akash over to them. In return, they promised to make his and his entire family’s life completely comfortable.

  Some of the offers involved such huge sums of money that even Bron’s resolve wavered once or twice. But Angela never agreed to sell her son. Akash himself was wise enough not to let himself be treated like an object to be bought and sold.

  However, the priests didn’t just promise money — they also offered to make Akash a priest. The idea that a boy from a poor family could become a priest made even Angela hesitate for a moment.

  But Akash had never forgotten those priests’ faces. These were the very same ones who had refused to heal Jagruti.

  Akash looked straight at them and asked,

  “Are you really going to make me a priest just like you?”

  “Of course, my child, of course!” the priests replied immediately.

  “Then it’s better for me not to go with you,” Akash said. “Becoming a worthless priest like you would be worse than becoming a thief.”

  The priests’ eyes widened in shock.

  Akash continued, letting years of resentment pour out:

  “Don’t you remember me at all? Try to recall. Two years ago, a boy came to your church begging you to heal a half-demon. Does anything come to mind now?”

  Their eyes opened even wider. Without another word, they fled from the spot, hurling insults at the Snow family as they left.

  ---

  The church’s offer, proposals from several kingdoms, and even one from the capital — the Snow family rejected them all. Every single one treated Akash like a commodity to be purchased.

  If Akash had known that accepting even one of these offers might increase his chances of meeting Manjula again, he might have considered it. But that thought never crossed his mind. All he knew was that the girl who had saved his life belonged to a wealthy family. He didn’t even know her name.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Still, despite knowing so little, Akash began dreaming of Manjula. Little Akash Snow started weaving fantasies: when he grew up, he would definitely meet Manjula again one day and ask her to marry him.

  He asked around and learned what it would take to marry a girl from a rich family. The answer that made the most sense to him was this: first become rich, famous, and powerful himself.

  How to achieve all that troubled him for a long time — until one day Bron gave him the answer.

  “Become a knight.”

  And to become a knight? He would need formal knighthood training.

  Light Magic was considered a high-level magic. Now both Bron and Angela had hope that Akash could achieve something great in the future, so they supported him fully.

  A woodcutter’s son becoming a knight? It sounded impossible. But Akash had already witnessed one impossible event in his life. So he made up his mind: he would become a knight — Manjula’s knight.

  But determination alone couldn’t change his circumstances. Jot village had no proper education system. Children usually attended a tiny village school until age 10–12 (if at all), then simply took up their family’s trade.

  Akash had to give up formal schooling too. Instead, he chose the path of self-study. He read every book he could find in Kija city’s library, then moved on to another nearby city.

  He devoured every book he could find on Light Magic and swordsmanship. He even bought textbooks used in the schools of wealthy children. All the while, he continued helping Bron and Angela — chopping wood, supporting his mother — never stopping.

  Sometimes children his age mocked him out of jealousy. To them, Akash was just wasting his time. But as his Light Magic gradually grew stronger, the taunts slowly faded away.

  Through self-study, Akash also mastered healing magic. He began treating villagers’ minor injuries and pains for free.

  There was a boy named Shashav — the village head’s only son after two daughters, and two years older than Akash. Shashav could never tolerate that people liked Akash more than him. If anyone bullied or harassed Akash the most, it was Shashav. Akash never held a grudge, but he quietly kept his distance.

  Despite all difficulties, Akash continued his studies. By the age of 17, he had gained mastery over four types of magic:

  - **Light Shield Dome**

  - **Light Radar**

  - **Medium Healing Magic**

  - **Sword of Light**

  Thanks to Sword of Light, chopping wood became so easy for Akash that Bron hardly had any work left. Akash would channel Light Magic into his axe, multiplying its power many times over — even though the spell was never meant for cutting firewood.

  Akash Snow was now 17 years old. For years, he had chased just one dream — to become a knight.

  At first he thought he could join a decent knighthood school and become a knight that way. But the more he learned, the clearer it became: there were already far too many so-called “knights” who were knights in name only. Most people simply bought fake certificates or dubious credentials from untrustworthy institutions. Because of this, royal families now only accepted knights trained and certified by world-renowned schools.

  And the most prestigious of them all was **Wand and Sword Academy**, located on the Tyrop Continent. It trained both mages and knights. A certificate from W&S Academy guaranteed a shining future — whether as a mage or a knight, any royal family would welcome you with open arms.

  But getting admission there was nearly impossible. The fee alone was **1 crore Jenny**, and the second requirement was magic level: anyone below level 70 wasn’t even allowed near the academy.

  At first, the Snow family thought they would enroll Akash in a good academy within Kamilya country itself. But as his magic-based work brought in increasing profits and his magic level kept rising, even Wand and Sword Academy began to seem possible.

  One important point: Akash never charged anyone for using healing magic. The Snow family saved every bit of money solely through selling firewood and milk.

  And finally, Akash’s level reached **75**.

  ---

  Akash was now almost eighteen. The admission forms for Wand and Sword Academy had been released. The Snow family was preparing to travel to the capital. A wave of excitement ran through their home.

  Just then, Shashav’s mother, Mercy, arrived looking deeply worried.

  “Akash, beta, please come and see Shashav once. His condition is very bad. We don’t know what’s happened to him.”

  Shashav was seriously ill. No one could figure out the cause. Akash tried Medium Healing spells several times, but there was no improvement. Eventually, a priest was called from the city. After examination, the priest declared:

  “This is Red Fever. Healing magic cannot cure it.”

  Shashav’s family sank into despair. The fever was life-threatening. Without treatment soon, he could die. The only cure — a low-level elixir — was extremely rare and therefore outrageously expensive, costing around **1.5 crore**. It was available only in the capital.

  One family was torn by dilemma; now the Snow family faced the same dilemma. No one spoke, but everyone understood.

  After taking a deep breath, Akash said,

  “Mummy, can we give my fees to them?”

  His parents were stunned. Angela knew she had raised a good son — but she had never expected such selflessness.

  In the end, Shashav’s life was saved.

  A few days later, Mercy came to the Snow house with sweets. Akash heard the news, ate the sweets, then quietly picked up his axe and walked outside.

  He stopped near a tree in the forest and spoke to himself:

  “One mother’s son was saved.”

  He swung the axe into the trunk.

  Then:

  “Two sisters’ brother was saved.”

  Another swing.

  Now his voice trembled:

  “The boy who tormented me the most… I saved his life… but… but… then what about me?”

  The axe slipped from his hand and fell. He sat down right there. Tears filled his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

  After a while, he stood up slowly and said,

  “Never mind… I’ll have to look for another school.”

  With that, Akash walked away.