Once, all humans were ordinary.
No powers. No magic. Just life as we knew it.
But then, everything changed.
A spark ignited.
Strange, unique humans began to emerge — each with abilities the world had never seen.
Soon, 99% of all humanity developed supernatural powers.
But these powers weren't random.
They traced back to the very first —
The original ten.
The first to awaken.
Known as the Guardians of Magic, each one possessed a unique trait.
Together, their abilities formed the blueprint of all supernatural power known today.
But not all power stayed in balance.
One of them turned.
The Guardian Flame — once a symbol of light and leadership — was cast out.
Consumed by bitterness and isolation, his power twisted and darkened.
In time, he became a creature of vengeance… a monstrous being known only as the Beast.
He returned with wrath, wielding corrupted power, determined to destroy the others.
The war that followed shook the world.
It ended with the Beast sealed away…
But the price was unimaginable.
The Guardians were gone. Every last one.
And though their essence lived on in the powers of generations,
The age of the originals had ended.
Years passed.
Legends faded.
Magic evolved.
But not a single fire-borne soul had risen again…
Until now
"Yo… I guess this is where I'm supposed to say my name, crack a dumb joke, and tell you about my normal Awakening day, right?
Yeah… that's not happening.
Name's Nesshou Genta. And my Awakening?
It didn't go the way it was supposed to.
See, for everyone else, turning sixteen is like a party — the Bloom, the magic, the cheers, the photos.
For me?
It was panic.
Shouting.
The kind of fear you can smell in the air.
I didn't wake up surrounded by friends.
I woke up surrounded by flames… and bodies.
They say everyone's magic shows up on the Bloom test.
Mine didn't.
Not a spark. Not a flicker. Nothing.
And yet… when it came, it came like it had been waiting for centuries to burn through me.
Now people are looking at me like I'm something that shouldn't exist.
Like I'm a mistake.
Like I'm dangerous.
Maybe they're right.
But if I'm a mistake…
I'm going to be the kind that no one can ignore."
PREVIOUSLY ON CLASS 24
I woke up in a cave—cold, aching—staring at some guy by a fire. Kurogane Daichi. He said my grandpa was gone… maybe worse. I didn't believe him, but I followed him anyway, all the way to this underground place called SSUB.
That night, I saw it in a dream—no, a nightmare. Grandpa on a burning battlefield, telling me to run… and then it appeared. A beast made of fire, staring right through me, saying, "We are one."
This morning, I swear something was watching me—eyes in the dark. Then the alarms hit. Daichi grabbed me, said, "Stay close… and whatever happens, don't use your flames."
Now something's coming. And it's not after him… it's after me.
The sirens were still screaming in my ears when I saw it — a blur in the red strobe lights, cutting through the hallway straight at me.
Not a monster. Not some shadow-beast.
A person.
They moved too fast for me to get a clear look — but the way they dodged past Daichi's outstretched arm, slipping through the narrowest gaps without losing speed… that wasn't normal.
Boots slammed against the metal floor, getting louder, closer. My whole body tensed.
I planted my feet, ready to— I don't even know — but the figure stopped just out of reach. The light caught their face for a split second: young, maybe my age, eyes sharp enough to cut through the smoke.
And then they smiled.
"So… you're the Flame."
My chest went cold, but before I could even open my mouth, they pivoted, sliding right past Daichi again. He cursed under his breath and took off after them, but they were already melting into the shadows at the end of the corridor, like they'd been born there.
The alarms kept blaring. My heart kept hammering.
Who the hell was that? What the hell was that?.
I didn't even wait for Daichi to catch his breath. "Who was that?"
His eyes stayed on the empty corridor ahead, jaw tight. "I don't know… but we'll find out soon enough."
That wasn't good enough for me, but before I could push, he motioned with two fingers and started walking. "Let's move."
We didn't head toward the alarms. If anything, we were leaving them behind, the flashing red lights fading into the distance. A moment later, the blare cut off altogether, leaving only the sound of our footsteps and the low hum of the walls.
The deeper we went, the more the air changed — cooler, heavier, like the place itself was holding its breath. Every corner we turned, the ceilings climbed higher, archways etched with symbols that glimmered faintly as we passed.
And then the hallway opened up.
I stopped dead.
The thing in front of us wasn't just a building — it was a fortress. A giant, sprawling structure that seemed to grow right out of the rock itself, its towers piercing upward into the shadows. Stone walls laced with silver veins, glass bridges stretching between levels, banners with SSUB's emblem rippling in a wind I couldn't feel.
Even from here, I could see movement behind the arched entrances — shapes crossing glowing halls, figures in uniforms training on suspended platforms, bursts of light and energy flickering like miniature storms before vanishing again.
Daichi glanced back at me, the faintest smirk on his face. "Welcome to the SSUB Grand Nexus."
I don't know how long I just stood there, staring.
