The World of Soul Academy

The sun rose over the towering walls of Soul Academy — the largest combat training school in Sohio City, designed to forge warriors, mages, and protectors of the future.

Inside the academy, students rushed between classes, duels flared in open arenas, and magic buzzed through the air. Laughter, rivalry, ambition — it was chaos wrapped in structure.

At the back of Class A-1, a boy sat with his feet propped on his desk, staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

His name was Dante Sawada.

Average grades. No registered power. Zero aura scans. Most students considered him background noise in a place filled with the extraordinary.

But the truth was very different.

"Dante!"

A loud voice rang across the classroom as a tall student with white hair approached. His sharp features and confident grin made him hard to miss.

Axel Makoto, Dante's childhood friend, dropped a folded paper on his desk.

"You forgot again, didn’t you?" Axel said. "Today’s the physical evaluation."

Dante scratched his head. “I thought that was tomorrow.”

"It’s today. Seriously, how do you even function?"

Dante stood up, stretching with a yawn. His red undershirt peeked beneath a black school jacket. Nothing about him stood out — and that was exactly how he wanted it.

Because he was hiding something.

Something powerful. Something ancient.

And it wasn’t time to reveal it yet.

Training Field – Combat Evaluation Grounds

Students lined up in rows while teachers floated on platforms above. One by one, students stepped forward to show their combat abilities — aura, magic, or raw skill. No gear. No weapons. Just themselves.

Axel was called first.

"Makoto Axel, Class A-1. Ability: Chrono Shift."

Time around him twisted. He vanished in a blink and reappeared behind a training dummy. With a precise punch, he shattered it.

"Grade: A."

The crowd clapped. Axel returned with a smirk.

Then came the next name.

"Dante Sawada, Class A-1. No registered ability."

Whispers spread.

"That guy again?"
"He doesn’t even use aura."
"Why does he even try?"

Dante stepped forward in silence. He remembered what his parents had warned him years ago.

"Never use your power in public. Keep it buried. Until the right moment."

He exhaled and clenched his fists.

No systems. No magic. No tricks.

Just pure hand-to-hand skill.

Then he moved.

In a flash, Dante leapt forward with inhuman speed. A roundhouse kick shattered the first dummy. He rolled, ducked, and struck — smashing the next three in fluid, brutal sequence.

The air trembled around him, but no aura was detected.

No tricks. Just raw technique.

Silence fell over the crowd.

“…He’s fast,” whispered a girl from the back — Yume, one of the quietest students in class.

High above, Riku, the reigning king of Soul Academy, narrowed his eyes.

“He’s hiding something,” Riku murmured. “That’s not just speed.”

“Grade: B+,” said the instructor. “No power displayed, but technique is sharp. Surprising, considering his profile.”

Dante walked off without expression. Axel gave him a proud thumbs-up. He only nodded back.

Later that night, walking home under the darkening sky, Dante whispered to himself.

“They’re starting to notice.”

A breeze brushed through the trees.

Far away, unseen by all… a storm had begun to form.

And Dante's hidden power… would not stay buried forever.

Chapter 1 end