Kyo stands in the middle of a busy training yard, trying to make sense of the chaotic scene around him. Reaper trainees, all wielding numerous spectral weapons, are in mock battles, practicing soul magic, or watching teachers demonstrate advanced techniques. The towers of the Academy rise in the background, giving the whole place an eerie grandeur.
KYO
(frowning)
"Reaper Academy. The place looks like a haunted castle mixed with a war zone."
Kyo is suddenly taken with a girl standing a bit off from them, her movements incisive and assured as she swings her glowing, spectral sword. She moves with elegance, definitely one of the best in her class. This is Suzuki Mei, and she's surrounded by a small group of admiring students. She catches Kyo looking at her and gives him a brief regard before returning to her training.
MEI
(cooly, without looking at Kyo)
"New kid, huh? Try not to get in the way."
Kyo is unflappable, smirking as he crosses his arms.
KYO
"You sure like talking big for someone I just met."
Mei turns her head slightly, narrowing her eyes.
MEI
"I don't need to know you. I've seen enough troublemakers come and go. They don't last long here."
KYO
(grinning)
"Well, lucky for you, I'm not like the others."
Before Mei can even respond, Yamamoto Daiki comes racing in, almost tripping over his own feet as he clutches a pair of enchanted handcuffs in one hand. His disheveled appearance, wide smile, immediately informs Kyo that Daiki is nowhere near as competent as Mei.
DAIKI
(out of breath, but cheerful)
"Kyo! You're the new guy, right? I'm Yamamoto Daiki! Guess we're roomies!"
KYO
(raises an eyebrow, looking Daiki up and down)
"Roomies, huh? And those?"
(gestures to the handcuffs)
"Are you s'posed to fight with those or take prisoners?"
DAIKI
(laughs awkwardly, trying to untangle the cuffs)
"Ah, yeah, well, they're supposed to trap rogue souls, but. I haven't exactly figured them out yet."
(nervously scratches the back of his head)
"Still, it's only the first day, right?"
Kyo shakes his head, an incredulous look on his face, while his eyes gleam with amusement. He shrugs, realizing that Daiki, though a little clumsy, seems like someone he can tolerate—at least more than the perfectionist Mei.
KYO
"Yeah, let's just make sure you don't accidentally trap me in those things."
New recruits Kyo, Mei, and Daiki are rallied to the training grounds. Before them is the training yard, covering ground with weird magical devices and spots marked off for combat practice. Overlooking them looms the infamy of a mentor at the Academy: Professor Shinigami.
Professor Shinigami stands tall and imposing, draped in long black robes with glowing intricate silver runes along the fabric. His face remains mostly shrouded beneath a dark hood, though the cold glint of his eyes is enough to make even the most confident student uneasy. Whispers about his mysterious past and rumors that he once fought alongside the greatest reapers in history ripple through the group.
PROFESSOR SHINIGAMI
(stern, commanding voice)
"Listen up, recruits. The Academy doesn't have time to babysit slackers. If you're here, it means you've been given a second chance. Don't waste it."
Kyo rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath.
KYO
"A second chance to what, swing a scythe around?"
And with no warning whatsoever, Professor Shinigami's voice cuts through the air, as sharp as a blade.
PROFESSOR SHINIGAMI
"Something to say, Takahashi?"
Kyo tenses up, eyes wide with surprise as it hits him that the Professor must have overheard him. The other kids turn to him, a few smirking, others shaking their head. Kyo tries to play it cool.
KYO
"Yeah, just. wondering when we get to the good stuff."
His eyes narrow. He steps closer, his presence almost suffocating as the air in front of him seems to bend and writhe under his control. Kyo feels his skin crawl with cold dread running up his spine but will not back down.
PROFESSOR SHINIGAMI
"Oh, you want the good stuff, huh? Alright. Let's see how you take to your spirit weapon."
Calling their spirits is a major part of training for any reaper, and they have been taught to do so. Professor Shinigami watches them try. Of course, Mei summons her spectral sword with no problem. The gleaming of the weapon in her hands seems weightless as she easily swings it, earning the nodding approval of other students around her.
Daiki fidgets with his handcuffs, successfully summoning them only to get them stuck on his wrists straight away. He attempts a nervous laugh at this as a few students snicker in the background.
Meanwhile, Kyo struggles. He grits his teeth, concentrating as hard as he can, but nothing happens at first. Then with a sudden surge of energy a massive double-bladed scythe materializes in his hands. The sheer force of it knocks him off balance, sending him stumbling backwards.
KYO
(grinning despite himself)
"Finally! A real weapon."
The other kids are agog at the size and scope of Kyo's weapon, impressed beyond measure, but cautious. Mei looks at the scythe expressionlessly, while Daiki stares with eyes wide.
DAIKI
"Dude, that thing is HUGE! No homo".
Kyo swings the scythe experimentally, barely restraining its power as it cleaves through the air. Professor Shinigami takes a step closer, his face again unreadable through the hood.
PROFESSOR SHINIGAMI
"Raw power means nothing if you can't control it, Takahashi. That scythe could destroy you as easily as your enemies."
Kyo shrugs, still testing the weight of the weapon.
KYO
"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly the 'control' type. I'll figure it out."
Professor Shinigami eyes him intently, as if he is seeing something in Kyo that others cannot.
PROFESSOR SHINIGAMI
"Let's hope you do. Because here, in the Academy, chaos will either make you stronger-or it will consume you."
stops for a moment, then adds in a whispering tone,
"I've seen it happen before."
Kyo frowns, knowing there is more in what Professor Shinigami says, but before he could ask, the instructor has already turned away.