Rei attended Kennington Primary school. A public school that taught over 1,000 kids. As Rei enters class, the classroom buzzed with excitement as students whispered among themselves. The news had dropped earlier that morning: the Academy of Arcane was officially lowering the minimum age to 16 for those seeking a sorcery license.

  The Academy of Arcane stood as the pinnacle of magical education in Japan—a sprawling, imposing complex of ancient stone and gleaming modern architecture on the outskirts of Osaka. Its spired towers and reinforced training facilities could be seen for miles, a constant reminder of the power and prestige it represented. Gaining entry to the Academy meant more than just education—it meant status, security, and for many, escape from poverty.

  For the first time, students like them had a real shot at becoming licensed sorcerers.

  "I still can't believe it," one student muttered, a freckled boy whose fingers drummed nervously against his desk. "The Academy never changes its rules, and now suddenly they want more recruits?"

  Another chimed in, her eyes bright with possibility, "It makes sense, though. Crime is getting worse. There's a villain this morning I saw that has been shooting acid at people. They need more heroes to fight back. It's been a while since the last time The Academy held a trial!"

  "But doesn't this feel kind of... rushed?" a girl added, her long dark hair falling across her worried face as she leaned forward. "The Academy's exams are already brutal, and they're saying this trial is going to be even harder than the last one."

  As the discussion grew louder, the teacher—a stern man in his forties with rectangular glasses and thinning hair—raised a hand to silence the class. "I know you're all excited about the trial, but let's keep focused. If you're considering entering, remember—the Academy only accepts the best. It will be a while before the trial even begins so everyone simmer down."

  The energy in the room shifted. For some, this was an opportunity of a lifetime. For others, it was a death sentence waiting to happen.

  A boy from the back of the room leaned forward, eyeing Rei. He had broad shoulders and a confident smirk that suggested he was used to being heard. "Hey, Vessel. What about you? You planning to enter?"

  Rei barely reacted to the nickname. His black eyes remained unreadable as he leaned back in his chair. "I don't see the point."

  The student scoffed. "Figures. You're just brute strength with no concept."

  In this world, sorcerers' abilities are called concepts. They require mana, and stamina to upkeep their abilities. Almost every human in society has one but due to how rampant abilities are, you are not allowed to use them unless you hold a License publicly.

  Josuke, a slight boy with spiky brown hair and an ever-present energy that seemed at odds with his thin frame, sat beside Rei. "You'd be surprised," he chuckled, nudging Rei with his elbow. "I bet he could wipe the floor with half the Academy even without one."

  Josuke's eyes sparkled with mischief behind his wire-rimmed glasses, his school uniform worn with deliberate carelessness—shirt untucked, tie loosened. Despite his unimposing stature, he carried himself with the confidence of someone determined to be noticed.

  The conversation quickly moved on, but Rei barely paid attention. His mind drifted to nothingness—Do I even have a concept? I don't know, nor do I care about this conversation.

  Did he have a concept? Or was that something else entirely?

  The bell rang, dismissing the class for the day.

  After class, Rei found himself walking alongside Hinata, the shy girl who had recently gathered the courage to speak with him. Hinata's delicate features were framed by soft, shoulder-length black hair that she often tucked nervously behind her ear. Her eyes—a warm, gentle brown—would dart away whenever someone looked at her directly, and her voice rarely rose above a whisper. Despite her timidity, there was an underlying kindness in her demeanor that occasionally broke through her nervous exterior.

  Hinata is fond of Rei, regardless of his cold demeanor. As they strolled down the busy street, Hinata again attempted to break the ice.

  "I'm still amazed by everything happening," she said softly, her eyes darting up at Rei's unchanging expression. "Do you... do you feel anything about it all?"

  Rei's gaze remained as dark and unyielding as ever. "Feel? It won't fix the crime—it only creates more of it. And honestly, how civilized is a society that sends kids into the fray?" His tone was measured, dismissive, and devoid of any spark.

  Earlier elsewhere, the news blared from TVs and radios across the city.

  "Authorities continue to search for the villain known as 'Penguin,' responsible for multiple destruction cases in the past month. Witnesses report that his concept allows him to secrete an unknown acidic substance capable of melting through steel."

  In a small convenience store, a cashier—a middle-aged man with permanent worry lines etched into his face—shook his head at the report. "Tch. Where are the Academy heroes when you need them?"

  The store's automatic doors slid open with a pneumatic hiss. A thin man in a ragged jacket stepped inside, his face hidden under the hood. His movements were jittery, fingers twitching at his sides as he surveyed the empty store.

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  "Yo, we're closing soon," the cashier called out, already reaching for the silent alarm button beneath the counter. Something about the newcomer set off warning bells in his mind.

  The man didn't respond. He stepped forward, raising his hands. His fingers were discolored, the skin around his nails blackened and peeling.

  A thick, black slime oozed from his fingertips, hissing as it dripped onto the tiled floor. The tiles sizzled, warping under the corrosive effect. The acrid smell of dissolving ceramic filled the small space.

  The cashier's face turned pale. "Oh shit. Y-You're—"

  Penguin grinned, revealing yellowed teeth beneath his hood. His bloodshot eyes glinted with malice. "I was hoping for a quiet night. But now I'm in the mood for some fun."

  Before the cashier could react, Penguin flicked his hand, sending a glob of acid straight for him. The viscous black substance arced through the air, trailing wisps of noxious vapor.

  Chaos in the Streets

  Rei and Hinata were walking past a nearby street when the first explosion hit.

  BOOM!

