Chapter 7– Shadows of the Academy
The morning sun barely pierced the mist that clung to the spires of the Demonic Sect Academy. Students scurried through the training grounds, their movements sharp and precise, but none could compare to the quiet presence of Raiden. He walked with a calm that belied his years, eyes scanning, senses stretching beyond the limits of ordinary humans.
[System: Current Template Synchronization – 28%]
[No active missions]
Raiden's steps slowed as he approached the central courtyard. There, Chun Yuwon sat cross-legged, surrounded by shards of broken training dummies. His long hair hung over his shoulders, partially hiding a faint grin. Even after the brutal trials of the previous days, he exuded an energy that made the other students step back instinctively.
"You're early," Yuwon said, his voice low but carrying across the courtyard. "Or perhaps I'm late."
Raiden inclined his head. "Training never waits for anyone."
The two of them began moving through the courtyard, swords in hand. Every swing, every step, was measured. Raiden's blade sliced the air with the sharpness of a hawk's talon. Yuwon mirrored him, but with a subtle difference—where Raiden's movements were precise, Yuwon's were fluid, enhanced by the invisible presence of his Nanomachine.
[System: Detected anomaly – energy readings unusual]
A group of students from the Sixth Clan approached cautiously, whispering to one another. Their leader, a boy with a scar running across his cheek, stepped forward. "You! The one everyone's talking about… the one with no energy of his own. Think you can stand against us?"
Yuwon's eyes narrowed. "I don't stand against anyone… I protect."
Before the boy could react, Raiden's sword blurred, intercepting the attack mid-air. The other students froze. A single thought seemed to ripple from Raiden: Do not touch him.
The clash that followed was brief but devastating. Raiden moved like a shadow, deflecting strikes with ease, his blade leaving arcs of shimmering light in its wake. Yuwon, meanwhile, executed a series of moves no human could have learned in mere days, each strike reinforced by the Nanomachine's subtle adjustments to his muscles and reflexes.
By the time the dust settled, the courtyard was littered with broken weapons and splintered wood. The Sixth Clan students lay panting, wide-eyed, realizing they had faced more than mere skill—they had faced something beyond comprehension.
Yuwon's grin returned. "We didn't even start properly yet," he said softly.
Raiden's amber eyes met his. "Then let's begin."
The tension that day shifted something in the Academy. Whispers spread like wildfire: The boy without energy… the one saved by the mysterious powers… but none could guess the truth behind his strength. Not yet.
Above them, the sun broke fully through the clouds, casting long shadows across the courtyard, as if warning all who dared to challenge these two young warriors: The age of the ordinary had ended.
[System: New mission detected – Personal growth module unlocked]
[Option: Allocate 100 points to enhance combat synchronization or Chi control]
Yuwon flexed his fingers, feeling the subtle hum of the Nanomachine beneath his skin. Raiden's aura pulsed beside him. Together, they were more than students. They were the start of a storm that the Academy would never forget.