The Combat Dome loomed like a forgotten cathedral.
Glass ceilings arched overhead, filled with stars that didn't match any known constellation. The floor was a fusion of stone and circuit—magic and tech woven into a glowing hexagonal grid. Across its expanse stood the students of Midnight Academy, arranged in a loose semicircle, murmuring among themselves.
At the center, one man waited.
He was massive.
Seven feet tall, with scarred arms folded across a chest wrapped in worn battle robes. A black eyepatch covered one eye; the other gleamed gold with a mechanical iris. Every step he took sounded like metal dragging against gravity itself.
"Professor Kurogane," Luna whispered as they approached. "Ex-dominator of the Eastern Rift Wars. Survived six timeline collapses."
Kazuki stared. "...And he's our teacher?"
She smiled. "If we're lucky."
Kurogane's voice cracked across the dome like thunder.
"Combat isn't clean. It isn't pretty. It's desperation wearing teeth. And most of you wouldn't last five seconds outside this building."
He stomped once.
The grid under their feet lit up in rings.
"Pair off. Two minutes. Spar. Loser gets assigned cleanup duty in the beast pens."
Kazuki blinked. "Wait, now?"
Before he could react, Luna stepped forward, offering her hand.
"Fight me."
He stared. "Seriously?"
"If you go up against anyone else, you'll leave in pieces."
She gave a sly smile. "I'll only bruise you."
Kazuki sighed. "That's… comforting."
They stepped into the center ring as the rest of the class dispersed into their duels.
Kurogane barked, "Begin!"
Kazuki took a defensive stance.
His muscles still ached from the plasma thread incident, and his Adaptation System hadn't reactivated yet. No powers. Just instinct.
Luna moved like a shadow.
In a blink, she closed the gap, palm slicing for his ribs. He barely sidestepped, the strike grazing his shirt. She swept low—he jumped—she pivoted again.
Elegant. Precise. Predatory.
He was losing.
Kazuki exhaled, focusing. Come on, come on…
[Adaptation System Ready]Targets within range: 1Power Signature Detected: Hemomancy (Type: Class B – Hybrid Blood Magic)
Activate Copy? Y/N
Kazuki hesitated. "Y."
The system flared to life—markings on his skin glowing crimson this time, darker than before. Something cold surged into his bloodstream.
A strange hunger.
His vision tinted red for a heartbeat.
[Copied Ability: Crimson Echo]Skill: Blood Memory – Echoes last ability used by target within 10 seconds.
Kazuki blinked.
Then he moved.
When Luna swept forward again, he mirrored her strike, not perfectly—but close. Their palms met midair, canceling each other out in a burst of scarlet light.
She stepped back, surprised. "You—copied me?"
He panted, gripping his wrist. "That's kind of my thing now."
Luna's eyes narrowed. "Then don't fall behind."
She lunged again—but this time, something went wrong.
A sharp crack echoed through the dome.
Luna's aura flared—uncontrolled, bleeding out from her skin like liquid smoke. Her crimson eye widened in pain.
"No—" she gasped. "Not now—!"
Kazuki froze.
Blood poured from her palm, not dripping—floating, spiraling upward like reversed rain. Her magic surged wildly, and her skin began to pale further. Her lips turned blue.
The glyphs on Kazuki's arm pulsed in response—wild, erratic.
[Warning: Target entering Frenzy State]Risk of involuntary symbiosis: HIGHProceed?
He didn't wait.
He ran into the storm.
Everyone else backed away, the combat ring clearing as Professor Kurogane's eye narrowed.
But Kazuki reached Luna just as she dropped to one knee, blood swirling around her like a living snake. Her body shook, her breath came ragged.
He grabbed her wrist.
"I'm here," he said, loud enough to cut through the buzz of power. "You're not alone."
Her red eye flickered toward him. "You—shouldn't—"
"I don't care. Snap out of it!"
She shuddered. The magic pulsed again—
Then stopped.
Slowly, painfully, the swirling blood retracted, flowing back into her skin like it had never left.
The dome fell into silence.
Luna slumped into Kazuki's arms, eyes closed but breathing steady.
Professor Kurogane finally spoke, voice low but resonant.
"You just prevented a full Frenzy collapse," he said, stepping forward. "Most would've run."
Kazuki looked up, still holding Luna. "She's my partner."
Kurogane's eye glinted.
"And now… your training begins."