Takashi woke up the next morning, the sunlight streaming through the window. As he stumbled out of bed, he caught sight of his father's journal lying on his desk, its worn cover inviting him to explore its contents. He picked it up, feeling a mix of anticipation and anxiety. It had been a long time since he'd connected with his father's legacy, and now it felt even more important.
Flipping through the pages, he discovered notes on various archaeological findings and sketches of ancient artifacts. But it was the section dedicated to the Pyroclast Ring that truly captivated him.
His heart raced as he read the detailed description of the ring's abilities. It could channel and amplify flame-type powers, allowing the user to swap between different flame manifestations. Excited by the potential, he quickly skimmed through the advantages listed: enhanced combat prowess, extreme flame manipulation, and the ability to produce unique flame combinations.
But as he continued, his heart sank when he stumbled upon the section detailing the ring's adverse effects: severe headaches, frequent nose bleeds, frequent blackouts. His expression turned serious, the weight of the words settling heavily on his shoulders.
"Continuous use of this Ring would ultimately lead to death," he read aloud, his voice barely above a whisper. The finality of the statement sent a shiver down his spine.
Closing the journal, Takashi took a deep breath. "I'll have to use this ring only when it's needed," he resolved, knowing he couldn't take such a risk lightly. The last thing he wanted was to endanger his life further, especially after everything he had already faced.
With those haunting words echoing in his mind, he prepared for school. As he dressed, Takashi glanced at the Pyroclast Ring on his hands, its fiery aura flickering with a life of its own. He couldn't shake off the feeling that this ring would either be his greatest weapon or his most dangerous liability.
Determined to keep a clear head, he tucked the journal inside his bag and headed out, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead, but now with a newfound sense of caution.
As Takashi made his way to school, the weight of his father's warning lingered in his mind. Each step felt heavy, as if the reality of his situation was pressing down on him. He needed to be careful with the Pyroclast Ring; it had the potential to give him incredible power, but at what cost?
Arriving at school, he noticed the atmosphere was charged with whispers. The news of the fight from the 3 days ago had clearly spread, and curious glances followed him as he walked down the hall. He could feel the weight of their stares, some filled with awe, others with envy.
Takashi tried to brush off the attention, heading straight to his classroom. He found Rin already seated, her pink flames gently flickering around her. She looked up as he entered, a curious smile on her face.
"Hey, you! You've been quite the topic around here," she said, her tone teasing yet friendly.
"Yeah, I noticed," Takashi replied, looking calm and levelheaded. "I guess it's not every day someone takes on a group of bullies and comes out on top."
"More like the rumors say you burned them," Rin laughed, though her eyes narrowed playfully. "What actually happened? I heard you had some crazy flames!"
"Just a little," he said, trying to downplay his powers. The last thing he wanted was to draw more attention to himself or his black flames.
The teacher entered, cutting off the conversation, and the class began. he had some important information to share. "As you know, this is Ember Academy, which was created to help you control and improve your flame powers. That's why we have practical classes ( a reminder that takashi did not attend because he didn't have any powers). Well, next week, we are expecting the Radiant Order. As you know, they always come every year to look for promising prospects among your seniors; now it's your turn," he announced, scanning the classroom with his gaze.
He paused, locking eyes with Rin and another boy who always wore a gloomy face, dark pupils under his eyes suggesting he had been lacking sleep. "For those of you who are promising prospects," the teacher continued, "you should be prepared.
As the teacher was talking, Takashi's mind drifted to the grading system he had heard about, recalling how it worked. He thought, A person's flame power is categorized based on their grade.
* A first grader is barely able to use their powers
* While a second grader is in the middle, able to utilize their flames reasonably well. They are neither strong nor weak.
* A Third graders use their powers as if they were their own limbs, most of them are either captains or lieutenants
* And the last grade, the special grade, manifests their powers unconsciously or gains an extra boost from them. Examples of special grade students are Rin and Captain Kurogane. I also heard rumors that the gloomy-looking boy was one too, but I don't trust rumors.
As takashi shifted his his focus back to the teacher as he continued his speech.
