The things we don't say.

The bell above the door rang as Shinji and Ryo stepped out of Rukki's Atelier.

Ding.

The warmth of the bakery disappeared behind them. Cold air immediately filled Shinji's lungs.

He pulled his new coat tighter around himself. Snow had begun falling again.

Small flakes drifted between the buildings, settling on the rooftops and streets.

Shinji looked back through the window.

Rukki was already returning to the counter. Her fluffy tail swayed behind her as she moved. She noticed him looking.

She waved.

Shinji raised his hand.

Then the two of them continued down the street.

For several minutes, neither spoke.

Shinji carried the small bag containing his new clothes. Ryo carried the leather satchel containing the potions. The streets were quieter than they had been earlier.

The shops were beginning to close.

Workers were returning home.

The magical street lamps flickered on one by one. A small crystal inside each lamp glowed to life.

Shinji looked up.

"Uncle Ryo." "Hm?"

"Why does Rukki have a shop?" "Because she's good at what she does." "She makes bread?"

"That too."

"What does she really do?" Ryo smiled.

"She knows a lot about alchemy." "What's alchemy?"

"Using magical properties found in plants, minerals and other materials to create useful things."

"Like potions?"

"Exactly."

Shinji thought about the bottles. "The blue one makes people better."

"Restorative potions."

"And the green one?"

"Helps with exhaustion."

"Can potions make people stronger?"

"Some can."

"Can they make people use magic?" Ryo glanced down at him.

"Not really."

"Why?"

"Because magic isn't something you can simply drink." Shinji looked at his hand.

"What about my magic?" Ryo became quiet.

Shinji noticed.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." "You always say that." Ryo smiled faintly. "You're observant." "Is that bad?"

"No."

Ryo looked ahead.

"It's a good thing."

They reached a large intersection.

Shinji stopped.

A massive clock tower stood in the centre of the square. Its face was enormous.

Mechanical hands moved slowly across it.

Below the clock was a statue.

A knight.

The figure wore heavy armour and held a sword against the ground. At the base of the statue was an inscription.

Shinji couldn't read all of it.

He could recognise some letters from the lessons his mother had taught him. Ryo noticed him staring.

"That's Sir Alden."

"Who?"

"One of the old heroes of District 7." "Was he strong?" "Very." "How strong?" Ryo smiled.

"Strong enough that people still remember his name." Shinji looked at the sword.

"What happened to him?"

"He died protecting the district." Shinji was silent.

"Was he a knight?"

"Yes."

Shinji looked at the statue again. The same thought returned to him. "I want to be a knight." Ryo stopped. "You still remember that?" Shinji nodded.

"I want to protect people."

Ryo looked at him for a long moment.

Then he placed a hand on Shinji's head.

"Then you'll need to become strong."

Shinji looked up.

"I will."

Ryo smiled.

"I believe you."

They continued walking.

After several minutes, Shinji noticed something strange. The buildings around them were changing.

The streets were becoming wider.

The houses were older.

Some had large stone walls around them. Ryo noticed his expression.

"This is one of the older parts of District 7."

"Why?"

"Because District 7 wasn't always this large." Shinji looked around.

"How old is it?"

"Older than me."

"That's very old." Ryo laughed.

"Very funny." They passed an old stone building.

Its walls were covered with faded symbols.

Shinji stopped.

"What are those?"

Ryo looked at them.

"Old magical inscriptions."

"What do they do?"

"Most don't do anything anymore."

"Why?" "Because magic changes." Shinji frowned.

"Magic changes?"

"People discover new ways of using it."

Ryo pointed toward a modern building across the street.

"That building uses magical power more efficiently than this one ever could." Shinji looked back at the old building.

"So old magic disappears?"

"Sometimes."

"Does that mean old magic is bad?" Ryo smiled.

"No."

He tapped the stone wall.

"Some old magic is more powerful than anything we can make today." Shinji looked interested.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then why don't people use it?" Ryo's smile faded slightly.

"Because some things are better left forgotten." Shinji didn't ask further.

When they finally reached Ryo's house, the sky had turned dark. Ryo unlocked the door.

Shinji walked inside.

The warmth immediately surrounded him.

He removed his boots.

Then his coat.

Ryo took the bag from him.

"You hungry?" Shinji nodded.

"Rukki gave you enough food to feed a family." "I was hungry."

"I noticed."

Ryo laughed.

He walked into the kitchen.

"Sit down." Shinji sat.

Ryo began preparing dinner.

For the first time, Shinji noticed something. Ryo was humming.

Quietly.

Almost unconsciously.

"What song is that?" Ryo stopped.

"What?"

"You're singing." "I wasn't singing."

"You were." Ryo smiled. "My mother used to sing it." Shinji looked at him.

