A hiss of static, as if a TV was fighting through a bad signal, then a voice cut-in.
"And that's my story, kid." An old man dressed in a beige trench coat finished, staring off into the distance as he stood on the roof of Sengoku Middle School.
"Sorry to hear that, Old Man," the kid muttered, his voice was monotone yet shaky, but also ridden with something tragic behind it. "But… I don't really get why you're tellin' me."
The old man met the boy's half-lidded, slit pupiled crimson eyes, then underneath him, noted the rather large pile of bodies he sat cross-legged upon. He heard a few groan, saw some twitch, and the rest lay motionless.
Judging by his smaller stature and the fact that he wore an unfastened gakuran over a white hoodie, he probably wasn't any older than fifteen, so a kid in his final year of middle school.
His messy white hair blew in the light February breeze, as did the noticeable feature of a black whiplike tail behind him.
Another noticeable feature was a gray furred dog laying at the base, all six of its eyes shut.
"What's your name kid?"
"Kouichi. Kouichi Murakami" Kouichi hopped off the pile and walked up to the geezer. "Why are you here anyway?"
'This old dude… He doesn't seem hostile. His Essence Signature's kinda low though. He's probably just suppressing it.'
"You know what Specialists are, right?"
"Yeah. There're the strong guys who eliminate Anomalies and Rogue Specialists and all that."
He chuckled into a slight grin. "Eliminate, huh. That's…certainly a word to use." He took another look at Kouichi, more so the contorting shadow beneath him. "I can sense a powerful Essence Signature from you, boy. You must have a powerful Resonance as well."
Kouichi's body jolted, alarmed by the sudden praise. "People have always said I have a bunch of talent and potential n' crap like that. But, I–."
"Then become a Specialist."
Kouichi's eyes widened at the statement. "Wha-What are you–"
"My mistake. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ren Yokogawa." He held his hand out to Kouichi. "I am the headmaster of Aegis Union Academy."
"Aegis Union Academy?" The boy echoed.
"As you could tell, I'm an old man, so I've seen my fair share of incidents and done a fair bit of research. These powers of ours have been around since the dawn of time, and as Demons, Humans, and Angels continue to evolve and adapt, so do Resonances and Anomalies."
Kouichi couldn't help but stay silent as Ren continued his statement.
"And with each evolution and adaptation comes more dangers…internally. So, fifty or so years ago, I partnered with the CEO of Aegis Union, Shion Nakaetsu, and created Aegis Union Academy, a place where youngsters like yourself are taught and helped to harness your powers."
Ren extended his weathered hand out to Kouichi. "So, how about it?"
Kouichi gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and finally, he spoke out. "A–Are there strong people there?"
"Of course."
"How strong?"
"Come to the academy and see for yourself."
The TV suddenly shut off.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Huh? Wha–" Kouichi, jolted from his slumber, fell out of his bed and landed on his back. "ACK!!"
'What the hell? That dream…'
Kouichi looked around his room, spotting his shelves lined with manga, and a rather concerning amount of video games stacked by the TV and multiple gaming systems.
Across the room, one thing caught eye, his uniform resting on the hanger in the closet.
Fenrir, its six red eyes contrasting the blue of the bedroom, padded its way up to Kouichi as he groaned on the floor. "Are you alright, master?"
"Physically, yeah. But mentally," Kouichi groaned as he got on feet. He yanked his phone from the charger and stared at the time and date.
Monday, April 2nd. 7:00AM.
The young man groaned at the sight. "It's the first day of school, meaning I had to set this dumbass alarm before Hanako or Gramps burst through my–"
As if on cue, a small girl with long white hair that gave her a silhouette like a Christmas tree and crimson eyes brighter than her brother's burst through his door, her face beaming with glee as her tiny demon wings fluttered behind her. "Kouichi-nii! Time to– Ah! You're already up! That's great. Grandpa says wash up and come down for breakfast. Kasumi-nee's probably still asleep, so I'll get her."
