I sat silently on the train, the rhythmic clatter of the wheels fading into the background as my thoughts wandered. This was it—my first day at the prestigious Seiran Academy, the school where I’d supposedly learn to harness my Zen Energy. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but deep down, I knew challenges awaited.

As I stared out the window, lost in thought, an old man shuffled into the seat across from me. His eyes met mine briefly, but I said nothing. He studied me for a moment before speaking.

"You must be Hikaru," he said, his voice calm yet probing. "I’ve read your file. You probably don’t know me, but I’m a professor at Seiran. It says here you possess the spacial ability—quite rare, you know. I see great potential in you."

I met his gaze with a cold, indifferent stare. "This conversation is useless," I replied flatly.

He chuckled softly, unperturbed by my bluntness. "Oh, that’s quite alright, young man. Whether or not you wish to learn more about your powers, remember this—you're not alone. There are many others at Seiran with Zen Energy, each facing their own challenges. When this train stops, you’ll be entering a school unlike any other. Most places don’t even teach Zen Energy alongside normal curriculums. But here... here, you might find a new beginning."

He paused, his tone shifting. "By the way, I heard about the incident from your middle school days. The one where you made a boy disappear. It’s clear what happened—you teleported him, didn’t you? Your Zen ability is special, Hikaru, and it’s nothing to take lightly."

He stood, preparing to leave. "I need to speak with the staff in another car, but before I go, a word of caution: if you’re ever out past curfew and encounter people in black hoods, run. Don’t ask questions—just run."

I raised an eyebrow, my voice steady and filled with quiet confidence. "And why would I need to run?"

The old man’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Just trust me on this, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, leaving me with his cryptic warning. I leaned back in my seat, the wheels of the train echoing in the silence. Whatever awaited me at Seiran, I knew one thing for sure—it was going to be far from ordinary.I watched the old man disappear down the aisle, his words lingering in my mind. *Run if I see people in black hoods?* It sounded like something out of a bad mystery novel. Still, there was something about his tone—calm yet serious—that hinted at more than just a casual warning. But trusting people had never been my strong suit. People always had their own agendas, and I preferred to keep my distance.

I sighed, resting my head against the window, the cool glass grounding me. The rhythmic hum of the train continued, but my mind wandered back to what lay ahead. Seiran Academy—renowned for training those with Zen Energy. They said only 30% of the population had it, and somehow, I was one of them. My ability, spacial manipulation, was rare, even among Zen users. The old man wasn’t wrong about that.

*Awakening, Focused, Balance, Enhanced, Mastery.* The Zen power scale. Most students probably started at Awakening—barely able to control their abilities. I wasn’t much better. Sure, I could teleport, but controlling it? That was another story. The incident back in middle school still haunted me. One moment of losing control, and a classmate had vanished. It wasn’t intentional, but it was enough to mark me as different. Dangerous.

I clenched my fists. That’s why I didn’t need people. They feared what they didn’t understand, and I didn’t care to explain myself. This school was supposed to help me gain control, maybe even reach the next level—Focused. But I wasn’t here to make friends or become some hero. I just wanted to understand my powers and avoid another incident.

The train slowed, the soft screech of brakes pulling me from my thoughts. Outside, the imposing gates of Seiran Academy came into view. Ornate and grand, they seemed to guard more than just a school. They guarded secrets—secrets I wasn’t sure I wanted to uncover.

The train doors hissed open, and students began filing out. I stayed seated for a moment, watching the crowd. They all looked eager, excited even. I felt none of that. All I saw were obstacles—potential threats, distractions.

I finally stood, stepping off the train and into the cool air. The old man’s warning echoed in my mind again. *People in black hoods.* Whatever they were, I wasn’t planning on running from anything. If they were a threat, I’d deal with them on my own terms.

The path ahead led to the main building, where orientation would likely begin. I walked slowly, keeping my distance from the others. This was just the beginning. Seiran Academy might be prestigious, but to me, it was just another place full of people I had no intention of trusting. My focus was clear—master my Zen Energy, avoid trouble, and stay away from anyone who thought they could get close.The main building loomed ahead, its grand facade doing little to impress me. Inside, students buzzed with excitement, but I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact. I wasn’t here to socialize.

Orientation was brief—a few speeches about the importance of harnessing our Zen Energy, some warnings about the dangers of misuse, and the usual pep talk about potential and greatness. None of it mattered to me. What mattered was getting through this without unnecessary interaction.

