THE SELECTION

The morning mist hung low over the training field, soft and silver, as the first light of the sun crept over the academy's tiled rooftops.
In the middle of the field stood a boy, still bandaged beneath his training robes, his breathing slow and steady.
*Relax. Feel the centre of the body. Kai is the body, and the body is kai.*
Godori opened his eyes.
The kai flowed.
It no longer sputtered or stalled or burned against his wounds. It moved from his core down his arm like a river finally finding its path, and it gathered in his open palm, glowing with a steady pale light. A kai ball, round and perfect, hovered above his hand.
"Again," said a calm voice behind him.
Godori grinned and flung the ball at the wooden board across the field. It struck dead centre with a crack that echoed through the morning air, and a thin line of splinters drifted down from the board.
"Whoa..." he breathed, staring at his hand. "Irel, did you see that? Did you SEE that?!"
"I saw." Irel stood a few steps away with her arms folded, a small, proud smile on her lips. "Your flow was clean the whole time. You didn't force it."
It had been days now. Every dawn, every dusk, she had been there at his side, correcting his posture, steadying his breathing, and watching without complaint as he failed again and again. And now, standing in the glow of the rising sun, Godori felt something stirring deep within his kai, something more than a ball, more than a fist.
*Something that's mine.*
He clenched his fist, and the kai wrapped around it, humming faintly.
"Not yet," Irel said gently, reading his face. "But you're close. Very close."
Godori nodded, his eyes burning. "Yeah. I can feel it."
---
At the far edge of the field, beneath the shade of an old tree, a man leaned lazily against the trunk with his arms tucked into his sleeves. A linen mask covered the lower half of his face, and his half-lidded eyes followed the two figures in the distance.
Ragna Flamesworth had been standing there for a while now.
"Already has a senior as his guide, huh?" he murmured.
His gaze lingered on Irel, then drifted to the small boy beside her.
"And not just any senior. A class three." He tilted his head, and the mask shifted as if he were smiling beneath it. "That's two classes above him, you know. The academy only *asks* for the class right above. Class four. But no, no, our little hotshot couldn't settle for that."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"Greedy little thing. Skipped the line, grabbed the best tutor in reach, and didn't even ask permission." He pushed himself off the tree and stretched with an enormous, lazy yawn. "And to think I worried about him. Hah! He's doing just fine on his own."
He turned his back to the field, one hand lifted in a loose wave to no one in particular.
"What a stingy bastard."
His footsteps faded down the stone path, unhurried, as if the whole matter hadn't mattered at all.
---
The moment he disappeared around the corner, the great bell of the academy rang out, deep and echoing across the courtyards.
Doors slid open. Footsteps rushed through the halls. Across the grounds, voices called out one after another:
"All new trainees, assemble at once!"
"The seniors are waiting in the main hall!"
Godori's head snapped toward the sound, and the kai in his hand flickered out.
Irel's smile faded slightly, and she looked toward the hall.
"It's time," she said quietly. "The seniors are going to choose who they'll train."
Godori swallowed, then clenched his fist again, his eyes sharp.
"Then let's go."
Godori slid to a stop before the great doors, his sandals skidding across the polished floor, and his eyes went wide.
*The main hall?!*
In all his days at the academy he had never once set foot inside it. Now he stood at the threshold of a hall so vast he could barely see the far wall. Towering pillars of dark cedar held up a ceiling lost in shadow. Paper lanterns drifted in rows overhead, and sunlight poured through high lattice windows in long golden beams. At the far end, three lines of Shibu in crisp uniforms stood waiting, one for each of classes 4, 3 and 2.
"Whoa..." Godori breathed, forgetting to walk. "It's *huge*."
"Close your mouth, hotshot," Zeika muttered from somewhere behind him. "You look like a fish."
A soft giggle came from his left. Amana Imakirawa was already seated with the other trainees, waving him over with a bright smile. Godori hurried to the nearest open space as the great doors thudded shut behind him.
Silence fell.
One figure stepped forward from the class 4 line, and the whole hall seemed to turn toward him.
> **STATUS**> **Name:** Marco Rubino> **Class:** 4 (Representative)> **Affinity:** Fire (Blue Flame)
Godori had never spoken to him, but he knew the name. In the days since the exam, he had heard it over and over. Amana whispered it at every meal, Dan grumbled it in passing, and even the two quiet ones glanced up whenever it came up.
*"He's the strongest in class 4, you know,"* Amana had told him, eyes shining. *"Some say he's almost stronger than most of class 3. And he's only a few years older than us! They say his flames burn blue. Blue! It's the purest form of the fire affinity. Most fire users never get close."*
Looking at him now, it was hard to believe. Marco looked like the perfect average teenager: neat dark hair, a gentle face, a calm and tender smile that put everyone at ease. He could have been the boy next door, the kind who carries your bags without being asked.
