The Storm’s Dance

The midterm tournament pressed on, each battle narrowing the field of competitors. Tensions soared, alliances frayed, and rivalries solidified. But for Hibiki Arata, the tournament was more than just a showcase of talent.. it was a battlefield for deception.

Each fight, each interaction, was another step toward his goal. The more he fought, the more the students of Tenshikan Academy saw him not as a threat, but as an enigma. Strong but not arrogant. Skilled but not boastful. He was threading a careful line, ensuring that suspicions of him slowly faded. He needed people to lower their guard.

And so, the manipulation began.

⸻

Hibiki sat in the academy gardens, sharpening a small dagger against a whetstone. The rhythmic scraping sound was almost meditative. Nearby, Shirayuki Akari stood, her gaze fixed on the training grounds where another match was taking place.

“You’re watching the matches?” Hibiki asked, his voice neutral.

Akari nodded. “I need to know my potential opponents. There are strong ones among them.”

Hibiki hummed, seemingly indifferent, but he already knew what this conversation was leading to. Akari was talented, a prodigy, but she was also an asset. If he was going to use her to bring ruin to the kingdom, he needed to ensure she trusted him completely.

“Takeda Raizo is strong,” she continued, “but he’s reckless. He burns through his mana too quickly.”

Hibiki smirked. “All strength, no strategy. Easy to manipulate.”

Akari glanced at him. “You don’t seem too interested in the fights.”

“I don’t need to be,” he replied smoothly. “I already know how this tournament will play out.”

Akari frowned. “You’re confident.”

“Confident people make mistakes,” Hibiki said, standing up and sheathing his dagger. “I just make sure I don’t.”

She watched him, her expression unreadable. Then, almost hesitantly, she asked, “What is it that you really want, Souta?”

It was a dangerous question. But he had anticipated it.

He turned to her, his expression unreadable. “Isn’t it obvious? I want to win.”

She studied him for a moment, as if weighing his words. Then she nodded, accepting his answer.

For now.

⸻

The next round of the tournament was brutal.

Hibiki’s opponent, a third-year named Kazama Isamu, wielded twin daggers infused with lightning. He was fast, unpredictable, and relentless.

But Hibiki was patient.

The battle played out like a game of chess. Isamu attacked with blinding speed, his daggers crackling with electricity. Hibiki dodged, weaving through the strikes, studying every movement.

The audience saw a fierce battle.

Hibiki saw a puzzle.

Isamu’s pattern was clear.. two strikes, a feint, then a wide arc. A predictable rhythm masked by sheer speed. Hibiki sidestepped, letting Isamu’s attack barely miss him before countering with a precise strike..

But something changed.

Isamu shifted mid-movement, twisting unnaturally in the air, avoiding the counter as if he had predicted it from the start. His dagger came down in a blur, forcing Hibiki to block instead of attack.

Then came the first shock.

The moment their weapons clashed, Hibiki felt his entire arm go numb. Electricity surged through his body, rattling his bones. He stumbled back, and for the first time in the tournament.. he felt danger.

Real danger.

Isamu rolled his shoulders, a smirk forming on his face. “Not bad,” he said casually. “But you’re predictable.”

Hibiki’s eyes narrowed.

This wasn’t right.

All his research, all his observations.. Isamu was supposed to be reckless. Impatient. But this Isamu was completely different. He was controlled, precise, and worst of all.. he was holding back.

Before Hibiki could fully regain his stance, Isamu vanished.

Lightning crackled.

Hibiki barely had time to raise his blade before the daggers struck again, one from the front, one from behind. His body twisted instinctively, avoiding a fatal blow by mere inches. But the next strike came faster. And the next.

Hibiki was forced back, his mind racing. He wasn’t just losing.. he was being hunted.

Isamu’s movements were unnatural, like he could see into the future. Each time Hibiki tried to counter, Isamu was already there, waiting for him. Every block sent a jolt of electricity through his muscles, slowing him down bit by bit.

Then, for the first time in years.. Hibiki felt fear.

Not the fear of failure. Not the fear of being discovered.

The raw, primal fear of death.

Isamu’s expression never changed. His smile was calm, almost playful. But his eyes.. they were something else. Cold. Uncaring. As if he had already decided that Hibiki was going to die.

Hibiki had seen that look before.

Back then, when he was just a child.

When the soldiers of the kingdom slaughtered his people without a second thought.

His grip tightened on his blade.

No.

He wouldn’t let it happen again.

Isamu flicked his wrist, his daggers glowing with blue arcs of energy. “You’re hesitating,” he said. “I can see it in your stance.”

Hibiki exhaled slowly.

He couldn’t hold back anymore.

If he wanted to survive.. he had to unleash everything.

The ground beneath him cracked. The air around him shifted. For the first time in this tournament, the real Hibiki Arata prepared to fight.

And Isamu’s smirk only widened.

“Finally,” he muttered. “Let’s see what you’ve been hiding.”

The arena was silent.

Not in the literal sense.. the crowd was screaming, the announcers were shouting.. but to Hibiki, all sound had faded. His world had shrunk down to one thing.

