Chapter 1 - Tenjou Academy
The city of Ardent Vale shimmered beneath a sky too blue to last. Towering towers caught the sun, casting rays over the streets below. Sky-trams weaved between buildings like silver threads. Children laughed in open parks. Merchants haggled playfully. There was peace.
The sky above Tenjou Academy was the kind you only saw in late spring—warm, wide, and open. The wind carried the scent of fresh soil and sharpened steel, an odd but familiar mix for the students walking the paths between lecture halls and combat yards. Flags bearing the school's crest fluttered high overhead. It was the most anticipated day of the year. This day signified the start of the hero trials.
Kaede stood at the entrance gate, her amber eyes fixed on the buildings rising before her. Her uniform blazer was only half-buttoned, sleeves rolled up, and her brown hair, sun-kissed and slightly tangled from the wind, curled just below her chin. She didn't look like much. No one ever did when they first arrived.
She stepped forward.
This was a new beginning
Inside the main atrium, hundreds of first-years were gathered, a tide of uniforms and whispers. The voice of the head instructor echoed through the intercoms, welcoming them and explaining the day's tests.
The orientation wasn't for show.
Tenjou Academy didn't just train students. It forged heroes.
Written exams. Compatibility assessments. Simulated combat. All of it mattered.
Kaede advanced into the first examination and took her place at one of the rows near the back. She could feel the occasional glance. Some curious, some dismissive. No one knew who she was, and she preferred it that way.
A loud yawn broke the silence.
Kaede glanced sideways. Two rows ahead of her, a tall boy with drowsy eyes and messy hair was already halfway asleep, pen still capped in his fingers.
"…He's gonna fail," someone muttered.
Kaede watched a few others sitting near him. A girl with snow white hair was thumbing through the test booklet already, her green eyes laser-focused. Next to her, a blonde girl calmly adjusted her sleeve cuffs and scanned the room like she was reading everyone's aura.
Their names weren't known to her. Not yet.
The exam began. Thirty questions. Strategy, history, combat theory, field scenarios. Kaede answered them steadily, not too fast, not too slow. She wasn't trying to stand out. She never did.
She noticed the tall boy hadn't written a thing. He was staring at the ceiling like it had answers. Or maybe he just didn't care.
Later that afternoon, the students gathered outside the Combat Annex.
Their scores had already been processed.
"Pay attention to the screens," an instructor called out. "Balanced teams have been formed based on combined academic scores, combat theory, and potential. Later rankings will affect match placements."
The crowd buzzed. Kaede stayed quiet.
A list of all the teams were being read. The teams consisted of 3 member each.
Then—
Team 7: Kaede Arakawa – Ellura kiryuu – Asami Nera.
She read the names again. Hers was there—but the other two were unfamiliar.
She turned, scanning the crowd.
"Hey! Are you Kaede?" a voice called out.
Kaede turned to see the girl with short white hair jogging toward her. She had a sharp but casual look, like someone who didn't waste time but didn't rush either.
"That's me."
"I'm Ellura," the girl said, tapping the name on the screen. "Guess we're stuck together."
A moment later, the blonde girl approached as well, much more composed. "Asami Nera. Pleased to meet you."
A voice echoed throughout the room
"Team 7 please make your way to the combat training room where your first challenge awaits."
There was no time for formal greetings. The trial had begun.