Chapter 6 – Sparks Ignite
The morning sun shone over Shinkage High, painting the campus in golden light. Akihiro and Kiro arrived early, their chessboards in hand, ready for another grueling training session.
"So… today we actually try not to break anything, right?" Kiro asked nervously.
Akihiro chuckled, shaking his head. "We'll see… just focus on controlling your aura."
They set up in the courtyard. Akihiro summoned his humanoid smoke figure, weak but flickering steadily. Kiro's aura wavered beside him, struggling to maintain shape.
"Okay," Akihiro said. "We'll practice synchronized strikes. Timing, focus… and maybe some defense too."
The first few attempts ended in chaos. Kiro's aura misfired, creating a small smoke explosion. Akihiro tripped over his own flickering Kagekisen, both falling backward in a cloud of dust and embarrassment.
"Not smooth," Akihiro muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Hey! You started it!" Kiro protested, coughing.
But hours of repetitive practice, mistakes, and corrections began to pay off. Akihiro noticed tiny sparks of control—his aura holding longer, moving more deliberately. Kiro even managed a successful defensive block, earning a triumphant grin.
From the sidelines, some club members began to notice.
"Isn't that Takeda?" one whispered. "He's… improving."
"Wait, the guy with him—Hoshino? Never seen him before. They're struggling, but… persistent," another murmured.
Mina observed silently, arms crossed. "Persistent… interesting," she muttered.
Sayaka nodded. "Not just aura… strategy, determination… he's growing."
As exhaustion set in, Akihiro felt a familiar surge in his chest, a strange energy humming through his body. His Kagekisen flickered violently, black smoke swirling uncontrollably above the board.
"What's happening…?" Kiro asked, stepping back.
Akihiro clenched his fists, focusing desperately. The weak smoke figure above him exploded into a towering humanoid form of black smoke, its eyes glowing like molten obsidian. The Obsidian Soul Kagekisen had awakened.
The courtyard fell silent. Students stopped in their tracks, whispers spreading like wildfire. Even Riku, passing by, froze.
"Whoa… that's… insane," Kiro muttered, eyes wide.
Akihiro's Obsidian Soul hovered above him, pulsing with raw power. It moved with his thoughts, blocking Kiro's minor strikes effortlessly, and reacting to imaginary attacks as if it had a mind of its own. His heart raced—not with fear, but with exhilaration.
Mina's sharp eyes narrowed, her interest piqued. "So… it was hidden all along."
Sayaka's calm smile deepened. "That spark… it was always there. Now it's finally visible."
Akihiro collapsed into a chair, panting. Sweat drenched him, but a grin spread across his face. For the first time, he felt real power flowing through him—a promise of what he could become.
"Did you see that, Kiro?" Akihiro whispered. "It… it actually happened."
Kiro nodded, grinning widely. "Yeah… and now I know we're in for one hell of a ride!"
As the sun dipped lower, Akihiro's Obsidian Soul Kagekisen slowly dissipated, leaving behind faint black wisps. He looked at Kiro, Mina, and Sayaka, feeling a surge of determination unlike anything before.
This is only the beginning, he thought. But now… the sparks have turned into fire.
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