Rajin's Past?

"W-what? W-what's happening!? Why is fire gathering around him!?"

Rajin's voice trembled with disbelief, his feet skidding backward as if the ground beneath him had become unstable.

His body was drenched in sweat—not just from fear but from the sheer heat radiating from Ryuu.

He had seen powerful magic before, but this…this was something else. Something primal.

The flames surrounding Ryuu weren't normal.

They flickered with a deep crimson hue, curling like serpents coiled around his body, devouring the air around him.

Each tendril of fire seemed alive, almost sentient, and the energy they emitted was more than just heat.

It carried a suffocating pressure, a weight that pressed down on everything nearby.

The battlefield itself seemed to tremble, as if bowing to the force Ryuu now commanded.

Ryoko stood off to the side, watching in a stunned silence.

Her face was pale, her eyes wide with disbelief, yet a small, hesitant smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

She had seen Ryuu struggle for so long, always the underdog, always pushed aside.

And now, here he was, standing like an unstoppable force.

But something was off—Ryuu's eyes had changed.

The warm, compassionate gaze she knew was gone, replaced by cold, glowing crimson orbs that reflected nothing but emptiness.

It was as if the person inside him had disappeared, replaced by something darker, more dangerous, but she had a feeling, a feeling of someone very familiar to her.

Shatter!

The ground cracked under the pressure of Ryuu's power, deep fissures running through the battlefield as if the earth itself was breaking apart.

Rocks crumbled to dust, and the atmosphere thickened, becoming almost impossible to breathe.

The arena audience, seated far from the battleground, felt the pressure in the air and shifted uneasily. Conversations died down.

Eyes widened.

Even though they were watching from a distance through massive screens, they could feel it—the intensity, the dread.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Back in the stands, spectators gripped their seats, faces pale as they stared at the screens showing Ryuu surrounded by the inferno.

The whispers began, growing louder with each passing second.

How is this possible? How is he using fire magic?

Even Shinju, known for his unshakable composure, couldn't hide his shock.

His lips parted, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"D-d-dual elements…!" The words fell out of his mouth in disbelief, each syllable tinged with panic.

Ryuu had never shown any sign of possessing dual elements.

Such individuals were rare—almost unheard of.

Magic was usually tied to a person's core essence, a singular element they could harness and master.

Dual elements was a myth, a fairy tale told in old texts.

But now, seeing Ryuu standing before them, surrounded by flames he should not be able to control…reality itself seemed to warp around the impossibility.

Shinju's gaze darted to Shigeru, the elder figure sitting nearby, watching the events unfold with eerie calmness.

There was no surprise in his eyes, no shock.

He seemed…prepared. As if he had known all along.

(Did you know?)

Shinju thought furiously, his fists clenching by his sides.

(Did you know and still kept it from the Association?)

His heart raced as his mind ran through the possible consequences.

If the Association knew about this, it would cause a ripple in the power structure of their world.

Ryuu's abilities—uncontrolled, unmonitored—could become a threat that no one could ignore.

(You've got explaining to do, Shigeru!)

But Shigeru didn't seem to notice the burning gaze from Shinju.

His mind was elsewhere, his face showing no trace of concern.

(It's finally happening…)

Shigeru mused silently, his gaze distant, lost in thoughts far beyond the immediate battle.

The moment had arrived sooner than he anticipated.

Back on the battlefield, Rajin stumbled as Ryuu stepped forward.

The flames seemed to burn hotter with each step he took, distorting the air around him, making it shimmer like a mirage.

Rajin could feel the heat pricking at his skin, even from meters away.

Sweat poured down his face, his breathing shallow.

Ryuu's eyes, now glowing with a malevolent red light, bored into him, unblinking, devoid of emotion.

It was as if Ryuu had become something more than human, something terrifying.

"H-how d-dare you… g-giving pain to Ryoko-san and the o-others?"

Ryuu's voice came out slow, deliberate, yet devoid of feeling.

His eyes remained fixed on Rajin as if he were looking through him, not at him.

"I-I will make sure you never hurt anyone again,"

Ryuu continued, his voice hollow, mechanical, as though it belonged to someone else.

