Kael stood motionless, breathing hard, the shadows still writhing around him like living extensions of his soul.
The fractured ground around him crackled with violet energy, and at the center of it all, the beast lay broken—defeated by a power Kael barely understood.
Tetsu groaned, coughing weakly.
Kael rushed to his side, kneeling. "Tetsu! Hey, stay with me!"
Tetsu grinned faintly, blood staining his teeth. "You... finally woke up, dumbass..." He chuckled weakly, then winced as pain wracked his body.
Kael's hands trembled. His heart thundered painfully in his chest. Relief, fear, anger—they all swirled together into a storm inside him.
Around them, alarms finally began blaring from the academy walls. Distant shouts echoed through the air as Wielders and security forces rushed toward the field.
Kael barely heard them.
He looked down at his hands, still crackling with dark energy, and realized the shadows clung to him even now, reluctant to let go.
Was this really his power?
A Will born not of strength or hope—but of fear, desperation, and something far older than himself?
The Last Will...
He clenched his fists.
He had saved Tetsu. But he had also lost control.
Had he been even a second slower, Tetsu might have died.
The thought made his stomach twist.
"Kael Renji!" a sharp voice cut through the chaos.
Kael turned to see instructors flooding the field, led by Kaede Mizuno, his future mentor. Kaede's sharp eyes locked onto the scene—the broken beast, the cracked earth, the unstable energy still leaking from Kael's body.
For a moment, Kaede's gaze darkened.
"You two—stand down! Medical team, over here!" Kaede barked orders with the precision of a battle-hardened soldier.
Wielders surrounded the beast's corpse, spears and relics at the ready, but they quickly realized it was dead.
Kael gently helped Tetsu sit up as medics arrived.
Kaede approached Kael, stopping just a few feet away. His coat flapped in the rising wind as storm clouds churned overhead.
"You awakened," Kaede said quietly, studying him.
Kael opened his mouth—but no words came out.
Instead, the shadows around him flickered and collapsed, vanishing into the ground like they had never existed.
All that remained was a boy—bloodied, terrified, and standing at the edge of something far greater than himself.
Kaede nodded to himself, almost grimly. "Come with me, Kael Renji. Starting today, your life is no longer your own."
Kael swallowed hard.
Somewhere deep inside, he knew—this was the true beginning.
The training, the academy, the old rivalries... they were nothing compared to what was coming.
His Will had finally answered his call.And the world would never be the same again.