The wind blew gently, lifting the still smoldering ashes from the ruins of Kurayami's house.
The scene was desolate, full of sadness.
In front of what remained of the house, Mei, Akiko and Yumi were gathered. They cried silently, their faces marked by the pain of loss.
Yumi: "Why?! Why did this have to happen now?!"
Her cries broke the oppressive silence that reigned around them. Mei, the youngest, nodded, her fists clenched against her chest.
Mei: "If only… if only we had stayed with her… none of this would have happened."
Tears began to flow down her cheeks. Akiko, still stoic but just as bruised, took the two girls in her arms, trying to console them despite her own sadness.
Akiko: "It's going to be okay, girls… don't blame yourself. There's nothing we can do about it."
She tightened her embrace around them, feeling their bodies shake with sobs.
Akiko: "You can never predict a natural disaster… or that kind of horror…"
A heavy silence settled. The wind continued to blow gently, sweeping away the ashes of what had been a happy life, now reduced to dust.
The tension in the room was palpable.
Aiko stared at the black sphere that Kurayami had just entered.
Everything had happened so quickly, and now this eerie glow that enveloped the sphere made her uneasy.
Aiko: "Mr. Director! What's going on?!"
The director, with furrowed brows, also scanned the sphere, looking equally confused.
Director: "I… I don't know. Something weird is happening inside."
Kurayami slowly opened his eyes, dazzled by the blinding light.
He was lying on the ground, a vast white expanse stretching as far as the eye could see around him.
Completely disoriented, he sat up, observing his surroundings.
Nothing… just this pure, infinite white. He had no idea where he was.
Kurayami (thought): "Where am I? What is this place?"
Suddenly, a soft and calm voice echoed in this strange room, giving him chills.
???: "Hello, Kurayami."
He sat up abruptly, his body instinctively tense.
His eyes scanned the room, desperately searching for the source of that voice.
She was everywhere, omnipresent, but he didn't see anyone.
Kurayami: "Who are you? Show yourself!"
A soft laugh rang out, amplified by the empty space, an intoxicating echo that made him shiver.
???: "Ha ha ha! You don't need to be defensive. I mean you no harm."
Kurayami, still wary, tried to calm his mind, but survival instinct told him to stay on guard. The voice was too calm to be honest.
Kurayami (suspicious): "What do you want from me, then?"
A silence followed, before the voice began again, this time with a more serious tone.
???: "I just want to offer you a deal."
The words left Kurayami perplexed.
Kurayami (skeptical): "A deal?"
???: "Yes, I saw your fight against this demon… but above all, I saw your immense potential. I want to give you my powers in exchange for a small service."
Kurayami narrowed his eyes. It all seemed too good to be true. He had no idea who she was or what she really wanted. A market involving powers? It smacked of a trap.
Kurayami: "What kind of service?"
The voice's response came quickly, almost as if it had been waiting for it.
???: "Kill Zarathos."
Kurayami: "Zarathos? Who is this Zarathos?"
The voice lost its softness, its tone becoming deeper, almost hostile.
???: "A disreputable person…"
Kurayami crossed his arms, his gaze becoming more piercing.
Kurayami (suspicious): "This all seems more like a trap than anything else. You want to make me fail the test?"
A light laugh sounded again.
???: "Oh, don't worry about that. Think of me more as an outside help. Without my powers, you will never have a chance of passing this ridiculous test."
Kurayami was silent for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. What she said was attractive, but why would she give him such powers if she herself was not capable of killing Zarathos?
Kurayami: "If this demon is so powerful, why don't you kill it yourself? Why me?"
The voice paused before responding, its tone becoming more sincere.
???: "Even I can't bring him down. This is why I am looking for someone capable of achieving what I cannot do alone."
Kurayami thought about his words. The idea of needing help slaying a demon didn't surprise him, but the proposition seemed too perfect. He needed power, that was a fact. But was he ready to accept such a deal?
Kurayami (thought): "I need this power if I want to defeat demons… but this exchange is too good to be true."
The voice, as if it could read his thoughts, spoke again.
