Kaiyo Tsukehara stood barefoot on cracked earth, lightning flickering like restless spirits in his fingertips. He stared up at the brooding clouds gathering overhead, a fierce smirk tugging at his lips. Sixteen years old. The age where a spark either flares into a blazing flame or burns out, lost to smoke and shadow.
At sixteen, the world decides if you're a spark… or just smoke.
The volcanic training grounds crackled underfoot, the stones stained by molten lava veins that pulsed like veins of fire beneath the earth. Across the ring, Luca Fujimoto adjusted his kusarigama, calm as always, precision forged in silence. His molten eyes locked on Kaiyo's with a quiet confidence.
"You always this slow," Kaiyo teased, "or just trying to give me a chance?"
Luca's lips twitched in a faint smile. "Just waiting for you to get tired."
The dance began. Lightning struck against molten lava, sparks flying as power met precision. They moved with the grace of gods testing choreography rather than a simple spar. Each strike was calculated, each dodge measured, a testament to years of practice and unspoken respect.
From the sidelines, Tomiwa Adams appeared, walking with quiet ease. His eyes flickered with a calm knowing, an astral masquerade spirit floating beside him like a shadow caught between worlds.
"You two fight like kids." Tomiwa said dryly.
Kaiyo wiped sweat from his brow, grinning. "Better than being afraid to throw a punch."
Tomiwa shrugged. "Fear's a good teacher. You'll meet it soon enough."
"Says the guy who's never been hit because his masquerades guard him" Luca joked.
"I'd still destroy you without a single one of them anyway" Tomiwa replied, taking a large gulp of his hibiscus juice.
Later, the trio gathered in a quiet room, the weight of the coming trials pressing down like a storm. Three days until the Selection Trials — the day their lives would change forever. Luca sharpened his kusarigama skills in silence. Kaiyo clenched his fists, electricity crackling faintly in the dim light. Tomiwa sat distant, eyes lost in thought.
"This isn't just about power," Luca said softly. "It's the first test of who we really are."
Kaiyo's smirk returned. "Guess it's time the world finally sees me."
Far away, in a grand chamber carved from stone and glowing with ancient glyphs, the Six Lances prepared. Leia Fujimoto spoke with quiet authority, "Our medallions decide the future. Only the worthy will be chosen."
"No more Charity cases for sure" Jonas Weissmuller said calmly,
Xavier Gray, the masked Lance whose very presence commanded silence, placed his medallions carefully upon the altar. "Too many from the last five selections are dead, and the few who remain alive only do so by the skin of their teeth".To some, the Selection was destiny; to others, a game — but to all, it was judgment.
That night, Kaiyo sat alone on a rooftop, lightning flickering softly between his fingers. Tomiwa joined him silently, watching the restless sky.
"I'm not ready," Kaiyo whispered.
"No one ever is," Tomiwa said quietly. "But that's why you'll have to fight."
"How are you so ready for this, the world is about to judge us, decide our worth to it in a mere three days, and all you're doing is sitting here calmly and drinking your Hibiscus Juice, does this not bother you?" Kaiyo whispered.
"The world might be about to judge us, but let me ask you a question, have you judged yourself, have you walked a path you have chosen for yourself? If the answer to that question is yes, then I ask you, why should you be scared? Even if the path is dark that's where the stars shine the brightest" Tomiwa replies calmly, taking another sip from his gourd. "Just promise me two things, that you will love yourself and believe in yourself no matter what happens and that the only paths you choose in life, are the ones that interest YOU." He continued.
"I promise" Kaiyo whispers, his first genuine smile of the day appearing on his face.
At dawn, the colossal arena rose from the earth, carved with glowing glyphs that seemed to hum with ancient power. From the cliffs, shadows shifted — the masked figures of the Hollow Ward observed silently.
"Let them walk in the light," a voice whispered. "We'll be waiting in the dark."
On the day of the selection, The trio arrived to the venue to see a large field with over 400 hopeful teenagers hoping to become Mantra knights.
A calm, yet friendly voice spoke from the top of a balcony "Welcome to the selection trials, Young men and women. For as long as most of you have been alive, joining our elite mantra knights has been your greatest dream and today, you are so close to achieving that dream. What decides wether your sixteen years of hard work, dedication, blood, sweat, and maybe tears is minutes away from you, I ask of you one thing, to push beyond anything you thought you could reach and make excellence ordinary. That is all, LET THE FIRST TRIAL BEGIN!" The voice ended showing itself to be the masked lance, Xavier Gray as roars and cheers erupted from the candidates.