The Plateau of Tensei was silent.
A hundred children stood on cracked stone, their shadows stretched long by the blood-red sunset. None of them spoke. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Kaito Renge stood near the back, heart pounding so loud it drowned out the world.
This is it. The first step to finding her.
Five years ago, his sister Ayame vanished during the Seiki Ritual. People called it an accident, a misfire of unstable aura. But Kaito never believed the lies. He knew someone took her.
And the only way to reach the truth… was to step into the same darkness.
A man appeared before them. He wore a black ceremonial mask and robes that fluttered like torn wings. The sheer weight of his presence pressed against Kaito's chest like a mountain.
"Children," the man said, his voice echoing unnaturally. "Welcome to the Tensei Trial. From this moment forward, you will either awaken your Seiki… or you will leave as corpses."
A shiver ran through the group.
The masked man raised his hand. A ripple of Shin'ei—a shimmering aura like liquid silver—spread from his body, instantly knocking several kids unconscious.
"First lesson," he said coldly. "Seiki is life itself. To grasp it, you must first face death."
A black sphere floated from his palm. It pulsed with ominous energy.
"This orb is a catalyst. Touch it. If you survive the resonance, your Seiki will awaken."
Kaito swallowed. Around him, children stepped forward one by one. Some collapsed screaming as their bodies rejected the surge. Others gasped as faint auras flickered to life.
Then it was his turn.
He reached out. His fingertips brushed the surface of the orb.
And something… answered.
A cold emptiness unlike anything he had ever felt spread through his veins.
This isn't like theirs… this is…
The world around him blurred. For a moment, he stood in a void—endless black, with countless eyes staring at him from the dark.
"So you finally open the door…"
The voice wasn't human. It echoed from everywhere and nowhere, shaking his soul.
The orb shattered.
A violent shockwave burst from Kaito's body, flinging nearby children aside. His aura didn't glow like the others—it devoured light, swallowing everything in a radius.
The masked instructor froze."…Impossible. A Hisui manifestation?"
The ground cracked beneath Kaito as he gasped for air. His aura—no, his void—spread further, pulling even the instructor's Shin'ei into its depths.
"Kaito!" A girl's voice—Hina's—reached him faintly.
But Kaito didn't hear her. He was still trapped in the void, facing a colossal silhouette with burning white eyes.
"You seek the lost one," it whispered."Then you must pay the price."
Before he could respond, the vision shattered.
When Kaito opened his eyes, the orb was gone. The masked man stared at him like he was a monster. The other children had backed away, pale with fear.
For the first time, Kaito realized—This was not a simple awakening.
Something inside him had awakened with him