Three Years Later
The breeze was gentle, carrying with it the scent of earth and moisture. It danced through the trees and played with their hair as they stood on the edge of a wide rocky cliff. Below them… the city shimmered like a sleeping treasure, lit by lights they had never seen before.
Akari stood in the middle, her hair swaying with the wind, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"This… is the city they wrote about in books?" she thought to herself, without moving her lips. "At last… this feeling of freedom. Like we've stepped out of a dark story into a glowing dream."
Ivan stood silently to her right, his eyes scanning the buildings, the roads, even the smoke rising from the factories. But inside, something else stirred.
"Light doesn't mean safety... Nothing here knows me, but I know who I am. This is the beginning… not the end."
Haru sat slightly behind them, perched on a rock, chewing on a small dry grass stem, gazing at the city with calm eyes.
"I've seen it before… twice, maybe three times. But it still amazes me—not because it's beautiful, but because I can't believe we actually did it… They see it as a dream, and I'm just… glad I'm with them."
A quiet moment passed between them, as if each could hear the other without a single word being spoken.
Then Akari whispered softly:
"Is this… the real world?"
Ivan replied without turning:
"No. It's just the part they allowed us to see."
The breeze paused for a moment, as if the earth itself was listening to what would happen next.
Elsewhere — Inside the Office of Academy Head Itsuya Kamishiro
Behind a large teakwood desk, his fingers calmly interlaced, his eyes focused on the closed door. There was no boredom in his gaze—only anticipation.
Heavy seconds passed before the door opened in complete silence.
A tall man entered. Dark skin, hair so short it was barely visible, dressed in a sharp black suit that concealed his form, but his walk alone was enough to show he wasn't ordinary.
He stood with disciplined posture in front of the desk and spoke in a calm voice:
"Yes, sir."
Itsuya replied without a smile:
"The test begins in four days. And you know what that means."
A brief silence followed… then the man's eyes widened slightly—not out of fear, but from understanding the gravity of what awaited.
"Under my supervision, then…?" he asked in a low voice, confirming what he'd heard.
Itsuya nodded slowly:
"Yes. Full supervision of the first phase… Make it a test they'll never forget."
The man lowered his head slightly in respect:
"Understood, sir. I'll begin preparations immediately."
Before he could leave, the headmaster added in a mysterious tone:
"This generation is different. Watch them closely…"
At Sunset
Akari walked quietly beside Ivan and Haru along a paved road leading toward the city. In the distance, the tall buildings came into clear view, bathed in golden light, making them look like part of a dream.
Akari scanned her surroundings intently, her eyes absorbing every detail of the city with quiet awe—trying not to overreact, as if she wanted to preserve each scene in her memory.
Haru, on the other hand, seemed relaxed, as if this wasn't his first time. He looked at the two of them and smiled to himself, thinking: "Such naïve kids… like they're looking at a fantasy world."
But Akari, walking absentmindedly… began to remember something.
Flashback – Dinner Table Three Years Ago
The table was simple, made of aged wood, lit by oil lamps that gave off a warm, soft glow. The three sat: Ivan, Akari, and Haru, facing the old man—Haru's father—who had just filled their plates with steaming pasta.
Akari exchanged glances with Ivan, then asked hesitantly while gripping her fork:
"Sir… how did those creatures appear? I mean… the Ashin?"
The old man stopped eating, falling silent for a few seconds as if carefully choosing his words.
"The media says those monsters were born from humans… Humans who wanted to destroy the world. Some call them sorcerers, others demons… or just beasts."
Akari gripped the edge of the table tightly, her eyes full of curiosity and worry: "And who were these people?"
He replied in a low voice:
"No one knows for sure… but the common belief is they all died… four days ago."
He paused suddenly, as if remembering something, then raised his eyebrows and said:
"Wait… I think their name was… Kaj—ah, yes! Kaji, that's it."
Akari froze for a moment, her gaze turning both mysterious and sad, as if something deep inside her had been stirred. Ivan, meanwhile, stared at his plate, his eyes hollow, but his breathing began to quicken. Anger… was silently brewing inside him.
Suddenly, in a quiet but charged voice:
"Is there anyone who kills those monsters?" Ivan asked without looking up.
The old man answered:
"Yes… there's a special squad called the Ashin Slayer Corps. They're stronger than the army because they wield a rare power called Raikono."
Ivan looked up, surprised:
"Raikono…?"
"Yes. It grants its user power and speed beyond human limits. But it's also dangerous… because it can turn its wielder into an Ashin if they lose control."
Akari's head shot up, her face shocked:
"What?! The Ashin… were humans?!"
The old man nodded heavily:
"Exactly. Every Ashin was once a human who lost control… and can never return."
A long silence fell over the table. The three exchanged quiet looks.
Then the man looked at Haru, who was eating his pasta casually, and said with a gentle smile:
"That's why… I'll be enrolling Haru into that corps. So he can learn to control his power—before it consumes him."
Ivan stared at Haru in shock, then muttered:
"I'm going too… I don't want to become something like that."
Akari looked at Ivan, her eyes quietly studying him, then whispered to herself:
"Ivan… if you're going… then I'll go too."
Then the father continued calmly, but firmly:
"In three years, he'll enter the academy. That's final."
Haru looked up at his father for a moment, then returned his eyes to his plate, saying nothing.
The man turned to Akari and Ivan, saying coldly:
"The choice is yours."
Ivan looked toward Haru and said in a quiet but steady voice:
"I'm going."
Akari nodded softly and said with a faint smile:
"I won't let him go alone."
The man nodded calmly:
"Good… start preparing now."
The flashback ended, and Akari returned to the present, walking silently beside Ivan and Haru. She didn't know if it was the breeze that brought tears to her eyes—or the memory that had suddenly shaken something deep within.
She stopped for a moment, lifted her head toward the darkening sky, now scattered with stars, then whispered:
"Three years passed so quickly… but the feeling never changed."
They finally reached the building.
It was silent, just as they had left it, surrounded by tired pillars of light, and a hushed stillness broken only by the sound of their footsteps climbing the cold stone steps.
They stood before the door. The key still rested in Haru's hand.
Akari looked at Ivan, then at Haru… No one spoke.
Haru slowly extended his hand, inserted the key, and turned the lock.
A faint creak… then—
The door opened.
And all that greeted them… were shadows.
That night, they entered the same place—but none of them would leave it the same.
Each of them carried pain inside… and left
behind a part of their humanity.
Haru, who could never forgive himself.
Ivan, who buried the unforgettable.
And Akari, who wanted nothing more than a future full of light.
End of Chapter