The flames around him flared violently, intensifying in heat and size.

The once lush grass and trees that surrounded the battlefield had already been scorched to nothing, leaving behind only charred remnants.

The pools of water near the edge of the field boiled furiously, steam rising into the air in thick clouds.

Rajin swallowed hard. He had never seen magic like this—not even from high-ranking mages.

The fire wasn't just fire. It was pure, unfiltered energy, raw and destructive.

It reduced rocks to ash upon contact, annihilated anything it touched.

Rajin had been up against strong opponents before, but Ryuu's transformation was something else entirely.

His body screamed at him to flee, but fear had frozen his limbs in place.

Fsssh!

In an instant, Ryuu disappeared.

Rajin's heart skipped a beat as he looked around frantically, trying to track him.

But before his mind could catch up, Ryuu materialized in front of him, his fist raised and wrapped in fiery crimson flames.

THWACK!

Rajin felt the punch before he saw it. The impact was like being hit by a freight train.

Flames engulfed his chest as the force sent him flying across the battlefield.

His body hit the ground with a sickening thud, skidding to a stop near the edge of the field.

"AHHHHH!!!"

Rajin's screams pierced the air as he struggled to breathe.

His chest was on fire—both literally and figuratively.

Where Ryuu's fist had made contact, his skin was scorched black, smoke rising from the wound.

Blood pooled in his mouth as he coughed, gasping for air.

(What… what was that power? That speed?)

Rajin's thoughts were scattered, panic clouding his mind.

(He can't be this strong. He's always been weak… how can he suddenly have this kind of power?)

Rajin barely had time to process before Ryuu was upon him again.

In a blur, Ryuu appeared at his side, delivering a devastating kick to his abdomen.

Thud!

Rajin's body crumpled under the force of the blow, his ribs cracking audibly as he was thrown to the opposite side of the battlefield.

He coughed up blood, clutching his stomach in agony.

"AHHH!!! IT HURTS! IT FUCKING HURTS!!!"

Rajin screamed, his voice breaking.

His body was trembling, the fire from Ryuu's attacks still burning his skin, the pain unlike anything he had ever experienced.

"Stand up,"

Ryuu's voice came, cold and detached.

"Is this your limit? Pathetic. You're weak."

Rajin lay there, barely able to move, his breath ragged and uneven.

And then he heard it—the small click of something hitting the ground beside him. His locket.

The small, silver locket that hung around his neck had fallen, the clasp broken.

The tiny trinket opened to reveal a picture of a little girl, smiling innocently back at him.

(Rajin brother…)

The voice was soft, delicate, like a warm breeze that stirred memories long buried.

Rajin's mind flashed back to the girl in the photo—Miki, his younger sister.

Her face filled his thoughts, her smile breaking through the haze of pain.

Rajin's body trembled as he reached out toward the image, his fingers brushing against the ground as he called her name, his voice trembling.

"M-Miki…? Miki, is that you?" Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.

"You're all right, aren't you? Please… tell me you're all right."

But the image of Miki began to blur, fading away like mist. His heart ached as her figure slipped from his grasp.

"MIKI! STOP! DON'T LEAVE!"

Rajin cried, his voice filled with desperation as he crawled toward the vanishing image.

"I SAID STOP!" His voice broke, echoing through the battlefield.

But the girl—his sister—disappeared, her smile lingering in his mind.

"Raise your head,"

her voice echoed softly in his mind,

"As the real Rajin brother would."

Rajin collapsed onto the scorched earth, his body trembling as tears flowed freely down his face.

"Of course… how could you be here?" he whispered bitterly. "They took you away from me…"

Memories of the past flooded his mind—of Miki lying in a hospital bed, her body frail, too weak to even sit up.

Of the doctors, shaking their heads, telling him there was nothing they could do without the money

. "If only I had been stronger, if only we had been born into a family with wealth... I could have saved you.

You wouldn't be lying in that bed, wasting away.

You would've been out there, living a normal life—laughing, playing, going to school, making friends.

Instead, all you've known is pain."

Rajin's voice cracked, his fists clenched tightly. Tears soaked the dirt beneath him as the weight of his failure crushed him.

