...
The afternoon sun hung low over Reikosha Academy, casting long shadows across the training courtyard.
Students slowly filtered out of the practice hall, their conversations buzzing with excitement about the morning's exercise. Kairo lingered behind for a moment, flexing his hands. The faint tingling of Reikou energy still pulsed through his palms.
He stared at them quietly.
It worked… even if only a little.
"Don't get too impressed with yourself."
Kairo glanced up. Kimimaru stood nearby, his arms folded across his chest. His expression was calm as always, but his sharp eyes had clearly been watching the entire practice.
"I'm not," Kairo said quickly. "I just… didn't think it would work at all."
Kimimaru tilted his head slightly. "Reikou energy responds to belief as much as control. Doubt blocks the flow."
"That's easy for you to say," Kairo muttered.
Kimimaru didn't respond. Instead, he simply turned and walked toward the academy steps. After a moment, Kairo followed.
Outside, the courtyard was alive with movement. Students were practicing energy bursts, others sparred under the watchful eyes of senior instructors.
Every few seconds a flash of light or ripple of dark energy cracked through the air.
Yura and Tyouro were waiting beneath the tall stone archway leading to the dormitories.
"You survived," Tyouro said with a grin.
"Barely," Kairo replied.
Yura crossed her arms, studying him for a moment. "Your control improved."
It wasn't praise exactly, but from Yura it was close enough. Kairo scratched the back of his head.
"I just tried to remember what Professor Takahano said."
Tyouro leaned forward with curiosity. "Did you actually feel it? The Reikou flow?"
"Yeah," Kairo said slowly. "It was like… a vibration. Not strong, but it was there."
Kimimaru stopped walking.
"That's correct," he said. "Reikou isn't something you force. It's something you align with."
Tyouro blinked. "Since when did you become the professor?"
Kimimaru ignored him.
The four of them continued toward the dormitories. The path curved around a quiet garden where wind chimes hung from the branches of old sakura trees.
For a moment, the noise of the academy faded into peaceful silence.
Kairo looked up at the sky.
He remembered the dream again.
The glowing clouds. The floating note.
Don't give up on your dream.
He still didn't understand where it came from.
But somehow it felt real.
"Hey," Tyouro suddenly said, lowering his voice.
"Did you guys hear about the upper training hall?"
Yura stopped walking. "What about it?"
Tyouro leaned closer, as if sharing a secret.
"A second-year class apparently triggered a massive Yami surge this morning. The instructors had to shut down the entire wing."
Kairo frowned. "That sounds dangerous."
"It is," Tyouro said. "Yami energy isn't something beginners should play with."
Kimimaru glanced toward the far end of the academy, where a towering black structure rose behind the main buildings.
"The upper hall is meant for advanced students," he said. "If they lost control…"
His sentence trailed off.
Yura looked in the same direction, her expression unreadable.
"Energy isn't just power," she said quietly. "It's responsibility."
The wind shifted, rattling the garden chimes softly.
For a brief moment, none of them spoke.
Then a deep voice echoed across the courtyard.
"Students!"
They turned to see Professor Takahano standing at the entrance to the training grounds. His calm expression was gone, replaced with something far more serious.
"All first-year students report to the observation arena immediately."
A ripple of confusion spread through the nearby students.
Observation arena?
That was usually reserved for demonstrations by elite fighters.
Kairo exchanged a glance with Tyouro.
"What's going on?" he whispered.
Kimimaru didn't answer.
Yura's eyes narrowed slightly.
Something about the professor's tone had changed.
And whatever was about to happen… it wasn't part of the normal lessons.
The four of them followed the growing crowd toward the arena.
Above them, the sky had begun to darken, clouds slowly gathering over Reikosha Academy.
Kairo felt it again.
That faint vibration of energy.
But this time…
It wasn't coming from him.