The boy who chased thunder

Ani always loved heroes.

Not because they were strong, famous, or admired, but because they protected people. Ever since he was a child, he dreamed of becoming one himself.

Unfortunately, dreams don’t care about reality.

Ani isn’t talented. He isn’t rich. He doesn’t come from a powerful bloodline, and in a world where heroes are usually born with overwhelming abilities and endless resources, someone like him was never supposed to become one.

Then one day, he sees a stranger being bullied.

Terrified and hopelessly outmatched, Ani steps in anyway.

He succeeds.

And that single decision ruins his life.

His friends abandon him. His classmates turn him into a joke. The girl he stood against makes sure his life becomes a nightmare, and for the first time, Ani begins to wonder if everyone was right. Maybe heroes only exist in comics.

Then he learns about ASCENT Academy, the greatest hero academy in the country. Every year, one hundred thousand students compete for just seventy-five seats. For someone with no money, no connections, and no special talent, getting in should be impossible.

Most people would give up.

Ani doesn’t.

He spends years training for a dream the world tells him he has no right to chase. But as he gets closer to becoming a hero, he begins to realize that the hardest part isn’t passing the entrance exam—it’s deciding what being a hero truly means.

The Boy Who Chased Thunder is a progression fantasy about an ordinary boy with no destiny, no cheat abilities, and no miracle waiting around the corner—only an impossible dream and the stubborn refusal to let go of it.