"Do I have to go to school?" Ren asked, holding a bag of frozen dumplings to his face.
Uncle Jin didn't look up from his ramen pot. "Yes. So you can learn how to dodge emotional attacks. Very important."
"Math isn't emotional."
"Have you seen algebra? It's trauma in letter form."
Ren groaned and pulled on his hoodie. His whole body ached from last night's awakening. His left eyebrow twitched randomly every few seconds, which, according to Jin, was "just the Sky Power trying to adjust."
He felt like a soda can someone had shaken too hard.
🏫 School, 7:54 a.m.
Ren slid into his seat just as the bell rang, praying no one noticed the singe marks on his sleeves or the fact that his bag had a very suspicious smoke smell.
"Yo, Ren," said Daiki, his best (and only) guy friend. "You look like you got hit by a rice cooker."
"I did, metaphorically," Ren muttered.
Rika raised an eyebrow from the next row. "You smell like barbecue and despair."
"I had a rough night."
"You always have a rough night."
"I'm consistently suffering. It's my thing."
That's when the door opened.
And everything shifted.
🌸 She Walked In Like a Glitch in the Matrix
The girl was tall. Pale. Black uniform. Piercing violet eyes like amethyst daggers. Long dark hair tied with a silver ribbon.
The kind of beauty that made the entire class fall silent.
Even the teacher blinked like he forgot what he was doing.
She bowed politely. "Transfer student. Name's Kiyomi. I look forward to crushing you all academically."
A few people chuckled. She didn't smile.
Her gaze scanned the room — and then stopped. Right on Ren.
Ren blinked.
Kiyomi blinked.
> [Skybound Bloodline detected...]
[Soul Frequency: MATCHED — 2%]
Ren flinched.
Did she just ping his s
oul like a Wi-Fi signal??
She sat down.
Right next to him.
"Hey," she whispered without looking at him, "your aura's all messed up. You almost blew a hole through the realm veil, you know."
Ren choked on his pencil.
"You—what?!" he coughed.
"I said you dropped your pencil."
"...No you didn't."
She finally turned to face him.
"I know what you are, Skyborn. And others will know soon too. So maybe stop glowing in your sleep."
Ren's brain officially blue-screened.
"Who ARE you?!"
Kiyomi just smirked.
"Someone who's already died once. Don't wo
rry — I got better."
🥢 Cafeteria Chaos
Later, Ren sat with Daiki at lunch, still processing his new seat neighbor who talked like a reincarnated soul assassin.
"I swear she knows, dude," Ren muttered, biting his fishcake like it owed him money.
"You always think someone's out to get you."
"That's because someone literally exploded in my closet last night."
Daiki paused. "...You doing drugs?"
Before Ren could answer, a loud shout echoed across the room.
"HEY! Watch where you're walking, punk!"
A jock in a varsity jacket shoved a first-year against the lunch table. Trays clattered. Food spilled. People backed off fast.
The first-year stumbled, scared. "I-I didn't mean—"
"Oh? You didn't mean to bump into me?" The jock grinned. "Then you won't mind if I bump into you harder?"
He raised his fist.
Ren stood up before he realized what he was doing.
But someone else moved faster.
A tray whipped across the room like a frisbee from hell.
SMACK!
It nailed the jock right in the jaw. He spun like a Beyblade and collapsed in a heap of mashed potatoes.
Everyone turned toward the thrower.
Kiyomi. Still chewing calmly on tofu.
She stood up, dusted off her
uniform, and said, "He was annoying."
Ren stared. "Okay. She's definitely not normal."
Daiki whispered, "I think I'm in love."
🌌 Later That Night…
Ren trained alone in the basement.
Punch. Breathe. Focus.
The glowing mark on his palm pulsed again.
> [Heaven-Piercing Fist: 3% Synced]
Energy flow stabilized. Next: "Sky Echo Palm" at 5%.
> [Hidden Trait Detected: Adaptive Rage]
Emotions boost performance during critical moments.
Ren took a deep breath and looked at his reflection in the cracked mirror.
"I don't get it yet… but something's coming."
Up on the roof across the street, the figure in the black coat returned.
Watching.
Listening.
"…He's syncing faster than expected. Interesting."
They drew a phone from their sleeve.
> Text sent:
Target awakening confirmed. Prepare next test. Phas
e 1 begins.
📌 Chapter 5 Teaser:
> Someone challenges Ren after school — and it's not human. Kiyomi reveals more about her past (kinda). And Uncle Jin brings out… the "Training Chicken." Yes. It's alive. And it hates yo
u.