Soon enough, we were shuffled off to our first class. The room was spacious, filled with desks arranged in pairs. I picked a seat at the back, hoping to be left alone. The teacher, a stern-looking woman with sharp eyes, entered and immediately got down to business.

“Welcome to Seiran Academy,” she began. “Here, you’ll learn to control and master your Zen Energy. To start, we’ll be working in pairs. You’ll help each other improve, push each other to new levels. Pairing is non-negotiable.”

I sighed, already dreading this. Working with someone else? It was exactly what I didn’t want. She began calling out names, randomly assigning pairs. I tuned out, waiting for the inevitable.

“Hikaru Tenshi,” she finally said, “you’ll be paired with Toki Yamazaki.”

I glanced around as a boy a few rows over and stood up. He had white hair with blue highlights, sharp features, and an expression as cold as mine. He walked over, dropping into the seat next to me without a word. Fine by me.

The teacher continued. “Toki, you’re on the Focused level, correct? Water and ice abilities?”

Toki nodded once, his eyes never leaving the front.

“Hikaru,” she turned to me, “spacial manipulation, right? Awakening stage?”

I gave a slight nod, not bothering to elaborate.

“Good. You two will be working together to enhance your abilities. Let’s see how far you can push each other.”

With that, she moved on, leaving us in silence. I leaned back in my chair, casting a sideways glance at Toki. He didn’t seem thrilled about this either, which was fine. We didn’t need to be friends to get through this.

He finally broke the silence, his voice as cold as his abilities. “I’ll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine.”

I smirked faintly. “Works for me.”

We sat there, two antisocial kids forced into partnership, each silently agreeing to keep our distance while fulfilling the bare minimum of the assignment. I wasn’t sure how this would work out, but at least Toki wasn’t the type to force small talk.

The rest of the class passed in a blur, the teacher giving us basic exercises to start gauging our control. Toki demonstrated his abilities first, creating a small sphere of water in his hand before freezing it into ice. His control was precise, but I could see the strain in balancing the two elements.

When it was my turn, I hesitated. Teleportation wasn’t exactly something I could casually demonstrate without potentially causing a scene. Still, I focused, trying to summon the energy without losing control. A brief flicker of movement later, I was across the room.

The teacher nodded, jotting something down. “Work on precision, Hikaru. Control will come with time.”

I returned to my seat, avoiding Toki’s gaze. He didn’t say anything, which I appreciated. The rest of the class continued with more exercises, but my mind wandered. This partnership was going to be an annoyance, but if we kept our distance, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Toki stood up without a word and left. I followed suit, glad the day was over. The old man’s warning from the train echoed in my mind again, but I pushed it aside. For now, all I needed to focus on was surviving this school and figuring out how to control my powers—without anyone getting too close.

The day finally came to an end, and I was more than ready to retreat into solitude. After grabbing my dorm card from the front center, I made my way through the winding hallways of Seiran Academy, searching for my assigned room.

When I reached the door, I unlocked it and stepped inside, only to find Toki already there. He sat on the edge of his bed, a glass of water in hand, focused intently on manipulating it. The water floated and twisted in midair, a testament to his control over his Zen Energy.

Great. A roommate. Just what I needed.

Suppressing a sigh, I closed the door behind me and dropped my bag on the floor. Toki barely acknowledged my presence, his eyes locked on the water as it moved in intricate patterns. He was clearly practicing, trying to perfect his control. His intense focus made it clear he wasn’t interested in conversation, which suited me just fine.

Still, curiosity got the better of me. "So, your main ability is manipulating water," I said, leaning against the wall. "What’s your secondary ability?"

Toki glanced at me briefly, his expression unreadable. Without saying a word, he made a fist with his hand. In an instant, the floating water transformed into sharp, crystalline ice spears, hovering menacingly in the air. The temperature in the room seemed to drop slightly, the sharp edges of the ice glinting in the dim light.

I raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed despite myself. "Ice, huh? Not bad."

Toki didn’t respond, simply letting the ice dissolve back into water, which he poured back into the glass. He placed it on the table and leaned back, his expression as stoic as ever.

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of annoyance at the situation. A roommate wasn’t part of my plan, especially not one as focused as Toki. But there was something about his quiet determination that resonated with me. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be as unbearable as I thought.

