🏫 Morning – Homeroom, Homeless Energy
Ren walked into school, body sore, soul heavier than usual, and wearing mismatched socks. Again.
Kiyomi trailed silently behind him like a fire-haired shadow, somehow managing to look like she belonged and like she might punch someone at the same time.
Takashi raised an eyebrow. "You look like a character halfway through a bad shonen arc."
Ren slumped into his seat. "If only I were that lucky."
Then it happened.
His Mark pulsed. In public.
⚠ The First Public Surge
A glowing blue symbol lit up on Ren's right palm — faint, but unmistakable.
Kiyomi saw it first, and her eyes went wide.
Ren panicked, shoving his hand into his hoodie pocket.
Too late.
From across the room, Aya Sato, the class rep and most curious person in the known universe, definitely saw it.
She tilted her head. "Uh... Ren?"
Ren did his best "I'm just a normal guy" smile.
"Haha, what? Nah, you're seeing things. That was my... ring tone!"
Kiyomi pinched her brow.
Zephyr, in the hallway, facepalmed from behind a locker.
🕵️♀ Aya's Curiosity Is Dangerous
Aya cornered him at lunch.
She was the kind of girl who remembered what color pen you borrowed three weeks ago. And now, she was on a mission.
"So... glowing hands, sudden muscle gain, weird absences… You a magical boy or something?"
Ren choked on his soda.
"Why would you say that?!"
She leaned in closer.
"I read a lot of light novels, Kaido. I know the signs. You're not slick."
Kiyomi (appearing out of thin air): "He has a condition. It's called don't ask dumb questions syndrome."
Aya crossed her arms. "Fine. But I'm watching you."
Kazuki, somehow seated on a nearby table eating cafeteria rice, nodde
d solemnly. "Bawk."
🌘 Elsewhere: The Watcher Prepares
Far beyond the city, cloaked in Rift fog, the Watcher moved.
He was robed in twisting shadow and bone, and his fingers carved symbols into floating stone tablets.
"The Seal-Bearer awakens. His blood remembers."
Behind him, a chained figure stirred — a silhouette of someone Ren once knew.
"Let's see how he handles heartbreak," the Watcher whispered, smile cruel.
> "Let the Mirror Vessel rise."
🏠 Ramen Shop – Sunset Reflections
Back at the shop, Ren sat with Jin on crates behind the steaming stall.
Jin handed him a bowl. "You're glowing in public now?"
Ren groaned. "Yeah. Full-on magic-hands moment in algebra."
Jin looked serious. "You need to learn suppression. Fast. If the wrong eyes see you…"
Ren looked up. "Why? What happens?"
Jin's expression darkened. "Then we don't just fight monsters. We fight humans, too."
🔥 Rooftop Session
Kiyomi took him up for more training.
"You've got too much raw power. We need to shape it."
They sparred again — this time using real energy, no holding back.
Ren flared his Mark and channeled it into a focused strike — nearly knocking Kiyomi back, but also nearly tearing the roof apart.
"Too much," she snapped. "You have to be the dam, not the flood."
Zephyr appeared, flipping through a floating book. "He needs grounding. Something to stabilize his output."
Kiyomi looked at Ren.
"Tomorrow. We teach you how to channel through your emotions. But be warned — if you can't balance them..."
She didn't finish the sentence.
She didn't have to.
🌒 Midnight – The Vessel Awakens
In a cold hospital room, the chained silhouette stirred.
Its eyes opened.
But they weren't human.
They were mirrored — swirling with Rift light.
It looked at its reflection.
It smiled with
Ren's face.
👁 Chapter 14 Teaser:
> The team investigates another surge, but something's different — the Aberrant mimics Ren's voice and memories. Meanwhile, Aya digs deeper, and Jin finally reveals the truth about the plane crash that "killed" Ren's famil
y.