The academy was buzzing.

  Not from a festival. Not from some noble’s arrival. But from a single event—an explosion that tore through the edge of the forest training grounds two nights ago, crackling with fire and thunder.

  “Did you see that? The sky lit up like it was daytime.”

  “I heard it was an upper-year mage practicing for their ranking exam.”

  “No, no, my cousin works in records—she said it was a first-year. A boy.”

  Whispers curled through the halls like smoke. Students specuted, teachers murmured, and the instructors had grown noticeably tense. Something had been unleashed. Something new.

  ---

  In Headmaster Alric’s Office

  Rivel stood beside Elias, arms crossed as the Headmaster read through a report.

  “So,” Alric began, pushing up her half-moon spectacles, “the boy performed a dual-element fusion spell. In silence. Without a scroll. Without a guide.”

  Rivel nodded, not even bothering to hide her pride. “He called it Dragonbrand Spear. Fire and thunder—high mana votility and unstable affinity match. And yet he shaped it like he’d been practicing for years.”

  Alric’s eyes narrowed. “Fusion magic at that level... That’s elite-tower research material. He’s a child.”

  “Not exactly,” Elias muttered.

  Rivel shot him a gnce, but didn’t contradict him.

  Alric leaned back in her chair, hands steepled. “Keep him under observation. No discipline. No restriction. But the Council will hear of this. And if he’s to stay at this academy… we need to protect him.”

  ---

  Elsewhere — The Eastern Mountain Range

  The wind howled through snow-stained cliffs.

  Two cloaked figures stood at a stone altar, glyphs glowing faintly around them. Between them hovered a crystal orb—flickering violently.

  “His mana signature is unstable. Fire and thunder?” one murmured.

  “No… something else underneath,” said the taller figure. “There’s an undercurrent. A second energy not tied to the aether.”

  “You mean…”

  “Yes,” the voice turned hard. “The source that doesn’t belong to this world.”

  They turned to the shadows. Another figure emerged, cloaked in bck and red, with a curved staff humming with corrupted mana.

  “Find him,” the figure said, voice dripping with malice. “Before the realms align again.”

  ---

  Back at the Academy — The Training Hall

  Kagami stood near the arena ptform, brushing chalk dust from his gloves. Students eyed him from the edges of the room. Some with awe. Others with fear.

  He hated the attention.

  Minna trotted up to him, poking his shoulder with a grin. “So, Mr. Dragonbrand, are you pnning to blow up any more forests this week?”

  “Not if I can help it,” Kagami muttered.

  Leo nudged him too. “Dude, that spell was insane. You fused two mana elements like it was nothing.”

  “It wasn’t nothing,” Kagami said quietly, remembering how the spell nearly burned through his core. “It cost more than it looked.”

  “You’re seriously on another level,” Iren added. “You could probably take on a Tower Candidate.”

  Kagami’s eyes darkened slightly. “I don’t want to take on anyone. I just want to get stronger… fast enough to protect the people I care about.”

  Their smiles faded. Minna stepped beside him.

  “Well, then we’ll train harder too,” she said firmly. “Because you’re not doing it alone anymore.”

  ---

  Later That Night — Elias’ Study

  Kagami stood at the balcony, staring into the stars. The orb of his spell shimmered faintly in his hand as he studied its structure—lightning dancing inside fire.

  Elias joined him, setting down a small journal on the railing.

  “You know they’re watching now,” Elias said. “Not just the academy. Not just me.”

  “I felt them,” Kagami whispered. “From the forest. The mountains. Like insects crawling across my skin.”

  “They’ll come for you. Some will want to control you. Others to eliminate the unknown.”

  “Let them come,” Kagami replied, his Sharingan flickering faintly for a heartbeat before fading. “I didn’t survive one world just to fall in another.”

  Elias was quiet for a long moment.

  “…That’s why I gave you that assignment. You need more than just raw fusion magic. You need identity. Signature. A spell that no one else can copy—one that reflects who you are.”

  Kagami nodded. “I already have the name for it.”

  Elias raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  “Raijin’s Wrath.”

  Elias gave a slow, impressed whistle. “Thunder God, huh? I like it.”

  Kagami’s fingers tightened around the orb.

  “I’m not done,” he said. “I’m just getting started.”

  ---