"Wow…" Blessing breathed, eyes wide as he stepped onto the grounds of the Hero Society Academy. The sheer scale of the place was overwhelming, towering white spires reaching into the sky, magical orbs floating like stars and the students in grey and navy blue uniforms moving in grace that felt almost otherworldly.Elan led the way, her footsteps echoing confidently down the polished marble halls. "Blessing, Esther may I present to you the place were heroes are forged," she said her voice steady but carrying an unspoken weight.Blessing glanced around, absorbing everything. The hum of Veira energy was thick in the air, almost tangible. Students practiced techniques in the courtyard, some leapt effortlessly between platforms, while others summoned faint glows of energy around their hands.Beside him, Esther's eyes sparkled with awe. "I never imagined a place like this existed," she whispered, clutching her bag tightly.Elan slowed near a large archway dividing the hall into two corridors. "This is where your paths will split. You won't be attending the same class."Esther blinked. "Separate? But…" her voice was soft, almost hesitant.Elan smiled faintly, her gaze softening. "It's for your own growth. Different classes focus on different specialities."Blessing swallowed hard and gave Esther a small reassuring smile as he patted her heard. "I know. It's just for a while. We'll still see each other."Esther's eyes shimmered with unshed tears "Promise me if someone messes with you you're gonna call me… I'll come there and beat them up okay."For a moment, they stood there, the noise of the academy fading into the background. Esther reached up, squeezing his hand tightly, as if anchoring herself."It's just that I don't wanna loss you too," she admitted quietly."Me too," Blessing confessed. "But we're always gonna be stronger together even when we're apart."Elan cleared her throat softly, reminding them of time. "Hate to interrupt you two but we got to go."They exchanged one last look, filled with both sadness and hope, before Elan gestured toward the corridors."You're going left, Blessing. Esther your class is this way."Esther nodded, fighting to keep her composure. "See you soon, big brother."Blessing's voice cracked slightly as he whispered, "See you soon, little sis."As they slowly turned away from each other, neither wanted to be the first to break.But deep down, they both knew this was only the beginning of their journey.Blessing took a deep breath, steadying himself and turned towards his path and as he opened the classroom door his heart skipped a beat.As he stepped inside, eyes flickered toward him, some curious, some indifferent, others openly evaluating. From the middle row, a familiar voice called out."Blessing! Over her!"Yuki waved enthusiastically, her smile bright and encouraging. Relief washed over him as he made his way to her side."Sitting down, Blessing stole a glance around the room. He could tell that the competition was fierce, but beneath it all, he could feel the same determination burning in each of them.And in seeing this he whispered. "Mmmh, I hope you're doing ok Esther."Yuki in hearing this chuckled. "Don't worry she's gonna be fine… it's her classmates I'm actually worried about."Blessing stared at Yuki puzzled by Yuki's words. "Classmates? What do you mean?"Yuki's expression turned serious. Now. "You may not have noticed by Esther's Veira flow is…"She quickly stopped herself and smiled. "Well she's a strong kid, she's gonna be okay."Before Blessing could say more, the instructor, Professor Mira, a sharp eyed women with silver streaks in her tied up hair entered and wrote diagrams of Veira circulations on a glowing digital board."Ok class settle down, since we have knew students let us begin with the fundamentals shall we."A screen lit up behind her, showing a body diagram with glowing lines."Veira flow."The room quieted instantly. "It's not magic. Not chakra nor energy. It's the alignment of spirit and the body, a manifestation of intent. The stronger the intent, the more control over your Veira. Everyone has it, but not everyone awakens it, so therefore it is divided into three groups awakening, control and manifestation. All of you have awakened it, few of you control it and almost none of you can fully manifest it."Blessing leaned forward, soaking it in."If mastered," Mira continued, "Veira flow can enhance reaction time, increase healing, amplify strength and yes can even allow flight, if directed properly, etc."She paused, scanning the students."But Veira has limits. Overuse can cause collapse. Misuse… can destroy the user… and only those who can align their intent with their flow truly begin to master it. Talent helps, but mastery is what makes one unstoppable."Just then, the door creaked open.Every head turned.Kaito stepped in, hands in pockets, expression unreadable, eyes half-lidded like he'd just woken up from a nap he didn't care about. His uniform was unbuttoned halfway, collar loose. He didn't say a word.Mira paused mid-sentence but