"Ah, seriously?!" Takumi hissed, ducking under a low branch as he tore through the trees.
His scythe bounced against his back with every uneven step, orange hair clinging to his face with sweat. The undergrowth whipped at his legs, but he didn't slow down. Not with that thing on his tail.
A blur zipped between the trees behind him. Too fast. Too close.
"Where the hell is it now?" he muttered, casting a frantic glance over his shoulder.
A ripple of movement darted between the trunks — relentless. Takumi's heart skipped, and his hand went to his belt, pulling a small round bomb loose.
"This is getting old," he grumbled, yanking the pin with his teeth and tossing the bomb behind him without stopping.
The soft thud was followed by a burst of smoke, thick gray clouds billowing up and swallowing the path behind him. The acrid scent hit his nose as he veered to a stop, crouching low with one hand on the ground, scythe drawn.
He kept his eyes on the smoke. Waited.
For a second, nothing.
Then the thing burst through — obsidian-black skin streaked with pulsing blue lines, those white, empty eyes fixed on him. The mane crackled as it moved.
Takumi's lips pressed into a tight line.
"Figures."
He straightened, adjusting his grip on the scythe.
"Alright. Guess it's you and me, huh?"
No posturing, no bravado — just that weary edge in his voice as he set his stance.
The creature let out a low, unnatural screech.
Takumi exhaled slowly.
"Yeah, yeah… I'm not thrilled about this either."
And he charged.
"Ugh — you just don't quit, do you?" Takumi huffed, sidestepping as the obsidian-black creature barreled past, its crackling mane and pale eyes slicing through the shadows.
It skidded in the dirt, rounded, and came charging again.
Takumi gripped his scythe tighter.
"Alright, one last dance."
His thumb flicked a small switch at his belt. Pale-blue beams shot out from hidden traps in the undergrowth, catching the beast mid-leap. It snarled and thrashed against the bindings, the light straining under the pressure of its surging electric aura.
Takumi didn't hesitate. His scythe's edge began to glow faintly, pale-blue light curling along its curve as mana flooded into the weapon.
A strike from above — a precise, plunging cut.
Falling Crescent.
Techniques like that were called Stellar Skills — combat arts shaped by mana, channeled through a weapon or the body to amplify one's strikes. Some passed down through bloodlines, others taught by old masters, a few scraped from half-rotted training scrolls. And some, like Takumi's, hammered together mid-fight and named on instinct.
He launched himself skyward, scythe spinning in a clean arc. The blade caught the faint glow of trapped energy in the clearing as he brought it down like a falling crescent moon.
The strike landed with a sharp, clean impact. The Yureigashira shrieked, limbs spasming. Energy traps detonated in a stuttered chain around them as the creature crashed to the ground in a heap of scorched black hide.
Takumi landed in a crouch, breathing hard.
"Persistent bastard."
He straightened, resting the scythe against his shoulder as the glow along the blade ebbed away.
One last glance at the corpse — a sharp tap with the end of his scythe.
"Boop."
Takumi rested his scythe on his shoulder and started walking off through the trees, but after a few steps, his eyes narrowed and he came to a stop. He glanced sideways at a nearby tree.
"Oi… you seriously been sitting there this whole time while I dealt with that thing?" he asked, irritation creeping into his voice.
A light, teasing voice answered from above.
"Fufu~ well, it looked like you had it under control. Would've been rude to interrupt, boy."
A girl hung upside down from a thick branch, blue hair swaying as she grinned at him, completely unbothered. Takumi stared at her for a long second, then let out a dry sigh, unimpressed.
She dropped down in a smooth flip, landed in a lazy one-handed handstand, and casually let herself sit on the grass, brushing stray leaves from her hair. Still smiling. Still watching him.
"Really now… Liene?" Takumi muttered flatly.
Takumi shot one last dry look at the girl before resting his scythe on his shoulder.
His mind drifted back to earlier.
After Claire had headed off with her things and Rose lingered behind, grumbling about the wait, he'd stuck around the conveyor belt a little longer. The crowd thinned, a few stragglers still collecting their gear. Once his bags finally came down, he snatched them up without a word.
