I see the figure raise his hands over his head, like he was getting arrested. "Chill man, it's me," the voice says, muffled by the bushes.
Still on edge, I don't drop my guard.
As he slowly walks closer, I make out their face and body.
Now fully visible in the sunlight, I can tell the unknown figure is Sora.
I quickly retract The Reaper's Magic spread inside my body and return it to my heart, which stops the bloodlust and dark energy from spilling out and effectively seals my powers away.
"I promise I ain't tryna kill you," he laughs, unfazed by my magic.
"Why did you follow me here?" I ask, still wary of him.
"Just came to visit. We're going to start our training now," he says in his still raspy voice.
I then see him shift his gaze from me to the shack behind me. "Is that your house there, man?" he asks.
"Yeah, it is," I mumble as I turn back, looking at the broken shack. The wood is falling apart from the roof, holes in the walls, windows cracked and foggy, the stairs to the front porch all broken, and the door looks like it won't even open.
"You live here all alone by yourself?" Sora asks with curiosity. I can tell his eyes widen through his thick glasses.
"Nope, with my mother," I reply. I then turn my back to him. "I'll see you tomorrow," I say, trying to brush him off as I don't want to train.
"Nuh-uh, you're coming with me," Sora says playfully, catching on that I'm trying to ditch him.
I then feel myself being lifted up, and when I look down, I see myself roughly three meters off the ground. "LET ME DOWN, YOU CREEP!" I yell, as I have a fear of heights.
Sora starts to run at full speed the opposite way from my house, back to the capital.
"Wher- ar- you- taki- me-?" I try to form sentences, but the wind hits my face, making it hard to speak.
Sora, somehow able to understand me—probably because he does this on a daily basis—says, "We'll first pick up Kajiwara and head to Aimi's place later."
I sigh, knowing there's no changing his mind.
We reach the capital in around fifteen minutes, which usually takes me an hour to walk back home, and then another five minutes to reach the gate to the second floor.
In the kingdom of Aethoria, there are three levels. The highest point, the first level, is where the King of Aethoria and his descendants live. The second floor is where the royals live, like Kajiwara and Aimi. Finally, the third level is the most populated, with commoners, shops, and schools alike.
Only people with equal or higher authority can enter the royalty level, and the first level is reserved for the king and his descendants. Normally, a peasant like me wouldn't even be able to go near the second level, but with Sora's authority, he gets me in past the guards without any fuss.
We finally reach Kajiwara's place, and Sora releases me from his clutches. I stand on my own two feet for the first time in twenty minutes. I look up and see a huge black metal gate, inscribed with the Tsubakiyama family's emblem. Beside the metal gate is a huge red brick wall.
As my gaze turns towards Kajiwara's house, my jaw drops in awe. It's an insult to call it a house; it's more like a castle, possibly bigger than our school. The main building is at the front with beautiful emerald green bricks, and in the middle of the bricks, a huge colored version of the Tsubakiyama family's emblem is plastered. Beside the main building, there are two smaller buildings—though still huge—connected to the main one.
At the very middle of the Tsubakiyama estate is a statue of someone. I'm assuming it's Zakaza Tsubakiyama.
I then notice Kajiwara near the statue, covered in bruises and panting. He's on some training grounds, which look like the one we fought on in school, and even this one is filled with sand.
"Kajiwara! Fight your little sister right this instant. Hit her with your strongest attacks," someone yells.
I glance over and see a quite large, fat guy wearing a long green coat and pants that look like they can barely hold his weight. His hair is balding badly from the top.
"I-I can't, Dad. She'll get hurt," Kajiwara says, his voice quivering as he wipes blood off his mouth.
"Nonsense, Kajiwara," his dad roars at the top of his lungs as he stands on the outside grass of the field. Kajiwara's dad then takes his wand out of his back pocket and sends a boulder hurtling towards him.
Kajiwara, unable to dodge it, gets hit square in the face and tumbles onto his back.
"How are you going to be the next head of the family if you are weak and soft like this?" His dad then comes up beside him and kicks sand in his face. "And you call yourself a man." He scoffs and spits on him.
My body fills with rage and anger. I form a fist with my right hand and start to go up the gate, but then Sora puts his hand out in front of me and stops me.
Suddenly, I see a little girl, maybe half Kajiwara's age, waddling to Kajiwara's side. "Daddy, stop this now! Don't you see Kajjy is getting hurt?" She puffs her cheeks.
"Where are your manners? How dare you talk back to me!" Kajiwara's dad looks like he is about to hurt his little sister as well, but then he gets called for a meeting.
As Kajiwara's dad leaves, his little sister gives him a big hug. "Kajjy, why wouldn't you hit me? Just like Dad said." She cries all over Kajiwara.
"I would never hurt you," Kajiwara smiles, even though he is in agonizing pain, and puts his hand on his little sister's head.
I open the gate and come running. "KAJIWARA! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" I shout with great concern.
"What the heck are you doing here, Magicless?" He asks, genuinely confused, as by law I cannot be here. He then looks behind me.
"Better yet, why is Mr. Wacko here?" Kajiwara grunts. "Keiko, Kajjy has some work to do. Go play in the flower garden with your puppy." His mood instantly changes to happy.
Keiko runs off. Then Sora claps his hands. "Time to go, gentlemen!" His tone is different, sounding like he actually feels bad for what happened to Kajiwara.
Suddenly, a wind sweeps me and Kajiwara off our feet, and we start to move at full speed.
