Morning at Arkanis Academy
The sun rose lazily over the tall spires of Arkanis Academy, its golden light spilling across stone courtyards and polished marble halls. Unlike the silence of their return last night, the academy buzzed with life now. Students hurried in clusters, their uniforms crisp, their satchels bouncing with books and scrolls. Some trained in open fields, conjuring flame, water, or steel into the air.
But as Koha and his companions stepped into the courtyard, all activity seemed to pause for a heartbeat.
Whispers swept like wildfire.
“There he is again…”
“The one who bled at the ocean, then… destroyed it.”
“I heard his eyes turned into circles of power.”
“They say even the Headmaster had to intervene.”
Rio groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Great. We’re celebrities.”
Yin adjusted his glasses nervously. “Not celebrities. More like a dangerous rumor made flesh.”
Huo’s eyes narrowed, scanning the crowd. “Ignore them. Let them talk. It doesn’t change who we are.”
Koha walked with his usual calm, but inside, he felt the weight of every gaze. He hated it. The fear. The awe. He hadn’t chosen to be seen as a monster.
Rio slapped Koha’s shoulder lightly. “Hey, don’t brood. If they’re staring, might as well give ’em a good show.”
Koha raised a brow. “…What kind of show?”
Rio smirked. “You’ll see.”
The dining hall of Arkanis Academy was always lively, but today it was suffocating. As soon as Koha’s group entered, conversations dropped, replaced with stares.
Rio, unfazed, strode straight to the food line. “Alright, boys, today’s the day I finally conquer the academy’s infamous triple-layer meat pie. Watch and learn.”
Yin pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re going to give yourself indigestion.”
“Correction,” Rio said confidently, balancing an overloaded tray. “I’m going to achieve greatness.”
They sat together at a long oak table. Almost immediately, other students whispered from nearby seats.
“Look at his forehead… no scar.”
“Did the healers erase it?”
“No, I bet he healed it himself with forbidden magic…”
Koha’s jaw tightened.
Rio stabbed his fork into the meat pie and spoke loudly enough for the eavesdroppers to hear. “Forbidden magic? Please. Koha here can’t even forbid himself from brooding 24/7.”
Yin nearly choked on his tea. Huo smirked faintly. Koha gave Rio a flat look. “…You’re insufferable.”
“Exactly,” Rio grinned. “Keeps people guessing.”
For a moment, the tension eased.
Then a group of upper-year students approached. Their leader, a tall boy with fiery-red hair, crossed his arms. “So. You’re Koha.”
Koha looked up calmly. “Yes.”
The boy sneered. “You think you’re better than everyone, don’t you? Using power nobody else understands. People are afraid of you. Maybe you should be put in your place.”
The dining hall grew quiet.
Rio leaned back, grinning lazily. “Oh boy. Here we go.”
Koha’s expression didn’t change. “…If you think so, challenge me properly. Not here.”
The boy scoffed. “Fine. Training grounds. Noon.” He turned sharply, his group trailing after him.
Yin exhaled nervously. “This isn’t good. The entire academy will want to watch.”
Huo’s eyes glinted. “Then let them. Better they see Koha’s strength in control than in wrath.”
Koha said nothing, staring at his untouched food.
By noon, the training grounds were packed. Students crowded the edges, eager to see the duel. Word had spread fast: Koha, the boy who had bled at the ocean and unleashed terrifying magic, versus Darius, a third-year fire specialist known for his arrogance.
The grounds were a wide circle of stone, enchantments embedded to contain stray magic. Professors stood at the edges, ready to intervene if things went too far.
Darius strutted to the center, conjuring flames that danced around his arms. “Let’s see if the rumors are true, monster boy.”
Koha stepped forward, sword in hand, calm and silent. His eyes glowed faintly—not with fury, but with restrained focus.
Rio called from the sidelines. “Don’t overdo it, Koha! Remember, we actually live here!”
The duel began with a crack of fire. Darius hurled a blazing orb, the air shimmering with heat. Koha sidestepped effortlessly, his blade slicing through the flame and dispersing it into sparks.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Darius snarled, unleashing a torrent of fire pillars. “Burn!”
Koha whispered a short incantation. “Mizu no Tate… Water Shield.” A shimmering wall of water rose, absorbing the flames before collapsing harmlessly into mist.
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
“He can counter fire so easily…”
“Didn’t even flinch…”
Darius, furious, gathered fire into a massive sphere above his head. “Try stopping this!”
But Koha didn’t move. His voice was calm, cold, carrying across the grounds.
“Kaze no Yaiba… Wind Blades.”
Dozens of sharp wind arcs shot upward, slicing the fireball apart in an instant. The remnants exploded harmlessly into the sky.
The crowd gasped again.
Darius fell to his knees, drained and humiliated. Koha approached slowly, sword pointed downward. His voice was steady. “You fought well. But don’t mistake arrogance for strength.”
He sheathed his sword and walked away.
The crowd exploded in cheers and whispers.
“He didn’t even hurt him…”
“He held back… on purpose.”
“Maybe he’s not a monster after all.”
For the first time, the stares aimed at Koha weren’t just fear—they carried respect.
Later that day, the four retreated to the library. Yin, of course, was in his element, dragging tome after tome from the shelves.
Rio groaned, collapsing into a chair. “Why are we here? We just watched Koha dismantle a walking campfire. Shouldn’t we be celebrating?”
“Celebrating with what?” Huo asked dryly.
“Meat pie,” Rio replied without hesitation.
Yin adjusted his glasses. “We’re here because knowledge is also strength. If Koha’s powers are beyond recorded spells, we need to research any precedent.”
Koha sat quietly, scanning the shelves. One book in particular caught his eye—a dark, leather-bound volume titled Echoes of the Forbidden.
When he opened it, strange runes glowed faintly on the pages. His breath caught.
Words formed in his mind: “The eye that sees all… the circle of wrath… the ocean of blades.”
His hand trembled.
Rio noticed. “Koha? You okay?”
Koha closed the book sharply. “…I’m fine.”
But inside, he knew. The book had recognized him.
That evening, they gathered by the academy’s inner lake, a place where students often relaxed. The water glimmered with reflected moonlight, gentle ripples breaking the surface.
Rio skipped stones across the water, grinning when one bounced six times. “Beat that.”
Yin tried, only for his stone to sink immediately. “…Unfair physics.”
Huo chuckled softly, tossing one that skipped four times. “Not bad.”
Koha, after a pause, flicked his wrist. His stone skipped seven times, then split into glowing fragments that danced across the surface like stars.
The others stared.
Rio laughed loudly. “Of course you win at skipping rocks too! Is there anything you can’t do?”
Koha smirked faintly. “…Eat meat pie without gagging.”
The group erupted into laughter, even Yin. For the first time, the heaviness of battle lifted.
They weren’t warriors. Not tonight. They were just friends.
But as they laughed, far away, a shadowed figure stood on a distant tower, watching the academy. His voice was a whisper carried by the wind.
“So… the boy survives the sniper’s shot. Interesting. His power awakens further.”
The figure raised a black crystal, pulsing with malevolent light. “Soon, Koha. You will either join us… or drown in your own wrath.”
The wind carried the laughter of Koha and his friends, but it was faint already being swallowed by the darkness to come.
ns216.73.216.13da2
and then Add to home screen.