Ryu opened his eyes slowly, his body felt heavy every cut and bruise from last night ached with a dull, constant pain, the stitches on his calf pulled tight when he tried to move his leg.
He sat up on the narrow bed, the jagged fragment still sat on the small table beside him, quiet now in the daylight, no blue glow, noo voice. Just an ordinary-looking piece of blackened bone wrapped in old cloth, the door opened without a knock.
Sensei Ren stepped in carrying a tray with rice, miso soup, and some bandages, he looked exactly the same as last night calm, dry, and unreadable.
"Eat," he said, placing the tray on Ryu's lap. "Then we talk."
Ryu picked up the chopsticks, the food was warm and simple, he ate slowly, tasting almost nothing. The emptiness in his chest felt more this morning.
Sensei Ren sat on a wooden chair across from him. "The Special Grade curse retreated before dawn, the barrier held, for now."
Ryu swallowed a bite of rice. "Will it come back?"
"Likely. Special Grades don't forget what they want." Sensei Ren leaned forward slightly. "The fragment you carry is the real problem, it has bonded with you, ee call people like you Vessels, usually born when too many Grade A curses appear in the world, the Balance System tries to correct itself by creating someone who can copy and destroy."
Ryu looked at the fragment again. "Kiro Jin."
Sensei Ren nodded. "The legendary sorcerer who could copy any technique perfectly, emotionless, efficient, dangerous, his power is inside that fragment and now it's trying to make a home in you."
Ryu finished the soup and set the tray aside. "I don't feel like a vessel. I feel… normal."
"That's the first lie it tells," Sensei Ren said quietly. "Last night you copied chains you had never seen before, you understood weak points on a Special Grade curse after seeing it once normal boys don't do that."
Ryu stayed silent, he remembered the calm feeling during the fight, the way fear had felt far away, it scared him more than the curse itself.
Sensei Ren continued, "Power Academy trains sorcerers to control cursed energy, we have three years here, most students learn one strong technique, you already have the rarest one, Echo Replication but every copy costs something. Exhaustion, memory loss and slowly… pieces of who you are."
Ryu touched the bandage on his shoulder. "What happens if I stop using it?"
"You'll die the next time something like last night finds you." Sensei Ren stood up. "Get dressed. I'll introduce you to the others. Today is the start of your trial week, if you survive and show control, you stay, if not… we find another way."
Ryu changed into the simple black academy uniform that had been left for him, it felt rough against his stitched skin, he picked up the fragment and slipped it into his pocket, it felt warm again, but he tried to ignore it.
They walked out into the main courtyard, morning light made the academy look almost peaceful stone paths, training fields with wooden dummies, and a few students already practicing basic cursed reinforcement, their fists glowed faintly as they punched the air.
Two students waited near the central fountain.
The girl from last night stood with her arms crossed, short dark hair, confident stance, red energy faintly flickering around her knuckles. Ryei Sakara.
Next to her was a tall boy with neat hair and calm eyes, he watched everything like he was calculating the best move, Ken Flash looked better this morning bandages visible under his open coat, but no longer bleeding.
Ryei spoke first, voice bold and direct. "So you're the new kid who brought a Special Grade to our doorstep on his first night, nice work."
Ken gave a small smile. "Ignore her. She's always loud in the morning. Ryu, right? You held your own last night, most new students would have dropped the fragment and run."
Ryu nodded once. "I almost did."
Sensei Ren gestured to the group. "Ryu will train with you two this week. Ryei Resonance Strike. Ken, summoning past sorcerers. Show him the basics, no full missions yet, just controlled drills."
Ryei grinned. "Finally someone new to spar with. Don't hold back, quiet guy."
Ken studied Ryu carefully. "Your copying ability… how much control do you have right now?"
Ryu thought about the chains from last night. "Not much, it just happens when I'm scared or angry."
"That's dangerous," Ken said. "Emotions feed cursed energy, the stronger the feeling, the stronger the power but uncontrolled power kills the user faster than the curse."
A loud bell rang across the academy grounds.
Sensei Ren turned to leave. "Training field three. One hour. I'll check on your progress later."
He walked away without another word.
Ryei punched her fist into her palm. Red energy flared brightly. "Let's go. I want to see what that fragment lets you do."
The three of them headed toward the training fields. Ryu walked between them, the fragment heavy in his pocket.
As they reached the open field, Ryei stopped and faced him. "Rule number one, never hide your limits, if you're about to collapse, say it, we don't need another idiot who pushes too far and loses himself."
Ken added quietly, "And rule number two the quiet ones break the hardest."
Ryu looked at the training dummies lined up ahead, his cuts still hurt, his mind still felt foggy from last night.
He took the fragment out of his pocket and held it loosely in his hand, no voice came no blue glow but he could feel it waiting.
Ryu closed his fingers around it.
"Show me," he said simply.
Ryei grinned wider. "That's the spirit."
She took a fighting stance, red energy wrapped around her fists like burning rings.
Ken stepped back to observe, arms crossed.
Ryu stood still, waiting, the emptiness inside him felt a little smaller now that he wasn't alone but deep down, he already knew this was only the beginning and the price would come later.
**End of Chapter 5**