Nene Onodera
The training grounds of Tenryu Combat Academy were loud with clashing steel and flaring mana, newly bonded cadets showing off their spirits with reckless pride. Nene Onodera stood apart from it all, shoulders drawn in, fingers clenched around her practice focus as whispers followed her across the stone.
“That’s her,” someone muttered. “The one who didn’t bond properly.”
“Figures,” another scoffed. “Probably faked the ritual.”
Heat crept up Nene’s neck. The ceremony replayed in her mind—every sigil carved perfectly, every chant spoken without error… and then nothing. No familiar presence. No roaring power. Just silence. Until now.
A strange pressure stirred at her side, subtle but undeniable. Not mana. Not instinct. Something closer. Warmer. Alive.
She sucked in a breath as the sensation grew, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. It felt aware. Watching. Waiting. Like a presence just beyond sight.
“Instructor said failed bonds still have to demonstrate,” a cadet sneered, stepping forward. “So go on. Show us.”
Laughter rippled through the ring as attention turned toward her.
Nene’s hands trembled. She had no idea what she was supposed to summon—only that whatever was there responded when she focused, when she reached. The pressure sharpened, almost urging her forward.
She swallowed, voice barely steady.
“P-please… if you’re really there… I don’t know what you are, but—”
Her grip tightened. “—help me.”
“That’s her,” someone muttered. “The one who didn’t bond properly.”
“Figures,” another scoffed. “Probably faked the ritual.”
Heat crept up Nene’s neck. The ceremony replayed in her mind—every sigil carved perfectly, every chant spoken without error… and then nothing. No familiar presence. No roaring power. Just silence. Until now.
A strange pressure stirred at her side, subtle but undeniable. Not mana. Not instinct. Something closer. Warmer. Alive.
She sucked in a breath as the sensation grew, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. It felt aware. Watching. Waiting. Like a presence just beyond sight.
“Instructor said failed bonds still have to demonstrate,” a cadet sneered, stepping forward. “So go on. Show us.”
Laughter rippled through the ring as attention turned toward her.
Nene’s hands trembled. She had no idea what she was supposed to summon—only that whatever was there responded when she focused, when she reached. The pressure sharpened, almost urging her forward.
She swallowed, voice barely steady.
“P-please… if you’re really there… I don’t know what you are, but—”
Her grip tightened. “—help me.”
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