Copyright ? 2025 Crimson Bean

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  First Edition: 03/2025

  Cover Art by Crimson Bean

  Written by Crimson Bean

  ---

  Chapter 4 - Seishin Academy

  The training grounds of Seishin Academy buzzed with electric energy as students poured in, their voices a blend of excitement, anxiety, and sheer anticipation. Today was the Kyōratsu Evaluation — the moment every aspiring warrior had been preparing for.

  Banners flapped in the morning breeze, adorned with the academy crest: a swirling emblem of six elements representing the known power types of the world. From Essences like Aerokinesis and Hydrokinesis to rarer disciplines such as Chronokinesis and Telekinesis, the academy housed it all. And today, every student would be tested and ranked.

  At the heart of the grounds stood the Kyōratsu Measuring Device, a towering, obsidian construct embedded with pulsating blue runes. It loomed over the crowd like a watchful guardian, radiating an aura that made even the bravest students gulp nervously.

  Soutaro Arakami stood a few rows from the front of the line, arms folded and gaze calm. Beside him were his three closest friends: Sora, Renzo, and Kael.

  "Can we talk about how this thing looks like it eats souls for breakfast?" Renzo muttered, eyeing the device like it might sprout fangs.

  Sora rolled his eyes. "You're the only idiot here panicking."

  "That's because I'm the only one with functioning fear instincts!"

  Kael adjusted his gloves with practiced ease. "The machine connects directly to your mind. If you panic, it reacts. Stay calm."

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  "Directly to the mind?!" Renzo squeaked. "WHY AM I ONLY HEARING THIS NOW?!"

  Soutaro chuckled quietly, but his thoughts were elsewhere. His power, both Aerokinesis and Telekinesis, had been growing uncontrollably over the past year. He could suppress it—barely—but he feared what might happen today. Would the machine expose him? Would it shatter?

  One by one, students stepped forward and placed their palms on the glowing core of the device.

  "Elite Rank!"

  The crowd clapped politely.

  "Master Rank!"

  Gasps and murmurs echoed.

  "Adept Rank."

  A sigh of disappointment rippled through the line.

  "Sentinel Rank."

  It went on like that for almost an hour. The crowd thinned. Soon, Soutaro and his friends were at the front.

  "Next! Soutaro Arakami!"

  Silence.

  All eyes turned. Even the instructors took notice. Soutaro’s reputation had preceded him. Rumors whispered of him awakening two abilities. Of him surviving a lightning strike. Of a monster backing away from him without reason.

  Soutaro exhaled and stepped forward.

  The runes flickered as he approached. He placed his palm against the device.

  For a second, nothing happened.

  Then—

  CRACK.

  The ground trembled. The runes pulsed rapidly, like a heartbeat skipping too fast. The device groaned, metal straining under an invisible pressure. Wind howled around him, and nearby students stumbled back.

  "Tch," Soutaro muttered. "If I let this continue, the whole machine—"

  He shut his eyes. Focused. Suppressed the raging storm inside him.

  With a sharp exhale, he cut off the flow.

  BEEP.

  The lights dimmed. The energy calmed.

  A single word blinked on the screen:

  [Sentinel Rank]

  The crowd froze.

  Soutaro stared, eyebrows raised. "…Huh?"

  "PFFT—HAAAH?!" Renzo nearly fell over laughing. "SENTINEL?! BRO, EVEN I GOT SENTINEL!"

  Whispers spread like wildfire.

  "Wait, so he’s not that strong?"

  "All that hype for Sentinel?"

  "Guess the rumors were just stories."

  Soutaro clenched his fist subtly. His aura boiled under the surface, furious and alive.

  I held back too much, he thought.

  Sora clapped him on the back. "Guess we're classmates, huh? Sentinel Squad."

  Kael nodded. "Don’t let it get to you. Rank doesn’t mean everything."

  Renzo, still wheezing, added, "I'm making a T-shirt. 'Soutaro: Just a Sentinel Like Me.' In bold letters."

  Soutaro sighed. "You're enjoying this way too much."

  The instructor cleared his throat. "Alright, students! Report to your assigned classes."

  ---

  Later That Day

  Sentinel Class Dormitory.

  A modest stone building on the western side of the academy, surrounded by training fields and a forest beyond. The inside was functional—four beds, basic furniture, and a small common area.

  Soutaro dropped his bag by a bunk.

  Sora flopped onto a bed. "Not bad. Beats the Adept dorms."

  Kael unpacked his gear methodically. "We'll be training together for a while. Get used to each other."

  Renzo peeked out the window. "Hey, you think they have monster-hunting missions for Sentinels? I heard there’s something called 'Field Hunt Quests.' Sounds cool."

  Soutaro didn’t respond.

  He was staring at his hand. The faint glow from earlier still pulsed under his skin. He knew what he felt. That wasn’t Sentinel-level power. Not even close.

  In his mind, a voice echoed. Not words, but a hum—like static trying to form thought.

  Who am I, really?

  The question haunted him.

  He didn’t belong here.

  Not because he was too weak.

  But because he didn’t understand why he existed at all.

  ---

  Meanwhile, in a Hidden Chamber Beneath the Academy

  An instructor with a sharp gaze stood before a large crystal, images of the students flickering across its surface.

  Another figure stepped out of the shadows. Face covered by a hood, presence cloaked.

  "Did you see it?" the instructor asked.

  "I did," the hooded one replied. "He suppressed his power. But the device still shook. That boy…"

  "He doesn’t match any known pattern."

  "No. Because he doesn’t belong to this realm. Not truly."

  They stared as Soutaro's image flickered.

  "Keep him in the Sentinel class. Observe him closely."

  "And if he loses control?"

  "Then we’ll finally learn what he really is."

  ---