???: "Of course, I don't expect you to kill him immediately. Even with my powers, you wouldn't last five minutes against him right now."
Kurayami: "What do you know?"
???: "Underestimating Zarathos could be your last mistake. Remember, I never make an unfair deal. It will be beneficial for both of us."
A long silence ensued, during which Kurayami hesitated.
???: "After all, we have the same goal… to kill all the demons."
These last words resonated within him.
It was exactly what he wanted.
Rage still burned in his heart over his sister's death, and if he had any chance of becoming powerful enough to destroy them all, he would take it.
Kurayami: "Zarathos is a demon?"
???: "You'll find out soon enough…"
Kurayami clenched his fists, determined.
Kurayami: "In that case, I accept. But if you betray me, I will kill you too."
A silence followed, before the voice let out a satisfied laugh.
???: "Perfect. My powers will arrive gradually. If they were given to you suddenly, you would die. In the meantime, I'm counting on you to train"
Kurayami nodded.
Kurayami: "What about this test? If your powers come gradually, I may fail."
???: "Don't worry. The little you received will be more than enough for today. Honestly, I didn't really wait for your complete consent before transferring part of my powers to you. "
A slight mocking smile appeared in the voice, which annoyed Kurayami.
Kurayami: "I hope that's enough."
???: "Oh, believe me. You will see for yourself. This test is just a formality. Show them what you have in you."
Kurayami then felt a force pulling him back, his vision became blurry and the white space around him began to collapse like a broken mirror.
His consciousness was slowly leaving this strange place.
Everything dissipated in a split second, and Kurayami suddenly opened his eyes.
He found himself standing, slowly emerging from the black sphere which still shimmered mysteriously.
His muscles were slightly numb, but new energy coursed through his veins.
He looked at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. Something in him had changed.
Director: "Madam Aiko, the joke has gone on long enough. Who is this human, exactly? He can't be ordinary."
Aiko (confident): "Mr. Director, I assure you that he is indeed human."
Kurayami walked towards the director, feeling all eyes on him.
The director, regaining his composure, looked him up and down, trying to understand what he had just seen.
He then turned to a large screen, where magical data was displayed. It was a list of magical affinities that the sphere had evaluated for Kurayami.
Suddenly, the director's face fell when he saw the results.
Director: "What…?! How is this possible?! No student, in the entire history of this academy, has ever shown such an affinity with this magic!"
Aiko looked at Kurayami with obvious satisfaction, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
Kurayami smiled back, although he didn't quite understand what it meant yet.
The director, shaken by the discovery, scanned the screen with a quick gesture.
Director: "You must have cheated."
He paused, still observing the data.
Director: "No matter, the next test will expose you for who you really are. You won't be able to get out of this that easily."
He straightened up, his gaze harder than before.
Director: "Let's move on to the second test. We are going to put an end to this grotesque farce."
The academy courtyard stretched out before them, a vast space where students trained under the watchful eye of their teachers. The principal, accompanied by Kurayami and Aiko, approached a tall, imposing-looking man who was supervising a group of students. His stern, piercing gaze made Kurayami shudder.
Director: "Hello, Mr. Ken. Excuse me for interrupting you, but I have a new student for you here. He must take the second test under your supervision."
Mr. Ken slowly turned his head towards the group, his eyes immediately landing on Kurayami. He nodded slightly in agreement, then addressed his students.
Mr. Ken: "Step back. Give us space."
The students obeyed without question, moving aside to make way for Mr. Ken and Kurayami. The atmosphere was electric, all eyes were on the newcomer.
Mr. Ken: "You don't have a gun, do you?"
Kurayami was surprised by the question.
He thought back to the katana he had used against the demon. Without really understanding how, he felt something inside him move, and suddenly, the katana appeared in his hand, as if it had always been there.
The students around him murmured, astonished. Mr. Ken frowned slightly.
Mr. Ken (thought): "How…?"
The director, equally surprised, simply took a step back to observe the fight.
The entire academy was now looking out the windows, curious to see what this mysterious new student would accomplish.
Director: "Start."