Standing before the grand archway of Aegis Academy, Henry felt like a ghost crashing a party he wasn't invited to. The vibe here was buzzing with an energy he'd never felt before—a clean, organized power, totally under control.

"What a neat little place," Tsukuyomi's voice echoed in his head, dripping with sarcasm. "I bet they have rules about not slaughtering your classmates. So lame."

Ignoring her, Henry took a deep breath and walked through the arch. Instantly, a warm feeling wrapped around him like a blanket. A barrier. He glanced back and saw Tsukuyomi, now visibly annoyed, floating just outside. Her ghostly form was glitching.

"What is this?" she hissed. "This... barrier. It's solar-powered. A nasty creation of the Solari. It feels like wading through molasses."

A small smirk touched Henry's lips. "Looks like you won't be able to just wander around in here."

"Don't get cocky," she shot back. "As long as you're in here, so am I. I'll just have to stick... closer." Her form shrank until she was glued to his back, a cold presence no one else could see.

The admissions office was a bright room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a courtyard where students in blue and silver uniforms practiced their skills. One kid created tiny whirlwinds to juggle apples, while a girl was making fire between her fingers.

Behind a polished oak desk sat a middle-aged woman with gray hair in a tight bun. Papers shuffled themselves in the air beside her. "Name?" she asked, her voice calm and commanding.

"Henry."

"Just Henry?" She finally looked up. Her deep violet eyes seemed to see right through him. "No clan? No family?"

"Just Henry," he repeated.

The woman, whose nameplate read "Headmistress Zanara," tapped her fingers on the desk. "Joseph contacted us years ago. He said a young man with white hair might arrive one day. He was short on details, only that you were... a special case." She sighed. "Special cases are what Aegis is all about." She pushed a clipboard toward him. "Fill this out. And then, we'll need a demonstration of your affinity for class placement."

After filling out the sparse details, Henry was led to an empty, circular room. Headmistress Zanara watched from a gallery above. "Show us what you can do, Henry."

He felt awkward. What could he show them? The power he used during the day was all physical training. The real power, the darkness, wasn't something he could—or wanted—to unleash.

Show her, the voice in his head whispered, slick and tempting. Just a little bit. They'll love you for it. They'll fear you.

"I... I fight," Henry said finally.

The headmistress looked disappointed. "This isn't a school for brawlers, Mr. Just-Henry. It's a place to hone your gift."

Henry closed his eyes, focusing, trying to create a small ball of light. For two seconds, he succeeded.

Up above, Headmistress Zanara raised an eyebrow. "Umbrakinesis. A rare and... complicated affinity. Very well. Tactical Manifestation Class, Gamma Dorm."

A small, floating automaton that looked like a polished metal eye guided him out. "Greetings. I am Guide Unit 7. Please follow me for the campus tour."

The tour was a blur of incredible sights: glowing plants in greenhouses, floating library books, and training grounds exploding with energy. Everyone seemed so normal in their abnormality, laughing and using their powers as naturally as breathing. And they were all staring at him. He was an outsider, a total mystery.

"This is Gamma Dorm," the drone announced, stopping in front of a sleek building. "Your room is 204. Your keycard and uniform are inside. Classes start tomorrow at 08:00. Have a productive day." The drone zipped away.

Henry watched the energetic students from his window. How was he going to fit in here? And yet, somehow, he felt safe.

Tsukuyomi materialized on his bed. "Safe?" she yawned, stretching. "This place is a prison, for me and for you."

Henry smiled faintly. "I-I know. T-that's a good thing, right?"

She got closer to his face. "This place will try to change what you are. But they don't know who's really inside you, do they?" she smiled. His heart started pounding. He looked out the window again. Night was coming.

As he transformed, his darker self spoke. "About time. This place smells like sunlight and glitter. Hope... what a stupid feeling."

Tsukuyomi laughed. "I know, right? But what are you going to do while he does his 'training'?"

He smirked. "Let's just say I'm going to study the place. Study him. For now, I'll let him have his little fantasy of a happy life."

The night ended, and Henry woke up at exactly 7:45 AM. He put on the blue and silver uniform, which felt like a costume. He strapped his katana to his back, a cold comfort under the blazer.

His first class: "Basic Magic Control." The professor, a tall, thin man named Master Kael, had hands that looked like they were made of solidified smoke. "Power without control is just destruction without a point," he said. "Today, we focus on shaping a single sphere of your personal energy and holding it steady."

Spheres of fire, ice, and earth formed in the other students' hands. Henry closed his eyes and reached for his own power, but it was a battlefield. His hesitant energy was tangled with the vast, sleeping reservoir of his other half's darkness. He tugged at his own power, and a tiny, wobbly sphere of sickly, pale light flickered into existence. But then, tendrils of darkness began to leak from the tattoo on his arm, drawn to the light.

"Mr. Henry?" Master Kael's voice made him jump. The sphere and shadows vanished. The professor was beside him, his smoky eyes examining the tattoo. "Your affinity is shadow," he noted. "And yet, you try to manifest light. Why?"

"I..." Henry stammered. Because I'm scared of the shadows.

The professor's eyes widened slightly in thought. How unusual. A student with two opposing affinities. "Don't be afraid of your nature, young Henry," the master said softly. "The goal is not to deny who you are, but to command it. Try again. This time, don't fight the darkness. Invite it. But remember," his eyes sharpened, "you are the master. It is the servant."

With his heart in his throat, Henry closed his eyes again. He reached for the darkness, not with fear, but with a shaky command. A small, cold, stable sphere of pure darkness formed in his palm. It was the first time he'd ever used that power by choice. A smile touched Master Kael's lips. "A start. A good start."

But as Henry stared at the miniature void, a pinprick of light flared to life in its core. The orb didn't shatter; it inverted. The light expanded, devouring the shadows from the inside out until a tiny, brilliant sun rested in his hand.

"What are you doing? Stop it!" he screamed inside his head.

His darker self just laughed. "You used my power, and now you invite your own? You deserve a trophy."

The sphere of light began to swell, letting out a high-pitched hum. "Henry, contain it!" Master Kael ordered, his voice now laced with urgency.

"I can't!" he yelled. The light hit a blinding crescendo and then, with a deafening crack, it exploded.

A white flash blinded and deafened everyone in the room. Henry was thrown backward, his vision a mess, his ears ringing. As his sight cleared, he saw Master Kael standing untouched, absorbing the leftover energy. He looked down at Henry, not with anger, but with a deep, unsettling curiosity.

"Light and Shadow," he muttered. "A... volatile duality. Far more than I anticipated." He approached Henry. "Your condition is unique, young Henry. You have two rare affinities, and you must find balance. That's why you are here. Don't worry about failing." He straightened his clothes. "So, knowing that, I'm inviting you to a test tomorrow."

"A test?" Henry asked.

"Yes," Master Kael continued. "It will be in the Twilight Dueling Arena. The ambient energy there is neutral, perfect for precise readings. We'll start at sunset, the ideal time to measure such a transition." He smiled. "Don't worry, it's just a diagnostic. What could possibly go wrong?"

As the professor walked away, Henry was left frozen. They wanted to put him in an arena at his most vulnerable moment to "measure the transition." They had no idea what they were asking for. His darker form would probably take this opportunity... As the other students stared, some whispering, some angry, some laughing, he felt a wave of pure embarrassment and cold fear.