The grand doors of Whimwood Preacademy creaked open as hundreds of new students filed through, buzzing with excitement and nerves. Mana runes shimmered faintly along the archway above, ancient enchantments welcoming a new generation of young mages.
Kagami, now six years old, stepped inside the famous academy with calm eyes and steady feet. Despite the formal uniform, his posture bore quiet discipline—formed over years of taijutsu, kenjutsu, and countless hours spent combining mana and chakra in secret.
His gaze wandered the wide, rune-carved walls of the school. This is where the best start their journey... I wonder how far I can go here.
---
Old Bonds
“Kagami!”
Two familiar figures waved as they ran up to him—Minna, with her curly golden hair catching the morning light, and Iren, with his short dark hair and confident smile.
“You’re finally here!” Minna beamed. “We thought you’d sleep through your first day.”
“I almost did,” Kagami said with a yawn. “Secret training kept me up.”
“Of course it did,” Iren ughed. “Did you dream about becoming the strongest again?”
Kagami smirked. “Something like that.”
Over the past three years, the trio had grown close. Kagami taught Iren and Minna his version of physical combat—taijutsu and the art of the sword, memories rooted in the teachings of Sarutobi and Danzo. In return, Minna and Iren helped him polish his mana control, sharing everything they learned from scrolls, tutors, and their own practice.
They weren’t just friends anymore—they were a team.
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The Loud Rival Returns
Before they could head to the gathering hall, a sudden shout rang out behind them.
“HEY, KID! You too entered this preacademy, huh? This time I’ll show you my refined magic skills!”
Kagami turned. A boy stood dramatically with a red scarf fpping around his neck, hands on his hips like a self-decred hero.
“...Who are you?” Kagami blinked. “I don’t think I’ve met you.”
Minna and Iren tilted their heads in sync, clearly just as confused.
The boy looked shocked and offended. “What?! You forgot already? It’s me—Leo Ferrowind! You humiliated me with that water dragon spell and ran off!”
Kagami paused. Then, like a soft bell, a memory surfaced—the bakery, the misfire, the destroyed cake shelves.
“Oh. The cake boy,” he said bluntly.
“It’s Leo! Not—Cake—Boy!” Leo snapped.
Kagami calmly turned away. “I don’t fight outside of official matches anymore.”
Leo fumed, red in the face. Minna leaned over and whispered, “Was that the kid you spshed during that bakery chaos?”
Kagami nodded.
“Yup,” Iren chuckled. “Still loud.”
Kagami heard Mikay’s voice in his head: “Make friends, not enemies.”
He walked on, ignoring Leo’s dramatic pose.
---
The Grand Assembly
In the majestic stone hall of Whimwood, students gathered in rows. Instructors stood in elegant robes at the edges, their mana cloaks softly pulsing.
A tall woman with a sharp expression and half-moon gsses stepped forward.
“I am Vice-Magister Valentha. Welcome, new students. Here, you will be tested—not only in skill, but in discipline and intent.”
She raised a gloved hand. A floating orb shimmered into view above a rune-inscribed pedestal.
“Today, you will undergo your Mana Resonance Evaluation. This will determine your elemental affinity and initial cssification.”
Kagami tilted his head. “Mana resonance?”
“It’s how they test mana control,” Iren expined quietly. “Just focus and channel.”
“But don’t push too hard,” Minna added. “If you overload it, the crystal reacts badly.”
“Badly?” Kagami asked. “Like... how badly?”
“It explodes,” Iren said. “Fun, right?”
---
Kagami's Test
Students were called one by one to the pedestal.
Most showed sparks of fire, gentle water, or glowing wind.
Then Kagami’s name was called.
He stepped forward. The instructors didn’t pay him much attention—he was small, quiet, and carried no extravagant aura.
He pced his hand on the orb.
Nothing happened at first. Then—
WHUM.
The orb pulsed. Blue. Then red. Then purple. Then yellow, then green. The colors spiraled wildly, arcs of magic snapping around Kagami's wrist.
Wind burst from beneath him. Electricity danced around the pedestal.
Then—
CRACK!
A nce of purple lightning shot from the orb and scorched the ceiling.
The hall fell silent.
Vice-Magister Valentha raised her brows. “...Curious.”
Kagami walked back to Iren and Minna.
“You broke it,” Iren whispered, impressed.
“You’re not supposed to explode the orb,” Minna added. “But... that was awesome.”
“I think I overdid it,” Kagami mumbled.
---
The Css Assignment
Later, students were split into groups. Kagami, Minna, and Iren—along with a very grumpy Leo—were all assigned to Css Aether-3.
As the trio walked down the corridor toward their new cssroom, Kagami gnced around.
He wasn’t here just to learn.
He was here to adapt, grow, and rise.
And this—Whimwood Preacademy—was only the beginning.
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