⚔️ Chapter 6:
The morning at the Yorimashi Academy was unlike any sunrise Kairu Ryoku had ever known. The twin moons of Nirath cast a pearlescent glow through the enormous, vaulted glass ceilings of the academy. Light fractured into hundreds of spectral rays that glimmered on the polished black stone floors of the main hall. The air was thick with residual Ether energy, giving it a faint hum, a vibration that tugged at his senses. Each step Kairu took echoed softly, yet it felt amplified, as though the walls themselves listened.
He followed the instructors down winding corridors, their stone surfaces etched with glyphs that pulsed faintly in rhythm with the academy's heartbeat. Statues of ancient Yorimashi lined the hallways, frozen mid-motion — one held a massive sword above its head, muscles taut, eyes burning with ethereal light; another appeared to leap from the wall, frozen in time, wings of spirit energy stretching behind it. Even in stillness, they radiated power, warning Kairu of what awaited him.
As they entered the main training hall, Kairu's breath caught. The hall was cavernous — the ceiling lost in shadows, lined with floating Ether conduits that glimmered faintly. Students stood scattered, their bodies flickering with pale threads of energy. Some carried floating orbs of Ether; others held weapons that shimmered like liquid metal, glowing with runes that pulsed to the rhythm of their heartbeat. The polished floor reflected every movement, making the hall appear layered, almost infinite.
Two students approached him first. The boy, Haruto, had dark, windswept hair and eyes that seemed too sharp, too alert. He extended a hand with calm confidence. "I'm Haruto. Looks like we're your first friends — or your first challengers."
The girl, Sayuri, stepped beside him, her long silver hair catching the light of the Ether conduits. Her violet eyes studied him carefully. "Don't worry. We're not here to scare you. Much." Her smirk was faint, teasing, but carried a weight of caution.
Before Kairu could respond, another student, tall and thin with sandy hair and glasses, approached. "Ren," he introduced himself, adjusting his glasses with precise, deliberate motion. "First lessons aren't just about raw power. They're about control. Lose control, and the hall won't forgive you."
Kairu swallowed hard, feeling the pulse of the mark beneath his sleeve flare in warning. His recent experience in the alley — the Crimson Incident — had left him unsettled, and yet exhilarated.
An instructor stepped forward, a tall figure in layered robes etched with glowing runes. "Today, you learn the fundamentals of Ether — the energy binding humans to spirits, the force that allows Yorimashi to channel Tsukaima. Mastery comes not from strength, but from harmony. Stability is everything. Without it, you are a danger — not just to yourself, but to everyone around you."
The students moved into formation. The exercise was simple in words: summon an orb of Ether, shape it, and maintain it in suspended equilibrium. Yet as Kairu raised his hands, he realized how impossibly difficult it was. The air around him thickened, faint distortions shimmering as if the building itself was reacting to his untrained energy.
He clenched his fists, trying to focus. Raviel stirred faintly in the depths of his mind, a whisper curling like smoke. Flow. Align. Trust.
A jagged, flickering orb erupted from his palm. Unlike the smooth spheres of other students, his orb twisted violently, erratic sparks scattering across the floor. Some students jumped back, while others' eyes widened in shock.
"Careful!" Ren called out, his hands weaving protective patterns. The orb shivered, threatening to explode, and Kairu's heart pounded. Sweat soaked his hairline, and the pressure of the energy beneath his skin felt like it could tear him apart.
Haruto stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand near his shoulder. "Focus on your breathing. Let the energy obey you, not the other way around."
Kairu inhaled deeply. He imagined the flow of energy as chains linking him to the air, the stone floor, and the faint residues of Ether lingering in the hall. Slowly, the orb steadied, glowing softly, a pale light reflecting off the polished stone.
The instructors nodded subtly, impressed by the raw potential, though wary of the volatility. Kairu's body trembled, exhausted but elated. He had glimpsed control — the power of his bond, raw and untamed.
Afterward, the students were paired for exercises. Kairu found himself opposite Haruto, whose controlled orb pulsed calmly like a heartbeat. Sparks flew as the two moved, testing their focus. Haruto's attacks were precise, a dance of wind and light; Kairu's responses were reactive, uneven, but fueled by instinct and emotion. Each clash sent ripples through the hall, scattering light and Ether threads across the polished floor.
"Not bad," Haruto said after a particularly close exchange, his golden eyes glinting with challenge. "You've got power, but it's raw. Dangerous if you don't temper it."
Sayuri observed from the sidelines, her expression unreadable. "And temper it you will need," she murmured, almost to herself. "Otherwise, it will temper you."
By the end of the session, Kairu's arms ached, sweat and Ether residue coating his skin. He had succeeded, barely, and his orb hovered above his palm like a fragile, shimmering promise. Around him, other students' orbs glimmered in perfect, polished spheres, reflecting their discipline and practice.
As the hall emptied, Kairu caught glimpses of older students observing from the balconies above — their eyes sharp, calculating, and evaluating. Somewhere, the building itself seemed to hum in recognition, acknowledging him as a new element in its vast ecosystem of power.
Raviel whispered again, faint and intimate, coiling around his thoughts: The first lesson is only the beginning. The storm has not yet begun.
Kairu Ryoku exhaled, gazing down at the small orb still floating above his hand. He understood, finally, that mastery was not about defeating others, but about controlling the storm within — a storm that would define the rest of his life.