The morning sun barely brushed the top of the towering spires of Lumeria Academy, yet the courtyard was already alive. Students bustled about, their voices merging into a lively cacophony that echoed off the marble walls. Magical glyphs shimmered faintly on the pavement beneath their feet, remnants of spells left overnight to guide and protect the campus.
Izumi walked through the crowd with his usual measured pace, his black hair catching the early light. His eyes, brown flecked with faint gold, scanned everything—not with mere sight, but with a subtle awareness that drew him beyond what the ordinary eye could see. The shard within his chest throbbed faintly, almost like a heartbeat, its energy resonating with every step he took.
Jack, struggling to keep pace beside him, shouted over the din. "Hey, genius! Wait up! You're moving like the world's already over!"
Izumi's lips curved faintly, but he didn't turn. "I'm simply moving at the pace required, Jack."
Jack groaned. "Yeah, yeah, calm down, Mr. Perfect. But I swear, some days I think you're not even human."
Aria, walking silently beside him, adjusted her uniform and gave Jack a look sharp enough to cut steel. "Some days, Jack, it seems even humans cannot match him. Perhaps that is why he is the top of the academy."
Jack muttered something under his breath that was clearly an insult toward being smart, but Izumi ignored it. His attention was elsewhere.
A subtle pulse emanated from the shard in his chest. The air around him tingled. Mana currents, normally invisible, twisted and shifted, reacting to him like water around a stone. Threads of energy, like golden filaments, wound themselves through the academy grounds, brushing against students, brushing against teachers. Most could not feel it, but Izumi could. He could feel the rhythm, the flow, the subtle undertone of existence itself.
It was at that moment he felt a whisper, almost imperceptible, a voice that belonged neither to himself nor the world:
> "Awaken… remember… you are more than this."
He froze for a fraction of a second, heart racing. The whisper felt familiar yet alien, tugging at something buried deep in his memory—a fragment of a life he could not yet recall.
Jack slapped him on the shoulder. "Uh… you okay there, bro? You went all stiff for a second. Scared the hell out of me."
Izumi blinked, shaking his head. "I'm fine." He took a deep breath, steadying himself. The shard pulsed in response, resonating like a soft drumbeat against his ribs. Something was stirring. Something ancient.
---
The first class of the day was Mana Theory, a lecture meant to teach control and focus. Most students struggled with simple exercises, lifting basic fire or water mana, or forming rudimentary shields. Izumi, however, could feel the air itself. The currents of energy flowing through the classroom bent subtly toward him, as if drawn to the shard embedded in his soul.
The professor, a silver-haired woman with eyes like molten amber, noticed immediately. Her gaze lingered on him longer than any other student. "Izumi," she said softly, her voice carrying a melodic weight that made students lean forward in attention, "I would like to see your demonstration today."
Izumi stood, placing his hands gently in front of him. He exhaled slowly, and a sphere of faint golden light formed above his palm. Unlike the unstable creations of other students, it spun with precision, ribbons of energy weaving intricate patterns around it. Every movement of his hand shifted the sphere's flow, bending it without breaking.
A hush fell over the classroom. Even Jack's jaw dropped. "Dude… how are you even doing that?" he whispered, wide-eyed.
Aria's eyes narrowed slightly, a mix of awe and concern. "That's… remarkable," she whispered back. "But… be careful. There is something different about how it responds to you."
Izumi didn't respond. He focused entirely on the energy, feeling it align with the shard's pulse. It was teaching him, guiding him. Not through words, but through the language of raw existence. Each flicker of the sphere, each shimmer of gold, carried lessons from lives long past—lives of battles fought and lost, victories won and forgotten, and the subtle rhythm of endless reincarnations he had yet to understand.
---
After the demonstration, students whispered behind their hands, marveling at his skill. "How does he do it?" one said. "No one should be able to manipulate mana like that at his age."
The professor only gave a slight nod and moved on. But Izumi's attention was elsewhere. The shard thrummed insistently, pulling him toward the deeper truths of the world. The whispers had returned, faint yet urgent:
> "Awaken… remember… the shards converge within you. You are the nexus of what is to come."
Jack tugged on his sleeve. "Okay… I get that something weird is going on, but could you at least tell me what's happening? Or are we just silently freaking out over magic again?"
Izumi smiled faintly. "Soon, you will understand, Jack. But not yet."
---
Later that evening, Izumi wandered the academy gardens, alone. Cherry blossoms swirled around him in the soft breeze. The world felt impossibly quiet, save for the thrum of the shard and the whispers threading through his mind.
Fragments of memory flashed—fire consuming a city, the taste of betrayal, the weight of godhood, and endless cycles of death and resurrection. The shard pulsed, almost impatiently. Each flicker of memory taught him, shaping him. He could feel the edge of power just beyond his reach, and with it, the sense that he was being watched.
Aria appeared silently, joining him. "You feel it too, don't you?" she asked softly. "The pull of something… greater. I can sense it."
Izumi nodded. "Yes. Something is stirring. Something ancient… and I am at the center of it."
Jack arrived moments later, breathless from running. "Okay, I don't know what you two are whispering about, but I vote we go back to the dorm. Or do you want me to chase ghosts with you tonight?"
Izumi's lips curved faintly. "No, Jack. This… is a moment to prepare. To listen. Tomorrow will be different."
The shard pulsed again, stronger than ever. Izumi placed a hand over his chest. "I remember… more than I should. And soon, I will awaken fully."
Beneath the cherry blossoms, shadows moved imperceptibly. Something from beyond the academy stirred in response to the boy whose name would echo across worlds: Izumi.