Without another word, I unpacked my things, trying to ignore the presence of my new roommate. The room settled into an uncomfortable silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts, preparing for whatever challenges tomorrow might bring.As Toki and I lay silently on our beds, staring at the ceiling, the calm was shattered by a sudden, deafening blast outside. Both of us sprang to our feet, our instincts kicking in. Without exchanging a word, we bolted out the door and into the night.

The courtyard was chaos. A group of students, cloaked in black with hoods obscuring their faces, stood in the center. They exuded an ominous aura, their Zen Energy crackling in the air. At the forefront of the group, one hooded figure clutched something tightly—a glowing artifact that pulsed with an otherworldly energy.

To my surprise, the professor from the train was there, engaged in a fierce battle with them. His usual calm demeanor was gone, replaced by a desperate urgency. “Give me back that Zen artifact!” he shouted, his voice echoing across the field. “It’s too powerful in your hands!”

The hooded leader’s voice was cold and resolute. “And it’s too weak in yours. We’ll put it to good use.”

One of the cloaked figures raised their hand, summoning flames that erupted across the field, creating a blazing barrier. It was a clear attempt to cover their escape.

Toki didn’t hesitate. “Oh no, you don’t, you little cowards!” he shouted, pulling out the glass of water he had brought from the dorm. He focused, directing the water towards the flames. The fire hissed and sizzled, dimming slightly under his control.

“Come on, use more water!” I urged, frustration creeping into my voice.

“I can’t!” Toki snapped back. “Because of Zen affinities, I can’t use that much water in this environment.”

Before we could react further, the hooded students vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only the faint traces of their presence.

We rushed over to the professor, who was kneeling on the ground, catching his breath. “We must get that Zen artifact back,” he panted. “Those hooded students don’t understand its power. That artifact was held by a powerful Zen master—it’s incredibly dangerous.”

Toki, still catching his breath, asked, “Who are those students?”

The professor shook his head. “I don’t know exactly, but they’ve been causing trouble here for years. There’s a secret society within the school, working on some massive conspiracy. Every year, they recruit new members. Their intentions are unclear, but they’re up to something big. We have to stop them.”

I exchanged a glance with Toki. The gravity of the situation was clear. This was bigger than either of us had anticipated.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to him. “Listen, Toki. I know you and I aren’t friends, but I think we need to work together to deal with these hooded thugs.”

Toki raised an eyebrow. “Like a team?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “We’ll figure out this case together.”

I extended my hand, and after a moment of hesitation, Toki shook it firmly. “Tomorrow, we’ll start gathering as much information as we can about these people,” he said.

“Let’s do this,” I agreed, determination hardening in my voice. Together, we were going to uncover the truth and stop this secret society—no matter what it took.

The next day, Toki and I were called to the professor’s office. The old man sat behind his desk, hands folded, eyes sharp with something I couldn’t quite place.

“I have a surprise exam for you both,” he announced.

Toki furrowed his brows. “Like a written test?”

The professor chuckled and tapped a device on his desk. A hologram flickered to life, displaying a grotesque, floating humanoid figure. It had no face, its entire form shrouded in a dark aura. The area around it looked abandoned, forgotten by time.

“This,” the professor said, “is a Zen Echo.”

I narrowed my eyes. The presence of that thing on the screen felt wrong, even from here.

The professor continued, “Zen Echoes are the remnants of a Zen Master’s power that linger after death. If left alone, they curse anyone who enters their territory. The only way to get rid of them is to bind them away—or defeat them. And if you do defeat one, the reward is immense. You may gain a power buff, or in rare cases, a **Zen Mutation.**”

Toki crossed his arms. “How rare?”

“0.5 percent of the time.”

Not exactly promising odds.

“To defeat a Zen Echo,” the professor went on, “you must fight it using your abilities. Each Echo manifests at a strength tailored to its opponent’s **Zen Level.**” He listed them out:

Awakening

Focused

Balance

Enhanced

Mastery

His voice took on a tone almost like a storyteller warning children about the boogeyman. “For this test, you’ll be in groups of **two to twelve**. And you better hope you get **ten to twelve.**”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I couldn’t care less.”

The professor smirked. “Not scared?”

“Point-blank, **no.**” I met his gaze with cold certainty. “And besides, I can just teleport out.”

The professor sighed. “You can’t even control your abilities yet. If you—”

Before he could finish, the intercom blared, **“All first-year students, assemble in the courtyard.”**

The professor leaned back in his chair. “You two better hope you get lucky.”

