[Scene – Morning at New Era Academy]
The sky over Haratsu is a pale blue, sunlight glinting off the academy's tall towers. Students chatter excitedly in the courtyard — today is Evaluation Day, when every mage's magical capacity is measured before the entire class.
Rumor travels quickly.
> "The Kiminara transfer's gonna get destroyed."
"I heard he's the weakest in his country!"
Shin walks into the training hall, calm and expressionless. At his side, Umei Sakura whispers:
> Umei: "Don't take it personally. This test isn't always accurate… but people here use it to measure status."
At the far end of the hall stands Professor Raiden, a stern, hawk-eyed mage. In the center of the room sits a towering crystal, glowing faintly. The Arcane Gauge — a magical artifact said to measure a mage's raw energy output. The brighter and larger the crystal glows, the stronger the mage.
---
[Scene – The Nobles Show Off]
The first students step forward. One by one, noble heirs channel their magic into the crystal. It flares with impressive light, the hall filling with gasps.
Haya Kenjiro approaches, smirking. He slams his palm against the crystal and golden light bursts upward, nearly reaching the ceiling. The crowd cheers.
> Haya: "Top score again. Try and beat that, transfer student."
His friends laugh, already confident Shin will be humiliated.
---
[Scene – Shin's Turn]
The professor calls his name.
Shin steps forward slowly. The hall quiets.
Umei watches, unsure what he will do. She's seen the calm in his eyes — the kind of calm a dangerous person carries.
Shin raises his hand over the crystal. For a brief moment, the magic inside him stirs — a boundless, crushing force that makes the room's air heavy.
The Arcane Gauge trembles violently, light starting to spike—
—and then Shin pulls it back.
The crystal glows faintly, barely brighter than a beginner's score. Gasps erupt. Laughter follows.
> Haya: "Pathetic. I thought Kiminara mages were supposed to be strong."
Shin simply turns and walks away, ignoring the jeers. The professor frowns — he felt something in that moment, something vast, as if Shin's magic had chosen not to be measured.
---
[Scene – After Class]
Outside, Haya corners Shin with his friends.
> Haya: "If you can't show your strength in the test, at least prove you're not completely useless. Duel me tomorrow."
Shin glances at him briefly.
> Shin: "…If I fight you, you'll regret it."
The warning makes Haya's friends laugh even harder. But Umei, watching from a distance, notices a strange shimmer in Shin's eyes — like a storm kept locked behind an unbreakable wall.
---
[Scene – Final Moments]
That night, Shin sits alone in his dorm room, gazing at the moon. He opens his travel bag and takes out a worn pendant — the only clue to his missing sibling.
> Shin (whispering): "If you're out there… I'll find you. No matter what it takes."
Far away, in a dark chamber, a hooded figure holds an identical pendant — and smiles.
[To be continued…]