[On the other side of the forest, in a dimly lit chamber]
"He's the real deal. More amazing than we thought."
"Is he a five star as we suspected?"
"Yes, sir. Once we help him unlock dark magic..."
"He'll be our main weapon. Keep watching him."
"Yes, sir."
[Back to the streets of Almenio, Ryou and Rena walk together to school]
"I can't believe we happen to live so close to each other." Rena says.
"Right? The walk to school is less boring now."
As they make it through the school's gates, they notice two familiar faces alongside a stranger.
Rena runs to Renji and hugs him.
"Anything new?"
Maya can't help but laugh.
"You have no idea."
Ryou steps up to the group. "Who's the new face?"
"He's my best friend since childhood."
Ryou and Gudo lock eyes.
"Gudo Asakura. Nice to meet y'all."
Something more than curiosity sparked between them. A sort of competition.
"Ryou Ibashi. This here is Rena Tsukino."
"Nice to meet you!~"
Renji is kind of out of it at this point.
"Is the tournament still going?"
"Yeah. I don't know why they made it so complicated with all these separate brackets. I'm lost at this point." Ryou says, turning to Maya.
"Come on, it's not that complex. If you can't deal with it you shouldn't be here."
Rena sticks her tongue out at Maya.
"Are you guys still in it?" Gudo asks.
"I'm a second-year, I'm not in the tournament. Rena here is."
"I won all my matches. I'm just waiting for the last draft."
"Me too. Wait, what is that about being a second-year? Don't tell me. You lost to Renji."
Ryou doesn't waste any time.
"You'd lose to him faster. Do you know what he's capable of?"
Gudo laughs.
"Trust me, I know. Do you know what he's capable of?"
"What do you mean?"
Maya steps in.
"I don't think you're ready for this news."
Rena's ears perk up.
"He's a five star."
Their jaws fall dramatically to the floor.
"I'm scared." Rena whimpers.
"I guess the rivalry I thought we had just got blasted to pieces." Ryou adds.
"Listen." Maya says. "I'm not here to give you any false hope, but if anything, this guy's strength should give you motivation. Work hard to catch up!"
"There's no catching up." Ryou says. "But as long as the three of us get strong enough to subdue him together, that's good enough for me."
"Subdue me? Am I a rabid animal?"
They all share a laugh.
"Alright, so... while the tournament is going, do we even have classes?"
"You don't. You can sit and watch or do whatever you want."
"I'll pick back up on training, then. See you guys later." Renji says.
The rest remain to either fight or spectate. Renji steps alone into the forest and starts dishing out destruction.
I guess I'm testing my mana reserves today. Full beast mode.
He doesn't stop.
Fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, he cycles through them all. Over and over. No breaks. No hesitation. His clothes are torn, soaked in sweat, and the air around him vibrates with residual magic. Burned-out patches of forest stretch behind him like a trail of war.
His hands are raw. His breath is ragged. Mana pulses like wildfire through his veins.
Still, he doesn't stop.
Hours pass.
Eventually, voices echo from deeper in the trees.
"There he is!" Rena calls out.
They find him surrounded by destruction, standing in the center of cracked earth and smoking foliage.
Maya's eyes widen. "You're still going?"
Renji turns his head slowly, grinning through exhaustion. "Told you I'd train."
Ryou whistles low. "This guy's not human."
Gudo doesn't say anything. He just watches, something unreadable in his eyes.
[A Week Later]
Renji trained tirelessly, day in and day out. Meanwhile, the tournament is finally over. Gudo and Rena both landed in 1A, the best first-year class. The group got together and celebrated at Forks & Flames. The classes are finally starting, with Renji standing beside Ryou in 2A. Maya keeps a close eye on all of them.
Not attending the first-year curriculum came with a downside, too. A full year of knowledge got skipped over. Ryou and Maya did their best in helping Renji catch up. Fortunately, he's very intelligent and a quick learner, not to mention a natural at magic.
The academy doesn't only teach magic, of course. Students also spent time in math, art, history and other classes.
[Four Months Later]
The first semester went smoothly. Renji put a ton of effort in both training and studying. The problem is that he couldn't keep his powers a secret. Slowly, but surely, word got out about his capabilities. All students heard about him being a five star. People reacted in different ways with some showing respect, others showing fear, and a few eyes drowning in jealousy. Despite the occasional bad blood, nobody dared to challenge him.
Renji's lingering feeling that somebody is watching from the shadows never fully left him.
Our group of five grew closer and closer, despite being split in two classes and a teacher that taught neither. But in-between their mutual support, something different awakened inside Gudo.