Morning sunlight spilled through the open windows of Grimwell Academy, cutting across the polished floors like blades of gold. The air smelled faintly of old paper, sweat, and steel — a strange mix of classroom and battlefield. Students filled the massive courtyard, some yawning, others already boasting about their quirks or flexing energy in their palms.
Eiden sat quietly on a bench near the entrance, tugging on his academy-issued black gloves. Around him, everyone seemed to fit perfectly into this world — the loud, the confident, the reckless. He didn't.
A year, he reminded himself. Just a year to survive. Then the trial.
He'd heard the stories. Only one in four students made it through the certification trial. The rest either quit… or disappeared.
"Yo!"
The voice came from above — literally. A boy with sandy-blond hair leapt down from a short ledge and landed in front of him. His grin was too wide to be humanly natural.
"It's me, Kento," he said, straightening his collar. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Don't you remember me, we sparred with each other last week. It seems like your in Section 3, right?"
Eiden blinked. "...Yeah. I guess."
"Guess?" Kento laughed. "You're gonna need more confidence if you want to survive here. Come on, I'll show you around before the opening ceremony."
Eiden followed reluctantly. Kento's energy was infectious, almost exhausting. Every few meters, someone called his name — apparently, he'd been here for weeks already, helping with preparations.
Inside the main hall, banners hung from the ceiling, displaying the reaper insignia: a black flame wrapped around a silver scythe. The motto beneath it read, "Life is fleeting. Power isn't."
Rows of seats stretched out like a sea. Eiden sat in the middle, between Kento and his older brother, Renji. Renji was quieter, calmer, with a disciplined aura that mirrored the martial artists Eiden used to watch online.
As the chatter died down, a tall woman with sharp features walked onto the stage. Her hair was tied back, her eyes like ice. The entire room fell silent instantly.
"Welcome to Grimwell Academy," she said, her voice steady as stone. "For the next twelve months, you will learn how to control, enhance, and survive your reaper nature. You will take four examinations. Fail two, and you're out. Pass all four… and you may live to be certified."
A ripple of nervous laughter moved through the hall. She didn't smile.
"Those who treat this as a game will die as one. Those who treat it as a duty… will live long enough to see why the rest didn't."
Her gaze swept the crowd, stopping briefly on Eiden. For a moment, her eyes softened — then moved on.
"Classes begin tomorrow. Until then, familiarize yourselves with the campus. And remember: this academy does not mourn."
The students were dismissed.
Outside, Kento stretched his arms wide. "Man, she's intense. You think she ever smiles?"
Renji smirked. "Not unless someone dies on schedule."
Eiden didn't laugh. He looked up at the towering building — its gothic design, black arches, and gargoyles perched like watchful spirits. Every corner whispered something ancient.
"Hey," Kento said, noticing his distant gaze. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Eiden murmured. "Just thinking."
"About?"
"...How small we all are."
Kento tilted his head, but Renji chuckled. "You're one of those deep thinkers, huh? Don't worry. You'll get used to this place."
They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring — the training yards filled with wooden dummies and chalk outlines from sparring sessions, the library with floating shelves that moved when you whispered to them, the dormitories lined with old portraits of graduates who all looked far too serious.
By the time the sun began to set, they found themselves sitting on the rooftop, watching the sky turn crimson.
Renji leaned back. "You know, it's rare to see someone train this hard. I noticed you give it your all even when we sparred."
Eiden's hand paused mid-reach. "…Yeah."
"You're not bad," Kento said. "You move like you've fought before."
"Just practiced," Eiden replied, his tone light — but there was a shadow behind his words.
Later That Night
The streets were quiet. Eiden lay on his bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. His hands were trembling slightly — not from fear, but habit. Every night since the fire, his body expected danger.
He could almost smell the smoke again. Hear the ringing silence that followed the explosion.
Suddenly, the lights flickered. A faint whisper crept through the walls.
"Still haunted by it, aren't you?"
He sat up instantly. Across the room, his mentor, the old master Jin, who was the owner of the dojo downstairs, leaned against the doorframe. His gray hair was tied in a loose knot, eyes sharp as ever.
Eiden exhaled. "Don't sneak up on me like that."
"If I can sneak up on you, you're not ready," Jin said, stepping in. He tossed a small black coin toward Eiden, who caught it mid-air.
"What's this?"
"A soul coin. It's a coin made with the strongest material known to man, a soul. You're not strong enough to break it, but practice using your soul essence to make a dent."
Eiden turned the coin over in his palm. It was cold, etched with intricate runes that glowed faintly in the dark.
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Jin said quietly.
Eiden looked up. "You said once that reapers protect the balance between life and death."
Jin nodded.
Eiden's voice hardened. "Then I'll become one strong enough to find the man who broke it."
For a moment, Jin's expression changed — a brief flicker of pity.
"Power's easy to chase," he said. "Purpose isn't. Don't confuse the two."
He turned to leave, but paused. "Oh, and Eiden?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't forget to sleep. The first exam's in a week."
The Following Days
Training was brutal.
The instructors spared no one — the weak were weeded out within days. The first week was all physical: endurance drills, sparring, combat reflexes. The second was mental: focus tests, quirk channeling, and energy control.
Eiden excelled in silence. While others showed off, he adapted. He observed Kento's lightning-fast reflexes, Renji's calm precision, and even the quiet strategies of Sena, a girl who barely spoke but had perfect control of her spirit energy.
One afternoon, during a group exercise, Kento was thrown to the ground by a student twice his size. Before the boy could attack again, Eiden was there — blocking the hit, flipping the attacker over with smooth precision.
Kento coughed. "Heh… you do know how to fight."
Eiden shrugged. "Instinct."
"Remind me not to fight you when exams start."
Evening — The Old Master's Apartment
After curfew, Eiden slipped out quietly, heading down the cracked alleyways to Jin's old apartment near the edge of the city. Inside, the air smelled like incense and gun oil.
Jin was already waiting, sitting cross-legged in front of a small shrine.
"You're late."
"Had to dodge patrols," Eiden muttered, dropping his bag. "What are we doing tonight?"
Jin stood, tossing him a wooden staff. "Reflex training. Again."
Eiden sighed. "You're never gonna let me rest, are you?"
"Rest is for the dead," Jin said. "And you're not one yet."
Their spar echoed through the small room — wood clashing, footsteps scraping. Jin's movements were too fast, too precise. Eiden swung, blocked, dodged, until sweat ran down his face and his arms burned.
"Good," Jin said finally, disarming him with a twist. "You're improving."
Eiden wiped his forehead. "Still not good enough."
"Good enough for what?"
Eiden hesitated. "…For revenge."
Jin didn't respond. He simply looked toward the window, where the moonlight cast long shadows across the floor.
"Then you'll need to be ready for what comes after it," he said quietly.
When Eiden finally returned to the dorms, everyone was asleep. He climbed into bed, the city lights flickering through the blinds.
Somewhere far away, thunder rumbled.
The world outside the academy was stirring.
And though he didn't know it yet… the reaper inside him had already begun to awaken.