Cold...
Why does everything seem to be so cold?
It was an early morning haze when Itsuki Naoya's eyes snapped open to full darkness, feeling like the blackness was pressing down on his lungs. He tried to force himself to move but became unable to.
No no no no....Not these dreams again....
His body lay in his tattered room asleep, while his consciousness remained trapped in that recurring nightmare.
Wake up! I must wake up!
He tried to tap into the essence around him but in this space there was none. Essence didn't exist here. He grew impatient as today was one of the days he must not miss for the world!
The Zenkai Dojo trials.
A once-in-a-year event that happens when Silverstone's Main Dojo, Zenkai, sends its instructors to scout for new and talented young Virelians.
And Itsuki did not want to miss it. He focused on that idea, using it as a rope to pull himself back to awareness. He pulled with every ounce of strength he had.
Move! stupid body!
Just move!
His fingers jerked. Then his hand. The blackness shattered like broken glass, and suddenly he was awake, sitting up in bed with sweat drying on his skin.
The morning sun came up shining directly through his window. Light flooded his room, covering every inch of it.
Ah, my head!
Itsuki pressed his palms into his face, feeling the warmth of his own skin, the thudding of his pulse. Another nightmare. They'd been pestering him all the while these last few days, always with the same sense of drowning.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet while holding his head. He turned right to view the beautiful streets from his window. He could hear Mistfall stirring. Smoke rose from chimneys, and in the distance, the clanging of the morning bell rang off the rooftops.
The trials were set a few hours from now...
Strong enough, he reminded himself, recalling all the series of training he went through just for this day. I need to be strong enough.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
He heard a gentle, muffled sound coming from his room door.
"Itsuki?"
His mom's voice drifted through the door. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah." His voice was gritty. He attempted to clear his throat and spoke again, softer. "I'm awake."
"Come down when you're ready. Your dad made breakfast."
Itsuki moved towards his wash basin and flung cold water across his face. Its shock dissolved the last remnants of the dream. He glared at the small mirror over the basin, his reflection glaring back—black hair in disarray, blue eyes still heavy from interrupted sleep, the fine white scar above his left eyebrow from a training accident two years earlier.
He quickly put on his training attire...plain black pants and a light-gray shirt. As he was about to step out, he stopped and looked back at his messy room.
"Yeesh…" he grumbled. "Looks like an animal was here." (his room)
He laughed under his breath, shaking his head. "I'll deal with it later," he said, knowing full well he wouldn't.
Going down the steep stairs, the aroma of scrambled eggs and warm bread entered his nostrils. The familiar scent tugged him further awake before he even reached the bottom step.
Itsuki touched his stomach as it gave him an unhelpful growl. He smiled as he followed the smell into the kitchen.
His father was seated at the small table by the window. He had somehow buttoned his shirt wrong and was wearing Itsuki's mother's floral apron like armor.
Kaito Naoya glanced up when Itsuki came in, his face an unreadable mask.
"You look exhausted."
"Didn't sleep well," Itsuki muttered, sliding into his usual seat. Then he blinked, staring at the apron.
"...Pfft—Dad, what are you wearing?"
Kaito looked down, deadpan. "Your mother said it brings warmth to the household."
"Yeah," Itsuki said, trying not to laugh, "definitely… warmth."
His mother emerged from the kitchen space, holding a plate. Nina set it in front of him with a gentle smile.
"Here you go."
"Food," she told him. "You're going to need your strength."
"Thank you," Itsuki said while staring down at the scrambled eggs.
Trying to shake off the lingering unease of the dream. His father looked at him for a moment, then spoke...
"Second thoughts?"
"No. Just..." Itsuki faltered, trying to get the right words out. "What if I'm not ready? All the other students have been training in real dojos for years. I've only been learning from Sensei Laen for a few months."
"And in those few months you have grown fast for your age. Many warriors entered tier one at the age of 25-30, but you and your rusty set of friends achieved it at the age of 17..." Kaito murmured. "In my experience, that isn't normal."
Kaito leaned back, the chair creaking beneath him. "At this rate, you'll overtake me with ease."
Itsuki's mood lightened a bit...
They shared a short laugh, then Itsuki's smile faltered.
"Actually… there's something else..."
Before Itsuki could continue, a loud bang came from the door.
BANG! BANG!
It swung open and Takumi Leo strode in, practically vibrating with energy.
"Morning!" His voice was too loud for the time of day. "Is Itsuki ready? Are we doing this? Because I've been awake since before the sun came up and I don't think I can contain it anymore if we don't go out there and do something."
Little sparks flickered on Takumi's fingers, his hair singeing in the light of dawn. His eyes shone with barely suppressed excitement.
"Breathe, Takumi, breathe," Nina teased. "Before you burn the house down."
"Sorry, sorry." Takumi took a deep breath, sparks still flickering around his hands.
"BUT—today we see if we're good enough for Zenkai or not!"
"Or if Zenkai's good enough for us," said another voice.
Kairo Huisiji appeared beside the doorway in a swirl of shadow...his signature Void Step. He crossed his arms, bowing his head slightly as he chuckled, clearly trying way too hard to look cool.
As he took a step forward, Takumi suddenly shouted, "No, no, no—don't step there!"
Itsuki smiled wickedly. "Too late."
A bucket of water tipped over from above, crashing down on him. For half a second, everyone froze...then Kairo vanished in another Void Step, reappearing a few feet away, but somehow still completely drenched but pretending otherwise.
He flicked his wet hair back like some kind of model and said with a straight face, "Tactical miscalculation."
"Tsk," Itsuki muttered from the table, still chewing his food. "Should've added soap."
Nina's smile turned into laughter after seeing the whole hilarious scene. But what made it even funnier was that she already knew it would happen.