Saga Legacy

Mikage muttered under his breath, rubbing his hair in frustration. "Man, either he's the personification of talent, or something is seriously wrong. Either way, I hate it."

Akira glanced at him. "Did you say something?"

Mikage quickly straightened up. "Nothing."

They sat down to eat, and Akira stared at Mikage for a moment before speaking up. "Looks like I'll get that smoothie."

Mikage smirked, sliding his ID across the table. "I recommend the strawberry."

"I'll remember that," Akira replied, grabbing the ID and walking off toward the counter.

As soon as Akira was out of earshot, a group of Mikage's classmates approached his table. One of them, a guy with a cocky grin, spoke up. "If it isn't the Flaming Prince Charming."

Mikage leaned back, unamused. "What's up?"

The classmate snickered. "Didn't know you were into guys now."

Mikage gave a dry, sarcastic laugh. "Very funny. I almost choked."

"Sheesh, can't you take a joke?" the classmate retorted. "Anyway, what's the deal with the new kid? Think we could hustle some money out of him?"

Mikage's expression darkened. "I wouldn't suggest that."

The classmate raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

Mikage leaned forward slightly. "Because he's coming back now. Feel free to check for yourself."

Akira was walking toward them, sipping on his milkshake. The classmate smirked and sauntered over to Akira, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Yo, new kid. Name's Kane. What's yours?"

Akira ignored him, continuing to sip his milkshake.

Irritated, Kane tightened his grip. "Hey, maybe you didn't hear me. I'll introduce myself again—"

"Oh, I heard you," Akira cut him off, his tone cold and nonchalant. "I just didn't want to answer."

Kane's eyes narrowed. "And why's that?"

Akira shrugged, barely sparing him a glance. "I don't know. Maybe I just don't like your face."

Kane's irritation turned into anger. "Oh yeah? Why are new students always so cocky?"

Akira set his milkshake down on the table as Kane swung a punch at him. Effortlessly, Akira sidestepped, grabbed Kane's arm mid-swing, and slammed him to the ground, locking his arm in place.

Before Kane could react, one of his friends charged at Akira. Akira was ready to retaliate, but Mikage appeared between them, grabbing both Akira's hand and Kane's friend's arm.

"That's enough," Mikage said firmly, his tone calm but commanding. "It wouldn't look good if you guys started a fight under my watch."

Kane's friend hesitated before helping Kane up, both of them shooting daggers at Akira before walking away.

Mikage turned to Akira, crossing his arms. "Why didn't you just use that creepy evil aura of yours?"

Akira picked up his milkshake and took a sip. "Didn't think of that."

Mikage sighed as Akira tossed his ID back to him.

"Thanks for the smoothie," Akira said, his tone casual.

Mikage grinned. "So, you got the strawberry milkshake?"

"It's not bad," Akira replied.

"Glad you like it," Mikage said as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Let's head back to the room."

Later that night, Akira lay restless in his bed, drenched in sweat and groaning softly. His nightmare consumed him.

In the dream, a shadowy figure sat on an imposing throne, its glowing red eyes piercing through the darkness. Akira tried to stand, move, or even speak, but his body betrayed him. Breathing felt impossible as a suffocating wave of inhuman fear pinned him down.

Suddenly, formless shadowy beings began to rise from the ground, their shapes shifting and writhing. They reached for him, clawing and grabbing, dragging him toward an endless abyss. Akira struggled with all his might, but even his strongest efforts couldn't overpower a single one. He felt helpless as the void pulled him deeper. His terrified gaze locked onto the figure on the throne, whose red eyes glowed brighter, unblinking.

As he was fully consumed by the shadows, Akira jolted awake, gasping for air. His chest heaved, and his trembling hands gripped the blanket tightly. "Damn... Why can't I just have a nice dream?" he mumbled, wiping the sweat off his face.

He glanced toward Mikage's side of the room and froze. Red eyes stared back at him in the dark.

Akira yelled, stumbling out of bed as a shadowy katana formed in his hand.

"Relax, dude! It's just me!" Mikage said, flicking on the light. The glow revealed his eyes, resonating faintly with red mana.

Akira let out a sigh of relief, lowering his weapon. "Thank goodness... You scared me."

Mikage smirked. "You're already manipulating shadow magic? Impressive."

