Keiko stood in front of the mirror, gearing up for the mission. He strapped on a compressed black flak jacket over a fitted white undershirt. His pants were loose, white as well, contrasting against his cobalt blue hair that shimmered in the morning light. His shoes matched his hair, adding a pop of blue to his outfit. As he glanced at his right hand, he noticed an unfamiliar symbol in the shape of a star etched into his skin. He brushed it off, not wanting to worry about it now.
Finn was next, donning a black jumpsuit with striking green stripes, topped off with a trench coat in the reverse colors—green with black accents. Meanwhile, Oshime kept it simple, wearing her standard school uniform: a short white jacket over a blue undershirt, paired with black pants and white boots.
The three of them stepped out of their dorms in sync, meeting up outside. Keiko smiled at his teammates, his usual excitement bubbling up.
"You guys ready for our first mission?" Keiko asked, stars practically glowing in his eyes.
Before they could respond, the second- and third-ranked students of the academy appeared: Leon Silver—now going by Leon Kuriguri—and Ryuga, the successor of the Monkey King. Leon wore his usual casual look, a jean jacket with a shark tooth necklace hanging from his neck, his signature bright yellow hair standing out. Ryuga had his jacket slung over his shoulders like a cape, golden armor glinting beneath, and a small crown resting atop his head.
"Hey, little brother. You guys ready for your mission?" Silver said with his usual laid-back attitude.
Finn, eyeing Silver with a hint of tension, clenched his fists as though ready for a challenge. Ryuga, on the other hand, briefly glanced at Keiko's hand—the one with the star symbol—before walking off without a word. Keiko felt a bead of sweat run down his temple, a strange sense of foreboding creeping over him.
"It's time to go, guys," Keiko said, shaking off the odd feeling.
Just as they were about to leave, Ouiji appeared in a blur, arriving faster than the blink of an eye. Without hesitation, he clasped necklaces around Keiko, Finn, and Oshime's necks.
"Hey! What is this?" Finn was the first to speak up, tugging at the necklace.
Ouiji chuckled, clearly amused. "These will restrict your powers. You won't be able to take them off since they're infused with my ability. Oh, and by the way, if you try to remove them—"
Before Ouiji could finish, Finn yanked at the necklace, only to collapse to the ground, his body pressed down by immense gravitational force.
Ouiji finished with a playful smirk, "—it'll increase your gravity by a thousandfold."
Keiko and Oshime quickly lowered their hands, realizing they were about to make the same mistake.
"This will test you," Ouiji continued. "You'll only be able to use your abilities as support. Meaning, your mana will be limited. And for you, Keiko, there's an extra restriction. Since your mana scales with how much kinetic energy you absorb, you won't be able to absorb any mana at all."
With that, Keiko summoned one of his swords, testing his restricted abilities. His usual array of weapons was reduced to a few shurikens and kunai.
A short while later, Keiko, Oshime, and Finn were running through the dense forest. Their mission was clear: find Jarek, a third-year student who had gone missing. But something was off. The forest was eerily silent—no animals, no monsters, not even a merchant on the path.
Suddenly, a blast of energy shot through the air, narrowly missing them. Keiko called out to Finn, but Finn was already in action. In a split second, the assailant was trapped in a complex illusion, rendered helpless. Finn slung the unconscious bandit over his shoulder with ease.
Keiko's brow furrowed. "This doesn't make sense. Only one bandit?"
Oshime voiced what they were all thinking. "This has to be a test."
The three exchanged glances, realizing they were likely being watched.