Itsuki walked upstairs to his room. As he entered, he saw Takumi and Kairo had already gone to sleep.
He moved quietly, trying not to make any sound. Just as he closed the door, Kairo raised his head up and said, "Bastard, where did you go?" Rubbing his eyes, Kairo yawned.
"I was checking out some other sides of the dorms," Itsuki smiled nervously.
"You checked till 9 PM?! Crazy. Anyways, there's your ramen." Kairo pointed to a well-packed box on the desk.
Itsuki's eyes sparkled with joy as he hurried to the desk. With insane speed, he tore the wrapping and began to dig in. "Thanks, bro. This is good!"
"Yeah, yeah. Good night." Kairo raised his bed sheet one more time to cover himself as he fell back asleep.
After a few minutes, Itsuki finished his food and went to shower.
The hot water helped ease the tension in his muscles. He stood there longer than usual, letting the events of the day replay in his mind.
What exactly is my ability?
He dried off and changed into his sleeping clothes before collapsing onto his bed. "Ah, stressful day!"
His eyes grew heavy. The exhaustion from swinging his sword 400,000 times finally caught up to him. Within minutes, he slept off.
When he opened his eyes, something was different.
He stood in the void again, but it had changed completely. Long pillars stretched upward into the darkness. A throne sat at the center of the space, fog rolled across the ground in thick waves, and above him, the sky was no longer an endless white. It was night, filled with infinite stars.
Itsuki turned around slowly, amazed by the transformed scenery. "What happened here?"
Then he heard a voice.
[ Master! ]
Without hesitation, Itsuki recognized the voice. It was Nui. She took shape before him, appearing as a young girl.
Itsuki was shocked by the stunning beauty that sounded like a child in his ears.
"Master!" Nui's voice was clear now, it sounded angelic. "You finally unlocked your ability. Now Nui can appear fully!"
She was linked to my ability? How strange. I guess there's a lot I need to know about this ability.
"Master, your ability's true name will reveal itself soon!"
"True name?"
The fog below condensed.
A temple rose from nothing. Pillars followed, stretching upward. Words carved themselves into the stone surface at the center:
'Edge of Order'
"Edge of Order?" Itsuki stared at the inscription.
"Yes! That's Master's ability!" Nui jumped around in excitement. "All abilities have true names. They reveal themselves when the user awakens!"
"Can I change it?"
"Change name? No, no! Once revealed, it stays forever!"
Edge of Order... Itsuki looked at the carved words again.
'An ability's nature is defined by its name,' or so the Awakening Souls manual said.
He paused.
What does this ability truly do for it to be called that?
…
…
Elsewhere,
A small glow of light blinked in the darkness. Shion's eyes opened slowly. He found himself lying on cold stone, smooth as glass beneath his palms. Above stretched a sky he couldn't name, neither day nor night.
He pushed himself up, brushing his palms against the cold, glass-smooth stone. "Hello?" His voice carried out into the empty expanse. "Where are you?"
For a moment, nothing answered, then suddenly he heard a voice.
"Finally awake, little dreamer?"
Shion's instincts flared. He dropped into a defensive stance, scanning the shadows. "W-Who's there?"
A giggle rippled through the abyss. "You can't see me, can you? Bummer... I was hoping to have a little fun first."
A figure materialized before him.
A woman stood in pale light. Her red hair moved though there was no wind, and her eyes were of such depth that they seemed to be otherworldly. She wore a long black dress with cross patterns.
"I am Hyacline," she said. "Welcome to your—"
Movement flickered in his peripheral vision. Shion turned. Another copy of her emerged from the shadows, then another, and another.
Five, ten, dozens of identical faces circled him, each wearing the same smile.
Shion spun around and bolted in the opposite direction.
Another Hyacline stepped into his path. "Welcome to your new home."
His legs gave out. He collapsed to his knees, gasping. "Who... What are you? What do you want with me?"
The copies moved closer, surrounding him. One knelt beside him and tilted her head.
"We are in a training dimension, a pocket realm carved from the spaces between thoughts. Here, time moves as our master wills it."
"Master?"
The duplicates smiled in unison. One by one they dissolved into shadow. The darkness gathered and condensed back into a single figure.
"Our master is Lord Tsuyari. He has chosen you, Shion Enther. You will gain power beyond your comprehension."
"Tsuyari? The Legendary Trueborn Tsuyari?!!"
The name alone carried weight. Tsuyari was one of the Five Great Trueborns, ruler of the Vylaris Domain. Most people only heard about Trueborns in stories or local plays, myths told to children about beings who could alter the laws of the world.
To actually meet one was unthinkable.
Shion straightened slowly and wiped the dirt from his knees. His hands were still shaking. "May I ask... what does a Legendary being find in someone as weak as me?"
A calm, gentle voice spoke from behind Hyacline before she could answer.
"In my eyes, nobody is weak. No one is truly born that way. We are all special in the eyes of someone else."
"And you, Shion, are special to me."
A great presence descended. The air dispersed violently. The ground beneath them cracked and splintered. The entire pocket dimension groaned, fractures spreading across the sky.
My bones... Shion's vision blurred. This pressure—I can't—
Drip!
Blood trickled from his mouth.
A sharp sound echoed through the space.
Smack!
A woman with white wings hovered beside Tsuyari, her hand still raised from striking the back of his head.
"My Lord! You know you can't be here! You'll destroy this whole place!"
Tsuyari knelt down, rubbing his head with a sheepish grin. "Aria-chan, can't I just come to see my lovely exper— I mean, student?"
Shion stared, stunned. A Trueborn was being scolded by a winged woman.
Survival instinct kicked in. Whatever this was, whoever these people were, they held his life in their hands.
Shion immediately dropped to the ground and pressed his forehead against the stone. "My Lord, this young soul greets you!"
Tsuyari looked down at him and smiled warmly. "My child, raise your head."
Shion partially raised his head. Tsuyari's golden eyes met his directly. They seemed kind, almost gentle, but if you look closely there was something extremely big and mysterious behind that nice façade.
"Would you fight for me, Shion Enther? Would you lend me your strength, your will?" Tsuyari's voice was soft, "In return, I will give you everything you've ever dreamed of. Power. Strength. The ability to protect what matters to you."
He leaned closer.
"Would you become mine?"
The offer was tempting. Too tempting. Doubt crept into Shion's thoughts, but what choice did he have? Go back to being weak? Go back to watching everyone he cared about suffer while he could do nothing?
I'll catch up to you guys soon. Itsuki... Takumi... Kairo...
"Yes." The word came out barely above a whisper. "I'll fight for you, my Lord."
Tsuyari's smile widened.
"Excellent."