The Four Stars Academy ceremonial hall was a vast, circular chamber capped with a domed ceiling of crystal glass. Sunlight flooded through the high panes, casting dazzling, multicolored mosaics of dancing light across the faces of the assembled first-year trainees.
Fifty of them remained.
Only fifty out of the nearly one hundred and fifty who had taken the exams had passed.
Fifty out of nearly two thousand who had arrived at these walls to begin their hero journeys.
The hall was thick with tension and quiet exhaustion, all fifty seated in ascending rows of obsidian benches. On the highest platform above them—carved from marble and gilded with streaks of silver—stood Headmaster Kime and his team of professors and instructors.
Itekan shifted in his seat somewhere near the center, trying not to draw attention as Togira nestled innocently atop his head, like a half-asleep ferret made of shadows and sparkles. The little creature occasionally kicked a leg or drooled a bit, tail dangling down the back of Itekan's collar. It was, somehow, both adorable and deeply uncomfortable.
"Stop twitching," Itoyea whispered beside him.
"Easy for you to say," Itekan muttered. "You're not carrying a warm, fluffy monster on your scalp."
"You're the one who let it sleep there."
"How could you refuse him his pleasures?" Itekan cooed toward the snoring Togira.
Kutote, two rows behind, leaned forward just enough to be audible. "Could you both keep it down? You're distracting others."
Itoyea didn't turn. "Kutote, you do know you're making more noise than both of us."
Before another sarcastic retort could be launched, reality twisted. A subtle ripple distorted the air—and from the center of the platform, Headmaster Kime emerged. He raised his hand.
Silence fell like a dropped curtain.
His kimono shimmered faintly in the filtered light—black with gold-threaded sakura blossoms. His eyes swept across the gathered faces with the weight of someone who had witnessed many such assemblies—and would likely see many more.
"Congratulations," he began, voice calm and cool, yet somehow audible to the furthest trainee without amplification. "Out of 1,942 applicants, only fifty of you have proven worthy to stand here as official first-year graduates of Four Stars Academy."
Whispers of pride and relief rippled through the chamber.
"Many of you have bled, failed, stood again, and overcome yourselves. That—not talent, not lineage, not even SE mastery—is what separates you from the rest. But know this…"
He paused, pacing slightly with his hands folded behind his back.
"Your journey has only just begun."
He stopped again, eyes sharp.
"Next session, a special event will take place. I won't reveal the details today, but I will say this: only five heroes will be chosen from each year. Five. The strongest. The cleverest. The most dedicated. They will be considered and chosen."
Chairs creaked as trainees shifted. The weight of future possibility settled heavily on their shoulders.
Rose Anasta straightened in her seat, unreadable expression paired with gleaming eyes.
Zanzo cracked his knuckles.
Komi blinked herself awake.
Cheim Nell smirked and kicked her feet up, whispering to Avery, "Sounds like fun."
"'Fun' is when you're not getting vaporized for extra credit," Avery muttered, adjusting his scarf.
Kutote narrowed his eyes. Did he say strongest in class? I have to make the cut.
His gaze flicked to Itekan and Itoyea in front of him. Those two are definitely making the list.
"Hey Kutote," Itoyea whispered over his shoulder. "Try hard during the break. Make sure you're one of the chosen ones."
"Who said I was interested in competing?" Kutote growled, glaring at them.
"You didn't need to say it. I could hear your brain calculating how much training you need to catch up."
"You stuck-up fart," Kutote muttered.
"You two argue like an old married couple," Itekan said with a sigh, his gaze distant. He was still thinking about what Instructor Keel Kun had told him earlier. If those words were any indication, the next semester wouldn't be peaceful.
Kime let the murmurs build for a moment before raising his hand again.
"Use your month break wisely. Rest, yes—but train. Reflect. Study every lesson, every form, every failure. Heroes are not defined by the trials they pass, but by the lives they change."
Then, he paused.
