The next morning came way too fast.
Ren's arms were still sore from yesterday's combat training, but he acted like nothing was wrong as he pulled on his school uniform.
— "Ren, your forehead's still purple," said Itsuki while brushing his teeth.
— "Purple is the new trend. Real warriors wear stylish bruises."
Itsuki laughed and tossed his towel at him.
They bolted out of the dorm room, late again for their History of Great Magical Conflicts class. Ren yawned through the lecture, doodling a monster in the corner of his notebook with the caption: "Me Tomorrow."
But then, things got more interesting.
---
Outside in the academy's training field, the instructors had a surprise:
— "Today, you'll pair up. One of you is the attacker, the other support. Your mission: cross the training zone full of magical traps and reach the flag at the end."
Ren and Itsuki looked at each other.
— "We teaming up?"
— "Always."
---
The training zone was huge—floating pillars, unstable platforms, flying orbs, and lightning traps buzzing through the air.
Itsuki took the lead, firing precision blasts and moving like a battle strategist.
Ren… improvised.
He ran, dodged, rolled, and shouted nonsense like:
— "INVISIBLE NINJA FINAL TECHNIQUE!!" — while nearly getting zapped by a fireball.
Itsuki yelled:
— "REN, WATCH OUT FOR THE LI—"
ZAAAP!
Ren got grazed by a bolt of magical energy. It hurt—a lot—but he didn't go down.
— "I'M FINE!" he yelled, even though his arm was shaking. "MY MOM DIDN'T RAISE A QUITTER!"
Rika, on the other side of the field, glanced over mid-challenge.
— "He's injured… but still going?"
---
Near the end, one of the platforms began to collapse under Ren. He could back off... or leap toward the final stretch and try to reach the flag.
— "You can't make that jump!" Itsuki shouted.
Ren grinned.
— "Then it's a good thing my stubbornness can fly!"
He sprinted, jumped across the gap, and yelled:
— "REN STYLE! VERSION: 'IF I FALL, I GET BACK UP!'"
At the last second, he grabbed the edge of the flag platform and pulled himself up with nothing but sheer willpower. Blood ran from his arm, but he raised the flag high.
Silence.
Then—applause. Even the instructor clapped.
— "That boy has no magical powers… but he has something many of you lack: willpower."
---
Later that day, with the sun setting, Rika approached Ren in the hallway.
— "You almost died, you know?"
— "Yeah, but did I die cool?"
She laughed.
— "You surprise me. Honestly."
Ren scratched his neck, a little shy.
— "Maybe… my power is just being annoying enough to never give up."
She looked at him seriously.
— "Or maybe... you just haven't found what makes you different yet."
Ren stared at the orange sky, quiet.
Somewhere deep inside... he felt something. A strange pull, like a distant drumbeat. Something that pulsed when he got hurt… when he fought.
He didn't know what it was yet.
But it was there.