Morning light spilled across the campus of Reikosha Academy, though the place did not look like a school that had just started a normal day. Parts of the courtyard were still cracked from the battle the night before. Stone tiles had been lifted from the ground, pillars leaned slightly out of place, and the large training field looked as if a storm had passed through it. Students gathered in small groups, whispering to one another about what had happened. Some were curious. Some were nervous. Others simply stared at the broken courtyard in disbelief.
Kairo walked slowly through the academy gates, his school uniform slightly wrinkled and a white bandage wrapped loosely around his neck. His steps were calm, but anyone looking closely could tell he hadn't slept much. The events from the night before lingered quietly in his mind. Not the battle itself but the silence that followed it.
"Yo, Kairo!"
The voice broke his thoughts instantly. Tyouro jogged toward him from across the path, waving lazily. "You look like you got run over by a truck."
Kairo raised an eyebrow. "You should see the truck."
Kimimaru stood nearby, leaning against a tree with his usual composed expression. "Your neck," he said simply, nodding toward the bandage. "Still alive, so I assume you didn't lose."
Kairo shrugged slightly. "Depends on how you define winning."
Before anyone could reply, a loud cracking sound echoed across the courtyard. Several students turned to look as glowing energy began spreading across the damaged ground like threads of light. The shattered stone tiles slowly lifted into the air, rotating gently as if pulled by invisible strings.
At the center of the courtyard stood one of the academy's teachers.
She was tall, confident, and surprisingly relaxed for someone literally rebuilding the school grounds. Long dark hair fell over her shoulders, and her academy coat hung loosely as glowing energy flowed from her hands. Every time she moved her fingers, broken stone pieces slid perfectly back into place, cracks sealing themselves as if time itself was reversing.
"Restoration technique," Kimimaru muttered quietly.
Tyouro whistled. "Not gonna lie… Sensei is kinda-"
"Finish that sentence and you're running twenty laps," Yura said flatly, suddenly appearing behind them.
Tyouro froze.
"…talented," he finished quickly.
The teacher glanced toward the group briefly, noticing the students watching. With one final movement of her hand, the last fractured section of the courtyard snapped perfectly back into place. The ground looked untouched, as if the battle had never happened.
"Well," she said casually, brushing dust from her hands, "that saves the academy a lot of repair money." - Judas Iscariot
Several students clapped lightly in admiration.
Tyouro leaned toward Kairo and whispered, "Still a baddie though."
Kairo covered his mouth slightly, pretending to cough so he wouldn't laugh.
Yura sighed.
"Idiots."
The academy bell rang shortly afterward, echoing across the campus. Students slowly moved toward the training field instead of classrooms. After what had happened the previous night, regular lessons were apparently cancelled.
Instead-
Training.
Instructor Takahano stepped into the field a few minutes later, his presence immediately commanding attention. His expression was serious, though not harsh. The kind of seriousness that came from experience.
"Listen carefully," he said, folding his arms. "Yesterday proved something important. Strength alone is not enough."
The students grew quiet.
"The energy you all use Reikou is not just power," he continued. "It is a reflection of the user's will, control, and understanding. Some of you can produce strong bursts of energy, but you lack precision. Others have control but lack endurance."
He glanced around the group slowly.
"In other words… you're still beginners."
Groans spread across the field.
Tyouro dropped to the ground dramatically. "Sensei, emotionally I'm not ready to hear that today."
Kimimaru kicked him lightly. "Stand up."
Takahano continued as if nothing happened.
"The Reikou System has three fundamental stages you must master before becoming a true Divine Warrior."
He raised three fingers.
"Flow. Control. Manifestation."
Students leaned forward slightly, listening.
"Flow," he explained, "is the ability to generate and circulate energy through your body. Without flow, your energy collapses before it even forms."
He lowered one finger.
"Control is shaping that energy directing it with purpose rather than releasing it blindly."
Another finger lowered.
"And manifestation…" his voice became slightly heavier, "…is when your will becomes strong enough that your energy forms unique abilities."
Kairo listened quietly. That last part lingered in his mind.
Abilities.
Everyone's power eventually became something unique to them.
"Some abilities," Takahano added, "are born from talent."
His gaze briefly shifted toward Kimimaru.
"Others… from hard work."
He looked toward Tyouro.
"And sometimes," he finished calmly, "they are born from pain."
For a brief moment, Kairo remembered Goro.
The silence in his eyes.
But Takahano clapped his hands loudly, breaking the tension.
"Enough theory."
Students straightened immediately.
"Training starts now."
Groans returned instantly.
"Pair up," Takahano ordered. "Energy control drills first."
Tyouro grabbed Kairo's shoulder.
"Partner."
"No."
"Too late."
Nearby, Yura stretched calmly, while Kimimaru rolled his shoulders in preparation.
The academy courtyard was repaired.
The morning sun shined brightly.
Students laughed, complained, and trained like normal.
But somewhere deep inside Kairo's mind, a quiet question remained one that no training could erase.
Somewhere out there, there were people like Goro.
People the world never chose.
And if strength meant anything at all…
Maybe it meant making sure that story didn't repeat.
Training energy sparked across the field as the students began their drills, laughter and teasing mixing with bursts of Reikou.
For a moment, Reikosha Academy felt normal again.