And for those of you who aren't, the teacher paused, looking at takashi and some other weak students before he continued, I hope you're studying for your NCT(national center tests which allow one to enter university)"
After the teacher left, everyone began to chatter about what he had said. Rin came over and tried to console Takashi, but he didn't need her condolences; after all, he didn't trust her true motives, the last thing he wanted was for someone to know about his black flames.
Besides, he knew he was stronger than anyone thought, especially his teacher that always looked down on him for now having powers.
Rin continued to try and console takashi, her voice sounding very gentle. "You should really give it your all next week. This could be your chance to shine."
"Flames don't define you; it's how you use them that matters," Rin encouraged, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Focus on what you can do instead of what you don't have." You have skills—use them. I heard you learnt martial arts
But before Takashi could respond, the gloomy boy interrupted with a voice laced with sarcasm. "You really think you can impress the Radiant Order just by being optimistic? They're looking for real strength, not just empty hopes."
The boy continued you can use martial arts to win, then don't even bother fighting me because I'll turn you into a molten corpse.
Takashi felt chills run down his spine as he heard those words, although he now had powers, to compete against a genius who has mastered how to use his powers was a completely different case since he had only gotten his own powers recently.
Taken aback, Takashi glared at him. "And what do you know about it? You're always hiding in the shadows. You think you're better than everyone else?"
The boy smirked, seemingly unfazed. "Better? No. Just realistic. The Radiant Order doesn't have time for weakness. If you can't keep up, you'll be left behind."
Rin stepped in between them, her expression firm. "That's not how we should be thinking. We're all in this together; we should support each other, not tear each other down."
As Rin said, "We're in this together," the boy with gloomy eyes replied, "Together, hmm," and suddenly burst into laughter. Rin looked at him, confusion etched on her face, as if she had said something funny. Once he finished laughing, he said, "I'm sorry, I'm, sorry, what you just said was funny. Together? That's a great word." He said with a serious but sad look on his face.
Then he asked, "Are you going to fail the evaluation because you want everyone to pass, or are you going to lower your fight powers? Don't be stupid," he continued, his tone dripping with disdain. "This is reality. Well, I won't expect you to know; after all, you're just a brat from a rich and prominent family."
As he said this, tears gathered in Rin's eyes, the weight of his words piercing through her usual confidence.
Just as he finished, the class vice president, Hyouma Aizawa, called out to him, trying to stop his tirade. "Enough, Kuragami shiro! You don't need to say those things."
But the boy with gloomy eyes, Kuragami shiro, shifted his conversation to the vice president and sneered, "Here comes another rich brat. Always wearing your glasses and acting like you know it all."
He continued with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Anyway, I'm done with all of this," before leaving the classroom, leaving a tense silence in his wake.
After the gloomy-eyed boy left the class, the room fell into an uneasy silence. The tension lingered, as his harsh words still echoed in everyone's minds. Rin wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to compose herself. Takashi, watching her, felt a mixture of frustration and sympathy.
The vice president, still standing at his desk, adjusted his glasses with a quiet sigh, glancing at the door where the boy had just stormed out. "He doesn't know when to stop," the vice president muttered under his breath.
The rest of the students exchanged awkward looks, some whispering quietly amongst themselves. A few glanced at Rin, who was now pretending to look through her notes, trying to avoid their gazes. Takashi clenched his fists. He wasn't sure whether to feel angry at the boy's cruelty or impressed by the blunt honesty in his words.
"Well," the vice president finally broke the silence, speaking louder now to the whole class, "we shouldn't let that get to us. We still have an important evaluation coming up, so let's focus on that."
Takashi could feel the weight of those words. This evaluation would be his chance to prove himself, not just to others but to himself as well. But the doubt gnawed at him — the thought of being judged by the Radiant Order, knowing that he wasn't a natural prodigy like the others.
As the class slowly resumed its usual rhythm, Takashi's mind wandered. He couldn't stop thinking about the boy's words and Rin's reaction. Something about it bothered him deeply. "Together, huh?" Takashi whispered to himself, wondering if that kind of unity was even possible in such a cutthroat world.