"Aight, I'm out. You'll probably still be here next week," he'd tossed over his shoulder at Rose, earning a halfhearted glare.
Key in hand, he made his way through the halls. Students clustered in groups, swapping dorm numbers or flashing weapons like showpieces. A couple of cocky seniors lit up a wall with a spell before a passing staff member barked them down.
Takumi ignored it all, weaving past the noise without slowing.
Eventually, he reached his room.
"Yeah. This one," Takumi muttered, double-checking the number.
Shouldering the door open, he stepped inside — only to immediately pause, brow furrowing.
The place was a mess. Half-unpacked bags, books stacked sideways on the cabinet, spare clothes hanging off a chair, and a string tied from the doorknob to somewhere up on the top bunk.
Takumi sighed and reached into his pocket, rummaging past loose screws, gears, and some crumpled wiring until his fingers finally closed around his dorm key.
"Seriously… where is it…? Ah — there."
But before he could even lock the door behind him, a soft thud came from somewhere above.
"What the—"
A girl dropped into view, hanging upside down from the top bunk by her legs, sky-blue hair dangling toward the floor. She held the string tied to the door in one hand, a teasing grin on her face.
Takumi just stared at her for a beat.
"What the hell is this?" he asked flatly.
"What? Worked, didn't it?" she shrugged, like this was perfectly reasonable.
He tugged the string loose from the knob, noticing the attached blade at the end. A Kyoketsu-Shoge. Figures. He tossed it up to her — she caught it one-handed, easy.
"Real welcoming setup you got here," Takumi muttered, dropping his bags by the wall.
The girl flipped down from the bunk, landing with a light bounce and brushing stray pillow feathers out of her hair. She gave him a mock-curious look, one cheek puffed slightly as she chewed something.
"What's with the look, boy? Dorm ghost sneak up on ya or somethin'?"
"Yeah, somethin' like that," Takumi exhaled. "Whatever. Do your thing, I'll do mine."
He shouldered his scythe off and leaned it in the corner, not bothering to unpack.
"Name's Liene, by the way," she called casually as she sprawled across the lower bunk, propping her hands behind her head.
"Takumi," he replied without looking back.
Back in the present, Takumi let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced at the blue-haired menace now officially stuck as his teammate for academy events, missions, and whatever nonsense they'd signed up for today in the battlegrounds.
"What the hell did I get myself into…" he muttered under his breath.
Liene hung upside down from a low tree branch, grinning like she'd won something.
"Y'know, you could smile a little. It won't kill you, boy," she teased, swaying slightly.
Takumi shot her a flat look as his scythe shifted in his hand, folding into a compact rectangular shape with a faint metallic click. He strapped it to his waist.
"Whoa. Okay, that was sick," Liene said, giving a couple of slow, lazy claps as she dropped down beside him.
He shrugged. "Just a little engineering. Don't make a big deal out of it."
"Pfft, humble too. My, my, you're just full of surprises, huh?"
Takumi snorted. "Yeah, well, surprises tend to get me yelled at around here."
"Mm, I believe it."
They fell into step, Liene walking with an easy skip beside him while he trudged forward through the woods.
"Oh, right," she said suddenly, sticking out a hand. "Guess I should probably do this whole introduction thing. Nice to officially meet you, Takumi."
He stared at her hand for a second, then shook it with a resigned sigh. "Right."
She grinned. "Though I gotta say, you look like you lost a bet just being near me."
"You're not entirely wrong."
That made Liene laugh, bright and easy. "Good. Wouldn't want you getting comfortable."
Takumi just shook his head, smirking a little in spite of himself as they kept moving.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered how Claire and Rose were holding up. Probably better than this.
"Bet they're not dealing with this crap…" he grumbled.
"What was that, boy?"
"Nothing. C'mon. Let's get this over with."
Meanwhile, on the plains side of the academy battlegrounds, far from where Takumi and Liene were, the grass swayed gently in the wind. The crisp bite of autumn felt absent here, replaced by the scent of flowers and the warmth of the sun. Desperate footsteps crunched across the grass, each one a frantic escape.
"U-uh, c-come on! This isn't—ah, this isn't fun anymore!" Claire shouted, her voice cracking as she sprinted, eyes squeezed shut.
