The sound of the alarm echoed through the small apartment.
Ren's eyes fluttered open slowly, the room still wrapped in the bluish shadows of early dawn. Today was the first day of classes at Shinkai Academy — the place where those born with power would awaken their destinies.
He sat up on the edge of the bed, staring out at the dark sky through the window. A subtle tear marred the horizon: a thin beam of light stretching from a distant tower. The world had changed since the Great Rift. Strange creatures had appeared, people had begun to awaken mysterious powers... and with those powers, chaos had followed.
But none of that mattered to him.
Ren's mind drifted back to the hospital.
To his mother's voice, weak and trembling.
To the gentle squeeze of her hand.
To the last time she smiled.
He was only four years old when she passed away. Since then, he had lived with the mother of his best friend, Itsuki — as if he were part of their family.
It was strange to think that, in a world now plagued by monsters and magic, a simple woman had taken in a boy that wasn't hers. To Ren, that was more magical than any power.
---
The kitchen smelled of frying eggs and steaming rice.
"You'll be the last to get there if you keep this up," Itsuki teased, grinning as he squirted ketchup onto his plate. Always loud, always bright — Itsuki was like a burst of sunlight in Ren's life, wearing the same grin they'd shared since childhood.
"I'm coming," Ren replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
The television played a news report about Shinkai Academy.
"Young gifted individuals from all over the world gather here to train their powers and protect the world from the dimensional threat."
Ren glanced away.
He didn't want to protect the world.
He just wanted to understand why he felt so... out of place. Like everyone had a role to play — except him.
---
The gate of Shinkai Academy towered above them, massive and decorated with a golden emblem: two crossed swords over a black flower. The academy was like a city unto itself.
"We're gonna be famous," Itsuki said excitedly. "Just imagine — you and me, in a legendary squad. We'll have fans, action figures..."
"You just want attention," Maho said, stepping forward. He was the other boy in their group — quiet, taller than both of them, with dark hair and eyes that seemed to see right through everything.
"And you just want to look gloomy," Itsuki shot back.
Ren simply smiled. They had been together forever. But now, the world around them was different. Vast. Dangerous.
Full of monsters.
Full of secrets.
Full of powers that, supposedly, everyone had...
...except him.
---
As the students filed into the dormitories, Ren looked up. The main tower rose like a giant sentinel into the cloudy sky. There was something there. Something calling to him. But he didn't know what.
He didn't know that, here, in this place, he would begin to discover who he really was.
And that the world was about to change — once more — because of him.