"What was her name?" Ryo paused.

"Akari."

"Is she alive?"

Ryo looked toward the kitchen window.

"No."

Shinji lowered his eyes. "Mine

isn't either."

The room became quiet.

Ryo walked over. He sat beside Shinji. "I know."

Shinji's fingers tightened around the edge of the table.

"Does it stop hurting?"

Ryo didn't answer immediately.

"Sometimes."

"Sometimes?" "You don't stop missing people." Shinji looked at him. "You just learn how to carry it." Shinji didn't understand.

Not completely.

But he remembered the words.

Dinner was quieter than breakfast.

Afterward, Ryo washed the dishes while Shinji sat near the magical furnace. The blue crystal inside it glowed softly.

Shinji watched it.

"Uncle Ryo." "Hm?"

"When can I learn magic?" Ryo stopped washing. "Why do you want to?"

"Because everyone here uses it."

"Not everyone."

"Most people." Ryo dried his hands.

Then sat opposite him.

"You'll learn." "When?"

"When you're ready." Shinji frowned.

"How do you know when I'm ready?" Ryo smiled.

"I'll know."

Shinji looked suspicious. "You're hiding something."

Ryo laughed.

"You're definitely my sister's son." "Why?"

"She asked too many questions too." Shinji smiled faintly.

Ryo reached across the table.

He gently tapped Shinji's covered hand.

"But before you learn magic, you need to learn something more important." "What?"

"Control."

"Control what?"

"Yourself."

Shinji looked confused.

Ryo leaned back.

"Magic listens to the person using it."

"So?"

"If your mind is frightened, angry or unstable..."

Ryo looked toward the sleeve covering Shinji's tattoo.

"...magic can become dangerous." Shinji looked at his hand. "I won't be scared."

Ryo's expression softened.

"Everyone gets scared."

"Not knights."

"Especially knights."

Shinji frowned.

"Why?"

"Because a knight who says they aren't afraid is usually the one who doesn't understand what they're facing." Shinji thought about that.

Ryo stood.

"Come on."

"Where?"

"Bed."

"I'm not tired."

"You've been awake since dawn."

"I'm not tired."

Ryo looked at him.

Shinji yawned.

Ryo smiled.

"Of course you're not."

That night, Shinji climbed into bed wearing his new clothes.

They were comfortable.

The room was warm.

Outside, another train passed through the city. Its whistle echoed between the buildings.

Shinji listened.

For the first time, the sound didn't frighten him.

He pulled the blanket up.

His eyes slowly closed.

Before sleep took him, he looked toward his hand. The tattoo was hidden beneath the fabric.

He still didn't know what it meant.

He didn't know why the old examiner had looked so concerned. He didn't know why Ryo had refused to answer certain questions. He didn't know why natural-born Half-Borns were so rare. And he certainly didn't know what was waiting inside him. But he would learn.

Not today.

Not tomorrow. Perhaps not for years.

Outside, District 7 continued to glow beneath the snow.

And somewhere beneath its streets, enormous machines continued to turn. Magic flowed through the city.

Trains carried people toward distant districts.

Factories worked through the night.

And beyond the walls, beyond the mountains, beyond everything Shinji had ever known—

the world continued to grow.

For now, Shinji slept. For the first time in his life...

he had a home.

Chapter Seven — The Academy

Seven years passed.

Shinji Sugimoto was eighteen.

The boy who had arrived in District 7 at eleven had become a young man.

But despite the years that had passed, there were things he had deliberately left untouched.

He had never trained with a sword.

He had never cast a spell.

He had never attempted to awaken the power sleeping beneath his tattoo. Ryo had refused to teach him.

Not because Shinji wasn't capable.

Because Ryo believed there was a proper place for such things. And that place was the academy.

"Are you nervous?"

Ryo's question came from across the breakfast table.

Shinji looked up.

"No."

Ryo raised an eyebrow.

"You've been staring at your plate for five minutes."

"I'm thinking."

"About?" "The school." Ryo nodded. "Good."

He took a sip of tea. "Then let's talk about it." Shinji sat up slightly.

Ryo placed his cup down.

"The District 7 Academy isn't a normal school." "I know."

"Do you?"

Shinji nodded.

"They train Cleaners."

"Correct."

Ryo leaned back. "Cleaners are magical soldiers." Shinji listened carefully. "They're trained to fight Nightmares." Ryo nodded.

"But being a Cleaner isn't simply about fighting." He held up one finger.

"Your first year will teach you the fundamentals." Shinji made a disgusted face. "How long is the school?"

"Three years"

"Three?"

"Yes."

Shinji looked surprised.

"Why so long?"

"Because you're not learning to become a normal citizen." Ryo's expression became serious.