Kazama Isamu.

The so-called reckless fighter wasn’t reckless at all. He was a storm in human form, a walking natural disaster, and Hibiki was trapped inside his hurricane.

Lightning crackled in Isamu’s grasp, his twin daggers humming with deadly energy. He grinned, tilting his head as if sizing up his prey. “So… do I get to see the real you now, or are you gonna keep playing the quiet, mysterious kid?”

Hibiki exhaled slowly, feeling the raw energy coursing through his veins. The lightning magic he had unknowingly absorbed from Raizo was still inside him, waiting to be used. He had never properly tested it, never even considered it an option.. but right now, speed was the only thing that could save him.

He raised his hand. Blue sparks flickered around his fingertips, unstable and erratic.

Isamu’s smirk widened. “Oh? You wanna dance in my storm? Alright, Kamishiro.. let’s see if you can keep up.”

Then he moved.

A blinding flash. A deafening crack.

Isamu vanished from sight, reappearing instantly in front of Hibiki with his dagger already mid-swing.

Instinct took over.

Lightning surged through Hibiki’s body, wrapping around his limbs like a second skin. He barely dodged, his form flickering out of the way as the blade carved through the air where his throat had been.

Isamu whistled. “Not bad! Sloppy, but not bad.”

Hibiki didn’t respond. He couldn’t afford to.

Electricity sparked around his feet as he pushed off, moving faster than ever before. It was exhilarating, terrifying.. his body felt weightless, but the power was foreign, unnatural. He wasn’t controlling the lightning. It was dragging him forward, barely under his command.

But even at this new speed..

He still wasn’t fast enough.

Isamu was already ahead of him.

Hibiki had a split second to react as the dagger came for his ribs. He twisted, electricity crackling as he barely evaded the lethal strike. But Isamu was relentless. The moment Hibiki dodged, another attack followed. Then another. Then another.

It was a brutal storm of lightning and steel, and Hibiki was barely staying afloat.

Isamu laughed. “Oh man, this is fun! You’re fast, I’ll give you that. But you’re not a lightning user.”

Hibiki clenched his teeth, trying to push more energy into his limbs. He needed to be faster.

“Let me show you how it’s done.”

Isamu raised both daggers, and the air around them exploded.

A deafening boom. The smell of ozone. The entire arena flickered with unstable electricity as raw lightning surged through Isamu’s body.

Then he was gone.

Not just fast.. gone.

Hibiki’s heart slammed in his chest. He turned wildly, searching..

Pain.

A dagger slashed across his side.

Another cut across his arm.

He tried to move, tried to react, but the attacks came from everywhere, all at once.

Isamu’s voice echoed, disembodied, taunting. “You’re relying on borrowed power. You don’t know what you’re doing, and it shows.”

Another strike.

Another.

Hibiki gasped as he stumbled, blood trailing from fresh wounds. His body was screaming, barely holding together.

Then..

A foot slammed into his stomach.

The air rushed out of his lungs as he was launched across the arena, crashing into the ground with enough force to send debris flying.

Silence.

Hibiki coughed, struggling to rise. His limbs were shaking, his vision swimming. He tried to summon more lightning, but the energy sputtered and died in his fingertips.

Isamu landed a few feet away, stretching his arms casually. “Yeah, I think we’re done here.”

Hibiki growled, forcing himself up. “I’m… not finished.”

Isamu arched an eyebrow. “Oh? You sure? ‘Cause your body seems to disagree.”

Hibiki lunged.

Or tried to.

Before he could even take a step, Isamu was already in front of him.

A blinding flash. A crack of thunder.

Hibiki felt something cold against his throat.

Isamu’s dagger.

The entire world froze.

Isamu tilted his head, grinning. “Go on, say something cool. I’ll wait.”

Hibiki opened his mouth..

Pain.

Electricity exploded through his body, locking his muscles in place. His vision blurred, and he dropped to his knees, barely able to breathe.

Isamu crouched beside him, spinning a dagger between his fingers. “You thought you could match me in my own element? C’mon, man, that’s like challenging a dragon to a fire-breathing contest.”

Hibiki gasped, his body refusing to move.

He had lost.

No.. he was about to die.

His mind screamed for a solution, for a way out, but there was none. He had pushed himself too far, played his hand too soon.

Isamu sighed. “Well, you lasted longer than I thought. But rules are rules.”

He raised his dagger.

Hibiki’s gathered all his strength and took a deep breath.

“I SURRENDER~”.

Then..

A blaring alarm.

Magic surged through the arena, a barrier instantly forming between them. The announcer’s voice echoed, panicked.

“STOP THE MATCH! IMMEDIATE MEDICAL INTERVENTION REQUIRED!”

Isamu blinked as the barrier forced him back. “Huh. Guess they don’t want me killing you. Shame.”

Hibiki’s vision darkened.

The last thing he saw before everything faded..

Was Isamu’s smirk.

“Next time, Kamishiro.. try not to suck.”

Then..

Darkness.