The sun was still low when Yamato and the others arrived at Cloak High's main courtyard. The air was cool, and the sky was painted in soft orange and blue. Students walked by, whispering as they noticed who was standing in the middle of the yard—Master Ozaki.
Yamato stood beside Ichiha, Chella, Sora, and Lumei. He glanced around, still tired from the big fight the day before. Lumei looked excited, bouncing on his heels, eyes wide with energy.
Then, Ozaki walked forward with his arms crossed and a serious look on his face. His dark cloak flowed behind him as he stepped in front of the group. His sharp eyes scanned over each of them.
"You five," he said, voice calm but strong, "have been chosen."
Lumei gasped, then grinned wide. He leaned closer to Yamato and whispered, "He picked me! I didn't even fight and he still picked me! My master picked me!"
Ozaki continued. "Starting tonight, you'll leave for a month of training with me. It will be hard—harder than anything you've done before. Bring what you need. No comforts. No breaks. This is real training."
Chella narrowed her eyes. Sora stood up straighter, hands clenched behind her back. Ichiha said nothing, just watched Ozaki closely.
"Pack well," Ozaki said. "If you fall behind, I won't stop for you."
Then he turned and walked away without another word. His cloak whipped around as he left. The group stood there for a moment in silence, unsure how to feel.
Lumei suddenly threw both fists in the air. "Yes!!" he shouted. "I'm finally part of something! Yamato, we're training with my master!"
Yamato gave a small smile. "Yeah… this is big."
---
That evening, Yamato stood in his room, packing his clothes and gear into a travel bag. His room was quiet except for the soft sound of fabric rustling. He looked down at his belt and tightened it with a sharp pull.
Boom.
A low, distant sound shook his floor. The window rattled. His comms orb on the table blinked red and buzzed.
He walked over and tapped it.
"Emergency alert: Trouble in Cheval Town. All civilians must evacuate. Suspected attack by unknown magic users."
Minutes later, the group gathered again at the academy gates. Ozaki stood there, staring down at his own orb. His eyes narrowed.
"Kaku…" he muttered. "This isn't a random attack. It's a trick. A henchman's work. He's trying to lure me out."
Yamato stepped forward. "So what do we do?"
"We go," Ozaki said. "But we don't lose focus. Kaku wants to delay us. We won't give him that."
Ichiha stood behind the others, his face unreadable. He didn't look at anyone. His hands were in his pockets, shoulders tense.
Yamato turned to him. "You okay?"
Ichiha didn't answer right away. His eyes were distant, staring past the trees outside the gate.
"I've seen this kind of thing before," he said quietly. "What they leave behind…"
Yamato opened his mouth, but Ichiha shook his head slowly. "Not now. I'll talk later."
The group fell silent. There was nothing more to say.
They turned toward the road, their training journey just beginning—with danger already waiting ahead.