Eternia's Requiem

Long before the dungeon trial...

Long before Eternia Sinclair entered his life...

Leon Aurelius Sinclair was already known as the strangest child of the Aurelius Branch.

The Aurelius family branch stood at the peak of magical bloodlines within the Sinclair Domain. They were called the Line of Pure Mages, a branch where every child was born with extraordinary mana sensitivity and near-perfect magical control. Their bloodline specialized in spellcasting itself. Unlike warrior mages who relied on brute strength or elemental destruction, the Aurelius lineage focused on absolute precision.

Children from the branch were terrifyingly gifted from birth.

Some could sense mana before learning how to speak.

Others naturally activated mana circulation instinctively while sleeping.

To the Aurelius family, mana control was as natural as breathing.

Or at least—

It was supposed to be.

Inside a massive silver chamber engraved with mana circles, several elders stared at the child standing at the center of the room.

A young Leon.

Silver-haired.

Beautiful even as a child.

And trembling slightly beneath countless observing eyes.

One of the elders spoke calmly.

"Begin the circulation exercise."

Leon nodded nervously.

"...Y-Yes."

He slowly raised his small hands.

Mana gathered instantly.

Too instantly.

The surrounding air distorted as enormous quantities of mana surged from his body violently. The pressure alone caused nearby candles to extinguish.

The observing elders widened their eyes slightly.

Even now—

Years later—

The amount of mana inside Leon’s body was terrifying.

A monster-level reserve of magical energy.

A blessing beyond imagination.

Yet moments later—

The mana suddenly spiraled out of control.

Like water circling a collapsing vortex.

The energy twisted violently around Leon’s body before exploding outward.

BOOM.

The mana formation cracked.

Dust scattered everywhere.

Several instructors immediately raised barriers.

And at the center of it all—

Leon stood frozen with panic.

"...S-Sorry..."

Silence filled the room.

The elders stared quietly at the unstable mana still swirling around him.

Not anger.

Not disappointment.

Confusion.

Because they had never seen mana behave like this before.

Every mage possessed a unique mana signature.

Mana was not truly identical between people.

Some possessed rough mana signatures, dense and violent by nature. These mages excelled at destructive spells, body enhancement, and close-quarter combat. Their mana naturally amplified force and damage output.

Others possessed smooth mana signatures, allowing spells to flow effortlessly. Such mages could cast multiple spells rapidly, maintain complex spell formulas, and manipulate mana with incredible precision.

These differences were normal.

Expected.

But Leon?

Leon’s mana was neither rough nor smooth.

It moved like a whirlpool.

Constantly rotating inward.

Collapsing and expanding simultaneously.

Beautiful.

Chaotic.

And horrifyingly difficult to control.

The more mana he used—

The more unstable it became.

One elder slowly muttered under his breath.

"...A whirlpool mana signature..."

Another frowned deeply.

"I’ve never seen such instability before."

"It’s not instability."

The oldest elder narrowed his eyes sharply.

"...It’s density."

That was the true problem.

Leon’s mana reserves were absurdly large.

Too large for his young body to handle naturally.

Trying to control it was like trying to hold an ocean inside a cup.

And because the mana constantly rotated inward, normal spell formulas struggled to stabilize properly.

Even simple spells became dangerous.

The elders continued observing silently while Leon stood there nervously.

"...Again."

Leon flinched slightly.

Still—

He obeyed.

Again and again, he tried.

And again and again—

The mana spiraled out of control.

Weeks became months.

Months became years.

Nothing changed.

Leon remained a genius incapable of properly controlling his own talent.

The other children of the Aurelius branch began surpassing him quickly.

Not in mana quantity.

Never in quantity.

But in application.

While others mastered advanced spellcasting and multi-casting techniques, Leon struggled to stabilize basic spells consistently.

Whispers began spreading throughout the branch family.

"...Such a waste."

"He has enough mana to rival adult mages..."

"But his control is terrible."

"A failed prodigy."