"Speaking of such… I've been informed that two trainees have demonstrated, this session, what it truly means to be a hero. Not in showmanship, nor rank. But in spirit."
Gasps. Murmurs.
"Itekan Lie. Itoyea Pilton. Stand."
The two exchanged a look. Itekan gave a small shrug. Itoyea rolled his eyes and stood smoothly, nudging Itekan up beside him. Togira, now awake and mildly annoyed, let out a squeak and scurried off to curl in Rose's arms.
"These two are to be commended for their acts of bravery in a town recently plagued by a demonic beast. Alongside other upperclassmen, they slayed the creature and freed the city from its grasp."
"Let their actions spark a fire in your hearts. A fire that embodies the true spirit of a hero."
Some clapped. Others hesitated. A few nodded with genuine respect.
Komi yawned.
Avery clapped with a quiet grin—he remembered the fight against the apostle Zain. He had seen Itekan's strength firsthand. To hear Itekan had saved a city only deepened that respect.
Kutote crossed his arms, glowering.
"Showoffs," he muttered.
"Just because you're insufficient doesn't mean the rest of us should be," Itoyea shot back.
"Guys!" Itekan hissed, stepping between them before things got ugly.
Kime reached into a small, sealed box handed over by Instructor Keel Kun and drew out two scrolls.
"At the recommendation of the Head of Lysternia, I award you both these Scrolls of Technique. They contain recorded skills—their power and effectiveness depend entirely on your effort and comprehension. The path to mastery is yours alone."
Gasps again—genuine this time.
Avery sat straighter. Rose watched silently, gaze intense. Kutote muttered something under his breath.
They broke the rules... and got rewarded for it?
Technically, they weren't even supposed to leave the school grounds.
Itekan and Itoyea bowed as the scrolls touched their hands. Kutote scooted a bit farther away from Itoyea's obnoxious grin.
"You allergic to power now?" Itoyea asked.
"Nah. Just allergic to your lack of humility," Kutote mumbled.
"Are you two always going to be like this?" Itekan sighed, glancing at them both.
Slowly, the tension in the room eased.
Kime clasped his hands behind his back once more.
"Remember: a hero is not one who wins every battle. A hero is one who does not retreat when it counts. Carry that into your future. And never forget—each of you is one decision away from becoming the person you dreamed you could be."
He turned, voice soft with finality.
"This session is concluded."
Silence. Then applause. Not thunderous—but real. Respectful. Sincere.
---
✦ After the Ceremony ✦
The courtyard buzzed with voices, laughter, and arguments.
"So," Kutote said, approaching Itekan and Itoyea near the fountain. "You two get scrolls. I get trauma. Real fair."
"What you got," Itoyea said, opening a pouch of sweetberries, "was humility. You were overflowing with it."
"You two bicker like exes. It's alarming," Itekan sighed.
Togira leapt back onto his head, squeaking with indignant joy.
"So you're back, you deserter," Itekan muttered at the shadowy ball climbing him again.
Itoyea snorted, tossing a berry into the air and catching it with his mouth. "Well, guess we've got three months to figure out who the top five really are."
"Exactly," said a voice behind them.
They turned.
Instructor Keel Kun approached, arms folded.
"And between the four of us… I'm betting the three of you have the highest chance of representing your class."
"Are we leaving now?" Itekan asked.
Itoyea and Kutote exchanged confused glances.
"Yes. Headmaster Kime is waiting for you three."
Itekan glanced around the courtyard.
Rose was in deep discussion with Professor Tedorinzu.
Binturu was requesting a duel from one of the instructors who stood around.
Komi had already fallen asleep again.
Cheim Nell and Avery were still arguing about whether poison counted as "honorable combat."
Itekan smiled.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Three months."
"Wait—what are you talking about?" Itoyea asked.
"Yeah, what—"
Keel Kun's golden halo flared.
And before either of them could finish their sentence—
All four vanished.
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Spiritual Energy (SE)
Spiritual Sea (SS)
Spiritual Signature (SST)
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