"You're learning to be an addition into society regardless of what path you take at the end." Shinji looked down.

Ryo continued.

"The academy accepts humans, Demi-Humans"

"Will there be other half borns?"

"Unlikely."

Shinji touched his sleeve.

"And if I graduate?"

"You become an officially recognised Night Cleaner." Shinji looked toward the window.

"And then will I have the ability to protect?"

"That depends on you."

Ryo stood and walked toward the cupboard.

"But getting in isn't automatic."

He retrieved a thick document that once pressed on the table made a huge thump sound.

"The academy has entrance examinations."

"Written examination." He turned the page. "Body inspection." Another page.

"Medical evaluation."

Ryo pointed to the second section.

"The body inspection is important."

"Why?"

"Magic uses the body as its vessel." He tapped the page.

"If your body can't withstand magical circulation, you won't be permitted to train." Shinji frowned.

"What happens if you fail?"

"You don't enter."

"Even if you're talented?"

"Talent doesn't matter if your body breaks." Shinji became quiet.

Ryo continued.

"That's why they inspect your muscles, organs, mana pathways and magical compatibility."

"Mana pathways?"

"You'll learn what those are in class." Shinji nodded.

"Written exam first?"

"Yes."

"What does it cover?"

"Reading."

"History."

"Basic mathematics."

"Nightmare knowledge." "Magic theory." "General knowledge." Shinji looked at him.

Ryo nodded.

Ryo folded his arms.

"And once you're accepted, you'll live there." Shinji looked up.

"Live there?"

"It's a boarding academy."

"For the entire three years?"

"Yes."

Shinji thought about that.

"Then I won't come home?"

"Not every day." Ryo smiled.

"You'll have breaks."

"But I'll be there most of the time."

"Yes."

Shinji looked toward the window.

Something about that made his chest tighten.

Ryo noticed.

"You'll be fine."

"I know." "You'll meet people." Shinji shrugged.

"I don't really talk to people."

"You'll have to."

"Why?"

"Because you'll be sharing a dormitory." Shinji stared at him.

"With strangers?" Ryo laughed. "Yes."

Shinji sighed.

"I don't like this."

"I know." Ryo picked up his coat. "Come on."

"Where?"

"I'm taking you there." Shinji stood.

"Today?"

"Today."

The journey took nearly an hour.

The academy was located in one of the higher sectors of District 7.

As the train travelled through the city, Shinji watched the scenery change. The lower residential areas slowly disappeared.

The buildings became larger.

The roads wider.

The magical infrastructure more sophisticated.

Eventually, the train passed through a massive stone archway. Beyond it stood the academy.

Shinji stared.

The District 7 Academy occupied an enormous section of the city.

Its main building was constructed from dark stone and reinforced steel.

Several towers rose above it.

Between them stretched covered walkways. Training grounds occupied the rear of the campus.

Shinji could see enormous practice fields surrounded by reinforced barriers. There were dormitory buildings.

Classrooms.

A medical wing.

A library.

A large examination hall.

And, at the centre of the academy, a massive tower with a glowing magical crystal at its peak.

Students walked through the gates.

Humans.

Elves.

Beastfolk.

Demi-Humans of countless types.

And a few people whose natural tattoos were visible.

Shinji stopped walking.

He had never seen so many different races gathered in one place. Ryo

smiled.

"Welcome to the academy."

They approached the entrance.

A large stone monument stood beside the gates. It depicted several figures standing together.

A human.

A Demi-Human.

All holding weapons.

Beneath them was an inscription:

KNOW YOUR ENEMY.

MASTER YOURSELF.

PROTECT HUMANITY.

Shinji read each line.

Ryo pointed toward the first building. "That's the examination hall." "Written exam?"

"Yes."

"And the body inspection?"

"Medical wing."

"What about training?"

Ryo pointed toward the enormous grounds.

"Those are the martial training fields" Shinji looked at them.

Wooden swords were stacked against a wall.

Wooden staffs rested beside them. Students were already practising. No magic.

No glowing weapons.

Just movement.

Footwork.

Strikes.

Defence.

Shinji watched.

"That's where I'll learn swordsmanship?" "Yes."

"For the first time."

"Yes."

Shinji looked at the wooden swords.

Ryo continued.

"Your martial arts classes won't teach you magic." "Then what will they teach?"

"How to fight." He paused.

"Your weapon doesn't need magic to hurt someone." Shinji nodded.

Ryo then pointed toward another building.

"Magic classes are there." Shinji looked at it.

"What will I learn?"

"The fundamentals."

"Spells?" "Eventually."

Shinji looked confused.

Ryo shook his head.

"At first, you won't be learning powerful spells." Ryo raised his hand.

"Your body will learn how to circulate magical energy around itself."

