The midday sun hung high over Rose Academy, its golden rays filtering through the fractured sky, casting a kaleidoscope of violet and crimson across the cobblestone courtyard. The air carried a lingering bitterness, the scent of scorched ozone mingling with the damp earth where Umbrae ichor had seared the ground, now crusted over with a blackened crust. Rose petals, still stained with the night's gore, clung to the vines that draped the academy's ancient walls, their thorns glinting like tiny daggers in the light. Yuki Tsukishiro stood at the edge of the training yard, her beautiful black hair—deep as a raven's wing, shimmering with midnight silk—tied back with a hastily mended red bow, its edges frayed from the battle. Her arm, now wrapped in a fresh bandage, ached faintly beneath her uniform, a reminder of the claws that had marked her. Her Empathic Starshard rested dormant in her palm, its electric-blue pulse a quiet whisper of the emotions still simmering around her—the curiosity of gathered students, the stern focus of instructors, and a thread of unease she couldn't shake.
She shifted her weight, her sketchbook tucked under her arm, its torn pages fluttering slightly in the breeze. The events of the previous night replayed in her mind—the surge of power that felled four Umbrae, the overwhelming tide of emotions, Kaname's steady hands catching her fall. At sixteen, her skill with the shard felt both a gift and a burden, her ambition to prove herself clashing with the anxiety that gnawed at her edges. She glanced at the scattered roses, their glow from the night before faded, and wondered about the vision that had haunted her—shadowed halls, collapsing students, Kaname's anguished face. She brushed it off as exhaustion, unaware of the spiral design etched into one of her sketches, its lines mirroring patterns she'd yet to notice.
Across the yard, Kaname Hiroshimae leaned against a stone pillar, his obsidian-black hair—polished onyx catching the sunlight—framing a face still marked by fatigue. His blue uniform, patched where the Umbra's claw had torn it, hung loosely, the red tie knotted with care despite the strain in his green eyes. A faint scar on his wrist, shaped like a starlit spiral, pulsed faintly—a mark he dismissed as a battle remnant, its faint glow stirring a vague unease he couldn't place. Within him, the memory of his family's slaughter lingered, their home reduced to ash, their killer a shadow he chased in silence. He watched Yuki, his dry humor tempered by a protective instinct, wondering how her untested power had drawn the Council's attention.
The training yard buzzed with activity, its perimeter lined with students whispering behind their hands, their Starshards glimmering in various hues. At the center, a tall instructor with silver-streaked hair and a robe embroidered with rose motifs stepped forward, his presence silencing the crowd. "Tsukishiro, Hiroshimae," he called, his voice a steady drumbeat. "The Council has ordered your assessment. Today's trial will test your limits. Tsukishiro, you will spar with Darius Veyne, one of our top students. Begin."
Darius Veyne strode into the ring, a towering figure with a cruel smirk, his dark violet shard pulsing with a sinister edge. At eighteen, he was a prodigy with a reputation for ruthlessness, his black hair slicked back, his uniform pristine despite the malice in his gray eyes. The trial, orchestrated by the raspy-voiced Council member, was a setup—Darius had been instructed to harm Yuki, a test designed to break her or prove her expendability. The instructor raised a hand, and the spar commenced. The ground trembled as Darius unleashed a barrage of violet energy spikes, each one aimed with precision, forcing Yuki to dodge with agility she didn't know she possessed. Her shard flared, its blue light clashing with his, but the onslaught was relentless—spikes grazed her shoulder, drawing thin lines of blood, while his taunts cut deeper. "You're nothing but a liability," he sneered, his power intensifying.
Yuki's vision swam, the crowd's emotions—fear, excitement, disdain—crashing over her like a tidal wave. Her empathy seized Darius's arrogance, channeling it into a surge of electricity that crackled through the air. She ducked a spike, rolling to her feet, her hands weaving a net of blue tendrils that ensnared his legs, tripping him. Panting, she pushed further, her shard's strain mounting as she summoned a focused blast, striking his chest with a thunderous crack. Darius staggered, his shard dimming, and with a final, determined thrust, she pinned him to the ground, her power overwhelming his. The instructor called the match, and the crowd fell silent, awestruck by her victory.
