Night blanketed Kaizen Spirit Academy, stars scattered across the sky like shards of forgotten magic. Jin Ryo sat beneath the same withered tree, hand wrapped in cloth to hide the burning mark that had appeared just hours ago.
He hadn't moved since.
The whisper was gone now, replaced by a silence so deep it almost rang in his ears.
What did it mean?
What kind of spirit speaks to a Rank Zero?
No books mentioned such a thing. No scrolls, no stories, no legends. Rank Zero wasn't even supposed to be possible.
And yet…
The mark throbbed again. Jin flinched.
He looked down, and the cloth split with a faint sizzle. The eye-shaped mark blinked. It blinked.
"Jin Ryo."
Jin jumped.
A tall figure stepped from the shadows—Instructor Kael, the youngest spirit instructor at the academy. Rumor said he was once Rank S… until his spirit vanished.
"What happened today…" Kael's voice was calm, but his sharp eyes studied Jin. "The Spirit Core's reaction—no student has ever done that. Not even the royals."
"I didn't do anything," Jin replied. "I just… touched it."
Kael crouched beside him. "Do you feel anything strange? Hear anything?"
Jin hesitated. Then: "No."
Kael frowned, clearly unconvinced. "Rank Zero doesn't mean worthless. Just… unknown." He placed a small obsidian charm in Jin's hand. "Keep this. If you feel… overwhelmed, crush it."
Before Jin could ask what it was, Kael vanished into the night.
The next morning, Jin awoke to a new schedule pinned to his dorm door:
SPIRITLESS CLASS – Basement Level, Room B7
Instructor: None Assigned
The forgotten class. The one they used for Rank E students or academy rejects. Jin descended into the cold, damp halls beneath the academy, passing old statues and half-broken spirit training dummies.
Room B7 was lit by flickering spirit-lanterns. Dust coated the chairs. One student sat inside.
A girl. Sharp eyes. Silver hair tied in a braid.
"You're late," she said flatly.
Jin blinked. "You're… in this class too?"
She nodded. "Name's Arin Veyra. Rank E. Spirit Affinity: None."
"But… you look—"
"Don't say I look strong," she snapped. "I've heard it before."
Jin sat beside her. For a while, they said nothing.
Then, the room shivered.
A chill rolled through the air. The lanterns dimmed.
And in the far corner… a figure appeared.
Not a teacher.
Not a student.
A spirit.
But not like any Jin had ever seen. It was tall, faceless, its body stitched together from black smoke and broken chains. Its presence screamed wrong—an echo of something ancient and forbidden.
Arin stood. "Do you see it too?"
Jin slowly nodded.
The spirit tilted its head.
Then it spoke, in a voice like shattering glass:
"He is waking. The vessel is chosen. The abyss remembers."
And just like that—it vanished.
Jin stared at his hand. The mark pulsed again.
And this time, the whisper returned.
"We are not alone anymore."