  A building just a block away burst into flames, smoke rising high into the night sky. The concussive force shattered windows, sending glass shards raining down onto the street below. The orange glow of the inferno painted the evening sky, turning night into an artificial day.

  Screams filled the air as civilians ran for their lives. Mothers clutched children to their chests, businessmen abandoned briefcases, elderly couples supported each other as they shuffled away from the disaster zone.

  Hinata gasped, instinctively reaching for Rei's sleeve. Her fingers trembled as they clutched the fabric of his uniform. "What was that?"

  Rei didn't answer. His eyes locked onto the source of the destruction. For once, something had captured his attention completely.

  A man covered in dripping, black slime stood in the middle of the street, laughing as the flames reflected off his melting surroundings. The acidic substance coating his body sizzled against the pavement, leaving smoking footprints with each step he took. Whatever fabric remained of his clothing was in tatters, eaten away by his own corrosive secretions.

  "Penguin," someone whispered, the name passing through the crowd in fearful murmurs.

  A flash of movement—then a hero appeared, tackling Penguin to the ground. The hero wore the distinctive blue and silver uniform of the Academy, his concept manifesting as a metallic sheen across his skin.

  "Run!" the hero shouted at the crowd, his voice strained as his metal-coated skin began to smoke where it contacted Penguin's acid. "He's dangerous!"

  Hinata flinched, already backing away. "Rei, let's go—"

  The fight started instantly. Penguin's arms lashed out, flinging acid in every direction. Droplets of the corrosive substance spattered across parked cars, streetlights, and the pavement, dissolving everything they touched in seconds. The smell of burning metal and asphalt filled the air.

  The hero dodged one glob but took another to the shoulder, his suit melting under the burning substance. He cried out in pain as the acid burned through the metal coating of his skin, revealing vulnerable flesh beneath.

  Rei remained still, watching.

  Observing.

  The hero was losing. His attacks were strong, but he hesitated. He wasn't used to an opponent this aggressive. Every time the hero attempted to close the distance, Penguin would spray acid, forcing him back.

  Penguin kicked the injured hero off him, laughing as he loomed over his fallen opponent. Acidic drool dripped from his mouth, sizzling holes into the pavement. "That all you got? Damn, you Hero types get weaker every year."

  The hero gritted his teeth, trying to stand. Blood mixed with dissolved metal ran down his arm. But Penguin simply raised his hand for a finishing blow, acid pooling in his palm.

  Hinata squeezed Rei's sleeve. "We should go."

  Rei looked at her, then back at the fight. "Why?" he calmly asked.

  He didn't care about heroes. He didn't care about villains.

  This wasn't his problem.

  And yet—

  Penguin's acid-covered hand swung down.

  Rei moved.

  Faster than anyone could track, Rei closed the distance in an instant. The world seemed to blur around him as he crossed the space between them in the blink of an eye. His fist collided with Penguin's jaw, sending the villain skidding across the pavement.

  Penguin groaned, shaking his head as he looked up in confusion. His jaw hung at an unnatural angle, clearly broken. "What the hell—"

  Another hit. It's a devastating right hook to the gut. Penguin lurched forward, gagging. The concrete broke under Rei's decisive blows. One punch after another, shattering each rib. Rei begins thinking, "Why am I intervening? This is not my problem to fix."

  Penguin, gasping for air, flung a desperate glob of acid toward Rei's face. Before it could land—Rei was gone.

  A blur. A sharp gust of wind. And then—

  CRACK.

  Rei's knee drove into his ribs, snapping two more on impact.

  A final blow. Rei grabbed him by the collar and slammed his knee into his ribs, knocking the wind out of him.

  Penguin collapsed, wheezing. His body twitched as he struggled to breathe, his ribs shattered and his jaw dislocated. The acid that had been his weapon now pooled uselessly around him, no longer under his control.

  Rei stared down at the villain, completely unbothered. "Weak."

  The injured hero sat up, coughing. He looked at Rei, bewildered. His metal-coated skin was slowly regenerating, but the acid burns still smoked. "You—civilians can't—"

  Rei turned, walking away without waiting for thanks. "I just didn't want to hear more screaming."

  Hinata followed quickly, still shaken. "Rei... why did you do that?"

  "I don't know," he admitted. "I just did." They began walking back home, and Rei grabbed Hinata's hand to guide her through the fray.

  Behind them, the sound of police sirens grew louder.

  With the threat quelled and the street slowly returning to its routine din, Rei escorted Hinata home. Along the way, Hinata shyly mentioned that they were neighbors—a small detail that somehow softened the stark distance between them. As dusk settled over the city, she timidly requested, "Can you walk me home tomorrow? I'm scared with all this crime out there."

  Hinata's request was met with a simple nod from Rei, who continued his quiet, solitary journey, leaving behind a trail of whispered questions and unresolved tension.

  Later that night, Rei sat in his apartment, silently finishing his meal. His mind should have been blank, but he replayed the fight in his head instead.

  Not about Penguin. Not about the hero.

  But about himself.

  His speed, his reaction time—it felt like instinct.

  Like it was natural.

  As if fighting... was something he was meant to do.

  Just as he began to settle into the quiet rhythm of the night, a sharp knock at the door broke the stillness.

  Rei opened the door to find a mysterious man shrouded in shadow. The stranger stood tall in an immaculate charcoal suit, his presence commanding attention despite the dimly lit hallway. His face was angular, handsome in a severe way, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to look through Rei rather than at him. His dark hair was perfectly styled, not a strand out of place, adding to his aura of meticulous control.

  The stranger said in a low, urgent tone, "We need to talk—"

  Rei stared into the silhouette of a cold mysterious man, a cold premonition stirring at the edges of his indifferent existence.