Hanako slipped out the doorway without waiting for Kouichi's reply, the door clicking softly as it shut.
A little over a year has passed since Kouichi's "dream" took place and many things have happened during that time. The most important one being Kouichi accepting his spot at Aegis Union Academy and now he starts his second year there.
Kouichi finally stepped out of his room, Fenrir seeping into his shadow, and set off for the bathroom, stepping out in a scruffier version of Aegis Union Academy's boys' uniform: an unzipped hoodie over a white dress shirt, untucked and the collar open, with a loose red necktie, and gray pants.
Afterwards, he finally reached the base of the steps and his eyes drifted across the living room until they finally settled on a man in his mid 70s in the kitchen. Taichirou Murakami.
Despite being blood related, Taichirou looked almost nothing like his grandchildren. He had short black hair with silver streaks and dark eyes that were barely open, his more tanned skin contrasting his grandkids paler complexion.
"Whatcha makin', gramps?" Kouichi asked as he adjusted the hood of his jacket.
"Since Hana-chan woke up first, I'm making her favorite: some good ol' pancakes."
"Aww man," Kasumi, Kouichi's younger twin sister, groaned as she lazily made her way to the kitchen. "I was hopin' for pancakes or sum."
Her messy white hair tumbled past the middle of her back, contrasting against her deep charcoal eyes. Like Kouichi, she had a thin, whiplike black tail, though hers ended in a spade tip instead of an arrowhead.
Kasumi's uniform consisted of an open navy blazer and beige sweater over an open collared white dress shirt. Along with it was a slack knotted navy bowtie, gray plaid pleated skirt, and black knee socks.
Hanako followed behind, making the final adjustments of her uniform: a long sleeved white sailor shirt with a red ribbon, dark navy sailor collar and matching skirt with some white thigh length stockings completed the look.
Taichirou turned back. Taking in the sight of them in their uniforms he subtly grinned as he plated the food. "Alright, kids. Dig in. I need to make sure I get pictures before you all set off."
Soon, the family of four sat at the dinner table, the twins grumbling at their grandfather's request.
Taichirou took a bite off his pancake before focusing on his grandson. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Congrats, Kouichi."
"Huh?" Kouichi looked up from his plate. "Congrats for what?"
Taichirou, Kasumi, & Hanako all gave each other a look.
Hanako put on a calm smile, as if she were talking to a toddler. "Oh c'mon, Kouichi-nii. You know…your promotion."
"Promotion?" He echoed, scratching the back of his neck with his tail. "I don't have a job."
Kasumi's palms slammed on the table, rattling the cutlery. "Your promotion to S Rank, dumbass!"
Kouichi, blown back from his sister's outburst, deadpanned at them. "Oh. Yeah. My rank up."
Kasumi sighed as she slid slowly back in her chair. "You and your nerd speak."
"What?! It's literally called S-RANK!"
"You know EXACTLY how you meant it!"
DING DONG!
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
"Who could be at the door this early in the morning?" Hanako asked as she got up to answer it.
Kouichi's tail made its way in front of Hanako. "I think I have an idea." Kouichi got up and made his way to the door. After opening it, he was greeted with the sight of two beaming smiles.
Shirou Nakahara, a boy with short, spiky black hair and dark blue eyes, grinned harder at the sight of Kouichi. "Sup man. You ready for today? I know I am!"
"You weren't saying that on the way over here?" Riku Sakurai said, leaning against the doorway and moving his short dreadlocks out of the way. His light brown skin and forest green eyes catching the light from inside.
"Rikkun? Shirou? What are you guys doing here?" Kasumi interjected.
Riku's face began heating up, his face flushed with embarrassment at the sudden appearance of Kasumi. "O-Oh! H-Hey, Kasumi-chan. Didn't expect to see you here…"
"I live here."
"Th-That you do."
"Whaddya want?" Kouichi interjected with an annoyed look.
