The morning mist clung to the ground like a shroud, swirling around the marble steps of Kaizen Spirit Academy. Students, dressed in black ceremonial robes, stood in neat rows in the sprawling courtyard, their breaths visible in the cold air.
Today was the Awakening Ceremony—the day each sixteen-year-old would discover their Spirit Affinity and Rank.
For most, it was the beginning of a dream.
For Jin Ryo, it felt like a funeral.
He stood at the edge of the crowd, hands in his pockets, trying to blend into the shadows of the Academy's towering pillars. While others buzzed with nervous excitement, Jin stayed silent, eyes fixed on the silver orb floating at the center of the stage—the Spirit Core, a relic older than the Academy itself. It pulsed with an otherworldly glow.
One by one, names were called.
"Kaori Mei – Rank B! Spirit Affinity: Icehawk!"
Cheers erupted. Her robe shimmered, dyed in the blue hue of her affinity.
"Taro Shen – Rank A! Spirit Affinity: Thunder Wolf!"
Even louder applause. Another destined for greatness.
And then—
"Jin Ryo. Step forward."
The world fell quiet.
Jin swallowed, each step toward the Spirit Core heavier than the last. Whispers followed him.
"That's him… the orphan."
"No known spirit lineage. He'll be Rank E, at best."
Jin ignored them. He placed his palm on the orb.
A hum.
Light surrounded him.
Then—
Nothing.
The Spirit Core dimmed. The hum ceased. A long, unbearable silence.
The Headmaster frowned. "Rank… Zero."
Gasps. A few laughs. Someone even muttered, "How pathetic."
Jin stood frozen. Not out of shock—but something else.
Something only he could feel.
A burning in his chest.
A whisper in his mind: "Finally… I found you."
The Spirit Core cracked.
Students screamed and backed away as black veins snaked through the ancient orb, a pulse of dark energy rippling outward. In the chaos, Jin clutched his chest, eyes wide.
He saw something. A flicker of an image in his mind.
A mask. Crimson eyes. Wings made of shadow and fire.
Then—nothing.
The light vanished. The orb dimmed. Order was quickly restored, the damage brushed off as a "rare anomaly."
Jin was escorted out, labeled defective. Useless.
But as he sat alone under a withered tree near the training grounds, the whisper returned, stronger this time.
"You are not nothing. You are mine."
A black mark burned into his palm—shaped like an eye.
And for the first time in years… Jin smiled.