The headmaster's office sat at the highest point of the main hall, a round chamber walled with bookshelves and faintly glowing sigils. Evening light streamed through a window of crimson glass, painting everything in shades of fire.
Ren stood just inside the door, trying not to look like he was about to bolt. His clothes still smelled faintly of smoke from the breach.
Behind a carved desk, Headmaster Kurogane adjusted half-moon spectacles. His hair, the color of forged iron, was tied back neatly; lines at the corners of his eyes deepened as he studied Ren.
"You fought," the man said at last, voice smooth as river stones. "Untrained, but effective."
Ren shifted on his feet. "I didn't have much of a choice."
"No," Kurogane agreed. "But you felt something… stirring."
Ren hesitated, then nodded. "Like heat under my skin. And everything slowed down."
The headmaster leaned back, folding his hands. "Tachibana Ren. Orphan record begins at fourteen, no data before. You arrive here, and the Veil itself shivers. Do you know why?"
Ren met the man's gaze. "If you're hoping I've got a manual, I don't."
A faint smile ghosted across Kurogane's lips. "Honesty. That's good." He rose, walked to a cabinet, and retrieved a black case etched with silver. From it he drew a narrow dagger whose blade gleamed red, as if it had been forged from liquid sunset.
"This is a Veil-Gauge," Kurogane explained. "Harmless unless you are not what you seem. Place your palm on the flat."
Ren obeyed warily. The instant his skin touched the metal, warmth flared up his arm. Symbols crawled across the blade, glowing the same deep crimson he'd felt earlier. A pulse echoed in his chest steady, commanding, almost like a heartbeat that wasn't his.
Kurogane's expression sharpened. "So it is true."
"What is?"
"That you are carrying a seed of Sovereignty," the headmaster said softly. "The mark of a ruler from the infernal planes. Some call it Crimson Authority… the blood of the Demon King."
The words landed like stones in Ren's stomach. "You're saying I'm… a demon?"
"Not exactly." Kurogane set the blade aside. "Whatever you are was bound sealed, perhaps. But the binding weakens when you draw on its strength. That is why the fissure reacted to you."
Ren's mind spun. A demon king? Him? He looked at his hands, half expecting claws.
Kurogane stepped closer, his gaze heavy with intent. "Power is not evil by itself. But sovereignty hungers for dominion. It will try to bend you or anyone near to its will. Control is everything."
A knock at the door broke the tension. Auri peeked in, silver hair gleaming in the red light. "Headmaster, the barrier team stabilized the breach. They say it smelled like brimstone."
"Thank you." Kurogane gestured her inside. Seraphine followed, sword at her hip, eyes flicking from Ren to the headmaster.
"Assign these two as your guides," Kurogane said to Ren. "You'll train daily, learn to anchor that energy before it consumes you."
"Consumes?" Ren echoed.
"Even kings burn if they play too close to their own flame."
Training began at dawn.
Auri led Ren to a courtyard walled by dark stone. Sigils glimmered faintly in the flagstones. She twirled a short spear as if it were a baton.
"Lesson one," she said, grinning. "Don't explode."
Seraphine rolled her eyes but took position opposite Ren, wooden blade ready. "You need to understand how the power moves through you. Let it trickle, not flood."
Ren raised his practice staff. They circled, the morning mist curling around their ankles. Seraphine struck first clean, precise. Ren blocked, but the impact jolted something awake in his chest. Heat licked up his spine, eager.
Another strike. This time his reflexes sharpened; he caught the blow and twisted, nearly disarming her. Sparks danced along the wood where his hand gripped too tight.
"Stop," Seraphine ordered. "Breathe."
He tried, but the warmth inside him coiled, wanting out. Auri stepped in quickly, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Focus on me, Ren."
Her voice cut through the haze. The fire dulled, though it still trembled behind his ribs.
"Better," Seraphine said. "But next time, it may not listen."
Ren wiped sweat from his brow. "Feels like something else is… watching. Waiting."
"Ancestral Echo," Auri murmured. "Old memories in your blood."
Seraphine's eyes narrowed. "If they speak, don't answer. Not yet."
Later that day, Ren found himself in the academy library, tracing spines of ancient books. He was searching for anything about Demon Kings, but most texts were locked behind glass or written in scripts that danced away when he tried to read.
A whisper brushed his ear.
Mine…
He spun. Nobody there just shelves and the rustle of pages. But deep in his mind, faint images flickered: a throne carved from obsidian, rivers of fire, an army kneeling.
Ren clenched his fists. Not real. Just fatigue.
Yet part of him felt taller, heavier, as if wearing an invisible crown.
Evening brought another test. Kurogane gathered senior students to reinforce the outer wards, inviting Ren to observe. Lanterns painted gold circles across the grass as chants rose.
When the headmaster traced a final sigil, the wards hummed but then flickered. A sudden gust tore through the clearing, scattering embers from the lanterns.
A rift slit the air, narrower than the one before. Through it seeped a figure humanoid, horned, eyes like molten stone. Not a mindless beast this time but something that grinned.
"Well," it rasped, gaze locking on Ren. "So the Heir hides in a schoolyard."
Ren's pulse thundered. The thing wasn't looking at anyone else.
Seraphine stepped forward, sword drawn. "Get back."
The demon ignored her. "Come, young Sovereign. Claim what sleeps."
Flame seared Ren's veins, brighter than ever. Symbols crawled faintly across his arms jagged crimson lines forming a half-circle at his wrist: a crown's base.
"Ren!" Auri shouted, but her voice felt far away.
The demon lunged.
Ren's body moved on instinct, hands igniting with scarlet fire. He thrust them forward, and a wave of burning force erupted, slamming the intruder back through the tear. The air smelled of scorched iron.
For a heartbeat, silence. Then the rift began to widen instead of close, fed by the power Ren had unleashed.
Flames crawled higher around him, licking the grass without burning it. Whispers pressed against his skull voices hailing, kneeling, demanding orders.
He couldn't breathe. Something vast loomed behind the veil, recognizing him.
"Ren, shut it down!" Auri yelled.
"I—I don't know how!"
The world blurred into red and black as the rift split wide, revealing a throne room of fire beyond.
And from that throne, a shadowed figure rose.