"Because if you can't control the basics, giving you more power would be irresponsible."

Shinji accepted that.

Then Ryo pointed toward a third building.

"Nightmare studies."

Shinji's expression changed.

"What do they teach?" "The origin of Nightmares." "Their classifications." "Their behaviour."

"Their weaknesses."

"And what happens when you encounter one." Shinji stared at the building.

Ryo noticed his expression. "You're going to learn that fear isn't weakness." Shinji looked at him.

"Then what is it?"

"Information."

They continued walking. "There's also basic reading." Shinji looked confident.

"I can read."

"Good."

"You taught me."

"That doesn't mean you won't study it." Shinji sighed.

"What else?"

"History."

"Mathematics."

"Science."

"Basic magical theory."

"And eventually practical Cleaner training." Shinji looked around.

There were hundreds of students.

Some were laughing.

Others were carrying books.

Some were practising with wooden weapons.

Some students were flying but those were demi humans with wings. A few students had already begun arguing over something.

It looked like an ordinary school.

Almost.

Then Shinji saw the reinforced walls.

The magical barriers. The medical wing. The enormous gates.

And he remembered what the academy actually existed for.

These weren't ordinary students.

Ryo stopped at the entrance.

"This is where I leave you." Shinji looked at him.

"You're not coming in?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because this is your beginning." Shinji looked toward the academy.

Then back at Ryo.

For seven years, Ryo had been his home. His

teacher.

His guardian.

His family.

Now, for the first time, Shinji would have to walk somewhere without him. Ryo placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about becoming a great Cleaner." Shinji looked up.

"Then what should I worry about?"

"Learning."

Ryo smiled.

"Learn how to use your body."

"Learn how to use your magic." "Learn about Nightmares." "Learn how to fight."

"And most importantly—"

He looked directly into Shinji's eyes.

"Learn who you are." Shinji nodded.

Then turned toward the academy.

The gates opened.

Students streamed through them.

Shinji adjusted the strap of his bag.

Then stepped through the gates.

His life as a Cleaner had begun.

The examination hall was enormous.

Rows of desks stretched across the room, each separated by enough space to prevent students from looking at one another's papers.

Hundreds of applicants sat quietly.

Humans.

Demi-Humans.

Elves.

Beastfolk.

And a handful of natural-born Half-Borns.

Shinji noticed the last group immediately.

There weren't many.

Their tattoos were as different as their faces.

One boy had markings resembling black feathers running from his palms to his shoulders.

A girl several seats away had a pattern that looked like twisting branches extending up her arms.

Another applicant had a tattoo that resembled geometric rings. Shinji looked at his own hand.

His markings were different from all of theirs.

He wondered what that meant. A

bell rang.

CLANG.

The doors closed.

A woman wearing the academy's dark uniform stepped onto the platform at the front of the room.

"Welcome to the District 7 Academy entrance examination." The room fell silent.

"You will complete the written portion of your entrance examination first." She lifted a stack of papers.

"The examination will cover reading comprehension, mathematics, history, basic science, reasoning and general knowledge."

Shinji listened carefully but he was confident as Ryo had already taught him the basics. "You have two hours."

The examiner looked across the room. "Begin."

Shinji turned over his paper. Reading Comprehension

He began immediately.

The passage described the development of District 7's railway system and its effect on the city's expansion.

Shinji read carefully.

Then answered the questions.

He had spent years reading under Ryo's supervision.

Books had become one of the few things Shinji genuinely enjoyed.

They allowed him to learn about places he'd never seen.

History. Technology.

Different cultures.

Other districts.

He moved onto mathematics.

That was harder.

Shinji frowned at one of the questions. He could almost hear Ryo's voice.

Read the question again.

He did.

The answer became obvious. He continued.

History came next.

The formation of District 7.

The development of magical technology.

The early relationship between humans and Demi-Humans.

The expansion of the city.

Shinji answered confidently.

Then came science.

Human anatomy.

Basic chemistry.

Physics.

Mechanical systems. Shinji did reasonably well. Not

perfectly.

But enough.

The final section was reasoning. Patterns. Sequences. Logic problems.

Shinji leaned back.

He stared at one question.

A series of symbols repeated in a particular order. He studied it.

Then wrote his answer.

"Five minutes remaining." Shinji checked his paper.

He returned to the questions he had marked.

One by one, he reconsidered them.

Then—

"Time."

Pens stopped. "Place your pencils down." Shinji put his pencil on the desk.

The examiners began collecting the papers.

Students immediately began whispering. "That mathematics section was awful." "I think I failed." "The history was easy." Shinji stood.

He didn't know how well he'd done.

He supposed he would find out.

A member of staff approached him. "Sugimoto,

Shinji?"

"Yes."

"Follow me."