Toki and I exchanged glances before heading out. As we walked, he asked, “Have you ever seen a Zen Echo before?”

“No,” I admitted. “But we might as well get this over with. Also… what did he mean by ‘better hope to get ten to twelve’?”

Toki frowned. “I don’t know… but I feel like we should find some partners.”

---

As we reached the courtyard, the fire marks from last night’s attack were still visible. A different professor stood in front of the gathered students. “We are walking to a certain location, children. Follow us.”

Skepticism rippled through the crowd, but no one protested. We moved as a group, following the staff as they led us deeper into the academy grounds.

And then… I felt it.

A shiver at the back of my neck. Like something unseen was **watching.**

I glanced at Toki, who seemed tense. Around us, other students were shifting uncomfortably, rubbing their necks.

The professors exchanged glances, then nodded—like they had been waiting for this moment.

That’s when I realized.

**We were already inside a Zen Echo’s territory.**

A professor turned to face us. “We will now organize you into groups.”

Minutes later, the teams were formed. To my mild annoyance, Toki and I were paired with **another student.** A girl.

She had dark blonde hair with magenta highlights, and the moment she stepped closer, I noticed something off. Unlike Toki and me, who were simply wary, she was **visibly trembling.**

“Something is wrong with this place,” she murmured.

Toki nodded. “I feel it too.”

And then—**the screams started.**

Bloodcurdling, raw fear echoing through the air.

Toki and I froze, but the girl—she looked like she was about to break. Her body was rigid, her breath shallow.

“Get a grip,” I muttered.

But deep down, even I knew—this was bad.

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my cool as the screams grew louder. The girl, whose name I still didn't know, looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Toki's eyes met mine, and I could see the concern etched on his face.

"Hey, calm down," I said, trying to sound reassuring, but my voice came out rougher than I intended. "We need to focus."

The girl took a deep breath, her eyes welling up with tears. "I-I don't like this," she stammered.

Toki stepped forward, his expression softening. "It's okay, we're here to help you. What's your name?"

"A-Akane," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, trying to process the situation. We were stuck in a Zen Echo's territory, and we had no idea what we were up against. The professors seemed to have vanished, leaving us to fend for ourselves.

Suddenly, the screams stopped, and an eerie silence fell over the area. Akane's eyes went wide, and she grabbed my arm, her grip tight.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low.

"I feel it," she whispered. "The Echo is coming."

Toki's eyes locked onto something behind me, and I turned to see a dark, humanoid figure emerging from the shadows. Its presence was like a cold wind, making my skin crawl.

"Get ready," Toki said, his voice firm.

I nodded, focusing on my Zen Energy. I could feel it coursing through my veins, waiting to be unleashed. Akane, on the other hand, looked like she was frozen in fear.

"Akane, snap out of it!" I shouted, trying to break her out of her trance-like state.

She blinked, her eyes focusing on me, and then she nodded. "I-I'll try," she stammered.

The Echo began to move towards us, its presence growing stronger with each step. I could feel my Zen Energy responding, urging me to act.

"Let's do this," Toki said, his voice calm and collected.

I nodded, and together, we prepared to face the Zen Echo. But as I glanced at Akane, I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were in over our heads.

"Akane, what's your role in this?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

She took a deep breath, her eyes locking onto mine. "I'm a Zen Conduit," she said, her voice firm. "I can give and redistribute Zen Energy."

I nodded, a plan forming in my mind. "Akane, can you channel our Zen Energy and amplify it? Toki, use your water and ice abilities to bind the Echo. I'll teleport us to safety once we're done."

Toki nodded, and Akane took a deep breath. She raised her hands, and I could feel her energy connecting with mine and Toki's. Our Zen Energy began to flow through her, and I could sense it growing stronger, more potent.

The Echo loomed closer, its dark aura enveloping us. I raised my hands, focusing on my spacial manipulation ability. Toki did the same, his water and ice abilities at the ready.

"Let's do this," I said, my voice firm.

And with that, we launched our attack. Akane's energy surged through us, amplifying our abilities and giving us the edge we needed to take hold down the Echo.(Hikaru and Toki and Akane use this as an opportunity to retreat toki figures out that the zen echo's ability is strength and secondary is agility toki decides to find hikaru and Akane decide to find a group so they can make a zen resonance

**We had real trouble on our hands.**