The birds' gentle chirps filled the air, signaling the arrival of the first rays of sunlight. The warmth of the sun slowly crept across the land, a golden veil, but it did little to ease the tight knot twisting in Reika's chest. Her fingers clenched into the grass, grounding her in a fleeting moment of calm that felt completely out of place.
The weight of the day—of the trial ahead—pressed on her like a stone slab, suffocating.
"If we don't find that crystal…" Reika's voice barely broke the stillness, flat and distant. Her words drifted, hollow. Her gaze fixed on the path ahead, though her thoughts were galaxies away.
"I'll be disqualified… And then everything ends." The finality of it crushed her ribs. The task was hard enough—but the expectations? The pressure to always succeed, to never falter? That was the real monster.
Ishigo stood beside her in rare silence, his usual snark tucked away. He was solid, grounding, but even his voice felt heavy. "We'll make it," he said, not quite confidently—more like a wish spoken out loud.
Reika gave a faint nod and rose, brushing dirt from her pants. Her body moved out of habit, not choice. They had to keep going—onward to Tenshiko, to whatever nightmare waited there. Her feet moved, but her heart lagged behind, buried under layers of doubt and what-ifs.
Then—
"You ugly forest goblins wanna EAT ME, huh?! COME AT ME, SCRUBS!"
A voice exploded through the trees like a warhorn dipped in Red Bull. Reika snapped to attention, spine stiff, as the ridiculous taunt echoed unnaturally in the quiet forest.
She shot a glance at Ishigo, whose jaw was clenched. His eyes scanned the clearing with military sharpness.
There, dead-center in the clearing, stood a boy—maybe seventeen. He oozed cocky energy, standing like the main character of a show nobody asked for. He wore his confidence like armor and grinned like he hadn't met consequences in his life.
His right arm twisted grotesquely, bones snapping and reshaping with a crunch, until it resembled something monstrous—almost like a wolf's foreleg. The creature under his control whimpered in pain, writhing, twitching in agony.
But the boy? He laughed. Full, manic, chest-heaving laughter.
"HAHAHA! Bro, did you SEE that transformation? Peak horror, 10/10 body horror, no notes!"
Reika's stomach flipped. The wolf-creature howled, but the boy just kept grinning—wide and feral—feeding off its pain like it was entertainment.
With one sickening crack, he twisted again—and the creature collapsed. Silence.
Then: fire. Flames erupted from nowhere, consuming the corpse. Within moments, it was nothing but ash. And from those ashes, something shimmered—a glowing stone, pulsing faintly.
The boy plucked it up, holding it to the sky like some divine prize.
"MINE! LFGGGGG!" he shouted, spinning in wild circles like he'd just won the lottery. "You see that? This right here? Main character energy, baby!"
"What the hell is going on?" Ishigo muttered, watching in half-disgust, half-awe.
Reika stared. The boy's smile was too wide, too full of chaos. The way he fed off the pain… it wasn't just arrogance. It was wrong. Twisted.
He tucked the stone into his jacket with dramatic flair, then turned to face them, finally noticing the two silent observers.
"Yo, what's up, losers?" he called, swaggering toward them like they were old friends. "Daigo Yamamoto, baddest Kageshiki in this whole damn forest. You're welcome."
Reika crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Great. Another lunatic."
Daigo's eyes sparkled like he'd just been complimented. "Haha, right? I am kinda iconic."
He looked her up and down. "You're a Kageshiki too, huh? What's your skill? Sad girl aesthetic? Is it… emotional damage?"
Reika's eyes narrowed. "I don't have time for this."
Daigo leaned in, grinning like the devil on spring break. "C'mon, don't be so frosty! I'mma call you Icy. It suits you."
"My name is Kagetsu Reika."
"Nah, Icy hits harder."
He turned to Ishigo, slapping his back way too hard. "And you? You got the whole 'grumpy side character' vibe. I'm digging it. What's your name, bro?"
"Ishigo Nakano." His voice was dry enough to kill grass.
Daigo gave him finger guns. "Nice! You're now officially my sidekick."
Ishigo didn't blink. "Try that again and I'll bury you."
"Love that fire, bro!" Daigo laughed. "We're gonna vibe so hard on this journey!"
Reika turned on her heel. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time."
Daigo jogged up beside them, beaming like he belonged. "Ooooh, squad time! Let's get this bread."
"No one invited you," Reika snapped.
"Exactly why I showed up," he replied, not missing a beat.
The trio walked in uncomfortable silence—well, almost silence. Daigo hummed, whistled, made sound effects. Ishigo looked moments away from punching him.
By the time they reached Tenshiko's gates, the laughter had stopped.
The scene awaiting them was horror incarnate. Blood smeared across the jungle floor. Hooded figures dragging what was left of students—bodies mangled, half-eaten. The smell hit first, a wave of decay and failure.
Reika gagged. The academy had become a graveyard.
"Guess the beasts got picky," she muttered, voice hollow. "Didn't like the taste of fear."
Daigo snorted. "Talk about bad Yelp reviews."
She didn't even glare at him. The trauma was too thick.
Sixty students—maybe fewer—marched into the courtyard. Some cried. Most were silent. The air was heavy with loss.
"Welp," a voice drawled, "look who survived."
They looked up. Souta, silver-haired and smirking, lounged against the wall like he hadn't just watched kids die for sport.
"Flexibility training tomorrow," he said, grinning like it was a joke. "Hope you can bend. A lot."
Reika felt her fists clench. Tomorrow would be hell. But she'd be ready.
Daigo popped gum into his mouth and grinned. "Flexibility? Say less. I stay stretchy."
Reika didn't respond.
But behind her, Daigo laughed. Not cruelly. Just… wildly. Like the whole world was a game, and he'd already won.