The next morning began like most others: a light breakfast, a chakra warm-up, and silent focus before the day took shape.
Today, however, Rai woke with questions buzzing in his head.
He sat cross-legged in his small room at the edge of the Academy's upper dorms, the faint hum of the Reliquary audible within his chakra sense.
"Last time... Kidmodo wasn't even a card I drew," Rai muttered, eyes narrowed. "But he still showed up when Masked Dragon fell. So where did he come from?"
The Reliquary pulsed, and a series of chakra-inscribed text unfurled into his mental space.
Notice: Subpool Accessed.
The Subpool designates cards not currently in primary rotation but eligible for summon via specialized effects.
Access determined by card type synergy.
That clarified one thing: Masked Dragon's effect could draw from a wider selection of dragons. But how many cards were in this so-called Subpool? And how did they get there?
Rai frowned. Synergy made sense. Dragons resonated with each other. Masked Dragon could call out to others. But the idea of a reserve he hadn't manually drawn from?
"...So some cards are waiting in the wings. Just not active."
He stood and stretched, letting the new information settle. No point in chasing ghosts. What mattered was that he could rely on the Subpool for certain effects—even if he didn't fully understand it yet.
Today, he would train. He had new strategies to test. And maybe, finally, he'd begin to uncover how to better command the synergy that shaped his deck.
---
Kumogakure Administrative Tower – Afternoon
High above the busy lightning-blasted peaks of the Hidden Cloud, the Raikage leaned back in his reinforced chair, massive arms crossed over his chest. Paperwork scattered the desk before him, some marked with the red seal of urgent observation.
A, the Fourth Raikage, frowned deeply at one such scroll.
"This boy... Rai. Six years old. Chakra capacity already brushing low-Jonin levels. And that's not even the strangest part."
A silver-haired aide stood beside him, posture ramrod straight. "The Reliquary system seems to function autonomously, Raikage-sama. It adapts in response to chakra and intent."
"Tch." A snorted. "Half of these reports sound like speculation. Sentient constructs? External storage? I've heard of ancient jutsu archives, but this..."
He unrolled another page. A battlefield diagram annotated with crude ink sketches.
"La Jinn. Power rating approaching Tokubetsu Jonin in short bursts. Kidmodo Dragon, minor support. Masked Dragon... now that one's interesting."
The aide nodded. "Its destruction triggered a special summon from the Subpool. The resulting chakra cost was lower than a standard summon."
A's eyes narrowed. "So he gets a refund when a card is destroyed, and he can chain that into another summon. That alone would give most Genin teams a run for their ryo."
He leaned back and folded his arms.
"We're dealing with something old. And growing."
There was silence for a moment. Then A gave a short nod.
"Send word. I want to meet the boy myself."
---
Back at the Academy Grounds
Rai stood in the middle of the training field, La Jinn fading back into chakra mist after a round of sparring against animated constructs.
He let out a breath, then turned as Kaida approached.
"Word from the Tower," she said, tossing him a towel. "The Raikage wants to meet you."
Rai blinked. "...What?"
"You're being observed. Every time you summon, every time you spar, it's recorded. You know that, right?"
He nodded slowly.
Kaida gave a half-smile. "You're a mystery, Rai. And Kumo doesn't like mysteries it can't control. So be sharp. Be polite. And above all... be careful."
Rai looked down at his hand, where the ghost-light outlines of his deck shimmered faintly.
Be careful...
He would. But he wouldn't stop.
---
[End of Chapter 8]
Author's Note: The Subpool system allows certain specialized effects (like Masked Dragon's) to pull from synergistic monster types even if they have not yet been drawn through the daily or condensed draw mechanic. While the full workings of this will be unveiled gradually, this marks the beginning of deeper deck dynamics.