chapter 1: awakening shadows

I sat silently on the train, the rhythmic clatter of the wheels fading into the background as my thoughts wandered. This was it—my first day at the prestigious Seiran Academy, the school where I’d supposedly learn to harness my Zen Energy. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but deep down, I knew challenges awaited.

As I stared out the window, lost in thought, an old man shuffled into the seat across from me. His eyes met mine briefly, but I said nothing. He studied me for a moment before speaking.

"You must be Hikaru," he said, his voice calm yet probing. "I’ve read your file. You probably don’t know me, but I’m a professor at Seiran. It says here you possess the spacial ability—quite rare, you know. I see great potential in you."

I met his gaze with a cold, indifferent stare. "This conversation is useless," I replied flatly.

He chuckled softly, unperturbed by my bluntness. "Oh, that’s quite alright, young man. Whether or not you wish to learn more about your powers, remember this—you're not alone. There are many others at Seiran with Zen Energy, each facing their own challenges. When this train stops, you’ll be entering a school unlike any other. Most places don’t even teach Zen Energy alongside normal curriculums. But here... here, you might find a new beginning."

He paused, his tone shifting. "By the way, I heard about the incident from your middle school days. The one where you made a boy disappear. It’s clear what happened—you teleported him, didn’t you? Your Zen ability is special, Hikaru, and it’s nothing to take lightly."

He stood, preparing to leave. "I need to speak with the staff in another car, but before I go, a word of caution: if you’re ever out past curfew and encounter people in black hoods, run. Don’t ask questions—just run."

I raised an eyebrow, my voice steady and filled with quiet confidence. "And why would I need to run?"

The old man’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Just trust me on this, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, leaving me with his cryptic warning. I leaned back in my seat, the wheels of the train echoing in the silence. Whatever awaited me at Seiran, I knew one thing for sure—it was going to be far from ordinary.I watched the old man disappear down the aisle, his words lingering in my mind. *Run if I see people in black hoods?* It sounded like something out of a bad mystery novel. Still, there was something about his tone—calm yet serious—that hinted at more than just a casual warning. But trusting people had never been my strong suit. People always had their own agendas, and I preferred to keep my distance.

I sighed, resting my head against the window, the cool glass grounding me. The rhythmic hum of the train continued, but my mind wandered back to what lay ahead. Seiran Academy—renowned for training those with Zen Energy. They said only 30% of the population had it, and somehow, I was one of them. My ability, spacial manipulation, was rare, even among Zen users. The old man wasn’t wrong about that.

*Awakening, Focused, Balance, Enhanced, Mastery.* The Zen power scale. Most students probably started at Awakening—barely able to control their abilities. I wasn’t much better. Sure, I could teleport, but controlling it? That was another story. The incident back in middle school still haunted me. One moment of losing control, and a classmate had vanished. It wasn’t intentional, but it was enough to mark me as different. Dangerous.

I clenched my fists. That’s why I didn’t need people. They feared what they didn’t understand, and I didn’t care to explain myself. This school was supposed to help me gain control, maybe even reach the next level—Focused. But I wasn’t here to make friends or become some hero. I just wanted to understand my powers and avoid another incident.

The train slowed, the soft screech of brakes pulling me from my thoughts. Outside, the imposing gates of Seiran Academy came into view. Ornate and grand, they seemed to guard more than just a school. They guarded secrets—secrets I wasn’t sure I wanted to uncover.

The train doors hissed open, and students began filing out. I stayed seated for a moment, watching the crowd. They all looked eager, excited even. I felt none of that. All I saw were obstacles—potential threats, distractions.

I finally stood, stepping off the train and into the cool air. The old man’s warning echoed in my mind again. *People in black hoods.* Whatever they were, I wasn’t planning on running from anything. If they were a threat, I’d deal with them on my own terms.

The path ahead led to the main building, where orientation would likely begin. I walked slowly, keeping my distance from the others. This was just the beginning. Seiran Academy might be prestigious, but to me, it was just another place full of people I had no intention of trusting. My focus was clear—master my Zen Energy, avoid trouble, and stay away from anyone who thought they could get close.The main building loomed ahead, its grand facade doing little to impress me. Inside, students buzzed with excitement, but I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact. I wasn’t here to socialize.

Orientation was brief—a few speeches about the importance of harnessing our Zen Energy, some warnings about the dangers of misuse, and the usual pep talk about potential and greatness. None of it mattered to me. What mattered was getting through this without unnecessary interaction.

Soon enough, we were shuffled off to our first class. The room was spacious, filled with desks arranged in pairs. I picked a seat at the back, hoping to be left alone. The teacher, a stern-looking woman with sharp eyes, entered and immediately got down to business.

“Welcome to Seiran Academy,” she began. “Here, you’ll learn to control and master your Zen Energy. To start, we’ll be working in pairs. You’ll help each other improve, push each other to new levels. Pairing is non-negotiable.”

I sighed, already dreading this. Working with someone else? It was exactly what I didn’t want. She began calling out names, randomly assigning pairs. I tuned out, waiting for the inevitable.

“Hikaru Tenshi,” she finally said, “you’ll be paired with Toki Yamazaki.”

I glanced around as a boy a few rows over and stood up. He had white hair with blue highlights, sharp features, and an expression as cold as mine. He walked over, dropping into the seat next to me without a word. Fine by me.

The teacher continued. “Toki, you’re on the Focused level, correct? Water and ice abilities?”

Toki nodded once, his eyes never leaving the front.

“Hikaru,” she turned to me, “spacial manipulation, right? Awakening stage?”

I gave a slight nod, not bothering to elaborate.

“Good. You two will be working together to enhance your abilities. Let’s see how far you can push each other.”

With that, she moved on, leaving us in silence. I leaned back in my chair, casting a sideways glance at Toki. He didn’t seem thrilled about this either, which was fine. We didn’t need to be friends to get through this.

He finally broke the silence, his voice as cold as his abilities. “I’ll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine.”

I smirked faintly. “Works for me.”

We sat there, two antisocial kids forced into partnership, each silently agreeing to keep our distance while fulfilling the bare minimum of the assignment. I wasn’t sure how this would work out, but at least Toki wasn’t the type to force small talk.

The rest of the class passed in a blur, the teacher giving us basic exercises to start gauging our control. Toki demonstrated his abilities first, creating a small sphere of water in his hand before freezing it into ice. His control was precise, but I could see the strain in balancing the two elements.

When it was my turn, I hesitated. Teleportation wasn’t exactly something I could casually demonstrate without potentially causing a scene. Still, I focused, trying to summon the energy without losing control. A brief flicker of movement later, I was across the room.

The teacher nodded, jotting something down. “Work on precision, Hikaru. Control will come with time.”

I returned to my seat, avoiding Toki’s gaze. He didn’t say anything, which I appreciated. The rest of the class continued with more exercises, but my mind wandered. This partnership was going to be an annoyance, but if we kept our distance, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Toki stood up without a word and left. I followed suit, glad the day was over. The old man’s warning from the train echoed in my mind again, but I pushed it aside. For now, all I needed to focus on was surviving this school and figuring out how to control my powers—without anyone getting too close.

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