didn't scold him."You're late."Kaito gave a short nod, almost like a bow, but not quite. "Sorry, had somewhere to be."He strolled past the silent rows of students, some staring in awe, others narrowing their eyes. He walked all the way to the back corner and slouched into a chair near the window, resting his head against the wall, eyes half closed like he wasn't even listening. The silence that followed was thick, until it slowly gave way to murmurs, subtle enough not to catch the teacher's attention.Some of the students who had been in the Academy from the beginning exchanged glances."Tch… another overconfident one," one boy muttered under his breath."Late on the first day, acts like he owns the place.""He thinks being a candidate gives him special treatment?"But the annoyance wasn't universal.A pair of girls seated mid-row leaned in close, whispering quickly behind cupped hands."Did you see his eyes? That lazy, mysterious look?""He's definitely hot. You know his name?""I don't know, we definitely have to look into that later."Even some of the candidates from the trials looked unsettled. Blessing caught the vibe, glancing sideways at Kaito, who didn't seem to notice or maybe just didn't care. Yuki leaned closer to Blessing and smirked. "Well, looks like we just found the class's hot guy."Blessing blinked and turned to her placing a hand over his chest in mock surprise. "Me?"Yuki raised an eyebrow unimpressed. "Seriously, dude?"Blessing chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head. "Um… well, I mean- uh… never mind."Yuki rolled her eyes but smiled anyway and for a split second, her laughter mixed with the soft hum of the classroom.Mira resumed. "As I was saying Veira flow is not about brute force it's about balance. But sometimes imbalance creates monsters."Kaito's eyes were closed now, but a small smirk formed on his lips.Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Academy, Esther sat quietly in a classroom filled with unfamiliar faces. The room was bright and well-kept, with polished floors and large windows letting in streaks of morning sunlight. But the atmosphere? It was cold.She was the only newcomer here.The students whispered, but not out of curiosity. It was the siting of resentment."She didn't even go through the trials.""Was she recommended or something?""No record, no background…""Why is she even here?"Esther sat at the far end, near the window, her eyes lowered but her ears wide open. She heard every word. The tension in the room pressed against her like invisible hands, but she didn't respond. She simply breathed.Calmly. Quietly.But not everyone looked at her with disdain. One girl, sitting a row ahead, turned around and offered a small smile. Her hair was short and messy, dyed a soft lavender shade, and her eyes were curious, not judgmental."Hey stranger," she whispered leaning back in her seat. "I'm Anya. First day huh?"Esther blinked, a little surprised. She nodded slowly. "Yeah.""You've got guts showing up here with all this tension." Anya chuckled. "Don't worry. They're just mad that you're not from here and you didn't fight a bunch of monsters to get in."Esther looked at her, unsure how to respond, but then her lips curled just slightly. "Thank you."Anya winked. "Stick close. I'll help you survive this place." At the front of the class, the teacher walked n and silence dropped like a curtain. But the air around Esther felt just a little lighter now.Up the tallest building of the academy, behind a wide pane of glass overlooking the eastern wing of the campus, Chairman Kaida stood beside the headmaster- an older man in sharp robes, arms crossed behind his back.Kaida's eyes were fixed on one student in particular- Esther Chiaki.The headmaster, standing beside Kaida exhaled. "So that's the girl?"Kaida didn't answer immediately."She's unnerving," the headmaster continued. "No records, no background no formal training. And yet she was placed directly into the academy. Elan insisted."Kaida's voice was quiet. "I allowed it."The headmaster blinked. "You did?"Kaida's fingers tightened slightly around his elbow. "Because I need to understand what she is."There was a long silence before he added, "Her Veira… it doesn't ripple. It doesn't flow. It bends. Like gravity."The headmaster's brows furrowed."That's not even possible, is it?"Kaida turned to him, his expression as still and cold as steel."She's not a mistake. She's a weapon. I just don't know who built her… or why"He looked back through the glass, his tone lowering."This girl isn't a student. She's a threat." Kaida's gaze lingered on Esther for a moment longer before she turned away from the window."Keep an eye on her," he said to the headmaster. "And make sure Elan doesn't get too involved."The headmaster nodded silently.Meanwhile, in the classroom Blessing chuckled awkwardly beside Yuki, while Kaito sat silently at the back, eyes closed but senses sharp.And across the academy, Esther stared out her own window- quiet, distant and unknowingly at the centre of a storm yet to come.