But the air around him told a different story. Even standing still, his kai pressed softly against the room, deep and steady like the sea beneath a calm surface. There was a faint warmth to it, though not the wild heat Kaga had thrown at Godori in the arena. This was quiet and controlled, the kind of heat that doesn't need to roar to burn through steel. The class 4 Shibu behind him stood a little straighter in his presence, and even a few of the class 3 seniors watched him with quiet respect.
*A monster,* Godori thought, *wearing a nice smile.*
His fist curled slowly at his side. *And one day, I'll catch up to that.*
"Welcome, trainees," Marco began, his voice warm and clear. "Congratulations on surviving the selection exam. Today marks the beginning of your real journey here."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"As you know, each of you will train directly under one senior from the class above. Class 4 will be choosing a select few among you, those we find worthy of our time and guidance."
Godori frowned slightly.
"The academy cannot waste its strength on the talentless," Marco continued, still smiling. "It's only natural that we seek out those with true promise."
*Talentless.*
The word landed strangely. Marco's eyes hadn't moved and his tone hadn't changed. Yet Godori felt something prickle along his skin, the unmistakable sense of being singled out.
*Is he... talking about me?*
"The selection will be decided by each senior for their own trainee," Marco went on. "It may be a spar. It may be a test of how far you've trained your kai. It may be a demonstration of your element and your prowess with it. The form depends entirely on the one who chooses you."
He paused, and his smile softened.
"In short, it is a test of growth, and nothing more."
A ripple of tension moved through the trainees. Zeika grinned. Dan sighed. Izumi didn't move at all.
"I hope you all do well," Marco said kindly, bowing his head slightly before returning to his place and sitting.
The hall let out a breath.
But Godori couldn't shake it. As Marco settled into his seat, his gaze slid across the rows of trainees and stopped, just for a heartbeat, on him. The smile was still there, gentle and perfect. Behind it, Godori felt something cold and sharp, like a blue flame hidden beneath a sheet of silk.
*He doesn't like me.*
Godori swallowed, then lifted his chin and met the stare with a small, stubborn grin.
*Fine. Then I'll just have to prove myself.*
You're right, I only gave Taro a window. Here's the chapter with every picking senior introduced properly.
The echo of the great bell had barely faded when Marco lifted one hand.
"Class 4," he said gently. "You may choose."
Chairs scraped across the polished floor. All at once, a line of seniors rose from their seats, and every trainee in the hall sat a little straighter. The lanterns overhead swayed in the sudden stir of kai, and the air tightened like a drawn bowstring.
Godori gripped his knees. His heart pounded in his ears. *This is it. This is where it starts.*
The first to step forward was a lanky young man with spiked hair and a restless grin, sparks crawling lazily over his knuckles.
> **STATUS**> **Name:** Taro Raikawa> **Class:** 4> **Affinity:** Lightning
"You," he said, pointing straight at Zeika. "The one who crackles every time somebody breathes near her. I like that."
Zeika's mouth curled into a slow, wicked smile. "About time somebody noticed."
Taro pulled a paper lantern from his sleeve, hung it from a thread high above the floor, and gave it a hard swing. "Cut the thread before it passes the centre pillar. Don't break the lantern."
Zeika's hand snapped up. A bolt tore across the hall with a violent *crack*, raced along the thread and severed it in a single bright flash. The lantern dropped, and Taro caught it between two fingers without even looking.
"Pass," he laughed. "Sloppy. Fast. Mine."
Zeika scoffed, but she was grinning.
Next, a sleepy, soft-eyed young man drifted forward with a yawn, his hair stirring as though a breeze followed him everywhere.
> **STATUS**> **Name:** Sora Kazahana> **Class:** 4> **Affinity:** Wind
"You," he said to Dan. "The one who sighs at everything. Same as me." He tossed three white feathers into the air. "Keep all three up for one full minute."
Dan sighed, flicked his wrist, and the feathers spiralled and drifted in lazy circles without once touching the floor. When the minute ended, Sora gave a sleepy smile. "Mm. Pass."
Then the floor seemed to grow heavier as a broad, silent senior with arms like tree trunks stepped out of the line.
> **STATUS**> **Name:** Gantetsu Dobashi> **Class:** 4> **Affinity:** Earth
He chose Yu Sanik without a word, only a nod. Yu stepped forward and pressed a palm to the stone. A thick wall of rock rose from the floor, and Gantetsu struck it once with his fist. It cracked, shuddered, and held. He grunted, and that was approval enough.
A cool-eyed senior with long hair tied back came next, her steps so smooth they barely made a sound.
