A few seconds earlier—
“Orion,” Akitsu said quietly, without turning around,
“I need you to protect Kaoru.”
Seraphine Orion hovered beside Kaoru’s unconscious form, her small fox-like body stiffening midair.
“W–What are you talking about?” she asked. “What are you going to do?”
Akitsu rose slowly to his feet.
His movements were unhurried.
Measured.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that came after fear had already burned itself out.
“The answer is obvious,” he said.
Seraphine’s ears flattened.
“…Akitsu?”
“I’m going outside.”
“That’s not an answer!”
Akitsu looked at the shattered window, moonlight spilling in like a blade.
“I’m going to kill them all.”
Seraphine froze.
“…You’re insane!!” she shouted. “There are dozens of guards out there! You’ll die!”
“I know,” Akitsu replied quietly.
“But I’m still willing to take the risk.”
Before she could grab him—before she could argue—
Akitsu stepped forward and smashed his forehead into the narrow window beside the great chamber.
Glass exploded outward.
Cold night air rushed in violently.
Torches flared below. Voices shouted.
“INTRUDER—!”
Akitsu jumped.
At the same moment—
Kael Ardent burst out through the opposite side of the mansion, blade already drawn, his eyes snapping upward—
And the ground beneath both of them lit up.
Blue-white glyphs erupted in a circle.
Chains surged from the air itself.
“—WHAT?!” Kael shouted.
The chains wrapped around Akitsu’s arms, legs, chest—burning cold as they locked into place. Mana drained instantly, violently, like blood being ripped from a wound.
Akitsu gasped as his limbs went weak.
Seraphine screamed. “Akitsu!!”
Kael struggled, muscles tensing as his katana clattered to the stone.
“These chains—!” Kael gritted his teeth. “Anti-mana… and spiritual suppression?!”
The courtyard fell silent.
Then—
A cane struck the ground.
THUD.
The torches dimmed.
Footsteps echoed.
An old woman stepped forward from the shadows.
Her hair was white as ash, tied neatly behind her head. Her back was slightly bent—but the pressure she exuded crushed the air itself. Her eyes were sharp, ancient, furious.
Itsuki Shiraishi.
Headmaster of Fiester Academy.
Supreme arbiter of discipline.
She stared at the two chained boys like disappointed gods might stare at ants trying to challenge the sky.
“…What,” she said slowly,
“do you two think you are doing?”
Kael’s breath hitched.
“…Headmaster.”
Akitsu swallowed.
“…Shiraishi-san.”
Her cane struck the ground again.
“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA,” she roared,
“HOW MANY LAWS YOU JUST SHATTERED?!”
The chains tightened.
Akitsu winced.
Kael tried to speak. “Headmaster, we can explain—”
“NO,” Itsuki snapped.
“You will not explain.”
She turned her gaze to Akitsu.
“You,” she said coldly. “This is the third incident involving you in less than two weeks.”
Akitsu opened his mouth—
Itsuki raised a finger.
“Silence.”
Seraphine hovered protectively near Kaoru, trembling.
Itsuki’s eyes flicked to her.
The spirit stiffened.
For a long moment, nothing happened.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“…Hm,” Itsuki muttered.
Then she looked away.
“I will ignore you,” she said flatly. “Do not interfere.”
Seraphine said nothing—but didn’t leave Kaoru’s side.
Royal horns blared.
Heavy footsteps thundered through the gates.
Dozens of royal guards flooded the courtyard—far more disciplined than the mansion’s own forces. Their armor bore the crest of the Crown.
Chains clanked.
One captain stepped forward.
“Headmaster Shiraishi,” he said respectfully. “Orders?”
“Take them into custody,” Itsuki replied.
“Alive. Unharmed.”
Kael tensed. “Headmaster, please—Kaoru was abducted! We were saving—”
“I said silence.”
The guards moved in.
Akitsu felt the chains tighten again as cold iron shackles locked around his wrists.
As he was dragged away, his eyes met Seraphine’s.
“…Protect her,” he whispered.
She nodded fiercely.
“I will.”
Later — Royal Administrative Hall
The chamber was circular.
Seven figures sat in the shadows.
At the center stood Itsuki Shiraishi, cane resting against the marble floor.
“Let us begin,” she said.
A man with golden epaulets spoke first.
“The boy Akitsu Shouga again?”
“Yes,” Itsuki replied. “Him.”
A woman cloaked in deep violet scoffed.
“He’s an unstable variable. Every incident around him escalates beyond reason.”
“He saved Ryozen Kaoru,” another figure countered. “That matters.”
“That doesn’t excuse trespassing, assault, or engaging royal forces.”
Itsuki raised her cane slightly.
“None of you are wrong,” she said.
“That is the problem.”
A bald man leaned forward.
“Headmaster—what exactly is Akitsu Shouga?”
Silence.
Itsuki closed her eyes.
“…That,” she said slowly,
“is what concerns me.”
A hooded figure spoke.
“He doesn’t act like a normal student. His behavior shifts. His decisions are… unnatural.”
“Yes,” another agreed. “He reacts to situations as if he’s already seen them.”
Itsuki’s grip tightened on her cane.
“No one,” she said sharply,
“is to speculate about powers.”
The room quieted.
“We judge only what we see.”
She looked around the circle.
“What we see is this:
A boy with no recorded combat ability
Making impossible tactical decisions
Displaying emotional detachment under extreme pressure
And showing familiarity with locations he should not know.”
The golden-epaulet man frowned.
“Are you suggesting foresight?”
“No,” Itsuki replied.
“I am suggesting repetition.”
The room stiffened.
“…Repetition?” someone echoed.
“Yes,” she said.
“He behaves like someone who has failed before.”
Silence fell heavy.
“What do we do with him?” the violet-cloaked woman asked.
Itsuki opened her eyes.
“We do not punish him yet,” she said.
“We observe.”
“And Kael Ardent?”
“He will be reprimanded,” Itsuki replied. “Privately.”
She turned toward the tall windows.
“As for Akitsu Shouga…”
Her voice softened—just slightly.
“…If my suspicion is correct, then this world is already far more fragile than we believed.”
Later That Night
Akitsu lay in a holding cell.
Mana suppressed.
Body exhausted.
Eyes closed.
“…Still alive,” he muttered faintly.
The cycle hadn’t ended.
