The sun had set.
The Tensei Plateau was now swallowed by a curtain of darkness, illuminated only by the pale glow of the broken Seiki orb. Children lay scattered across the stone—some unconscious, some whimpering in terror.
Kaito stood at the center, his breath ragged. Around him, the air still felt… wrong. Heavy. Devouring.
He could feel their eyes. Not the children's—but those things from the void.
"You there."
The masked instructor's voice snapped him back.
"Step forward."
Kaito hesitated. Every child near him shuffled back like he was infected. He forced his legs to move until he stood before the instructor.
"What is your name?"
"Kaito… Renge," he said, his voice trembling.
The instructor's masked face tilted slightly.
"You awakened… something far beyond ordinary Seiki. Tell me, boy—did you see something?"
Kaito froze. Images of the void, the countless white eyes, the colossal silhouette—they flashed in his mind. He swallowed hard.
"…I… don't know."
The instructor said nothing. For a long, unsettling moment, the only sound was the wind. Then, he turned away.
"Good. Keep it that way. If you value your sanity."
He clapped his hands once. A pulse of Shin'ei spread across the plateau like a shockwave. The unconscious children twitched, their bodies dragged to the side by an unseen force.
"Listen carefully," the masked man's voice grew colder.
"You have passed the first gate. But survival here is not determined by mere awakening. The next phase begins now."
He raised a finger toward the distant black forest that stretched beyond the plateau.
"Beyond those trees lies the Obsidian Ravine. For the next three days, you must reach the other side."
Some kids exhaled in relief—just a survival run?
The instructor chuckled softly, almost pityingly.
"…Do not misunderstand. The Ravine is alive. It will hunt you."
As if on cue, a low growl echoed from the treeline. It wasn't from one beast. It was many.
"And one more rule," he added. "Each of you must bring back the crest of three others. You may take them from the dead—or kill the living to claim them."
The silence shattered. Panic spread like wildfire.
"W-What?!""We have to kill each other?!""No way—!"
The instructor ignored their protests.
"The First Culling begins. Now."
And then—he vanished.
A split second later, the forest moved.
Shadows leapt from the treeline—wolf-like creatures with glowing red Seiki veins. Their jaws snapped with bone-crushing force as they sprinted toward the children.
"R–RUN!" someone screamed.
Chaos erupted.
Kids bolted in every direction. Some didn't even make it to the forest—wolves lunged, tearing into flesh. Blood sprayed across the stone, painting it crimson.
Kaito's body froze. His heart hammered. He couldn't breathe.
"MOVE!"
A girl shoved him aside just as a wolf's claw slashed where he stood. He stumbled, turning just in time to see her—short hair, fierce golden eyes.
"Don't just stand there like an idiot!" she yelled.
It was her—the girl from before.
Hina.
She cracked her knuckles, and her aura—bright orange, blazing—flared violently.
"Tensui: Roaring Fist!"
Her punch connected with the wolf's skull, shattering it in one hit. Seiki-enhanced muscle power. The beast collapsed, lifeless.
But more were coming.
"Dammit!" Hina cursed. "They're too many—hey, you! Can you fight?!"
Kaito swallowed. "I… I don't know how."
"Then figure it out fast!"
She grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward the trees. Wolves lunged behind them, their growls echoing like nightmares.
As they ran, Kaito saw other kids falling—devoured, screaming. Some fought back with newly awakened Seiki. Most died instantly.
The forest loomed ahead, darker than the night sky.
"Once we get inside, we can lose them!" Hina shouted.
But as they crossed the treeline—
—another shadow blocked their path.
It wasn't a wolf.
It was a boy.
He stood calmly amid the chaos, his black hair falling over sharp, calculating eyes. Around him floated dozens of thin, glimmering threads—each one wrapped around a struggling wolf, controlling their movements like puppets.
"You two are loud," the boy said flatly.
Hina stopped short. "Who the hell—"
The boy flicked a finger. A wolf lunged at them, controlled like a marionette.
"Stay still. You'll only make it worse."
Kaito froze. He could feel it—this boy's Seiki was different. Precise. Cold.
Another thread whipped toward Hina—
But before it could reach, something stirred inside Kaito.
The Void.
The threads touching him unraveled instantly, devoured by an invisible force.
The boy's eyes widened for the first time.
"…Interesting."
The forest grew silent for a single breath.
And then—
"Looks like I found a fun one," the boy said with a smirk.