I apologize for the delay in releasing the new chapters. The truth is, I spent a lot of time working on them to make sure they're up to the standard you deserve.
Also, just a small note: I'm an Arab writer, not a native English speaker, so my writing process can be a bit slower than usual. I take my time to choose the right words and build the story carefully.
Thank you so much for your patience and continued support. I promise the next chapters will be worth the wait. 🌙✨
........
Before you could speak with a voice dripping with sarcasm:
Oh? Have you decided to ignore me now? How pathetic... I thought trash like you knew your place well.
Kurgami stopped, staring at her with a rigid gaze. He didn't reply... He just lowered his eyes and continued on his way. But his sister, Amicia, was sharper. She said in a quiet tone laced with threat:
We don't hate anyone... We just avoid foul odors.
The girl's eyes widened in shock before she laughed coldly:
It seems the little rat has started barking. Are you trying to pretend you're like us? Or just dreaming?
At that moment, a young man stepped forward from behind the girl. A noble, large-framed, with a sullen expression, wearing an advanced class uniform. He said:
Isn't this the trash who still can't activate mana? Still pretending to be an academy student?
Kurgami looked at him calmly, but something in his eyes was changing... something faint, yet awakening the darkness within him...
The young man said:
Today, we have a new show. Let's see how long you last, useless.
The young man raised his hand, ready to strike. The girl laughed mockingly, but Kurgami didn't move.
He didn't raise his arm to protect himself, didn't retreat a single step... He just raised his head and looked at the attacker.
His gaze was cold, devoid of any fear or pleading, as if his eyes were seeing something beyond this world... something deeper than anger... emptiness.
The young man suddenly stopped. His raised hand trembled for a moment. He felt an icy chill run down his spine.
A student standing nearby whispered fearfully:
What is this...? Do you see what I see?
But Kurgami said nothing. He walked past them as if they didn't exist, his footsteps quiet, indifferent. With each step, their dread grew without any understandable reason.
Amicia grabbed her brother's arm, hesitating, before quickly following him, leaving the nobles exchanging confused glances.
From afar, a teacher stood silently observing the scene. His eyes narrowed slightly as he muttered:
That gaze... That boy isn't normal.
On his way across the plaza, conversations faded wherever Kurgami passed, as if his mere presence swallowed the sounds around him.
He didn't walk fast, but with steady steps, as if he carried no weight in his heart.
He stopped at the entrance to the academy's main building, paused for seconds, then slowly turned his head towards the students who had tried to mock him earlier.
His eyes were rigid, without a single spark of anger or pain... only that deep calm that made one of the nobles unconsciously step back, as if he had seen something that shouldn't be seen.
Someone muttered:
He's looking at us... No... It's like he's seeing through us...
He wasn't like this yesterday, what happened to him? whispered another.
The girl who had mocked him earlier swallowed hard, trying to speak to regain her pride, but found no voice.
At that moment, a senior professor emerged from the building. He wore a long coat fluttering in the slight breeze and scrutinized Kurgami intently.
You... he said in a low yet penetrating voice, What is your name?
Kurgami stopped, looked at the professor for a moment, then answered in a barely audible voice:
Kuragami.
The professor repeated the name as if testing its feel on his tongue, then raised an eyebrow slightly and said:
We will remember you.
Without being asked, Kurgami continued his way inside. Behind him, he left the world seeming devoid of noise, as if something heavy, invisible, began slowly seeping into the heart of the academy.
On his way through the plaza, conversations faded wherever Kuragami passed, as if his mere presence swallowed the sounds around him.
He didn't walk fast, but with steady steps, as if he carried no weight in his heart.
Inside the Academy:
When he entered the academy, he passed by students from higher years.
For moments, silence preceded his steps. Everyone who came near him felt their chest constrict, as if walking alongside a bottomless abyss.
One whispered to his friend:
I can't... breathe properly... What is this person?
Kuragami, without turning, continued as if they were mere shadows.
With eyes holding no interest or hatred... only emptiness.
And deep within this emptiness, there was a promise... a silent vow to shatter everything they knew about this world.
Ding... Ding... Ding...
Just as he was about to enter his dorm, he heard a sound... It was the school bell, but it was strange. Why would the Headmaster ring the bell today? Did I forget something!...
He looked at Amicia, but she quickly said...
Don't look at me. I told you... but you were ignoring me yesterday... Her tone sounded annoyed by something.
All students, please proceed to the Registration Hall...
A voice spoke over the loudspeakers, informally.
It was the Headmaster, Siren.