Akira blinked, confused. "What are you talking about?" He glanced at his hand, finally noticing the shadow katana he'd summoned. Shocked, he dropped it, but before it could hit the floor, it dissipated into nothingness.

"Where did it go?" Akira asked, looking around.

Mikage shrugged. "I don't know. But shadow magic isn't common. Does that mean you're from one of the shadow clans?"

"Shadow clans?" Akira asked.

"Yeah," Mikage explained. "Shadow magic users are rare. They tend to live in, well... shadows. Most of them work as messengers or assassins. They're almost impossible to find."

"That sounds cool," Akira said, though his tone was skeptical. "But I highly doubt it."

"Fair enough," Mikage replied. "I only know one shadow sorcerer, and he's in this school—one of my classmates. I'll introduce you someday."

Mikage's expression suddenly grew serious. "What were you dreaming about?"

Akira hesitated. "What makes you think I was dreaming?"

"You were groaning in your sleep," Mikage said, crossing his arms. "And... you were speaking a language I didn't recognize."

Akira's brow furrowed. "That's weird. Didn't that magic circle on your neck translate it?"

"No," Mikage said firmly. "And that's what worries me. If even my circle couldn't decipher it, whatever you were saying wasn't ordinary. I'll ask you again—what did you see?"

Akira forced a casual laugh, brushing it off. "Nothing serious. Just some sharks attacking me. Maybe it's paranoia or something."

Mikage frowned but didn't push further. "If you say so."

"Good," Akira said, heading toward the bathroom. "I'm going to shower."

Mikage watched him leave, rubbing his temples as unease gnawed at him. That wasn't paranoia... The magic circle glitched trying to decipher that language. How is that even possible?

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. How long will this madness go on? And, Akira... What's your goal?

Mikage stepped out of the bathroom, towel-drying his hair. He glanced at Akira, who was already dressed and ready to go.

"You're quick," Mikage said casually.

"You're slow," Akira shot back.

Mikage shrugged. "Well, I'm not in a hurry. No need to rush."

Before Akira could respond, a knock came at the door. Akira opened it to see a female staff member of the school standing there. She gave a polite bow.

"Excuse me, is this Akira Seguru?" she asked.

Akira raised his hand. "That's me. And, please, you don't need to bow. It makes me uncomfortable."

The staff member straightened up. "Oh, my apologies. I'll keep that in mind. Are you ready? Mr. Oliver asked me to show you to your class."

Akira nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Great," she said with a smile. She handed him a bag. "This is your school bag, made from the same enchanted material as your uniform."

"Cool," Akira replied, slinging it over his shoulder.

As they walked through the halls, they stopped in front of a large classroom door. The staff member turned to Akira. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Akira said, though his voice betrayed a hint of nervousness. Why am I so anxious? he thought. I can feel so much mana radiating from beyond this door.

The staff member knocked, then opened the door.

Inside, Akira's eyes immediately landed on the elf doctor who had drawn his blood earlier. The staff member stepped aside and addressed the class. "Sorry for the interruption, everyone. Let me introduce your new classmate, Akira Seguru."

Before Akira could say anything, the staff member gave a quick bow and left the room.

"Wait, she just left like that?" Akira muttered, feeling the stares of the entire class.

The elf stepped forward, a sly grin on his face. "Well, if it isn't the crybaby who gave me such a hard time when I was trying to take your blood."

Akira scowled. "I'm not a crybaby!"

"Sure, sure," the elf replied, waving him off. "Go take that vacant seat over there."

Grumbling under his breath, Akira walked to the empty desk and sat down.

The elf turned to the class. "For those of you who don't know, my name is Mr. Simon. If you don't know my name by now, ask one of your classmates. I'm too tired to repeat myself. In fact, as you can see from the dark circles under my eyes, I'm always tired. And if you can't tell, well, this class isn't for you."

A few students chuckled nervously.

"Now that you're in this class, you'll still have your regular academic lessons, but there won't be any more basic magic classes. You're old enough to start going on supervised missions, and eventually unsupervised ones. My job is to prepare you for the dark, cruel world out there."

He crossed his arms, his tone growing sharper. "I have three rules. First, follow the school rules. Second, stay out of trouble so I don't get dragged into defending you. And third, don't disturb me unless it's absolutely worth my time. I'll be in my lab most of the time, so thank you in advance for not bothering me unnecessarily."

