A Twist In Destiny

The forest was quiet except for the crunch of leaves under their feet. Towering trees stretched high above them as Ren and Shiku walked the winding path to the academy.

Shiku kept sneaking glances at Ren. He had been too quiet, his face was unreadable and his posture has been stiff.

She sighed. "Alright, spill it."

Ren didn't look at her. "Spill what?"

Shiku scoffed. "Don't play dumb. You fought me on this academy thing, and now, all of a sudden, you're going along with it? What changed?"

Ren kept his gaze forward. He didn't answer right away.

In his mind, Akane's words echoed from years ago.

"Why do you think you deserve it?"

He remembered standing before her as a child.

"I will prove myself before I turn 18. No matter what it takes."

Akane had looked at him with those knowing eyes.

"Then be ready to suffer. You will face threats. Death. People will sense the power inside you before you even awaken it. You will be hunted. If you survive until your 18th year… only then will you earn the system."

A cold shiver ran through him. He had been waiting, training, enduring. He thought he had more time. But then… the flames had come early.

His own power had betrayed him.

Shiku was still staring at him, waiting.

Then Ren exhaled through his nose. "I just changed my mind."

Shiku narrowed her eyes. "That's it?"

He nodded.

AT THE ACADEMY

The academy hall was huge, packed with students from different clans. Some looked excited, some looked bored, and others sat stiffly, already realizing they might not belong. But what really stood out was how different everyone looked, their robes marking which clan they came from.

The Tsukikage Clan wore deep blue robes with silver moon designs. They moved so quietly that they almost blended into the shadows.

The Seiryu Clan were proud and confident, they had flowing white and blue robes with dragon patterns stitched into them.

The Kazehana Clan's robes were light and airy, almost like they were made of wind itself, matching their easygoing attitudes.

Then there was the Yamigumo Clan, they were dressed in dark purple robes that made them look mysterious and distant.

The Raigeki Clan were in black and yellow robes. They practically crackled with energy and their presence felt like a storm about to hit.

Every clan had something that made them stand out. Their robes showed their history, their power, and where they belonged.

But Ren and Shiku had nothing. No special colors, no symbols. Just plain clothes that made it obvious they didn't belong to any clan.

Ren glanced at Shiku, and she looked back at him. They hadn't even started, and already, they felt like outsiders.

The air crackled with power, magic, skills, and ambition clashed like an invisible storm.

Ren sat still. His sharp eyes scanned the room. He picked out the confident ones, the ones pretending, and the ones who already knew they were out of their depth.

Then, something shifted.

A presence. Cold. Familiar.

His body tensed before he even turned his head. His eyes moved slowly toward the source of the unease.

Riya!

She sat a few rows away with her back straight. But her eyes were sharp and cold. They were locked onto Ren like a blade pressed against his throat.

Something twisted inside him. A sharp suffocating flash.

Pain. Betrayal. The scent of blood.

His blood.

The memory hit like a punch to his gut, leaving behind a ghost of pain crawling over his skin.

Not here. Not now.

"Ren?" Shiku's voice cut through the haze. He blinked, forcing himself back to reality. She was watching him, she had been watching him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said too quickly but his voice was tighter than he wanted.

Shiku wasn't buying it. She followed his gaze and spotted Riya.

Her frown deepened. "Riya?"

Ren didn't answer.

Shiku leaned in. "Are you nervous because of her?"

Ren's jaw tightened. "I said I'm fine."

She studied him carefully. She knew about his messed-up family. She also knew that, as far as most people were concerned, Ren was supposed to be dead.

"I doubt she even recognizes you," she murmured. "You're supposed to be gone."

Ren let out a slow breath, pushing the ghosts away.

"I'm not scared of her," he muttered.

The hall suddenly fell silent.

A woman stepped onto the podium and her sharp gaze swept over the room like a hawk sizing up its prey. She had that kind of authority that made people sit up straighter without even thinking about it.

"Congratulations," she said in a voice that was clear and firm.

"You have been accepted into this academy. That alone means you are not ordinary. You are here because you have potential, because you have something to prove to yourselves, to your clans, and to this city."

Murmurs rippled through the students. Some exchanged glances, while others just soaked in her words.

Shiku leaned slightly toward Ren and muttered, "I don't know why, but this all feels off. It was way too easy getting in."

Ren stayed quiet, his eyes was fixed on the woman.

"As you begin your journey here, understand one thing, this academy is built on a strict ranking system," she announced.

Behind her, the massive banners shifted, revealing bold golden letters, A, B, C, D, and S.

"There are five classes. Class D is the lowest. Class C and B are in the middle. Class A is the highest… for now. And then, there's Class S."

A wave of murmurs swept through the hall at the mention of Class S.

"The S-Class is for those strong enough to stand on the frontlines against Kurugami. It will be home to the strongest warriors, the best of the best." She paused. "As of now, Class S remains empty."

There was Silence. The weight of her words settled over them.

"But that will change. By the end of training, only a few will prove themselves worthy of Class S."

Some students' eyes burned with ambition. Others whispered excitedly.

"The ones who enter Class S will be honored, respected, and feared. They will be the hope of Tatshuana."

Shiku crossed her arms. "So no one's in Class S yet? That means anyone can take the spot," she muttered. Her eyes glinted.

The woman's voice cut through the murmurs.

"Now, as for the current highest ranked class, Class A, it is reserved for the firstborn of every clan."

There was a pause.

"It does not matter if they are strong or weak. It does not matter if their younger siblings are more talented. Only the firstborns of the first wives will enter Class A."

