CHAPTER 2: VEIL ACADEMY
[Scene 1 – Rooftops, Night Sky Over Tokyo]
The wind howled between the towers.Kaen stood frozen, his aura still flickering. Gold sparks mixed with black smoke.Across from him—Ryo's eyes gleamed crimson, calm as if staring at a stranger.
"You're using that aura again," Ryo said quietly."You really have no idea what's inside you, do you?"
Kaen gritted his teeth. "I don't care what's inside. I just know I'm not running anymore."
Ryo sighed, stepping off the rooftop—his shadow stretching unnaturally as he fell.He landed softly on the street, aura fading into the dark.
"Then you'll burn," Ryo muttered, walking away."And when you do… the world burns with you."
Lightning flashed. For a moment, Kaen saw something glowing on Ryo's neck—a symbol, shaped like a crescent devouring a sun.Then he was gone.
[Scene 2 – Morning, Shinjuku District]
Kaen jolted awake at his desk.His notebook was half-burned. The teacher glared."Arata! Sleeping again?"
"Sorry, sensei…" he mumbled, hiding the faint scorch mark on his wrist.
No one else could see it—the mark of the Celestial Flame, faint but pulsing.Every time it beat, Kaen heard a whisper inside his mind:
"Burn… or be burned."
He slammed the book shut. "Nope. Not today."
Then, a knock at the door.A man in a long gray coat entered—face half-hidden behind glasses, wearing an insignia Kaen didn't recognize.
"Kaen Arata?"
The class went silent.
"Yes?"
"You're requested to report to Veil Regulation Division—immediately."
Kaen blinked. "Wait—what? Why me?"
The man smiled faintly. "Because you survived what should've killed you."
[Scene 3 – Veil Academy Grounds]
Hours later, Kaen stood before a massive gate carved with glowing runes.Beyond it: a sprawling campus floating above the city skyline.Students sparred in courtyards, their auras painting the air—crimson, silver, azure, emerald.
A sign above read:VEIL ACADEMY – Where Aura Meets Destiny.
"You'll train here," said the man, who finally introduced himself as Instructor Rei Takahara."The Veil Realm is expanding. You have power—and no control. That makes you a danger… or an asset."
Kaen clenched his fists. "So you're gonna teach me to control it?"
Rei smirked. "If you survive the first trial."
[Scene 4 – The Trial Chamber]
A circular arena deep underground.Walls hum with energy. Symbols flicker.Kaen stands alone in the center.
A mechanical voice echoes:
"Initiating Aura Synchronization Test. Level—Epsilon."
Suddenly—five spectral beasts form from the ground, their bodies made of pure shadow.Kaen breathes out, his heart pounding.
"You again…" he whispers. "Fine. Let's see how much I've learned."
He steadies his stance, heat rising off his skin.The beasts charge.
Kaen grins—wild, fearless.
"AURA DRIVE — PHASE ONE!"
Light explodes.Gold and black flames spiral, shattering the darkness.The entire arena glows.
[Scene 5 – Observation Deck]
Behind the glass, instructors watch in shock.
"Impossible," Rei mutters. "His aura is resonating with both light and void elements?"
Another instructor whispers, trembling,
"That's not resonance… that's rebirth."
The monitor flashes red. Kaen's energy spikes beyond human levels.In the flames' reflection—the shape of wings flickers for just a second.
[Scene 6 – Kaen's Vision]
He's floating in white space.A woman's voice calls to him—soft, sorrowful.
"You carry my fire, child of two worlds.""Find the other half… before the shadow consumes the flame."
Her hand reaches toward him—Then everything collapses into darkness.
[Scene 7 – Awakening]
Kaen gasps awake in the infirmary.Rei sits beside him, sipping coffee.
"You're lucky," Rei says. "Most first-timers burn out."
Kaen stares at the ceiling. "What was that voice?"
Rei looks away. "Maybe a memory. Maybe a warning. Either way—welcome to Veil Academy, Arata. You're not normal anymore."
Kaen smiles faintly. "Guess I never was."
[End of Chapter 2 – "Veil Academy"]