Mr. Simon's gaze landed on Akira. "Oh, and one more thing: Crybaby." He tossed an ID card at Akira, who caught it instinctively.

The elf smirked. "Welcome to the class," he said, then turned and walked out, leaving the room in stunned silence.

Akira looked down at the ID in his hand, then back at the door Mr. Simon had exited through. "What the hell is with this guy?" he muttered under his breath.

Akira suddenly felt a powerful surge of mana beside him. Turning his head, his gaze landed on a girl with long, flowing white hair and striking blue eyes. The sunlight streaming through the window seemed to enhance her pale complexion, making her almost ethereal.

"Wow... looks like she's Japanese," Akira muttered to himself.

Curiosity got the better of him, and he stood up, walking over to her desk. The room buzzed with whispers as the students watched in disbelief.

"Is he serious?" someone whispered.

"On his first day, and he's already trying to talk to her?" another muttered.

"He's got guts, I'll give him that. The Ice Princess doesn't talk to anyone."

Ignoring the whispers, Akira stood in front of her desk. She sat still, seemingly unbothered by his presence, her eyes fixed ahead, ignoring him completely.

"Isn't the sunlight bothering your eyes?" Akira asked.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, as if no one had ever asked her such a thing before. She hesitated for a moment before responding. "O-Oh… not really. It actually helps me." She gave him a small smile.

Akira nodded. "Alright, see you around then."

Just as he turned to leave, she spoke up. "Wait... what's your name?"

He glanced back at her. "Akira Seguru. What about you?"

"Yukiko Hakuren," she replied, tilting her head slightly.

At the mention of her last name, Akira's expression darkened slightly. "Hakuren? Are you related to that Hakuren?"

Yukiko nodded. "Yes, why? Have you met him before?"

A memory flashed in Akira's mind—being thrown off a building, the rush of wind, and the impact that followed. He frowned. "I don't like him."

Yukiko chuckled softly. "He's really nice, though."

Akira shrugged, clearly unimpressed.

Before he could leave again, Yukiko asked, "Want to meet up later?"

Akira considered it for a moment before responding, "Okay."

The class erupted into hushed murmurs.

"What just happened?"

"Did she just smile at him?"

"No way... and they're meeting up later?"

Akira, paying no attention to the gossip, returned to his seat while Yukiko watched him with a curious expression. Meanwhile, Mikage, observing the whole interaction from a distance, smirked to himself.

Mikage smirked as he turned away, muttering to himself, "Well, at least I don't have to worry about him fitting in with his classmates."

Just then, the school's intercom crackled to life, and a voice announced, "Mikage Magata, you are needed in Mr. Oliver's office. I repeat, Mikage Magata, please report to Mr. Oliver's office."

Mikage let out a sigh, stretching his arms. "Man, I'm tired," he mumbled before making his way to the office.

Upon reaching the door, he knocked lightly.

"Enter," came Mr. Oliver's voice from inside.

Mikage stepped in and greeted him, "Good morning, sir. You called for me?"

Mr. Oliver looked up from his paperwork with a smile. "Yes, please have a seat."

As Mikage sat down, Mr. Oliver continued flipping through the documents in front of him. "So, how's Akira settling into class?"

Mikage leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment. "Honestly, better than I expected. He's not overwhelmed by all the new things—he's adjusting pretty well."

Mr. Oliver nodded in approval. "That's good to hear. Have you noticed anything... unusual?" He paused, then quickly added, "Though I suppose it's too early to—"

"He speaks another language," Mikage interrupted.

Mr. Oliver glanced at him with mild surprise. "Well, isn't that good? Maybe he likes studying lan—"

Mikage cut in again. "But my magic circle couldn't decipher it."

The atmosphere in the room shifted as Mr. Oliver's expression turned serious. "Wait… that's impossible. The magic circle is designed to understand all languages, even ancient ones. Are you sure?"

Mikage nodded. "I'm sure. And he wasn't even awake when it happened."

Mr. Oliver leaned back in his chair, processing the information. "Anything else?"

Mikage folded his arms. "Yeah. He summoned a katana in his sleep. I could tell it was sharp, and it vanished before it hit the ground."

