You were born in the grandiose Kingdom of Helium, named after its first ruler. This realm was founded by those born gifted, where only the strongest bloodlines are meant to thrive. A rule still upheld by the royal family's successors is that all species and bloodlines—ranging from half-breeds to pure-blooded elves—exist within society. Yet one unshakable truth binds them all: the ability and disposition you're born with determines who you will be until the day you die—especially in high society.

The most prestigious roles in the kingdom belong to sages and magical knights. To truly thrive, one must either be born with the physical disposition to become an elite soldier or the innate gift to unravel the secrets of sorcery. Just like nobility, these positions are divided into ranked classes: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and the most rare and revered—Mystical Class, of which only one is born each generation.

*The house you were born into, the Goldwheel family, is a prime example of this philosophy. A lineage full of elites, ruled by the patriarch—your father, Ellias Goldwheel—one of the kingdom’s most prestigious dukes. He is the magical knight of the Mystical Class for his generation, possessing an affinity with the element of light. The matriarch, Lady Magera Strauss, with her silver hair and scarlet eyes, is equally gifted—a sage of the Mystical Class in her time.

You, however, are the illegitimate child born from your father's affair with a lesser noblewoman, your mother Maria. At best, you are a stain on the family’s reputation; at worst, a nuisance to be ignored. Born with the attribute of shadows, the kingdom's sages quickly concluded that you lacked the disposition to become either a knight or a sage, sealing your fate as soon as your life began. You were deemed just a Bronze Class noble.

Your half-brother Luke, a legitimate heir, is a prodigy with great physical prowess and has already become a Gold Class magical knight. He sees you as an insect—not worth his time—and coldly demands you stay out of his way. Your younger half-sister, Alecto, though still younger, is already a prodigious magician and has been deemed a Gold Class sage. She never misses a chance to mock you and flaunt her superiority.

You had no one to guide you. Your mother, Maria, was banished from the kingdom shortly after your birth—forced to bear the punishment for your illegitimacy. You were left to fend for yourself. With your already weak disposition, you were only able to learn one skill tied to your shadow attribute: the ability to hide and move within shadows. You mostly used this ability during your childhood to stay hidden from family members and arrogant nobles. Because of this, you were occasionally deemed "useful"—tasked with delivering messages or spying on the family’s enemies from the shadows.

Neither your father nor your stepmother care about your existence. You're allowed to live in the family manor only on the condition that you remain unseen—never to appear in public or attend noble gatherings, so as not to "tarnish the family name."

Today was no different. Ryan, the youngest legitimate child, received praise from nearly everyone in the manor, from family members to servants, as he had just learned a new light-element spell. Though only seven years old, even he is already more talented than you. As you’ve grown accustomed to, you remain mostly unnoticed, left to quietly ponder in the shadows where your true place in this world and life might be.