In Tatshuana, marriage wasn't just about love, it was about power. Clan leaders could marry as many women as they wanted, but the first wife was always the most important.

She had to be strong, powerful, and worthy because her firstborn would be the face of the clan. That child would carry the family's name and status.

The other wives? They didn't have to be special. Some were servants, some were commoners, and others were married off for political reasons. But one rule was clear, none of them could be stronger than the first wife.

That's why, at the academy, only the firstborns of the first wives were put in Class A. It didn't matter if a younger sibling was more talented. If you weren't the firstborn of the first wife, you weren't considered worthy.

"It doesn't matter if they're strong or weak. It doesn't matter if their younger siblings are more talented. Only the firstborns of the first wives will enter Class A."

That was the rule, and in Tatshuana, rules weren't meant to be broken.

Gasps. Tension. Some students shot bitter looks at each other. A few smirked, already expecting their spot at the top.

"And what about the rest?" someone in the crowd called out.

The woman's sharp gaze landed on them.

"All other children, whether from lesser wives, concubines, or common backgrounds will be placed in Classes B, C, or D based on merit."

Shiku's expression darkened. "Figures. They give power based on bloodline, not skill."

"The child of the lowest wife," the woman continued, "will automatically be placed in Class D, the lowest rank."

A tense silence spread across the room. Some students shifted uncomfortably. Others looked furious.

The woman let the tension settle before she spoke again,

Her voice was cold and firm.

She went on, "The training you get will depend on your class," her voice was sharp. "Your lessons, your mentors, your access to resources, everything will be based on your rank."

Ren sat up a little paying close attention.

"Class A will get the best training, the strongest mentors, and the most powerful techniques. Class B and C will receive standard training, enough to make them solid warriors. And Class D…" She paused. A smirk was barely visible on her lips.

"Class D is for the ones who were thrown in here. The kids their parents got tired of having at home. The misfits. The ones who don't matter and, honestly, have no real place in this academy."

Ren's stomach tightened in anger. How was this fair? Shouldn't strength decide who got into Class A, not just being the child of the first wife? Just as he felt the urge to stand up and challenge the rule, someone else beat him to it.

A guy from the Yamigumo Clan shot up from his seat, his face twisted in frustration. His messy black hair stuck out in different directions, and his sharp eyes burned with anger. His dark robe, like the rest of his clan, looked a little worn, and his sleeves were rolled up like he was always ready for a fight.

He had the rough, stubborn look of someone who had struggled his whole life, someone who never had things handed to him.

It was obvious. He wasn't the son of a first wife. He was from one of the lowerbranked wives, just like many others in the hall. And he wasn't about to let this slide.

His hands curled into fists as a cold, uneasy feeling settled inside him. He slammed his hand on the table and his jaw clenched in fury.

"How can you call us misfits so easily?" he demanded. His voice was filled with fury.

"Our fathers are still the heads of our clans, no matter if our mothers are second or third wives. You have no right to insult us like that!"

The head of the academy remained unfazed. She cast him a cool, unreadable look before speaking.

"If you or anyone else here cannot accept the fact that your mothers hold no real rank in your father's household, then leave. If you can't bear to be here, even though this is an opportunity for you, then get out!"

A tense silence filled the hall. The guy clenched his fists, his teeth grinded as he processed her words. His whole life, he had fought to prove his worth, and now, once again, he was being treated as if he didn't belong.

But the head had already shifted her focus away from him, addressing the rest of the students instead.

"Truthfully, we weren't even supposed to involve anyone except the firstborn children of the first wives," she stated as a matter of fact. "They are the ones deemed fit to be trained. However, due to the generosity of Lord Hiroshi, the head of the ruling family, he decided to give you all a chance to prove your potential. Otherwise, this academy would have been strictly for those worthy from the start."

The guy's fists clenched even tighter. He scoffed. "So you're saying this isn't unfair? Then tell me, if we're all supposed to have the same chance, why are we getting different training? How does that make sense?"

Meanwhile, across the hall, Riya smirked where she sat. She turned slightly to Riku. She seemed to be enjoying the entire exchange.

"So this is the arrangement our father made?" she mused with a smug confidence. "Then there's no need to worry. I don't have to compete with anyone. The ones I'm actually wary of won't even be receiving the same level of training as us in Class A."

Riku, however, wasn't as convinced. He frowned slightly. "I don't know if this is truly our father's decision, but I have a bad feeling about this rule," he admitted. "I think this will cause a lot of problems, and I don't like it."

Riya scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "What kind of drama could possibly come from this? Look at them," she gestured around the hall with an amused expression. "They're just a crowd. No one here can even come close to my level."

Riku didn't say anything more. He simply leaned back, letting her enjoy her confidence.

Meanwhile, the head continued, "It's not that we won't train you. We just don't see you as worthy of receiving the same training as Class A. However, if you prove yourselves, you may be promoted to Class S, the top class, even above A. If that happens, clan leaders themselves will become your tutors, and you all know what that means."

A ripple of murmurs spread through the hall. The idea of Class S intrigued many, but for some, it only deepened their resentment toward the ranking system.

Ren, however, wasn't thinking about Class S. His chest tightened. He didn't have magic. He didn't have any skills. That meant he was going to be dumped into the lowest class, where his chances of proving himself would be slim to none.

Just like how he had been dumped in that hospital bed for years as he waited for his death. The cruel twist made his stomach churned. 

"I won't go down like this. I won't."