The night was quiet, the Academy grounds bathed in silver light from the twin moons above Serium. A soft breeze carried the faint hum of essence, a subtle reminder that the world around him was alive with energy far beyond human comprehension. Shinjiru sat cross-legged on the edge of a balcony, chains coiled neatly at his side, muscles still sore from the day's trials. He felt a strange emptiness—an echo of a past he could not recall, a tugging at the core of his being that defied reason.
Footsteps approached, silent but purposeful. Shinjiru looked up to see Miyu Kage, the ivory-blue Filer, standing just inside the doorway. Her aura glimmered faintly, the calm radiance of someone who had seen far too much yet carried the weight with quiet grace. She stepped closer, her gaze resting on Shinjiru with an intensity that made his skin prickle.
"There is something you need to know," she said softly, almost reverently. Her voice carried the weight of both authority and intimacy, as though she were about to unveil a truth that had been kept hidden for centuries.
Shinjiru's hand instinctively went to the violet shard in his pocket, now warm against his skin. He had no idea why he did it, yet some deep instinct told him that this moment mattered.
"Your father… Haruto Arakami," Miyu continued, "was not merely a human. He studied Himen essence, experimented beyond the rules. He sought to understand what no human should touch. And you… you are the result of that legacy."
Shinjiru's breath caught. The shard pulsed faintly in response, almost like a heartbeat. The words sank into him slowly, carrying a weight that made the night seem heavier, denser, charged with a strange energy. "A hybrid…" he whispered. The word felt foreign yet somehow innate, like a key turning inside a lock he did not yet understand.
"Yes," Miyu confirmed, her aura dimly glowing under the moonlight. "You are the first and only hybrid in history. No other has combined human ingenuity with Himen essence in a single vessel. That is why the Succession Games chose you. The Elite 8 watch closely because your ascension could change the very rules of the Serium Realm. Your existence is both a promise and a risk."
Shinjiru stared down at his hands, the kusarigama glinting in the pale moonlight. His body felt alive with energy he had only begun to understand—a delicate balance of human resilience and Himen power. Every instinct, every reflex he had used in training, now resonated with this revelation. His body understood before his mind could.
"But… why?" he asked, voice barely audible. "Why would my father… risk everything? Break the rules?"
Miyu's gaze softened, tinged with sorrow. "Haruto believed in the potential of human-Himen synergy. He wanted to create something that could withstand threats that neither Himen nor humans alone could face. But the rules exist for a reason. His actions, though noble in intent, led to tragedy. He paid the ultimate price when Orochi no Kyōfu struck. You survived because the essence of both bloodlines flowed within you—but that survival carries responsibility."
Shinjiru's mind swirled. He had always felt an unexplainable connection to essence, a sense of being more than human, yet he had never known why. Now the truth pressed upon him like a tidal wave: his father's dreams, his own hybrid blood, the trials he had endured—it all formed a fragile, yet unbreakable chain.
"Your uniqueness," Miyu continued, stepping closer so her hand hovered over the violet shard, "is why the Elite 8 are invested in your growth. They are teaching you not just skill, but judgment. You must learn to wield your power wisely. The first 9th Elite Himen is not chosen for raw strength alone, but for the ability to balance instinct, intellect, and morality."
Shinjiru felt a subtle surge within him, the dormant hybrid essence responding to her words. Chains coiled instinctively, forming faint arcs in the air around him, shimmering violet-silver. It was as if his body had known this moment was coming, even if his mind had not.
"Do you understand?" Miyu asked quietly.
"I… I think so," he admitted. "It's not just about fighting or power. It's… responsibility. Judgment. Legacy."
Miyu nodded, her expression grave yet hopeful. "Exactly. You carry not just your father's blood, but the weight of his choices, the mistakes and triumphs of all Himen who came before. Every action you take can influence the realm and human world alike. That is the burden—and the honor—of your existence."
Shinjiru closed his eyes, letting the moonlight and the faint hum of essence wash over him. Memories of his father's face flashed briefly—angry yet determined, focused on something just beyond reach. A flicker of something else too: Shinu, Kaito, the battles, the sacrifices—all fragmented and incomplete, yet tied together by an unbroken thread of destiny.
"I… I'll do my best," he whispered. His voice carried determination, humility, and the quiet promise of someone who had just begun to understand the weight of his bloodline.
Miyu placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "Your best will be enough, if tempered with wisdom. The world may test you, but your essence… your hybrid blood… has the potential to reshape it. Remember that."
As she stepped back and disappeared into the shadows, Shinjiru remained on the balcony, the violet shard pulsing faintly against his palm. He understood now that training under the Elite 8 was more than mastery of combat—it was an education in legacy, in ethics, in the delicate equilibrium between power and responsibility.
Tonight, he was no longer just a participant in the Succession Games. He was the embodiment of history and future intertwined—a hybrid poised to become the first 9th Elite Himen, carrying the echoes of his father's ambition and the potential to surpass it.
The wind stirred, whispering through the spires of the Academy like a promise. Somewhere deep within, Shinjiru felt it: the power was there, waiting. And so was the responsibility to use it wisely.