The winds roared across Mounagiri Gakuen with ferocity. The hills seemed to weep for the troubles unfolding within their grounds. Only the voice of the storm remained — running across hills, slipping through trees, crying into stone. The sky hid behind thick clouds, as if it too sensed the danger gathering within Mounagiri.
The Sanbo Council of Mounagiri Gakuen had shaken into motion. The decision to invoke the Trial was unanimous.
A decree from SANBO spread as SEISHIN to every corner of the Gakuen — to students who had been laughing in courtyards, studying under lampglow, dancing through halls, whispering about futures they now feared might be rewritten. Each student received a SEISHIN — a living scroll that gently unrolled the moment the specific student of the scroll touched it.
And then the atmosphere around Gakuen changed. The news moved faster than the wind. Faster than gossip. Faster than fear. Then the voice came.
Through the green-threaded HANASHITANGI, the MADHABUCHO spoke. "DEAR CHILDREN. MY DEAR STUDENTS." His voice echoed across hills and through tower halls. Every foot froze. Every breath held. "HEY… THAT VOICE… IT'S MADHABUCHO TAZEN-SAMA". "WHY NOW?" "WHAT HAPPENED?" Unease crawled through the campus like a living thing. Then the voice hardened, but did not lose its warmth. "THIS IS THE TIME FOR EVERY STUDENT TO UPHOLD THE VIRTUES OF COURAGE, COMPASSION, HARD WORK, AND PERSEVERANCE.THE KAZAN TRIAL HAS BEEN INVOKED.I EXPECT NOT ONLY GREATNESS — BUT FAIRNESS. NOT ONLY POWER — BUT PEACE.LET THE THREADS OF HONOUR, RESILIENCE, AND TRUTH GUIDE YOU.PREPARE YOURSELVES WELL. MAY THE GAKUEN STAND WITH YOU." The message did not merely echo. It burned itself into the world. It was scrawled in shimmering glyphs across corridor walls, whispered beneath dormitory sheets, carried in the tight silence of shared glances, stitched into every student's heart. A quiet fell across Mounagiri. Not the kind that rests. The kind that waits. In Class 4H, a boy with pale grey threads muttered shakily, "They're testing everyone? Even the lower harmonics…?" His friend shook his head slowly. "Something bad happened. That's why the Council panicked." In the Threadcraft Wing, students stared at the flashing chart: STAGE I: Harmonic Origin Test STAGE II: Thread Alignment Mapping STAGE III: Core Intention Manifestation A girl whispered, "Stage Three hasn't been invoked since the Stillthread Collapse." A senior answered quietly, "Then train your core. Or break under it." In the dorm gardens, older students stood huddled in blue-gold robes. One girl trembled. Her threads, green with a faint crimson beneath, refused to respond."If they measure alignment… they'll see I'm fractured."A hand reached out and squeezed hers gently. "Then try to weave it. Or learn how to live with it." In the Veilroom Library, an ancient monitor flickered alive. KAZAN TRIALS COMMENCE. Around it, glyphs stirred. "All students are to report for Core Resonance Calibration. Attendance is mandatory. Emotional artifacts will be screened. No Thread Disguise Protocols Permitted." In a quiet hallway outside the Chamber of Threads, a first-year sat alone — knees pulled in, silver tie unraveling."I failed my harmonic map last time… I can't do this again…" A janitor knelt beside her and quietly retied her threads. "Sometimes trials aren't about passing," he said gently. "They're about being seen." Back in Shizumanam, Kodo sat beside Tamara's ripplebed. The scroll rested in his hands. Tom stood by the window, watching stormlight crawl across the hills. Then he turned, placed his hand on Kodo's shoulder, and smiled. It's alright. She's strong. Students of Mounagiri are strong.And so are you. Kodo looked at Tamara with concern. "You get better first," he whispered. "Like you made us better… then we answer the summons." Tamara cracked one tired eye open. "Of… course… idiot Ko…do…" Kodo flushed."IDIOT?! YOU SAID—" Tom burst out laughing. Tamara smiled faintly and finally let sleep take her. Somewhere else, in Sector 7A.Eiroh activated his crimson comm sigil. His smile sharpened. "We've done it. The Kazan Trials are invoked." And far above the Mounagiri Gakuen, outside the Shizumanam, the wind shifted. And something unseen began to unfold.