Registration Hall:
The hall was bustling with movement and chaos. New students asking questions, administrators shouting, papers flying, names being called randomly.
But when Kuragami entered, something unexpected happened.
It was as if the air changed.
The sounds stopped, if only for a moment.
No one looked directly, but everyone present felt something strange, something heavy seeping into their souls – subtle, yet clear like cold breath on the neck.
Your name? asked a registration clerk without looking up.
Kuragami, he said calmly.
She immediately raised her eyes, looked at him for long seconds, stammered slightly, then quickly lowered her head and wrote his name.
From behind the glass curtain, a senior supervisor watched from above, hands behind his back, eyes fixed on Kuragami.
It's him... he muttered under his breath, barely heard by his assistant.
Who is he?
The one I saw in the vision... The shadow without a shadow... The child who walks through collapse without breaking.
The assistant swallowed and asked fearfully:
Is he dangerous?
The supervisor didn't answer. He just slowly turned his face and said:
Watch him. Do not interfere.
Kuragami's thought: All their gazes are around me...
Kuragami left the hall, heading towards the dorms.
Confrontation on the Way:
On the way, three students blocked his path. One was clearly a noble, evident from his luxurious sash.
Hey, Mysterious One, said one, laughing mockingly. Heard you joined without an invitation from any faction. What does that mean? Got connections from the underworld?
The others laughed, but Kuragami didn't stop.
He kept walking.
One grabbed his arm.
In a moment, no one saw how it happened... but the youth who grabbed him fell to the ground screaming, shaking his hand wildly as if something unseen was burning his skin from within.
The other two froze in place.
Kuragami slowly turned to them and looked directly into their eyes.
Do not obstruct the path of one who does not walk with you, he said in a quiet tone, yet it pierced their souls like needles.
Then he continued on his way, leaving them trembling behind him.
Kuragami's thought: I have to go to the test.
The Test:
It was a huge open arena. On its edges sat several professors and proctors, carefully observing anyone daring to enter the test circle.
Number 1173, Kuragami.
The proctor called out loudly.
The crowd quieted for a moment, as if the name itself carried its own weight.
Kuragami stepped forward with steady steps towards the center of the circle, where a senior examiner stood – a tall man with a gray beard and a sharp gaze.
Your test will be direct, the examiner said formally. You will face an illusion we create, simulating your power based on your apparent level.
Kuragami didn't reply.
The examiner gestured with his hand, and a black illusion formed before him, identical to Kuragami... but with glowing eyes, like a reflection from another hell.
Begin! shouted the proctor.
The illusion lunged at Kuragami with blinding speed, a strike that almost tore the air.
But...
Kuragami didn't move.
When the attack touched his body, the illusion vanished instantly, as if something invisible had devoured it from within.
Silence reigned.
Even the air itself seemed to stop for a moment.
One professor stood slowly from his seat, his eyes not leaving the young man standing in the center.
That wasn't a simple illusion... He didn't defeat the illusion. He tore apart the spiritual structure that formed the illusion itself!
Another exclaimed in astonishment:
That's impossible! That requires an internal understanding of the laws of the universes!
Whispers: How is this? I heard he was trash yesterday, couldn't even use mana! What does this attack mean?!
The proctor took out his notebook, scribbled something quickly, then said in a trembling voice:
Kuragami... Passed. No Rank.
Students around the arena started whispering; some frightened, some stunned.
As for Kuragami, he had left the arena without waiting.
High Surveillance Room:
The Head Supervisor looked at the screens, pressing his hand on his cane, his gaze piercing.
Monitor him day and night, he said sharply. If what we saw is real... this might be the beginning of the end... or the beginning of something never before seen in this world.
Kuragami's thought: What is this power? It activates itself. I didn't do anything... Every time I try to understand the situation, this aura comes out on its own...
Well, let's go to the training grounds. I want to try something.
He felt excited about the idea... but his expression quickly shifted back to coldness...
Once I reached the training grounds...
Because a problem followed me.
The Showdown:
The air in the academy grounds was thick with tension.
The calm before the storm.
The sun was high, but it wasn't enough to dispel the chill creeping into the Heroes Academy grounds. Noble students stood in a circle around Kuragami, a low-born who had dared to raise his eyes, even his fist, against those superior in lineage and power.
Kneel, one said loudly, deliberately, dripping with contempt. Show us you know your place.
Mocking whispers, stifled laughs, gazes despising him like a stain on existence. But Kuragami didn't move. Didn't answer. His violet eyes shone with unwavering steadiness.
One spat near his feet and said: I heard your mother was a maid. Is that what you...