Mr. Oliver's brow furrowed. "Interesting... Keep an eye on him. Let me know if anything else out of the ordinary happens."

Meanwhile, back in class, Akira was staring at his hand, feeling the flow of mana within him. He focused, and dark energy began to swirl around his palm, shaping itself into the form of a gauntlet.

As he became lost in the process, completely absorbed in his new discovery, a loud thud echoed through the room.

"Hey, crybaby! Focus in class!" Mr. Simon's voice snapped him back to reality as a marker bounced off his skull.

Akira rubbed his head, groaning. "Ow... I'm not a crybaby."

The class chuckled, but Mr. Simon only smirked. "Then stop spacing out and pay attention!"

Mr. Oliver rubbed his forehead and let out a long sigh. "This kid is stressing me out so much I haven't even had a proper night's sleep. Mikage, just don't let him out of your sight."

Mikage, remembering the incident from yesterday, spoke up. "Oh, sir, about that... There was a minor issue that escalated yesterday between my classmate Kane and Akira."

Mr. Oliver groaned loudly. "Can that Kane not just leave the juniors alone and let them enjoy themselves? I hope Akira isn't feeling pressured."

Mikage smirked. "Quite the contrary, sir. Akira subdued him."

Mr. Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Was there any use of magic?"

"No, sir," Mikage responded.

Mr. Oliver leaned back in his chair with a small chuckle. "That explains it. Kane may be a terrible hand-to-hand fighter, but his magic armor... that's another story. It's a hereditary power from the Ironclad family, and it's no joke." He sighed again, deeper this time. "I swear, I want to expel that kid so badly, but his family would have my head for tarnishing their name."

Mikage shrugged. "I'll keep an eye on them, sir."

Mr. Oliver nodded. "Good. Just keep Akira and Kane far apart."

Meanwhile, in Akira's class, the final bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. Mr. Simon grabbed his things and left the room, and just as students began packing up, the door slammed open.

Kane and his gang barged in, his voice booming, "Everyone out! Except you." He pointed directly at Akira.

The students exchanged nervous glances before scrambling out of the room, but Yukiko remained seated, watching the group with an icy gaze.

Kane turned to her, smirking. "Pretty girl, you can stay if you want. I don't mind," he said, placing his hand over her shoulder.

Akira crossed his arms and smirked. "You embarrassed yourself yesterday, Kane. Don't blame me because you can't throw a decent punch."

Kane's face contorted with anger, mana beginning to leak from his body. "You cocky little brat," he growled, gesturing to his boys to attack.

They rushed Akira from all sides. As one of them threw a punch, it passed right through him, phasing harmlessly. Akira seized the moment, landing a powerful kick to the attacker's chest, sending him flying. Without missing a beat, he engaged the rest in a rapid series of strikes and counters.

Meanwhile, Yukiko looked at Kane calmly. "Please remove your hand from my shoulder."

Kane chuckled. "Why? You weren't complaining before."

Yukiko's expression darkened. "I just wanted to understand why girls don't resist you. I thought they felt something special... but all I feel is disgust."

Kane's face twisted with rage, and he raised his hand to strike. "Eat your words, bit—"

Before he could finish, Yukiko swiftly grabbed his arm, twisted it, and flipped him over, slamming his face into the ground.

"You lack manners," she said coldly, her eyes glowing with an icy blue hue.

Back in Mr. Oliver's office, frantic knocks echoed through the room.

"Come in," Mr. Oliver called, and the door swung open to reveal a panicked classmate. "Sir! Kane and his boys locked themselves in with Akira and Yukiko!"

Before Mr. Oliver could respond, Mikage was already out the door, sprinting towards the classroom with Mr. Oliver trailing behind. "Thanks for the report!" the teacher called back.

Upon reaching the classroom, Mikage didn't hesitate—he placed his palm on the door, and with a burst of fire magic, burned it down.

Inside, he saw Akira and Yukiko standing over Kane, who was now encased in his signature iron armor.

Mikage dashed forward and shouted, "Hot Spot!" as he pressed his palm against Kane's chest. A concentrated surge of fire magic burst through Kane's armor at a single point, causing him to collapse to the ground with a groan.

Mr. Oliver arrived just in time, panting. "Everyone okay?"

Akira and Yukiko, slightly bruised but smiling, raised their thumbs in response.