Every inch of the place looked unreal, like someone had taken every magic story I'd ever heard and built it into stone and steel. My eyes kept chasing details — the way the silver veins pulsed faintly like they were alive, the shimmer of floating platforms drifting between towers, the sound of something distant and powerful thrumming through the air.
I didn't even notice Daichi was halfway to the entrance until his voice cracked across the space.
"What the hell are you doing back there?"
I blinked, snapping out of it, realizing I'd been rooted to the spot like some wide-eyed tourist.
I jogged to catch up, still trying to drink in the sight of the place. The moment we stepped through the arched entrance, the air changed again — warmer, charged, like every breath carried a spark waiting to set something off.
The inside…
It was huge.
The ceiling soared so high it disappeared into a haze of gold light, crisscrossed by floating walkways that shimmered faintly under each step. Glass tubes ran along the walls, carrying streams of glowing liquid in colors I'd never seen before.
Everywhere I looked, there was movement.
A group of people in matching dark uniforms sparred in a sunken arena, their strikes sharp, precise, and too fast to follow. Above them, two figures raced across suspended platforms, leaping gaps with impossible ease, landing without a sound.
The floor beneath us pulsed faintly, etched with vast circular patterns that seemed to shift and rotate in slow, hypnotic spirals.
And above it all, banners of deep black and silver hung from the beams, each marked with SSUB's emblem — two interlocking rings split by a single sword — swaying in a wind I couldn't feel.
I'd never seen so much discipline and focus in one place… and I had the feeling this was only the beginning.
And I was right.
As we walked, my head was a mess of questions, but one finally slipped out. "So… what are we doing here?"
Daichi didn't even slow his stride. "You'll see soon enough."
We kept moving until we stopped in front of a massive door, taller than any I'd seen in the Nexus. Its surface was dark and smooth, etched with faint lines that seemed to pulse when you looked too long.
Daichi turned to me, his voice low. "From this point on, let your ears do more work than your mouth."
He reached into his coat, pulled out a metal emblem marked with the SSUB's twin rings and sword, and pressed it against the door. The lines flared, then split apart with a deep rumble.
Inside, the air was cooler, heavier. A long, polished table stretched across the center of the room, surrounded by figures in black robes whose faces were half-hidden in shadow. At the far end, elevated above the rest, sat a single man in a white robe, watching us with an expression I couldn't read.
We stood there for what felt like forever.
No one spoke. No one even shifted in their seat.
The robed figures sat like statues, their faces half-swallowed by shadow, the man in white at the far end watching me without blinking. The silence was so thick I could hear my own heartbeat, slow and heavy in my ears.
Daichi didn't say a word either. He just stayed at my side, his hands clasped behind his back like he'd been here a hundred times before.
I had no idea if I was supposed to speak… or if doing that would get me thrown out.
So I waited.
After what felt like hours wrapped in silence, the heavy doors behind us groaned open again.
I turned just as a man stepped through — tall, sharp-eyed, his black robe marked with silver trim that caught the light. Behind him, four teens followed, each one carrying themselves with a kind of confidence that didn't come from uniforms or ranks… but from knowing exactly what they could do.
They moved in step, their eyes sweeping the room like they were taking in every detail.
The air shifted, almost like the place itself was paying attention now.
The silence finally broke when the man in white spoke, his voice deep but calm.
"Send in Shiratori Kenzō."
The side door opened, and in walked a man who looked… younger than I expected. Not young-young, but compared to the other robed figures, he might as well have been a big kid who'd wandered into the wrong meeting.
"Kenzo," the white-robed man said, "these are your new students."
Kenzo's face lit up like someone had just handed him candy. He gave a sloppy salute, then tried to spin the chair nearest to him around and sit in it — only to misjudge and nearly tip over. He caught himself at the last second, grinning like it was all part of the plan.
Somewhere to my left, a boy chuckled under his breath.
The man in white shifted his gaze. "Daichi."
Daichi gave a short nod and stepped forward. "This is Aomine Ryen," he said, motioning to the man who had entered with the four teens.
Ryen stepped ahead, bowing his head slightly in respect before turning to face the room. His voice was steady, carrying just enough weight to make everyone listen.
"These four," he began, "are unlike anything we've seen from previous recruits."
No one in the room moved, but I could feel the attention sharpen, like every ear was leaning in. Ryen let the silence hang a moment before continuing.
"They are here because they belong here… even if the rest of the world hasn't realized it yet."
Ryen's eyes swept over the four teens, then he spoke their names one by one.
"Yami Ibuki."
A boy with sharp, unreadable eyes gave a small nod, his expression calm but impossible to read.
"Shirakawa Reiji."
This one stood straighter than the rest, his gaze calculating, like he was already mapping out the entire room.
"Kurai Sumika."
A girl with soft pink hair lowered her eyes slightly, but there was something about the way she carried herself — like she saw more than she let on.
"And Anjō Hanari."
She stepped forward just enough for the light to catch her, her presence warm but deliberate.