She risked a glance back and instantly regretted it. Her face drained of color at the sight of a charging Kurutor. It was one of the weaker types, sure — but the bull-like head, thick frame, short brown fur, small curved horns, and those wild brown eyes were plenty terrifying. She let out a shaky laugh that broke into a panicked squeak as she stumbled but kept running.
"I-I'm not even tasty! Why're you chasing me?!" she yelled, half-hoping it might change its mind.
The grassy plain stretched endlessly ahead, and Claire's face twisted in a mix of panic and shaky resolve. She clenched her fists mid-run, muttering to herself.
"Okay, okay… I can handle this! Just like in training… y-you know, except training didn't have a giant, horned—oh stars, I'm gonna die!" She shook her head, as if she could fling the thought away, though it did little to steady her.
After a failed attempt to cast her Stellar Art with her sword, Luminous Heart, all she had left now were her legs — and her loud complaints.
"Darn it! I'm supposed to have a teammate, capisce?!" she cried out, scanning the plains as if someone might magically appear.
A few hours earlier, at exactly 8:57 AM, Claire and Rose stood among the other first-year students, lined up as instructed under the looming threat of expulsion.
Claire fidgeted, trying to stand still but constantly shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
Her eyes wandered to the academy battlegrounds ahead, timid awe written all over her face. It wasn't just some plain field like she'd imagined — it was enormous, with different biomes stretching farther than she could make sense of. Her mouth opened slightly, like she was about to say something, but she clamped it shut, unsure how to not sound stupid.
Standing beside Rose, Claire tugged nervously at her cloak and whispered, "So, uh… is it just me, or does this look… way more intense than I, um, thought it would?"
Rose folded her arms, a sly grin tugging at her lips. "What gave it away? The giant biomes or, I don't know, all the Akumos?"
Claire shifted again, her eyes flicking between the terrain and Rose. "I-I mean, yeah, but… it's kinda, um… impressive? Like, if it wasn't so scary, it'd be… pretty cool..." Her words trailed off into a mumble.
Rose snorted and shook her head. "Cool, huh? Yeah. Let's see if you still think that when something's chasing you down."
Claire blinked, lips parting like she wanted to answer, then quickly looked away, cheeks turning pink. "W-well, I didn't mean… never mind."
As they stood there, the quiet anticipation started gnawing at Claire's nerves. She squinted at the horizon like she could make the event start just by staring hard enough.
"I wonder when this is gonna start…" she muttered under her breath, her voice soft but restless. She immediately bit her lip, hoping no one heard.
Rose leaned in with a grin. "I know, right? It's been minutes. We're all waiting for that one student. Typical."
Claire tilted her head. "Um… let me guess. It's, uh… Takumi, isn't it?"
Rose sighed dramatically. "Yeah. Of course it's Takumi."
Claire blinked again, a hint of cluelessness in her expression. "W-wait, so… we're all standing here 'cause he's late again?"
Rose gave her a deadpan stare. "Claire. Yes. That's literally what I just said."
"Oh… right." Claire flushed and quickly looked away, fidgeting with her cloak.
Rose sighed as she watched Takumi rushing up the hill toward the group. He tripped once, caught himself, and barely made it in time to avoid expulsion. As he slid into place beside his roommate, Liene, his eyes met Ann's. The death glare she shot him sent a chill down his spine, and he nearly stumbled again.
"Oh… it's you," Takumi muttered, already exhausted.
"My my, almost late? Lucky boy," Liene teased, her voice soft and amused.
"Just shut up. Don't wanna talk about it," Takumi grumbled.
"Oh? You mean you don't wanna talk about how you almost got yourself kicked out 'cause you were busy doing whatever it is you were doing?" Liene pressed, her grin widening.
"Damn it. Shut up," Takumi snapped.
Just then, Ann caught sight of them again, her glare like a blade. Even Liene, usually unbothered, stiffened a little, earning a few chuckles from nearby students. It was, after all, Takumi's second time getting grilled by Ann.
"Ahem. Unless either of you wanna join this one in my office for a private session, I suggest you keep quiet," Ann barked, eyes sharp.
"She's scary…" Liene whispered.
