Reunited Flames – Back to Star Academy
The sun blazed over Circle Island as the one-month break finally ended. After rigorous training, emotional growth, and personal breakthroughs, the cadets of Star Academy began returning to the place that had become more than a school—more like the stage of their destiny. The air buzzed with anticipation. Not just because classes would resume, but because everyone had changed. Grown. Awakened.
Taro Blaze arrived first, stepping off the teleportation platform, his eyes sharper, movements more grounded. His body was leaner, his aura stronger. The intense training at the Inferno Temple under the legendary Inferno Temple Master had reshaped not just his power, but his spirit. He wore a crimson jacket marked with the emblem of the Inferno Arts Guild, his birthright. The fire that had always been wild in him now burned with focused fury. He stood silently at the academy's gate, waiting.
Next came Mira Kisaragi and Sylvia Estelle. They arrived together, laughing quietly, bags in hand. Sylvia's hair shimmered with a faint radiant glow—an aftereffect of her unlocking the third stage of her light mana. Her training with her father, Lysander Estelle—the guild leader of the Radiant Union—had taught her control, clarity, and the power of pure mana manipulation.
Mira, on the other hand, had spent the month within the hidden chambers of the Poison Guild. Her mother, Reina Kisaragi—the guild leader—had subjected her to a grueling routine. Mira had been made to concoct poisons blindfolded, fight while hallucinating, and sense movement through vibrations alone. The result? Mira had gained a unique sixth sense and developed a new technique: Venom Mirage Dance, a mixture of illusion and paralyzing aura strikes.
The trio exchanged greetings. Sylvia smiled, "It feels like we've been away for a year."
"Yujin and Kain aren't here yet?" Taro asked.
Mira nodded, folding her arms. "They're never late without a reason."
Just as she spoke, the wind shifted.
A warp gate swirled open in the middle of the courtyard, and two figures stepped out. Lee Yujin and Kain Vagor.
Yujin looked calm, composed, yet something about him had changed. The way he walked, the slight delay between his steps, the posture of a warrior completely aware of his surroundings—it was the sign of someone who had broken through another level. His mother, Cha Jinwa, had finally agreed to train him during the break. Her assassin-style training had been brutal: invisible attacks, silent killing techniques, mana compression, and hyper-awareness drills. Yujin had awakened Divine Movements and a new power called Sense of Solved Flow, a passive ability that allowed him to read the flow of battle and mistake patterns in real time.
Kain was no less impressive. Dressed in deep blue robes with ice motifs embroidered on the sleeves, he radiated cold dignity. During the break, he had traveled far to find his exiled uncle, only to discover a deeper truth—his family bloodline possessed the Heavenly Exo Skeleton, a rare body constitution that allowed him to wield the original Vagor swordsmanship.
Under the unforgiving training of his uncle by the river, he had mastered the basics of Divine Swordsmanship, a style that combined mirage, ice, and heavenly strikes. Though his uncle had refused to return with him, he left Kain with a promise: "When you face the devils, I will come."
As Yujin and Kain approached, the group fell silent.
"You look taller," Sylvia said to Yujin with a teasing smirk.
"It's the boots," Yujin replied.
Kain laughed. "You all look ready for war."
"We are," Mira said. "Didn't you feel it? Something's coming."
Yujin nodded, "The devils are moving. I sensed it."
Taro punched his fist into his palm. "Then let's grow faster. Stronger. We don't have much time."
As they walked toward the main academy building, they noticed banners fluttering across the campus. A new semester. A new challenge. A new announcement.
Headmaster Arcan Ludien stood on the ceremonial platform, his long robe catching the wind.
"Cadets of Star Academy!" his voice echoed. "Welcome back. I hope your break was not restful, but transformative. This semester, we shall not begin with theory or combat. Instead, we shall open the Gates of Trials."
Gasps and murmurs spread across the student body.
"The Gates of Trials," Arcan continued, "is an ancient realm crafted by the founders of this academy. It simulates real-world situations, dungeon calamities, and elite-level battles. And it will be open to every cadet who has reached Level 30 and above."
Yujin's eyes narrowed.
Kain clenched his fist.
Taro, Sylvia, and Mira all exchanged glances.
They had reached Level 30. All of them.
"The trials will start in three days. Use this time to prepare. Choose your allies. Because the Gates of Trials… do not tolerate weakness."
As the announcement ended, the group gathered near the courtyard tree where they'd once promised to grow stronger together.
"This is it," Yujin said. "The next step."
Sylvia placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're with you."
Mira nodded. "Always."
Kain unsheathed a small frost dagger. "Let's test our new powers tomorrow. One last spar before the trial."
Taro grinned. "Count me in."
They all agreed.
That night, the five of them stood atop the academy's training ground. Moonlight bathed the arena, and they took positions. No longer just classmates. No longer just cadets.
They were comrades forged in battle.
The clash began.
Fist met blade. Spear clashed with illusion. Fire danced with ice. And in the center, a boy with glowing eyes predicted it all.
From here on, the story would no longer just be about growth.
It would be about survival.
It would be about destiny.
It would be about solving the greatest mistake in hum
an history.
Season 1 end