Morning sunlight spilled across Min Academy's courtyards, glinting on silver dew clinging to sakura petals. Students filled the path between the training halls, whispering as two figures walked through the gardens side by side.
Kaito Fei, Rank 1 Thread Weaver.
Liora Vex, the Ice Prodigy of the North Division.
Their hands were intertwined — calm, natural, yet impossible to ignore. Every step drew attention, not from the girls this time, but from the boys watching in disbelief.
"Liora's walking with him?"
"Isn't that Kaito Fei — the one who fought Ren Kurogane?"
"He's just Rank 1! What does he have that we don't?"
"Courage… or insanity."
The murmurs spread like wildfire.
Liora heard them but kept her head high, her white hair catching the sun like falling snow.
Kaito, on the other hand, seemed almost amused.
He leaned closer, voice low and teasing.
"Seems I've made new enemies today."
She glanced at him with a faint smile. "Because of me?"
"Because of this," Kaito said, lifting their joined hands slightly. "They envy the hand you chose to hold."
Her cheeks tinted pink, and she tried to look away. "You shouldn't say things like that in public."
"Why?" His crimson eyes gleamed faintly. "Truth loses nothing under sunlight."
Liora sighed, trying to hide her smile. "You really don't know when to stop teasing, do you?"
"I do," he said. "I just never find a reason to."
They stopped beneath a blooming sakura tree. The petals drifted between them, soft and silent. Liora rested her head lightly against his shoulder. "You know," she whispered, "I've never done this before."
"Held hands?" Kaito asked, though he already knew.
"Fallen for someone," she said softly. "It feels… fragile."
He looked at her — not with warmth, but curiosity. Love. A mortal thread, easily broken, yet capable of weaving fates tighter than destiny itself. Dangerous.
"You think too much," he said finally. "Threads only snap if you let them."
She smiled. "Then I'll keep weaving… as long as it's with you."
For a moment, something in his chest stirred — a faint echo of something long buried. Then, before he could respond, a calm voice cut through the quiet.
"Fei."
Both turned. Standing at the edge of the courtyard was Professor Lian Xuan, silver-robed and solemn. His gaze was steady, his tone firm.
"The Headmaster requests your presence."
Kaito's eyes narrowed slightly. "Now?"
"Yes," Lian said. "The Headmaster wishes to evaluate you — regarding your unauthorized duel."
The air around them stilled.
Students nearby stopped whispering.
Liora's hand tightened around Kaito's. "Evaluation… for punishment?"
Kaito's faint smirk returned. "Something like that."
She looked up at him, worry flickering in her blue eyes. "Will it be dangerous?"
"For me?" His smile deepened slightly. "Only if they think they can measure me."
---
The evaluation chamber was vast — a circular hall carved of silverstone and threaded with ancient runes. The air was thick with the hum of power.
At its center stood Headmaster Ryuzen Lian, Rank 6 Thread Sovereign of Min Academy. His very presence bent the room's atmosphere, as if reality itself obeyed his rhythm.
Kaito stepped forward, his expression unreadable.
"Rank 1 student, Kaito Fei," the Headmaster said, his tone calm but heavy with authority. "You stand here for evaluation following an unauthorized duel. Your Vital Threads will be scanned for resonance, stability, and classification. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Headmaster," Kaito said.
Ryuzen nodded once. "Begin the scan."
The formation beneath Kaito ignited. Golden threads of light coiled upward, surrounding his form. Thousands of luminous lines mapped across his body — tracing his Vital Threads, measuring the unseen flows of his essence.
Around the chamber, instructors watched in silence.
"Primary Vital Thread: stable," one murmured.
"Secondary Thread: above expected output…"
"Wait — tertiary resonance… unclassified."
A ripple of shock spread through the observers.
Even the Headmaster's brows furrowed slightly.
"Unclassified… at Rank 1?"
Ryuzen's voice cut through the whispers. "Quiet."
Kaito remained motionless, calm — though within him, the forbidden Karma Thread stirred like a sleeping dragon. The scan's light pressed closer, brushing against the boundary of that divine power.
If they detected it, it would expose everything.
Silently, he willed it still. The Karma Thread dimmed — then shifted into the hidden spectrum, invisible to mortal resonance. The crimson spark in his chest faded back into silence.
The golden light flickered red for a single breath — then stabilized.
Ryuzen's eyes narrowed. He said nothing for a long time.
"Scan complete," he announced finally. "Vital Thread integrity: ninety-nine point six percent. Efficiency: beyond average for Rank 1. Anomalous resonance… contained. Acceptable."
Contained.
That word lingered in the air like a quiet accusation.
Kaito bowed slightly. "Thank you, Headmaster."
Ryuzen studied him, eyes glowing faintly gold. "Your thread… carries silence too deep for mortal weaving. Almost as if something within you is sealed."
Kaito's lips curved faintly. "Maybe my soul prefers quiet places."
"Perhaps," Ryuzen said. "But quietness hides storms."
"Then I'll make sure mine never breaks the sky," Kaito replied smoothly.
The Headmaster held his gaze — then nodded. "Evaluation complete. You may go."
Kaito turned and walked toward the exit. Just as the door began to close, Ryuzen's voice echoed softly behind him.
"…Karma flows through your resonance, Fei. I wonder why."
Kaito paused — only for an instant — then continued walking.
The door sealed shut.
---
Outside, Liora was waiting under the same sakura tree. Her eyes brightened the moment she saw him. "Kaito!"
He smiled faintly. "Told you not to worry."
She stepped closer. "Did they… find anything?"
"Nothing they could understand," he said simply.
Her hand reached for his. "You're impossible."
He smirked. "Only for you."
The wind stirred, scattering pink petals around them.
Liora leaned into him; Kaito let her.
For now, he could play the role she needed — the calm boy beneath the blossoms.
But deep within his chest, the Karma Thread pulsed faintly, whispering its silent laughter.
He had fooled a Rank 6 Sovereign.
And the world still thought him harmless.
That illusion — would be his greatest weapon.
---
Later that night, inside the Headmaster's private chamber, Ryuzen stood before a glowing diagram of Kaito's thread pattern.
Professor Lian Xuan stood nearby, arms crossed.
"Anomalous resonance?" Lian asked quietly.
Ryuzen's eyes remained on the floating threads of light. "Contained… yes. But not suppressed. There's something ancient inside that boy. Something that doesn't belong to this era."
"Should we report it to the Council?" Lian asked.
Ryuzen shook his head slowly. "No. Not yet. Let's see how far the silence inside him can go before it starts to speak."
Outside, thunder rolled faintly over the horizon — though the skies above Min Academy were clear.