"Finally, something we agree on," Takumi muttered. "Now shut up before we get another one."
A few students snickered, but the moment Ann turned her glare on them, the laughter died instantly.
"Ahem!" Ann scolded again, sending the group into stiff silence.
The academy battleground was called Starfield, symbolizing limitless potential and opportunities for student growth. A field of stars, where each student was meant to shine — showing their skills, strategy, and resilience in battle.
While the other students, aside from Claire and Rose, didn't seem to notice Ann's temper fraying, the two girls' imaginations ran wild. Claire pictured Ann as a towering dragon, breathing fire and reigning over them, while Rose imagined her as a cackling witch, casting spells to seal their mouths shut. Both quietly quaked in place.
As if on cue, Miss Ann made an old, worn-looking stick appear in her hand. Without a word, she pointed it at a large boulder nearby, spun her wrist, and sent it flying effortlessly over the line of students and into the Starfield with a deafening crash. The ground shook. A hush fell over the group as every head snapped toward her.
"Remember!" Ann barked. "This isn't a battle to defeat one another. It's a battle against your own limits — a chance to surpass what you thought was possible. Test your strategy. Your teamwork. Use your abilities smartly. Work together if you have to."
The students straightened up in alarm. Some nodded out of pure fear, others with genuine focus. A quiet divide was forming already — those who'd actually listen, and those who wouldn't.
Claire, still a bit shaken, noticed the sharp contrast between Ann's fierce, commanding presence and Mr. Isaac's calm, quiet, polite manner from earlier. He was the good cop. Ann, clearly, was the exact opposite.
"Ahem. To explain the mechanics of this activity—magic with fatal properties, or to be clear, powerful spells aimed at your fellow students—is strictly prohibited!" Ann's voice rose again, startling the group.
She gestured above them. "We'll be monitoring your every move with drones across the Starfield."
It was a heavy reminder. Fatal spells required immense mana and could easily maim or, in rare but terrible cases, kill. Incidents like that had happened before — not often, but enough to leave a mark on academy history.
"Also, the use of Stellar Skills and magic with intent to kill will get you disqualified," Ann added, her tone easing a little. "Not expelled, but you'll be out."
She stepped forward. "That said—you're not banned from attacking each other. Not to kill, but enough to knock someone out is fair game. And when it comes to the Akumo roaming the Starfield… use whatever means you've got."
Ann's once-terrifying eyes softened again. Claire, despite her nerves, started to pick up on something. For all her strictness, Ann actually cared. She'd missed Takumi on purpose with that chair at the assembly, and earlier she'd made sure the boulder didn't hit anyone. With that, Claire's fear eased a little. She found herself actually listening now, no longer half-expecting a boulder to come flying at her head.
But, right on cue, Ann's glare returned, sweeping over the students. Claire flinched, her nerves spiking all over again. Ann casually spun her wand in her hand.
"Now!" Ann's voice cut through the field. "About the terrain you'll be battling in. Since you were all too busy chatting, improvisation will be your best weapon out there. Don't count on getting much info from idle talk."
Uneasy glances passed between students. The earlier chatter died, replaced with heavy silence. Claire tugged at the edge of her cloak, her gaze flicking between the ground and Rose.
"All you need to know," Ann continued, "is that whoever you're dorming with will be your teammate for this activity — and for future ones. You'll work together, and your grade depends on it. Learn to function as a team, because that's the only way you survive out there."
Claire's stomach dropped. Her breath hitched. Teammate… dorming… Kazuki.
No. No no no. It couldn't be him. Seriously?
Her eyes darted over the crowd, scanning for Kazuki. Nowhere. Just her luck. Her imagination filled in the blanks, and she felt herself spiral.
"H-he won't even talk to me…" she muttered. "And now we're supposed to… team up? Great. Fantastic. Perfect."
Rose raised a brow. "Uh… Claire? You good?"
Claire glanced at her, eyes wide, panic barely masked by a weak grin. She waved a hand vaguely at the battleground ahead. "Yeah, totally fine. Just… doomed. But fine. Totally doomed. Capisce?"
Rose opened her mouth to respond, but a faint blue glow began to surround them. Claire flinched, instinctively pulling her cloak tighter.