> **STATUS**> **Name:** Mizuki Aoyagi> **Class:** 4> **Affinity:** Water
She took Izumi. A rain of thin water needles shot toward Izumi while she held a sphere of water in each palm. Not one ripple disturbed the surface of either sphere. Izumi's expression never changed, but Mizuki nodded in quiet approval. "Steady. Good."
Last, a sharp-eyed senior with her arms crossed stepped forward.
> **STATUS**> **Name:** Nagisa Umino> **Class:** 4> **Affinity:** Water
"Amana," she said. "Show me control."
Amana drew a deep breath, shaped a glittering ball of water, split it into a dozen small fish, and sent them circling around Nagisa like silver ribbons before they dissolved into mist. Nagisa gave a short, cold nod. "Acceptable."
One by one, the seniors sat down, their chosen trainees at their sides.
And through all of it, Godori sat with his hands on his knees.
No one stood for him.
Seniors' eyes drifted past his row as if he were nothing but a gap between two chairs. The hall began to fill with hushed voices, never loud enough to be called insults, but just loud enough to be heard.
"That's the Fushiku boy."
"The one who beat Kaga? Pure luck."
"Weak kai. No element. Talentless."
Godori's jaw tightened. For a moment, the hall blurred, and he heard other voices. *Disappointment. Give up. Only someone who mastered kai can become the shibura.* The villagers' words rose out of his memory, as sharp as ever.
*Keep smiling,* he told himself. *Just keep smiling.*
"That's not fair!"
The voice rang out sharp and clear. Godori turned. Amana was on her feet, fists clenched, her face flushed.
"Godori beat Kaga in front of the entire village!" she cried. "He earned his place here just like the rest of us! You're all being stupid and greedy, grabbing only the ones who look strong and ignoring everyone else!"
The hall went deathly still.
Beside her, Nagisa leaned in, her smile stiff, her voice a bare whisper. "Sit down, Amana. Mind your own business. Make a name for yourself and make the seniors like you. Don't waste it on him."
Amana's lips trembled. She glanced at Godori, her eyes full of apology, and slowly sank back into her seat.
*Amana...* Godori's chest ached. *Thank you.*
"May I?"
The calm voice cut through the silence. Marco rose from his seat, smile warm as ever, and every head turned.
"Let me be fair," he said, his voice soft and kind. "Godori Fushiku passed the exam through luck and persistence. There is no shame in that." He inclined his head slightly. "In fact, I applaud his effort. Truly. Not many would keep standing after taking what he took."
Godori blinked, thrown off guard.
But Marco's smile never changed, and his eyes didn't warm.
"Still, effort is not talent. If he wants a senior's time, he'll have to prove his worth like everyone else."
Something snapped in Godori's chest.
He shot to his feet so fast his seat skidded back across the floor. "I'm doing none of that."
Every eye in the hall turned toward him.
"I'm not going to prove my worth," Godori said, his voice shaking with anger. "Not to you, not to anybody! I already proved it in that arena! If none of you want to train me, fine! I'll do it without you!"
For one breath, no one moved.
Then the hall exploded.
"What did he just say?"
"Absurd! That's absolutely absurd!"
A grim-faced class 3 senior slammed a hand against a pillar. "The rule is plain! Every trainee must train under a senior! Prove yourself to one of us, or leave this academy!"
"He dares defy the rules in his first week?" another snapped. "Class 2 should strike his name off the roster right now!"
Godori clenched his fists, kai flickering faintly around his knuckles, but he didn't step back. "Then strike it! I came here to get strong! I don't need anyone's permission for that!"
"You insolent—"
"This is outrageous! He must be made an example of!"
"The rules are the rules, boy! Obey, or go!"
The voices piled one on top of another, louder and sharper, until the great hall rang with them. Zeika smirked, enjoying every second. Dan rubbed his temple. Amana covered her mouth with both hands. Even Izumi's eyes lifted from the floor for the first time. And through it all, Marco stood in the middle of the storm, smiling gently, hands folded behind his back, saying nothing. He simply let the others do the work.
Godori stood alone in the middle of the shouting, his shoulders trembling, surrounded on every side. The words hit him like blows, but his chin stayed high.
*I won't bow. I won't. Not now. Not after everything.*
"I'll take him in."
The voice was quiet, but it cut through the noise like a blade through silk.
The hall fell silent.
Godori's head snapped around. He knew that voice. He had heard it every dawn for days, correcting his stance, steadying his breath, telling him again and again that he was close.
At the back of the hall, a girl stepped out from the line of class 3 seniors. Her ice-blue eyes were calm, her arms folded, and a faint, unshakable smile touched her lips.
It was none other than Irel Ember.