The training hall was massive, its concrete walls feeling more like a prison than a place to improve. The fluorescent lights overhead hummed, casting a harsh, almost sterile glow over the rows of gym equipment—ropes hanging from the ceiling, balance beams lined along the floor, and thick mats scattered like patches of safety in a battlefield.
The air was thick, heavy with the smell of sweat, the sharp tang of fear, and something metallic that made it hard to breathe.
Reika stood still, her muscles tense, her breath steady as she took in every detail of the room. The floor beneath her feet felt solid, but the weight of what was to come made it feel like the ground could shift at any moment.
Every little sound—the creak of a rope, the shuffle of boots—was amplified, her senses on high alert. This was just the beginning. She told herself that over and over, even as her pulse raced. She wasn't going to let herself show it. Not yet. Not here.
Beside her, Ishigo was a mess. His fingers twitched nervously, adjusting his glasses over and over like it might somehow center his spinning thoughts. His eyes darted around, never staying on one thing for too long, a panic barely contained.
He couldn't stay still, his body a clear reflection of his mind. Every breath seemed like a struggle, every muscle tight with the terror of what was to come.
"I don't think I'll be able to walk after this," Ishigo muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, but it was enough to carry the weight of his fear.
Reika glanced at him, her tone flat but unwavering. "You don't have a choice. Get it together. If you get hurt, you're out."
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, panic in his eyes. "We're supposed to survive deadly training, then go through five level tests. If the 'X' rank Kageshiki are that strong... then how terrifying are the 'I' ranks?"
Reika's mind flashed to the name that haunted her thoughts—Souta, the strongest of the 'I' ranks.
The way he looked at her, like she was some joke he could crush beneath his boot. His mocking tone still echoed in her head, cutting deeper than it should've.
Does he think I'm weak? A failure? She clenched her fists at her sides, trying to shove the anger down. One day, she'd show him. She'd prove she was more than just a punchline.
Her thoughts were cut short by the trainer's voice, sharp and commanding.
"All Kageshiki trainees, line up!"
The room seemed to hold its breath as the trainees scrambled into formation, trying to keep their composure under the suffocating weight of the trainer's icy gaze.
Reika's face was impassive, but Ishigo's was pale, his body trembling with nerves. He couldn't hide it.
"Forty-six people have been disqualified."
The words hit like a punch to the gut, leaving a cold silence in their wake. Reika's expression didn't change, but inside, something cold twisted in her stomach.
"Thirty-seven trainees died. Nine were severely injured."
Ishigo's color drained further, his body stiffening as though bracing for an impact that hadn't come yet. The weight of it settled over the room, thick and suffocating.
The trainer's voice was brutal, cutting through the stunned silence like a knife. "We've never said this before, but if you get injured, you'll have to retrieve a crystal from a beast's body.
Those who weren't prepared were eaten alive. Some lost limbs. Others... didn't make it out at all. The smart ones aimed for the beast's head—a single blow from a nunchaku, and the thing dies instantly."
Ishigo's breath hitched. He was shaking now, his hands clutching his sides. His pulse pounded in his ears, deafening.
I can't die here.
Reika felt a ripple of unease stir in her chest, but she pushed it down. Fear didn't get you anywhere. Not here. Not now.
"Training begins now. First, flexibility."
Without another word, the trainer gestured toward a mat, and the first trainee was called forward. One by one, they demonstrated their flexibility. Some dropped into a split with ease, others crumpled in pain, unable to push any further. When the first trainee's legs refused to go any farther, the trainers stepped in, pressing down on her limbs.
A sickening crack echoed through the room, followed by the girl's scream, raw and desperate.
"My bones... stop! Please!"
The trainers didn't stop. They forced her further, her body bending in ways it wasn't supposed to.
"If you can't do this, how do you expect to bend backward while standing?" one of them mocked, his voice dripping with disdain.
The girl's screams filled the air, her cries breaking through the stillness of the hall. But they didn't stop. Not for a second.
Reika's jaw clenched as she watched, her face frozen. Inside, her stomach turned. No one here is weak. But how long can we last?
Ishigo, though, was struggling to hold himself together. His breaths were shallow, his face pale. He gripped his own legs, his muscles trembling.
I can't do this, he thought. This is too much. I don't want to be like her...
Daigo's voice cut through the heavy silence, louder than it should've been.
"Yo, bro! Wassup?"
He slapped Ishigo on the back, shaking him out of his stupor. "What, you scared? C'mon, pull yourself together!"Daigo grinned, his carefree attitude almost jarring against the brutal scene unfolding around them.
Ishigo managed a strained laugh, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I... I can't focus, Daigo."
Daigo slapped him on the back again, still grinning. "Don't worry, bro. If I can survive this, anyone can."
Before Ishigo could respond, the trainer's voice came again, sharp and demanding.
"Kageshiki trainee number one, step forward."
A girl, barely holding herself upright, shakily stepped up to the mat. The trainer's eyes narrowed, studying her like a specimen. She hesitated, then dropped into a split.
She winced, her legs barely going past the halfway point. Sweat dripped down her face, but she held her position. One of the trainers stepped forward, his hands moving to her ankles, pressing down with brutal force.
The sickening crack of her bones snapping echoed through the room.
"No! Please, I can't—"
But the trainer just looked at her coldly. "You should have prepared better."
Her scream was swallowed by the trainer's indifference as he moved on.
Ishigo's chest tightened as the sound of cracking bones filled his mind, his legs shaking uncontrollably. His thoughts raced, panic clawing at him from every direction.
I can't do this. I can't...
Reika's voice cut through his panic, calm and steady. "Focus, Ishigo. Don't let them break you. If you're afraid now, you've already lost."
Her gaze met his, sharp and unwavering. She wasn't showing fear either. Not now. Not ever.
The next exercise began immediately.
"Now, fight against your partner while maintaining a split."
Reika looked at Ishigo. His face was pale, his hands trembling. But he nodded, the fear still there, but buried deep.
"Let's go," she said, her voice low, almost predatory.
The battle started. The room filled with the sound of strained muscles and gritted teeth. Reika could feel the tension building in her body, each movement testing her flexibility and endurance.
She could sense Ishigo's fear, his hesitation, but she couldn't hold back. Not now. Not when everything was on the line. They had to survive.
This was only the beginning.