shadows of trouble.....

The next day, Toki and I were called to the professor’s office. The old man sat behind his desk, hands folded, eyes sharp with something I couldn’t quite place.

“I have a surprise exam for you both,” he announced.

Toki furrowed his brows. “Like a written test?”

The professor chuckled and tapped a device on his desk. A hologram flickered to life, displaying a grotesque, floating humanoid figure. It had no face, its entire form shrouded in a dark aura. The area around it looked abandoned, forgotten by time.

“This,” the professor said, “is a Zen Echo.”

I narrowed my eyes. The presence of that thing on the screen felt wrong, even from here.

The professor continued, “Zen Echoes are the remnants of a Zen Master’s power that linger after death. If left alone, they curse anyone who enters their territory. The only way to get rid of them is to bind them away—or defeat them. And if you do defeat one, the reward is immense. You may gain a power buff, or in rare cases, a **Zen Mutation.**”

Toki crossed his arms. “How rare?”

“0.5 percent of the time.”

Not exactly promising odds.

“To defeat a Zen Echo,” the professor went on, “you must fight it using your abilities. Each Echo manifests at a strength tailored to its opponent’s **Zen Level.**” He listed them out:

Awakening

Focused

Balance

Enhanced

Mastery

His voice took on a tone almost like a storyteller warning children about the boogeyman. “For this test, you’ll be in groups of **two to twelve**. And you better hope you get **ten to twelve.**”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I couldn’t care less.”

The professor smirked. “Not scared?”

“Point-blank, **no.**” I met his gaze with cold certainty. “And besides, I can just teleport out.”

The professor sighed. “You can’t even control your abilities yet. If you—”

Before he could finish, the intercom blared, **“All first-year students, assemble in the courtyard.”**

The professor leaned back in his chair. “You two better hope you get lucky.”

Toki and I exchanged glances before heading out. As we walked, he asked, “Have you ever seen a Zen Echo before?”

“No,” I admitted. “But we might as well get this over with. Also… what did he mean by ‘better hope to get ten to twelve’?”

Toki frowned. “I don’t know… but I feel like we should find some partners.”

---

As we reached the courtyard, the fire marks from last night’s attack were still visible. A different professor stood in front of the gathered students. “We are walking to a certain location, children. Follow us.”

Skepticism rippled through the crowd, but no one protested. We moved as a group, following the staff as they led us deeper into the academy grounds.

And then… I felt it.

A shiver at the back of my neck. Like something unseen was **watching.**

I glanced at Toki, who seemed tense. Around us, other students were shifting uncomfortably, rubbing their necks.

The professors exchanged glances, then nodded—like they had been waiting for this moment.

That’s when I realized.

**We were already inside a Zen Echo’s territory.**

A professor turned to face us. “We will now organize you into groups.”

Minutes later, the teams were formed. To my mild annoyance, Toki and I were paired with **another student.** A girl.

She had dark blonde hair with magenta highlights, and the moment she stepped closer, I noticed something off. Unlike Toki and me, who were simply wary, she was **visibly trembling.**

“Something is wrong with this place,” she murmured.

Toki nodded. “I feel it too.”

And then—**the screams started.**

Bloodcurdling, raw fear echoing through the air.

Toki and I froze, but the girl—she looked like she was about to break. Her body was rigid, her breath shallow.

“Get a grip,” I muttered.

But deep down, even I knew—this was bad.

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my cool as the screams grew louder. The girl, whose name I still didn't know, looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Toki's eyes met mine, and I could see the concern etched on his face.

"Hey, calm down," I said, trying to sound reassuring, but my voice came out rougher than I intended. "We need to focus."

The girl took a deep breath, her eyes welling up with tears. "I-I don't like this," she stammered.

Toki stepped forward, his expression softening. "It's okay, we're here to help you. What's your name?"

"A-Akane," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, trying to process the situation. We were stuck in a Zen Echo's territory, and we had no idea what we were up against. The professors seemed to have vanished, leaving us to fend for ourselves.

Suddenly, the screams stopped, and an eerie silence fell over the area. Akane's eyes went wide, and she grabbed my arm, her grip tight.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low.

"I feel it," she whispered. "The Echo is coming."

Toki's eyes locked onto something behind me, and I turned to see a dark, humanoid figure emerging from the shadows. Its presence was like a cold wind, making my skin crawl.

"Get ready," Toki said, his voice firm.

I nodded, focusing on my Zen Energy. I could feel it coursing through my veins, waiting to be unleashed. Akane, on the other hand, looked like she was frozen in fear.

"Akane, snap out of it!" I shouted, trying to break her out of her trance-like state.

She blinked, her eyes focusing on me, and then she nodded. "I-I'll try," she stammered.

The Echo began to move towards us, its presence growing stronger with each step. I could feel my Zen Energy responding, urging me to act.

"Let's do this," Toki said, his voice calm and collected.

I nodded, and together, we prepared to face the Zen Echo. But as I glanced at Akane, I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were in over our heads.

"Akane, what's your role in this?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

She took a deep breath, her eyes locking onto mine. "I'm a Zen Conduit," she said, her voice firm. "I can give and redistribute Zen Energy."

I nodded, a plan forming in my mind. "Akane, can you channel our Zen Energy and amplify it? Toki, use your water and ice abilities to bind the Echo. I'll teleport us to safety once we're done."

Toki nodded, and Akane took a deep breath. She raised her hands, and I could feel her energy connecting with mine and Toki's. Our Zen Energy began to flow through her, and I could sense it growing stronger, more potent.

The Echo loomed closer, its dark aura enveloping us. I raised my hands, focusing on my spacial manipulation ability. Toki did the same, his water and ice abilities at the ready.

"Let's do this," I said, my voice firm.

And with that, we launched our attack. Akane's energy surged through us, amplifying our abilities and giving us the edge we needed to take hold down the Echo.(Hikaru and Toki and Akane use this as an opportunity to retreat toki figures out that the zen echo's ability is strength and secondary is agility toki decides to find hikaru and Akane decide to find a group so they can make a zen resonance

**We had real trouble on our hands.**

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