The morning sun spilled golden light across the academy’s northern training grounds. Birds scattered into the sky as the thud of feet, cng of wooden swords, and yells of focus echoed across the field.

  “Again!” Kagami barked, arms folded as he watched his three friends sweat under his instruction. “Minna, your center of bance is too high. Lower your hips before you strike. Iren, don’t let your gaze follow the bde—watch your opponent. And Leo…”

  Leo flinched as Kagami appeared beside him in a blink, casually poking his shoulder. “You're channeling too much mana into your swing. Control, not just power. Fire without control just becomes a forest fire.”

  Leo groaned and wiped his forehead. “How the hell are you stronger than all of us but still act like a professor?”

  Minna grinned, tapping Leo with her practice bde. “Because Kagami is Kagami. He's been weird since we were kids.”

  “Yeah,” Iren added with a smirk, adjusting his grip. “He’s probably secretly a battle-hardened warrior in a kid’s body.”

  Kagami froze for a split second—too short for most to notice, but Minna caught it.

  “Joke,” she added quickly, smiling.

  “Right.” Kagami chuckled, then stood straighter. “Again. This time, Minna and Iren—team up on Leo. Leo, I want you to apply what I showed you.”

  The trio sprang into motion, and Kagami observed closely. They were improving—not in leaps, but in consistency. The footwork was cleaner. Their stances tighter. There was a flow to their movements, especially when they remembered the taijutsu drills.

  After an hour, they finally colpsed under the shade of a tree.

  “Okay…” Leo panted. “Now tell me again… how does your fire chakra flow work? You said I can mirror it with my fire magic?”

  Kagami pulled out a stick and drew a diagram in the dirt. “In my world, fire chakra is like internal combustion. You breathe, build heat inside the body, and push it through a medium—like your hand, your bde, or even your mouth if you're skilled. For you, magic already flows from your mana core. So you need to imitate the internal buildup before release, not just throw fmes.”

  He raised a hand and exhaled slowly. A small fme flickered to life on his palm, then began to spin, spiral, and condense unnaturally—fire chakra at its most refined. “You’re used to fireballs and pilrs. Try shaping the flow before it leaves your body. That’s the key.”

  Leo’s eyes narrowed in focus. “Alright… then I’ll master it.”

  ---

  Later that evening

  in a more isoted part of the academy compound, Kagami stood alone with a thunder crystal in one hand, a fme orb in the other. His secret assignment from Elias burned in his thoughts.

  A fused spell… fire and thunder…

  He’d already succeeded with earth and lightning—grounded, heavy, and explosive. But fire and thunder were both wild, votile. They cshed.

  Sitting cross-legged, he began channeling mana into both orbs, feeling their resonance. Sparks danced from the thunder crystal, licking at the fire orb which fred in protest. The elements hissed against each other.

  Control it… Like chakra flow. Two forces aligned at the same frequency.

  He inhaled, letting the opposing forces swirl together—sparks igniting fmes, fire arcing lightning. Then he whispered a phrase, instinct guiding his words:

  “Ignis Fulminis—Dragonbrand Spear!”

  The wind screamed. Fmes and thunder coiled together, forming a bzing spear of crackling stormfire. He held it for only a second before it detonated skyward, lightning dancing through the treetops.

  The bst echoed like a dragon’s roar.

  A slow cp came from behind.

  Elias stepped from the shadows, arms crossed. “That was fast. Too fast.”

  “I just… listened to the elements,” Kagami muttered, still catching his breath. “Made them speak the same nguage.”

  Elias crouched beside the burnt circle of impact. “You’re not just talented, Kagami. You’re dangerous. What do you call that spell again?”

  “Dragonbrand Spear.”

  “Fitting.” Elias looked up. “Though I think the academy courtyard’s going to hate you for torching the trees again.”

  They shared a small ugh, and for a moment, Kagami let the fatigue seep in. It wasn’t just the power. It was the responsibility—guiding his friends, hiding his origins, forging new spells that defied convention.

  And yet… something about the chaos, the challenge, made him feel more alive than ever.

  “Get some rest, Dragonboy,” Elias said, turning to walk away. “Tomorrow, we begin training for your next test. You’ve got eyes watching you now—not all of them friendly.”

  Kagami gnced up at the night sky, his Sharingan flickering faintly before fading into darkness.

  “I’m ready,” he whispered.

  ---