The following morning, the academy's training yard shimmered under the pale light of dawn. Dew clung to the grass like scattered jewels, and the distant mountains beyond the academy glowed faintly, their peaks bathed in amber. Students ran drills, sparring and testing their magical abilities, but Izumi's focus was elsewhere.
He stood alone at the center of the yard, eyes closed, feeling the shard pulse within him. Each beat resonated with a memory he did not yet fully understand. The air around him shimmered faintly as threads of energy bent toward him, intertwining like ribbons of light.
Then, without warning, a flash of another life tore through his mind.
Fire. Smoke. Screams. A city in chaos, metal and stone collapsing, voices screaming his name. Izumi staggered slightly, gripping the hilt of his training blade as though it could anchor him to the present.
Jack, running up to him, skidded to a stop. "Whoa! Are you okay, man? You just… froze. You didn't even dodge that—wait, you weren't even fighting anything!"
Izumi took a slow, deliberate breath. "I remembered… a fragment. From another life." His voice was quiet, almost reverent, yet there was an edge of steel beneath it.
Aria approached, her robes brushing the grass. "The shard is pulling memories faster than before. You must learn to control it, Izumi. If it overwhelms you, even a prodigy like you could falter."
Izumi's eyes, flecked with gold, scanned the yard. His hands trembled slightly as he let the shard's energy pulse through him. Every muscle, every thread of mana in the yard seemed to respond to him. He could feel the ghosts of countless battles, the instincts of lives he had not yet lived, urging him to move, to adapt, to survive.
> "Remember… learn… awaken fully."
The whisper in his mind was insistent. Izumi clenched his fists, grounding himself. "I will not fail," he muttered, voice low but steady. "I will use these memories… every fragment… to become stronger."
With that, he extended his hands. Threads of golden mana coalesced into shimmering figures, replaying past battles in intricate, looping patterns. The students around him froze, awed and fearful, as Izumi moved seamlessly through the simulations, his body reacting faster than their eyes could follow.
Jack's jaw practically dropped. "Dude… that's insane! You're… you're like a… like a whole army in one guy!"
Aria nodded, but her gaze was serious. "He is awakening. And whatever power the shard contains, it will not go unnoticed. Be careful, Izumi. Some forces… will notice before you're ready."
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