Meanwhile, The boy who stormed out of the class, his heart pounding with frustration. As he walked through the empty hallways, the sharp echoes of his footsteps seemed to deepen the silence in his mind. Guilt began to creep up on him, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for the way he had spoken.
"Maybe I went too far," he muttered under his breath, his fists clenching. "Do I really owe them an apology?"
As he walked, memories of his older brother, Soma, flashed through his mind.
"We'll join the Radiant Order together," Soma had said, his hand resting firmly on his younger brother's shoulder. "No matter what, we'll fight side by side and protect everyone."
The boy's heart had swelled with pride and hope back then, believing every word. That hope had been dashed when Soma was killed in battle against the Crimson Collective. The news had shattered him, leaving him with nothing but a bitter lesson: that promises of unity and "together" were meaningless in a world where people were ripped apart by war and death.
He shook his head violently, pushing the memory away, anger rising to the surface once more. "I was stupid to believe him back then," he whispered, his voice laced with bitterness. "There's no such thing as 'together.' You either get left behind or leave other people behind."
The weight of those words settled heavily on him as he strode away, hardening his heart against any lingering regret. Apologies, friendship — none of it mattered. His only goal was survival, even if it meant walking alone.
Then, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. As students began to gather their things, Rin suddenly approached Takashi, her face still a little red from crying but wearing a small, determined smile. "Hey, I meant what I said earlier," she said softly. "We're in this together. Don't let him get to you."
Takashi, surprised by her resilience, nodded, though he wasn't sure if he entirely believed it. Still, there was something about her determination that gave him a spark of hope.
As they both walked out of the classroom, the lingering thought in Takashi's mind was about the upcoming evaluation and what it would mean for everyone — including himself.
After Takashi and Rin walked out of the classroom, Takashi headed to the training ground where Kurogane usually trains him, while looking for kurogane, he finds a note taped to a desk in a nearby recked building. It read:
"I'm busy right now, but that doesn't mean you can't slack off. Practice the basics I taught you yesterday."
The note ended with a doodle of a miniature version of Kurogane, from the waist up. The cartoonish figure was smiling, sporting a cat-like mouth with its tongue sticking out. It even flashed a peace sign with its fingers on its forehead.
Takashi stared at the note, his expression reflecting disbelief as if he were reading a kindergartner's message. He slapped his forehead lightly and muttered, "Is this really a captain of the great Radiant Order?"
Stuffing the note into his pocket, he decided to get to work on his training. After some intense sessions, he wiped the sweat off his brow with a towel and mused, "I wonder where Captain Kurogane is. He didn't show up at all today."
A sudden thought crossed his mind, causing him to form an eerie smile. "Did he give up on training me? No, no, no," he reassured himself. "I'm sure I'm just imagining things."
Another image of the captain popped into his mind, saying, "Don't worry about me; I'm just relaxing. Keep training."
"Well, that sounds like something he would do," Takashi conceded with a slight smirk, stroking his chin while his eyes were closed. "Hmmm, must be nice. I'm sure wherever he is, he must be enjoying himself."
Meanwhile, Kurogane walked through the shadowy outskirts of the city, his senses sharp. Suddenly, he stopped, his voice low and commanding. "Come out."
At first, there was silence, but then Kurogane continued, "I know you're there."
From the shadows emerged a figure, cloaked and enigmatic. The masked man spoke with an eerie and calm voice, "In all my years of assassination, no one has ever seen through my disguise. How did you know I was in the shadows?"
Kurogane replied sounding a little bit angry, "That's not for you to know. Who sent you?"
The masked man smirked, his voice dripping with mockery. "That's not for you to know either."
Kurogane's patience thinned as he declared, "Then I guess I'm going to have to beat the shit out of you before you answer, huh?"
The masked man laughed, the sound hollow. "Ignorance. You think you're the only one with a special flame?"
With that, he released his ability, and countless golden weapons formed around him, gleaming ominously in the dim light. "Beautiful, isn't it? Condensed flames. One touch, and you'll be dead before you know it."
Kurogane stared in shock, realization dawning. "How do you have that flame? There are only two people in the world who possess that flame. Just who are you?"
The man leaned forward slightly, a chilling smile on his face. "I'm your killer."