Chapter 2 originally published on ScribbleHub . Cross-posted here with permission.

Chapter 2: Sumiko of the Storm

[Scene: Zenrai Institute, Academy Gates — The Next Morning]

The gates of Zenrai Institute opened with a deep, humming resonance. Arcane circuits pulsed through the stone pillars, casting patterns of blue light across the ground. Holograms buzzed above, flashing welcome banners in six different languages.

Aizen walked through without hesitation.

His presence was silent, but focused. The air around him seemed cooler, calmer. His black uniform matched his mood—unreadable.

A sharp gust of wind cut across the courtyard.

WHAM!

A scroll of papers slammed into his chest and burst open like an explosion.

“Seriously?” he muttered, catching a few sheets mid-air.

A voice, composed and cold, echoed from ahead. “Don’t touch those.”

Aizen looked up.

She stood there like a queen among mortals.

Blue eyes like sharpened sapphire. Long white hair that fluttered like silk threads in a storm. A sword strapped across her back, two daggers at her hip, and a mana circuit brace wrapped around her arm. Her presence radiated raw control.

Sumiko Arashi.

“You’re in my way,” she said, her tone flat.

Aizen handed her the papers calmly. “You’re welcome.”

She glanced at him with faint curiosity. “Looks like you are new ,do you know me?.”

“Should I be?”

Sumiko studied him for a moment.

“…No.”

She turned sharply and walked off, the students parting around her like waves before a storm.

Behind her, a whisper followed.

“That’s Arashi’s heir. The girl who beat a fourth-year at twelve.”

“I heard she can summon multiple elements—fire, wind, and lightning.”

“And she has a special  power too. The Azure Sight.”

Aizen blinked. Interesting.

[Scene: Orientation Hall, Zenrai Institute]

Crowds gathered under a rotating mana-crystal chandelier. Students mingled in small cliques, glowing name-tags hovering above them.

Aizen leaned against a wall.

“So this is the best of the best, huh?”

A voice cut in. “Dead boy returns.”

Kaien Vaelheart appeared, spinning a mana coin on his finger.

“Still not expelled?”

Aizen replied, “Still not humbled?”

Kaien grinned. “Wouldn’t be fun if you weren’t here. You’re in Class A too, right?”

“Yeah.”

Kaien nodded. “Then let’s make it a real show.”

A massive screen came to life overhead.

“All students, prepare for Placement Trials. Combat pairing begins in 10 minutes.”

Aizen cracked his neck. “Here we go.”

[Scene: Arena 3 — Placement Trial]

A dome of blue energy sealed the arena. Aizen stood calmly inside, facing a taller, bulkier opponent overflowing with mana.

“Combatants ready… Begin!”

The opponent lunged. Mana surged. Aizen didn’t move.

FLASH!

In a blink, Aizen side-stepped and appeared behind him. A tap of his wooden sword landed against the opponent’s neck.

The crowd gasped.

“Winner: Aizen Caelmir.”

Up in the observation lounge, Sumiko sat with her legs crossed, watching. Her blue eyes shimmered faintly.

“He doesn’t use mana. That’s not natural movement.”

Beside her, a faculty instructor asked, “What do your Azure Eyes see?”

She answered, “His body channels something else… something ancient. Not divine. Not demonic. Just… raw.”

The instructor nodded. “Keep an eye on him.”

“I plan to,” Sumiko said quietly.

[Scene: Class A Dorm, That Night]

The dorm room was plain, minimally enchanted. Aizen sat on his bed, a scroll of sword techniques in hand.

He rolled it up.

From his pocket, he pulled out a thread of Noirvein energy. It shimmered.

He stared out the window.

Lightning crackled in the distance.

In another dorm across the campus, Sumiko sat polishing her blade, her eyes glowing faintly blue as she stared through the walls—right at him.

Two storms had just entered the same battlefield.

[End of Chapter 2]

Next: Chapter 3 — “Storm and Steel: Clash with Kaien”