But Darius's face twisted with rage, his pride shattered. As the yard cleared, he glared at Yuki, his hand twitching toward a concealed dagger, but he held back, retreating with a venomous promise in his eyes. The instructor dismissed the session. "Enough for today. Rest, but be ready." Yuki caught her breath, her pride swelling despite the exhaustion. Kaname offered a faint smirk. "Not bad for a start," he said, but his mind drifted to the vision he'd glimpsed last night—his family's home, the rune blazing, a shadowed figure with a familiar stance. He shook it off, focusing on her. Yuki, clutching her sketchbook, felt a strange pull toward him, a bond forged in survival, as the roses along the yard's edge glowed faintly, their thorns a silent promise of challenges ahead.
Later That Evening: A Darker Betrayal
The night cloaked Rose Academy in an oppressive silence, the fractured sky a shroud of violet and crimson, its stars dimmed by a creeping fog. Yuki trudged toward her dorm, the cobblestone path slick with dew, her footsteps echoing in the dead stillness. Her bandage itched beneath her sleeve, her shard dormant, its weight a comfort after the day's trial. The roses along the path hung heavy, their petals darkened by the night, their thorns glinting like the teeth of hidden predators. She paused, her breath misting in the cold, unaware of the shadow trailing her—Darius Veyne, his dark violet shard pulsing with a malevolent hum, his earlier defeat fueling a bitter rage.
He stepped into her path, his smirk a mask for the fury in his gray eyes. "You think you've won, Tsukishiro?" he spat, his voice low and venomous. "That little victory was a fluke. The Council sees you as a pawn, and I'll shatter you before they can use you." Yuki's heart raced, her shard flaring instinctively, casting a faint blue glow. "I earned my place fairly," she replied, her voice steady but edged with defiance. "Why can't you accept that, Darius?" He laughed, a harsh sound that sliced through the fog. "Fair? You're a weak link they'll discard. I'll prove it tonight."
He drew his dagger, its blade etched with a faint spiral rune that pulsed with an unseen malice, a curse forged by the raspy Council member's dark arts, its power dormant until later. "Let's see how long you last," he sneered, lunging with a swift thrust aimed at her chest. Yuki dodged, her shard igniting fully, but the attack was fiercer—violet spikes erupted, pinning her cloak to the stone, forcing her to tear free, blood trickling from the fabric's edge. Mid-fight, as she countered with an electric arc, he taunted, "Your empathy's your downfall—too soft to kill." She gritted her teeth, seizing his hatred to fuel a retaliatory blast that scorched his arm, but he pressed on, slashing at her side, the cursed dagger slicing deep, a black vein-like mark spreading from the wound, unnoticed in the heat of battle.
Just as Darius raised the dagger for a killing blow, a figure burst from the shadows—Kaname, his surprise visit a lifeline, his Shadow Starshard roaring with orange flames. "Back off, Veyne!" he shouted, intercepting the strike, his flames searing Darius's hand, forcing him to drop the weapon. From the fog, a subordinate emerged—the wiry student with a green shard—summoning thorny vines to ensnare Kaname. "You'll pay for humiliating him!" the lackey snarled, his vines tightening. Kaname struggled, grunting, "Yuki, now!" She rallied, her shard blazing despite the pain, unleashing a massive electric surge that shattered the vines and stunned the subordinate, who collapsed with a cry. Turning to Darius, Kaname growled, "This ends here," his shadow-flame clashing with Darius's violet energy in a fiery explosion that lit the night.
Yuki, blood streaming from her side, staggered forward, her vision darkening. With a desperate cry, she channeled every ounce of her empathy—Darius's rage, the subordinate's fear, her own resolve—into a blinding electric storm. The blast struck Darius full-force, hurling him into a stone wall with a bone-crunching impact, his shard shattering in a shower of violet shards that rained like broken glass. The subordinate fled, whimpering into the night. Yuki collapsed, the black mark on her side pulsing faintly, a curse's whisper she couldn't hear, while Kaname rushed to her, his voice urgent. "Hold on, Yuki—you did it!"
Panting, they reported the incident to a night patrol and a senior official, who arrived with grim faces. "This was no mere grudge," the official said, his voice heavy. "That dagger… it's not standard. An investigation will be launched, and the Council will be informed." Kaname nodded, his tone firm. "They tried to kill her. Find out why." The official sighed, "We'll dig deep. Rest now—justice will follow." As they limped away, Yuki felt the bond with Kaname deepen, a silent strength, while he shook off another vision—his family's home, the rune blazing, a shadowed figure with a familiar stance. The roses along the path glowed faintly, their thorns a stark promise of trials yet to come.