The training session had finally ended, and the recruits were given a short break. Renjiro, feeling exhausted and frustrated after his failed attempts to infuse Lumina energy, found a spot under the shade of a tree. He slumped against the trunk, staring at his hands, which had barely produced a flicker of energy. The academy grounds bustled with recruits sparring and chatting, but Renjiro’s mind was elsewhere, clouded by doubt.
Goro plopped down beside him, tearing into a chunk of bread. He glanced over, noticing the look on Renjiro’s face. “You looked pretty upset back there. What’s going on?” he asked between bites.
Renjiro sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I couldn’t do it, Goro. I couldn’t infuse Lumina into my hand. Everyone else did it so easily—even Emi managed to move her dummy. But I couldn’t.”
Goro paused, mid-chew, then grinned. “You’re overthinking it. When I do it, I imagine someone trying to steal my food.”
Renjiro blinked, confused. “Your food?”
“Yeah!” Goro said, waving his bread with enthusiasm. “Imagine something that matters to you. You’d get serious real quick if someone tried to take it, right? That’s how I channel the energy. Maybe you just need to focus on something you’d protect at all costs.”
Renjiro frowned, his mind drifting to his village, his uncle… the loss that still gnawed at him. The image of his home in flames flashed across his thoughts, stirring a surge of anger and sorrow, but he kept it buried beneath the surface.
As they sat in silence, Renjiro’s eyes wandered across the training grounds. He spotted Yumeru sitting alone, near the edge of the camp, her expression distant, almost unreadable.
“Who is she?” Renjiro asked, curiosity gnawing at him.
Goro glanced over, following Renjiro’s gaze. “Yumeru? Some recruits say she came from one of the captured Red Clan bases. You know, where they take prisoners. People who come back from places like that… they’re not the same.”
Renjiro watched Yumeru a moment longer. There was something about her calm, detached demeanor—something unsettling. She sat apart from everyone else, not joining the chatter or laughter around her, as though the camp meant nothing to her.
Before Renjiro could say more, a commotion broke out across the training grounds. The sound of jeering voices pulled their attention. A group of recruits from Squad Storm had surrounded a smaller boy, their leader, Thyros, towering over him with a sneer.
Thyros shoved the recruit back against a training pillar. “Come on, weakling. You think you belong here?” he taunted. “You can’t even hold your stance properly.”
Renjiro felt a flicker of anger stir inside him. The sight of the boy being humiliated sparked something deeper, reminding him of the helplessness he had felt back in his village. He stood, his fists clenching. “That’s not right.”
Goro followed, brushing crumbs off his tunic. “We should probably stop them.”
Together, they walked over to the scene. Renjiro stepped forward, his voice firm. “Hey, knock it off. Leave him alone.”
Thyros and his squad turned, their sneers growing as they sized up Renjiro and Goro. “And who do you think you are?” Thyros asked, his voice dripping with disdain. “You’re in no position to tell me what to do.”
Before Renjiro could answer, Kairro appeared from the sidelines, arms crossed over his chest. His cold gaze locked onto Renjiro with a look of disdain. “Isn’t that Renjiro?” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “The one who couldn’t even infuse Lumina energy?”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The recruits snickered at Kairro’s words, and Renjiro’s stomach twisted. His failure earlier in training replayed in his mind, sharp and painful.
Kairro stepped forward, his presence commanding attention. He towered over Renjiro, his voice laced with mockery. “You’re the only one in your group who failed, aren’t you? You don’t belong here if you can’t even handle the basics.”
The words stung. Renjiro’s fists clenched tighter, his frustration boiling beneath his skin. “You don’t know anything about me,” he growled, his voice low.
Kairro’s lips curled into a smirk. “Oh? Are you challenging me, then?”
The challenge hung in the air, heavy with tension. Renjiro’s heart pounded in his chest, and before he could think, he nodded. “Maybe I am.”
In an instant, Kairro’s fist was flying toward him, glowing with Lumina energy. The strike landed hard on Renjiro’s side, knocking the wind out of him. He staggered, struggling to catch his breath. Before he could recover, Kairro’s next blow hit, sending Renjiro sprawling to the ground.
A murmur spread through the crowd of recruits as Kairro loomed over him. “I told you, you’re weak,” Kairro said, his voice dripping with arrogance. “Stay down, and maybe they’ll let you stay in the academy.”
Kairro turned to walk away, confident in his victory, but something inside Renjiro snapped.
Renjiro lay in the dirt, his body aching from the blows, but the pain in his chest was sharper—cutting deeper than the physical wounds. You’re weak. Kairro’s words echoed in his mind, but behind them, louder and more brutal, came the memories: his village burning, his uncle’s final moments, and the helplessness that had consumed him.
Something snapped.
The air around him thickened like the weight of the earth itself had shifted. A surge of energy stirred in his chest, fierce and wild, igniting like fire through his veins. His anger—his grief—twisted and erupted all at once, a force too powerful to contain. His breath came ragged, and his vision blurred with the intensity of it.
Blue light flared from his eyes, brilliant and blinding. The ground trembled beneath him, small cracks spidering outward from where he lay. The hum of Lumina energy grew louder, vibrating through the air. Around him, pebbles and dirt began to lift, swirling in the electric pull of his power, drawn into the storm that raged inside him.
He rose to his feet, fists clenched, blue Lumina crackling across his skin like lightning. The power burned, fierce and raw, and for the first time, Renjiro didn’t hold it back.
Kairro, sensing the shift behind him, stopped in his tracks. He turned, just in time to see Renjiro standing, his body radiating with blue Lumina energy—far stronger than before. His eyes widened with disbelief.
Without warning, Renjiro lunged at Kairro, his fist glowing with pure energy. Kairro barely managed to dodge, and Renjiro’s strike collided with the training pillar behind him.
An explosion of blue energy ripped through the air. A shockwave pulsed across the training grounds, sending debris flying as the pillar shattered into rubble. The recruits gasped in astonishment, their eyes wide at the sheer power Renjiro had unleashed.
For a moment, the entire camp fell silent. All eyes were on the massive hole Renjiro had created, the shattered remains of the pillar still smoldering with residual energy. Even Kairro, who had exuded confidence just moments before, stood frozen, his expression a mix of shock and something else—fear.
Renjiro stood there, breathing hard. His heart pounded in his chest, and the energy inside him slowly receded. As the power faded, he looked down at his hands—still faintly glowing with traces of Lumina—and disbelief washed over him. Did I really do that? His hands trembled, and he flexed his fingers, trying to grasp the enormity of what had just happened.
Across the training grounds, Captain Rei, who had been watching from a distance, narrowed his eyes. His gaze lingered on Renjiro.
Instructor Darius rushed over, his expression a mix of shock and concern. “What happened here?”
Kairro’s face twisted with anger, his pride wounded. He glared at Renjiro, the disbelief quickly replaced by simmering rage. Renjiro wasn’t just a failure anymore. He wasn’t weak. He was a threat.
As the recruits whispered amongst themselves, Kairro’s cold gaze locked onto Renjiro once more. This wasn’t over.
Renjiro, breathing heavily, stared at his hands again, the disbelief still lingering. The power had felt… wild, uncontrollable. He had won this time, but at what cost?
The rivalry with Kairro had just begun.