He pounded the ground with his fists, fury and sorrow mixing in his heart.

"I couldn't protect you! I couldn't do anything for you, Miki!"

But then, he stopped. His breathing slowed as he whispered to himself,

"No. I can't let it end like this. I've come too far.

I need to become stronger—for her. I will become stronger.

I'll find a cure. I'll give her the life she deserves, no matter the cost."

He reached for the locket, picking it up and gently pressing it against his chest.

His eyes, once filled with despair, now burned with renewed purpose.

Rajin stood slowly, his body shaking but his resolve firm.

He raised his hand to the sky, his fingers trembling as he summoned every ounce of strength he had left.

The air around him began to change. Wind whipped violently across the battlefield, stirring dust and ash into a chaotic swirl.

Above him, the once clear sky darkened, consumed by thick, black clouds.

It was as if night had fallen, swallowing the daylight whole.

Thunder rumbled through the heavens, echoing across the battlefield.

The air was charged with energy—static crackling in the atmosphere.

Purple lightning snaked through the clouds, illuminating the darkness with sharp, violent flashes.

The earth trembled beneath his feet, the very ground struggling to withstand the force of what was coming.

"Aramiya-kun,"

Rajin called out, his voice steady despite the chaos around him.

He looked at Ryuu, who was still surrounded by flames, his expression as cold and emotionless as before.

"You're strong. I never thought anyone here could push me this far.

But now that you have, I will show you the consequences of standing against me!"

Suddenly, the storm above them roared to life.

With a deafening boom, a massive bolt of purple lightning descended from the sky, crashing directly onto Rajin.

The impact sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield, tearing up the ground and sending debris flying in every direction.

Trees near the edge of the arena were torn from their roots, while the audience gasped in shock, unable to comprehend the sheer power of what they were witnessing.

Even Shinju, who had watched countless battles, couldn't believe what he was seeing.

His mouth hung open, his hands gripping the arms of his seat so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"That… that lightning strike! It's… it's beyond the power of any high school student!

Even for a professional mage, that level of magic is—"

"Impossible…"

Shigeru finished, though his voice was much calmer than Shinju's.

His eyes were fixed on the battlefield, his expression unreadable.

As the dust settled, the battlefield was left in silence, save for the crackling of energy that still lingered in the air.

The thick cloud of smoke began to dissipate, revealing the figure standing at the epicenter of the blast.

Rajin emerged, his entire body wreathed in a cloak of pulsating, purple lightning.

His injuries were gone—every burn, every cut, every bruise had been healed by the sheer force of the lightning that now enveloped him.

His expression, like Ryuu's, had become cold and emotionless, as if the power had stripped away the last remnants of his humanity.

"I-is that… double manifestation!?"

Shinju shouted, his voice trembling as he collapsed back into his chair. His mind raced to make sense of what he was seeing.

In the arena, gasps and murmurs echoed through the stands. Everyone was witnessing something they thought impossible.

Rajin's eyes glowed with an eerie purple light as he slowly walked toward Ryuu, the lightning surrounding him sparking and flaring with each step.

"You thought I was weak, didn't you?" His voice was calm, steady, but filled with an undercurrent of fury.

"You thought you could beat me, humiliate me in front of everyone.

But I've lived through worse. I've fought battles you couldn't imagine. And now… now you will see what true power looks like."

Ryuu didn't respond. He simply raised his hand, and the flames surrounding him flared once more, blazing hotter and brighter than before.

The temperature spiked again, the very air shimmering from the heat.

Ryoko watched, her heart pounding in her chest.

She had never seen Ryuu like this—so detached, so cold.

There was something terrifying about the way he moved, the way his eyes burned with that unnatural crimson light.

She felt a sensation, she was longing for years.

The battlefield was silent now, the audience holding their breath as they waited for the next move.

Two warriors, each wielding powers far beyond their years, stood ready to clash in a battle that would decide more than just victory or defeat.

It was a collision of wills, of destinies—and neither of them could afford to lose.

Rajin narrowed his eyes, his body tense, ready to strike.

"This is the end, Aramiya-kun. For both of us."

And with that, the storm and the flames met, as the battlefield erupted into chaos once more...