"W-whoa! What—what's happening?!" she stammered, voice cracking.
The glow brightened, and Claire shifted nervously, clutching her cloak like it might save her. She glanced at Rose, who somehow managed to look halfway calm.
"Eh?!" Claire yelped as the light flared, nearly blinding.
Just before the light overtook her, Claire caught a glimpse of Kazuki in the distance. As expected — unfazed, emotionless, standing straight while the other students fidgeted and murmured in confusion. Her breath hitched, a mix of awe and disbelief tightening in her chest.
The glow swallowed them one by one, leaving the hill empty. Only Ann and Isaac remained.
Isaac spoke first, calm as ever. "Do you have to be this aggressive with them?"
"I have my reasons, sir," Ann replied, her earlier fury already gone.
The next thing Claire knew, she was running. The Kurutor's pounding steps shook the ground behind her. Panic clawed at her thoughts, but she kept scanning the open plains, desperate for any sign of Kazuki. Nothing. The weight of being alone pressed hard against her chest.
"Darn it… where is he?!" Claire muttered, frustration knotting in her chest.
A glint of metal — the Kurutor's axe swung toward her. She reacted before she could think. In one practiced motion, she sheathed her sword, grabbed her bow, and notched an arrow. Her breath came fast, but her grip stayed sure.
Mana flared along the arrow's shaft, a soft, pale gold light running through it. No chant. No theatrics. Just instinct.
The arrow flew.
It struck the axe dead-on, sending the weapon spinning from the Kurutor's grasp. The beast stumbled, crashing to the ground. Claire blinked, momentarily stunned — then sprinted ahead.
"Okay… that actually worked," she mumbled, a nervous grin flickering across her face.
The Kurutor roared and shook itself off, charging again — faster this time. Claire's pulse jumped. She stumbled but caught herself, boots scraping against the grass as she raised her bow again.
"Alright, alright… uh, think, Claire, think… what would Mom—no, no time for that," she muttered under her breath, scanning for anything she could use. No cover. No good angles. Just open field.
She reached into her quiver. Two arrows. Her fingers moved without hesitation, drawing and nocking them in a single, fluid motion. As she pulled the string, both arrowheads shimmered — a deeper gold this time, mana gathering fast and sharp, trailing along the shafts like threads of light.
Without pausing, she focused her mana, initiating her Stellar Skill — Starweave Pinion.
The arrows flew. One struck the Kurutor's left foreleg, the other near the joint of its right. The beast lurched with a guttural roar, its knees buckling as it staggered.
Claire exhaled sharply, a flicker of pride — gone in an instant.
She skidded to a stop at the edge of a plateau. A drop. Nowhere left to go.
Behind her, the Kurutor ripped the arrows out, blood darkening its fur. It let out a roar and charged, horn lowered.
Claire's feet planted, hands tightening around her bow as instinct and dread tangled in her chest.
"No… no, no — this is bad," she muttered, pulse hammering.
She threw up her arms, bracing for impact.
A rush of air cut overhead. The sharp, clean sweep of a blade silenced the Kurutor's roar.
Claire cracked an eye open.
A figure dropped from above, sword driving straight into the Kurutor's skull. The creature convulsed, its bellow cut short. Kazuki. Moving so fast it made her stomach flip.
"Whoa…" she breathed, lowering her arms.
His strikes came quick, sharp — two crossing, one straight through, a final upward slash that took the head clean off. The Kurutor crashed to the ground and burst into fading light.
Kazuki landed without a word, sheathing his sword in one smooth motion. His eyes flicked her way, unreadable. Then he turned and walked off.
Claire stood there, bow still in hand, something uneasy catching in her chest. Not fear. Not quite awe either. A knot of something in between.
"…What's your deal?" she mumbled.
She gave a small shake of her head, forcing herself to move. Her legs felt like jelly, but she stumbled after him anyway.
Up on the hill, the drones caught everything.
Isaac watched quietly from the control platform, eyes fixed on a translucent screen displaying Kazuki's movements. The boy's calm, precise strikes played in crisp detail.
Isaac's lips quirked in the faintest hint of a knowing smile.