Shirou and his brighter smile was the one to answer. "We're a bit early, but we were thinking about walking to school together."
"Y-Yeah…" Riku began adjusting his hair "nonchalantly". "We just thought it'd be nice."
"Why walk when I can just use Shadow Travel to get there? Or have Shouryuu fly us." Kouichi asked.
"Cause that'd be booriiing!" Shirou drawled as he slung his head back. "C'mon, man. We got one more year after this. Let's make the most of it."
Before Kouichi could retort, his tail wrapped around his bag that was tossed at him.
"Quit yer whinin' and enjoy your youth." Taichirou berated kindly as Kasumi caught her bag. "Now go on before you're late."
"You heard the man," Shirou grinned as he and Riku dragged Kouichi by his arms. "Let's get a move on."
Kasumi waved behind her as they left. "Seeya later."
Hanako eagerly waved bye back. "Be safe, you two!"
"Take care of your brother and have a good day."
A few minutes later, the quad was now on Rinne Street, a bustling street in the metropolis known as Haruka City.
"What do you think the first years are gonna be like this year?" Shirou asked, trying and failing to wrap his arm around Kouichi's shoulder.
Kouichi retaliated with a quick jab of his tail to Shirou's side, but Shirou moved to the side just in time. "Hopefully they're not as bothersome as you."
"Speaking of bothersome," Kasumi interjected. "Who are our teachers gonna be? I really hope Fukasako-Sensei moves up a grade."
"Are we even gonna be put in the same class this time?" Riku asked.
"Whaddya mean?"
Riku scratched the back of his neck, directing his gaze to Kouichi. "I mean, Kouichi moved up to S-Rank in under a year and had the top spot in academics almost all last year."
Riku's praises put a smug expression on Kouichi's face. He started rubbing his hand together. "Yeah, yeah. Keep it comin'. Glaze me more, Rikkun."
"But Kashima's not too far behind."
Kouichi threw his hands in the air once Shirou mentioned that name. "And you ruined it."
"What?! I'm just saying. She also got her S-Rank last year–"
"Shut up!"
Kouichi made his way to school, the other three closely behind snickering at him, when the air around them grew heavy, charged with an unspoken pressure.
A faint chill crawled up their spines. "You guys feel that too?" Kouichi's voice was casual—but his eyes weren't. Neither were Shirou's or Riku's.
Kasumi seemed more exasperated than worried. "An Anomaly? This early in the morning?! C'mon!"
Riku spoke to reassure her. "Nothing to worry about. Based on this Essence Signature, it shouldn't take more than a minute to handle."
"And," Shirou added. "If we deal with it, we might be able to use it as an excuse to be late. We could even get some sweets later on the way."
Kasumi slumped over and moped in reluctance. "Nah, Imma get my ass to class. Y'all have fun though."
"O-Okay. Seeya in class." Shirou waved her off as he huddled up with Kouichi and Riku.
"First off, we gotta find it." Riku placed his back against Kouichi's. "What kinda Anomaly you think it'll be?"
RRRAAAAHHHH!!
Kouichi stared up at the reptilian behemoth of dark materialized Essence. "Probably an Entity Anomaly."
The Anomaly loomed before them, its kaiju-like frame coiling with dark, pulsating Essence. The jagged scales attached to its slender frame gleamed under the sunlight, shifting like molten shadows, while its slit-pupil eyes locked onto them with an almost calculating malice. A thick, oppressive aura pressed down on them, making it suddenly hard to breathe.
"Welp, let's get this over with." With a step forward, Kouichi's body became enveloped in a black flame-like aura. The air around him grew colder as the inky flames licked at his silhouette. The shadow beneath his feet stretched unnaturally, slithering across the pavement as if alive. Even the distant streetlights seemed to flicker, dimming in his presence. "Try not to bore me, big guy."
Shirou placed his hand over Kouichi's chest. "Woah there, buddy. Who said you could take him on?"