Kajiwara starts to yell. "What the—" Even he can't finish his sentence at this speed.
Poor Kajiwara, he didn't even get the warning that he was about to be put through the wringer.
We pass the Aozora estate, which has the same layout as the Tsubakiyama estate, but the most noticeable difference is the statue of Muto Aozora. The main building is made with white smoke-colored bricks and has its own family emblem.
We reach the gates of the Minazuki estate, the layout is the same, but like the others, their main building is made with ocean-colored bricks. There's a statue of Kano Minazuki and the family's emblem.
We walk onto their front lawn, which is as big as the forest around my shack. Then I notice Aimi sitting on a bench outside the main building.
I call out to her. "Aimi! Hey!"
Aimi's face lights up as she sees us and comes towards us, confused about why we are here and floating above her front lawn. "I thought we were going to train together later tomorrow."
"Ask Mr. Wacko here." Kajiwara points to Sora.
Sora laughs. "I thought you all could use some extra training." He lets me and Kajiwara down.
I then notice what seems to be Aimi's mom and her older brother walking towards us.
Aimi looks exactly like her mom. They share the same neat, long red hair and beautiful blue eyes. Her mom has a round face, but she is a bit taller and is wearing a stunning blue dress that looks expensive, covering her shoulders to ankles.
Aimi's older brother is taller than Kajiwara. He has short red hair and blue eyes, is muscular, and is wearing a blue magic robe with the Minazuki family emblem on his left chest, near his heart. The robe perfectly fits his muscular build.
"Sora, you always do whatever you want and never consult us!" Kaito says, facepalming.
"Oh my, unannounced visitors! Is that Kajiwara? You look so grown up! What's up with those bruises? Are you alright?" Aimi's mom exclaims. Her eyes then focus on me. "Oh, sorry, I don't think I'm acquainted with you. Which family are you from?" She asks, noting my Aethoria Academy robe.
"Yeah, that's me, Miss. I'm fine, thanks." Kajiwara replies confidently, unusually friendly with her.
"Oh, I um—" I say, at a loss for words as I don't have any royalty status.
"He's not from anywhere. He's just a friend that goes to school with me." Aimi buds in, trying to help me.
"Oh, I see. Well, any friend of my cherry pie is welcome here." Aimi's mom gives me a warm smile. On the other hand, her older brother shows mixed emotions.
Sora stands beside Kaito. "Alright, your first task is to control your magic," he says, his tone serious.
"You kids do your best! I'll be making dinner, so train hard!" Aimi's mom calls out before heading inside.
"Kajiwara, you're up first. I want to see you transform a miniature house into a miniature bridge," Sora says, his expectations clear.
I lean over to Aimi, whispering, "Please don't tell them about Kuroyami's power. They don't know about it."
Aimi nods, her smile widening. "Got it. My lips are sealed."
Kajiwara steps up, taking a deep breath as he focuses. He raises his wand, and the ground rumbles. Rocks and soil rise, quickly forming a solid house. The structure is impressive, its details sharp and precise.
Kajiwara's focus sharpens. He gestures with his wand again, and the house begins to transform. Walls extend and retract, the roof flattens, and the entire structure elongates into a sturdy bridge that spans the area before them.
Sora nods in approval. "Excellent work, Kajiwara. That's impressive control."
"Now Aimi, I want to see you turn a sea turtle into a sea serpent," Kaito says, confidence in his voice.
Aimi takes a deep breath and raises her wand. A sea turtle appears before her, floating calmly. She focuses, and the water around the turtle starts to swirl. The shell shifts to scales, fins stretch and grow, and the turtle elongates into a powerful sea serpent. The transformation is smooth, and the serpent's majestic form emerges flawlessly.
Sora nods, clearly impressed. "Well done, Aimi, as I expected."
I feel my heart sink. I still don't know how to control this power yet.
"Now lastly, Masa. It's your turn," Sora smiles.
I close my eyes, using the same technique as before to channel the Reaper's powers through my body. I wait a moment, then open my eyes. Nothing happens—not a flicker of energy.
I try harder, my face showing the struggle against my own power, but still nothing.
"Well, I guess it's expected from a peasant. Not a shred of magic," Kaito laughs.
Aimi glares at her brother.
"No worries, Masa. We can try again later," Sora says optimistically. "Just don't give up."
I walk back to my spot beside Aimi and Kajiwara, feeling out of place compared to their strength.
"Good work, everyone. I'll be back tomorrow. Mom doesn't like me out late," Sora says, laughing, and leaves quickly.
"Well, you kids wait here. I'll check if dinner is ready," Kaito says, heading into one of the small buildings.
"Guys, I should really head out now. It's late and my house is quite a few blocks away," I say, pretending to be tired.
"Oh, it's late. Just stay in one of our rooms," Aimi replies reassuringly.
"You sure it's not too much trouble?" I ask, thinking about the long walk home. It's definitely going to take at least two hours given where I am. Hopefully, Mom assumes I'm at a friend's place.
Aimi nods warmly. "It's no trouble at all."
After the intense training session, we sit together on the lawn in front of Aimi's house, waiting for dinner while gazing up at the countless shining stars to pass the time.
"It looks great, doesn't it?" Kajiwara says, awe in his eyes.
"Yeah, I could get lost in them forever," Aimi replies, her gaze clearly mesmerized.
After a few minutes of stargazing, I notice thick black smoke rising in the distance. I point towards it. "Hey, wha—what's that?"
Just then, a loud bang echoes through the night.