Morning light leaked into the apartment through half-closed blinds, tracing golden lines across the dojo's wooden floor. Dust floated in the air like quiet snow.
Eiden stood barefoot in the center of the room, his breath steady, palms open, eyes closed.
He could feel it again — the pulse in his hands.
It was faint, like a heartbeat echoing through another body, but this time, it didn't fade.
"Focus," Jin's calm voice cut through the silence.
"Don't force your soul — guide it."
Eiden inhaled slowly. His fingers moved instinctively into the same hand sign he'd discovered before: three fingers raised, thumb folded, palm toward the ceiling. A thin glow spread across his skin.
Renji watched from the corner, chewing on a rice cracker. "Yo, he's glowing again."
Kendo elbowed him. "Shut up, idiot. He'll lose focus."
But Eiden didn't. His concentration was solid, stronger than before. The glow turned silver, a faint ring forming at his feet, whispering energy rising from the floorboards.
Jin stepped closer, the faintest smile touching his lips. "Good. You're syncing with your soul energy."
Eiden's eyes opened — and for a moment, they weren't brown, but faintly gray.
The ring faded as quickly as it came, the light vanishing like a breath on glass. Eiden stumbled, gasping.
Noboru clapped from the doorway, a grin hiding under his unshaven face. "Not bad, kid. Another week and you'll be ready to scare the neighbors."
Renji laughed. "Or burn the building down."
Kendo smacked him again. "Don't jinx it."
Noboru walked over, placing a hand on Eiden's shoulder. "That's enough for today. Go get some food in you before Jin kills you with discipline."
Jin huffed. "Discipline saves lives."
"And food keeps you alive long enough to appreciate it," Noboru countered.
Eiden chuckled softly — it felt… normal. For the first time in a long time, life had a rhythm.
But that peace would never last.
At the Academy
The Academy courtyard buzzed louder than usual that morning. Exams were coming up, and whispers flew like wildfire.
"Did you hear? The first exam's group-based this year."
"Yeah, groups of four — losers get expelled."
"Guess they're cleaning house again."
Eiden adjusted his bag as he walked through the crowd, Renji and Kendo trailing behind him. Jin, his quiet friend with the mask, was already leaning against a wall, reading something off a tablet.
Renji groaned. "Man, this school's crazy. We risk our lives for a year and they still make us fight each other."
"That's the point," Jin replied without looking up. "If you can't handle pressure here, you'll die out there."
"Geez, thanks for the optimism, Mr. Sunshine."
Eiden's thoughts, though, were elsewhere. A year. That's all they get.
One year to learn how to be killers — or be killed trying.
He looked at the towering academy building ahead. Its shadow fell long across the yard, cold and heavy. Somewhere deep inside that structure, he felt it — a faint hum, like the air itself was breathing.
It wasn't just an academy. It was a forge.
And every student here was a weapon waiting to be shaped.
Meanwhile — Daichi's Agency
Daichi leaned back in his chair, blowing a gum bubble instead of a lollipop this time. Arata sat beside him, flipping through a mountain of reports.
"The docks are still burning," Arata muttered.
Daichi shrugged. "Adds to the city's atmosphere."
"Half the lower wards are terrified."
"Then they should pay their taxes."
Arata closed the file, exhaling slowly. "You ever take anything seriously?"
Daichi's smile faltered just slightly. "Seriousness gets you killed faster than laughter."
Before Arata could respond, a voice crackled through the comms device on the table. "Agent Daichi. Agent Arata. Report to HQ. Priority summons."
Daichi sighed. "And here I was hoping for a day off."
"Try not to mouth off to the Chief this time," Arata said as they stood.
"No promises."
Headquarters — The Briefing
The Reaper Agency's HQ wasn't much — a repurposed government building with flickering lights and a constant smell of stale coffee. The Chief, an older man with silver hair and a scar that cut through his right eye, looked exhausted.
He slid a photo across the table.
A man in a bone mask — different from the Black Lotus grunts — sat in the image, surrounded by shadowed figures.
"The man you see here is known as The Faceless Priest," the Chief said. "We believe he's the one restructuring the Black Lotus. He's consolidating smaller organizations under their banner. The docks incident wasn't random — it was a message."
Arata leaned forward. "What kind of message?"
The Chief's eyes hardened. "That the era of restraint is over."
Daichi picked up the photo, spinning it in his fingers. "He doesn't look like much."
"He doesn't need to. The last squad that went after him never came back."
Daichi grinned, sliding the photo into his pocket. "Guess we'll do better."
Arata's jaw tightened. "You mean you'll get us killed."
Daichi tilted his head, feigning offense. "Where's your faith in me?"
"I lost it around the time you used an exploding vending machine as cover."
The Chief's voice cut through their banter. "You two leave tomorrow morning. Don't underestimate him. We've had agents go missing in that area for weeks."
Daichi's grin faded. "Then we'll find them."
Nightfall at the Apartment
Rain fell again that night, soft but steady. Eiden sat outside the dojo entrance, watching the drops roll down the railing. The city hummed in the distance.
Noboru came up behind him, carrying two cans of soda. "Couldn't sleep?"
Eiden shook his head. "Just… thinking about the exams."
Noboru sat beside him, handing him a can. "You're thinking too hard. It's not about passing — it's about surviving."
"That's not comforting."
"Wasn't meant to be."
They sat in silence for a moment. The sound of rain filled the gaps words couldn't.
Eiden finally asked, "Uncle… do you think people are born Reapers? Or do they become them?"
Noboru took a sip before answering. "Both. Some are born into death. Others find it along the way."
Eiden looked down at his hands — they were still faintly trembling from the day's training.
"Which one am I?"
Noboru looked at him, eyes heavy with things unsaid. "You'll find out soon enough, kid."
Thunder rolled far away — soft, distant, but building.
And in another part of the city, Daichi stood atop a skyscraper, staring at the same clouds.
He bit down on his lollipop, watching lightning flicker across the horizon.
Somewhere deep inside the storm, he could almost feel it —
something stirring awake.