Kouichi scowled at him, the shadows receding. "Hell're you on about?"
"I'm just sayin', man." Shirou shrugged. "Like, leave some points for the rest of us. Ain't I right, Riku?"
"Don't rope me…I mean… You're not wrong–"
"I got it! Rock, Paper, Scissors! The three of us!"
Riku and Kouichi were at a loss for words at their friend's request. "Wha–Huh?"
"Rock, Paper, Scissors and whoever wins gets dibs. Losers protect the civilians."
"You deadass?" Kouichi asked, dumbfounded.
"My ass has never been deader." Shirou responded contently, his arms folded across his chest.
The three looked back at each other, one after the other.
After another second, Riku shrugged. "I'm down."
"Yeah, I could do that."
"Rock…Paper…Scissors… SHOOT!"
"YEAH!" Shirou exclaimed, holding his 'paper' in victory while both Kouichi and Shirou stared at their chosen 'rock'. He turned to the Anomaly and cracked his knuckles. "Alright, big guy. You're gonna score me some good points."
The air around Shirou began glowing brightly as the Anomaly let out another earth-shaking roar, the force sending cracks spider webbing across the pavement beneath them and shattering the windows on nearby buildings.
Shirou gathered his Essence around his hand, the photons in the air basically bending to his will. Just as he was about to release them in the form of a beam, a wave of cold air breezed past them. Along with the cold air came a large chunk of ice head straight to the Entity Anomaly, freezing it on contact.
A young female's voice spoke. "Honestly, Murakami. Playing games instead of dealing with an Anomaly attack. Just how do you rank above me?" She shook her head in shame.
To most people, the sound of the girl's voice would've seemed heavenly, but to Kouichi, the sound of his name coming out of her mouth was like sharp nails on a chalkboard.
The trio turned to see Reina Kashima, a young lady with long, flowing waves of silvery-grey hair tied with two long pigtails with black ribbons on either side, framing a delicate face dominated by piercing, pale blue eyes. Her school uniform consists of a black sweater over a white dress shirt and navy bowtie along with a grey plaid pleated skirt, black tights, & black combat boots.
"Kashima." Kouichi growled. "Hell're you doing here? I thought such a model student such as yourself would be at the school before the teachers."
Reina crossed her arms over her chest before putting on a look of disapproval. "I was there before the teachers. I decided that dawdling would be an ineffective use of time, so here I am. Unlike some people."
The smirk Reina had on her face made Kouichi's blood boil. He stomped his way over to her, his sneakers almost cratering the pavement with each step. "Well, Shirou was gonna handle it, but it seems little miss princess got a bit antsy."
"Antsy?! I was covering for your idiocy!"
As Reina and Kouichi continued their bickering, Shirou, slumped on the sidelines with Riku, nudged his side. "Was it this bad last year?" He asked in an exasperated tone.
Riku mirrored him in tone. "Nah, I think they're getting better."
CRACK! CRACK! GRRAAAH!!
Reina and Kouichi both glared and snarled at the freed beast, making it shrivel back in fear almost immediately. Frost covered building windows while shadows crept up storefront walls.
Kouichi rolled his fingers into a fist as the shadowy flame-like aura covered his forearm, his glowing red eyes narrowing as a black mark stretched across the right side of his face. Then, his figure suddenly disappeared, only to momentarily return behind the Anomaly. By the time the Anomaly noticed, Kouichi's fist was already in motion.
Reina extended her hand out and created a frozen longsword. With one upward swing of her sword, her Resonance, 'Frozen Harmony' activated and created a wave of ice larger than the one before.
"DON'T INTERRUPT US!!" They yelled as they launched their attacks.
The Anomaly's massive form lurched backward, its roar of pain drowned out by the sheer force of the blow in the explosion of Essence that scattered like a million dying embers. Once Kouichi landed, the two S-Ranks resumed their bickering.
"It's gonna be a long year…"