⚔️ Chapter 5:
The transport hovered silently above Velis Sol, a sleek vessel of black metal and etched Ether-conduits that shimmered like veins of silver. Inside, Kairu Ryoku pressed his hands against the cold wall, the faint burn of the mark on his palm pulsing in rhythm with the vessel's hum. He could feel the city below slipping away, every neon glow and puddled alley fading into mist as they ascended.
The collectors who had taken him sat across the cabin, silent and imposing. The woman from the alley remained closest, her hood still shadowing her face, only the faint shimmer of her runed gloves catching the light. The man and the smaller shadowed figure were unmoving, their presence heavy enough to make the cabin feel like a solid wall of tension.
"Relax," the woman said at last, her voice soft but commanding. "You are not here to be harmed — only to be… guided."
Kairu's eyes narrowed. "Guided? By people who tried to chain me in an alley?"
A faint smile curved beneath the hood. "Control and fear are often confused. You'll learn the difference."
The vessel tilted, and outside the reinforced viewport, the world shifted. They were moving toward Aetheris, the hidden academy tucked in the mountains beyond the city — a fortress of impossible architecture. Its towers rose like jagged teeth from the cliffside, walls carved from obsidian stone and veins of glowing Ether that pulsed softly like a heartbeat. Bridges of glass and energy connected spires that seemed to float above chasms of mist and roaring rivers below.
Kairu's breath caught. He had read of the academy in whispered legends, but seeing it now — suspended between sky and storm, light and shadow — was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
The transport landed in a courtyard of polished stone, flooded with soft golden light emanating from hovering orbs. Ether-carved statues of humanoid forms, mid-motion, lined the walls — their eyes glowing faintly as if alive, their expressions caught between serenity and vigilance. Every detail seemed exaggerated in scale and precision, as if the academy itself was designed to impress, intimidate, and inspire all at once.
Kairu stepped out, boots echoing against the smooth stone. The wind swept through the courtyard, carrying the scent of ozone, wet stone, and something faintly floral — incense, perhaps, or the residue of powerful Tsukaima. He shivered, half from the cold, half from the realization that this place was beyond any world he had ever known.
"Welcome to the Yorimashi Academy," the woman said. "Your life here will be unlike anything you've ever experienced. You will train. You will learn. And you will be watched."
Kairu's eyes roamed the courtyard, taking in the students milling about. They were unlike anyone he had seen before — some bore glowing sigils on their skin, faint threads of Ether dancing along their hair or fingers. Others carried strange implements — blades that shimmered like liquid metal, staffs etched with glowing runes. Their movements were precise, disciplined, and yet carried a weightless fluidity that defied normal physics.
A boy with golden hair and eyes like amber noticed him immediately. He nodded once, politely, and moved on. A girl with long silver hair and violet eyes paused, staring as though she recognized something in Kairu he did not understand himself.
The smaller shadowed collector from the vessel hovered at Kairu's side. "Your first orientation begins immediately. Follow closely."
Kairu followed, heart still racing, as they led him through archways carved from black stone, through corridors lined with shifting glyphs that glowed faintly as he passed. The walls pulsed softly with the city's energy — though this was no city, and these halls no ordinary construction. Light bent around corners. Sounds echoed selectively, carrying whispers and hints of distant conversations, though no one else was visible.
Finally, they arrived in a massive hall, ceiling lost to shadow, where a group of students and instructors awaited. The air vibrated with quiet power. In the center, a tall man with a trimmed beard and sharp eyes regarded Kairu with a mixture of curiosity and caution.
"Ryoku Kairu," he said, his voice resonating in the hall like a bell. "You have been brought here because of your sight — your curse, if some would call it. Here, it can be trained. Here, it can be understood."
Kairu swallowed. The pulse in his hand flared, and for a fleeting moment, he saw a ripple of shadows across the floor — his reflection in the Ether, or perhaps a fragment of Raviel, warning him.
"Do not touch your powers recklessly," the man continued. "This academy is no playground. You are under observation, and every action will be noted. Those who fail to control themselves… are removed."
Kairu's stomach twisted. "Removed?"
"Consider it a permanent absence," the man said lightly, but there was steel beneath the words. "You are not alone, but you are not safe either. Learn quickly."
The students in the hall shifted, eyes flicking to him, some curious, others wary. Kairu realized immediately — he was already different. The mark on his hand, the power he had unleashed in the alley, set him apart. And in this place, difference was dangerous.
Raviel whispered again, faint and intimate, curling around his mind like silk: Focus, Kairu. Learn quickly. Your path has already begun.
Above, the Ether conduits in the ceiling pulsed brighter, casting silver light across the hall. Kairu's heart raced. For the first time, he understood the gravity of his reality: he was no longer just a boy who saw shadows. He was the center of a storm that had begun centuries ago, and the academy — both sanctuary and prison — would shape him into the vessel he was meant to become.
The first lesson had begun.