Ryen looked back to the white-robed man. "These are the recruit's I have for you"
The white-robed man's gaze drifted past the four teens and landed on me.
"What about the boy?"
Daichi stepped forward, but instead of answering out loud, he walked right up to the white man and leaned in, whispering something I couldn't hear.
The white man's eyes widened. Then his voice cut through the room, louder now.
"Fire type."
The words seemed to hit like a lightning strike. Heads turned. Robes shifted. Even the air felt heavier.
Everyone looked shocked — everyone except the boy named Ibuki. He just smirked faintly and murmured, "I knew it was him."
Daichi turned to me. "Step forward."
I did, trying not to let the weight of a hundred stares pin me down. "Nesshou Genta," I said, my voice steady… or at least I hoped it sounded that way.
The chill in the room didn't go away. No one spoke. No one moved. Just eyes.
Minutes passed before the white man finally turned to Kenzo.
"Take the kids to your class."
Kenzo clapped his hands once, grinning. "Alright, you heard him. Let's go."
He waved the four teens forward, then glanced at me. "You too, Flame-boy."
So the five of us left together, our footsteps echoing in the stillness as the heavy doors shut behind us.
Kenzo's "classroom" wasn't anything like that council hall we'd just left. It wasn't small either — big enough for the sound of thirty voices to bounce around and mix into one wall of noise. Chatter, laughter, a few arguments in the back… it was chaos, but the kind of chaos that felt alive.
That is… until Kenzo walked in.
The second he stepped through the door, the noise just… died. No orders, no shouting, just this weird ripple through the room like everyone suddenly remembered they were supposed to behave.
"Alright, everyone," Kenzo said, voice casual, almost bored. "We've got new faces today. Five of them. Don't make me regret letting them breathe the same air as you."
He rattled off our names one by one — no grand speech, no special treatment — and waved a hand. "Go find a seat."
We started moving. I barely took two steps before someone's shoulder slammed into mine. I stumbled forward, catching myself halfway to the floor, ready to bark at whoever it was—
Ibuki.
He crouched down like he was about to help me up, his grip firm on my hand. But then he leaned in, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
"We meet again, Flame."
Something in my chest tightened. That voice… the same one that came out of the shadows back in the hallways of SSUB.
I yanked my hand back, staring at him. "You… it was you."
He just smiled — the kind of smile that doesn't answer anything — and walked off to his seat like nothing happened.
I froze, still halfway to the floor, but before I could say anything, a hand reached down — not Ibuki's.
Kurai.
Her grip was steady, almost gentle, as she pulled me back to my feet.
I slipped into an empty seat, trying to shake off the way Ibuki's smile had crawled under my skin.
Kenzo clapped his hands once, grinning like a kid who'd just been told recess got extended.
"Alright, class! We've got fresh faces today… and you know what that means. Time to test out their strengths."
A faint laugh drifted across the room — low, amused, almost mocking. I didn't even have to look to know it came from Ibuki.
Kenzo's head tilted slightly, eyes locking on him. "Something funny, Ibuki?"
Ibuki leaned back in his chair like he owned the place. "Just wondering if it's worth the trouble. You know, wasting time on people who probably won't last a week."
A couple of students chuckled under their breath. Kenzo didn't.
"Oh?" Kenzo's voice stayed light, but there was a sharpness underneath. "And you'd know who's worth the trouble, would you?"
"I've got a good sense for these things," Ibuki said with a shrug. "Been right every time."
Kenzo crossed his arms. "Huh. And what if one of them surprises you?"
Ibuki smirked. "Then I'll admit I was wrong… but I'm not holding my breath."
The air in the room shifted, like everyone was leaning in just to hear the next words.
Kenzo's grin widened. "Alright then… let's make this quick. All five of you —" he pointed at me, Ibuki, Reiji, Kurai, and Hanari, "— at once. You against me. Right now."
The room erupted with whispers and half-suppressed gasps.
I looked from him to the others, and for a split second, all I could think was… this guy was either the craziest teacher in the world or just begging to get knocked down.
Kenzo didn't waste time. One moment we were in the classroom, the next he was waving us toward a side door, his grin daring us to follow.
We trailed him down a short hallway that opened into a massive training room — wide, open, with walls high enough to swallow sound and a floor marked with faint, glowing lines that hummed under our feet.
The five of us spread out, facing him. Kenzo stood in the center, hands in his pockets like he was about to take a casual stroll instead of a five-on-one fight.
Me? I wasn't so sure. I'd barely known these four for an hour, but it was already clear they weren't people you messed with lightly. Even a teacher — no matter how strong — had to feel that.
Kenzo's grin didn't fade. "You can use everything you've got on me. No holding back."
A small chuckle cut through the silence. Ibuki.
"You might underestimate them," he said, his eyes narrowing on Kenzo, "but don't take him lightly."
Then he moved — fast, cutting the distance in a blur — and that's where it began.
NESSGEEORIGINAL