November 22nd — 6 PM — Academy Training Grounds

  The training grounds vibrated with energy as Rei and Ryuu exchanged devastating blows. Each impact sent tremors through the floor, dust rising from the mats with every connection of fist against flesh. The shockwaves captivated the small audience of heroes who had gathered to watch—some out of curiosity, others seeking to learn from the display of raw power and technique.

  The spacious hall, designed to withstand the most dangerous of concept training, bore scars of their combat—cracked flooring, dented wall panels, and training equipment scattered from the force of their movements.

  Among the spectators, Josuke and Hiro sat on a bench at the edge of the arena. Hiro sucked on his hand, his peculiar habit drawing occasional glances from other observers. His eyes, however, tracked every movement with unnatural focus, analyzing patterns and techniques with the mind of a natural fighter.

  Beside him, Josuke leaned forward, wincing at each thunderous collision between the two fighters. His own training with Bernard had been intense, but nothing compared to the raw violence playing out before him.

  "Where's Raiden?" Josuke asked, not taking his eyes off the match. "I thought you two were inseparable."

  Hiro momentarily stopped licking his hand, his gills fluttering slightly as he considered the question. "He said he had some family business to take care of. He doesn't talk too much, so I didn't ask for the finer details." He resumed licking, then suddenly stopped, turning to examine Josuke with a curious tilt of his head.

  "You seem different, Josuke," Hiro observed, his usual vacant expression giving way to surprising perceptiveness.

  Josuke immediately puffed out his chest, grinning widely. "Oh, you've noticed, huh? I'm the Academy's newest 5-star level hero! A force to be reckoned with, a man who has no bounds, a—"

  "No, no, no," Hiro interrupted, shaking his head, water droplets flying from his damp hair. "You just seem a bit calmer now."

  Josuke stopped mid-boast, his hand slowly lowering from his chest. The observation caught him off guard, penetrating through his usual bravado. He thought about the past weeks—training with Bernard, completing missions, bringing home money that eased the strain in his parents' eyes. For once, he wasn't just dreaming of helping them; he was actually doing it. The constant need to prove himself had diminished, replaced by a quiet confidence born of achievement rather than aspiration.

  A light chuckle escaped him. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Hiro."

  The two shared a smile before turning their attention back to the sparring session, where the intensity had only increased.

  Despite their vast difference in stature, Rei and Ryuu moved with comparable speed and precision. Ryuu's massive frame belied his agility, while Rei's lean body carried surprising power. Each strike was calculated, each defense deliberate. Ryuu maintained his characteristic smirk as he analyzed Rei's every move, while Rei's face remained in its usual deadpan expression, completely focused on landing a decisive blow.

  "Tighten your stance," Ryuu instructed, voice carrying easily despite the exertion.

  Rei said nothing but followed the advice immediately, adjusting his positioning. The subtle shift allowed him to absorb Ryuu's next punch with significantly less strain. They continued exchanging blows, neither giving ground, a dance of violence and skill.

  "That's the third time your left ribs were exposed," Ryuu noted, exploiting the weakness with a light but pointed jab. "Next time, I won't be so forgiving."

  Rei mentally recounted his movements, noting how diligent Ryuu was in refining his technique. Every correction was precise, every observation accurate. This wasn't just a fight—it was a lesson disguised as combat, knowledge transmitted through bruises and sweat.

  Ryuu suddenly launched a devastating kick, the air whistling as his leg arced toward Rei's midsection. Rei managed to block, crossing his arms in front of him, but the sheer force sent him sliding backward, his feet carving grooves into the training ground floor. Before he could fully stabilize, Ryuu appeared directly in front of him, closing the distance with supernatural speed, delivering a punch that sent Rei flying across the room.

  Several spectators gasped, certain the young hero would crash into the reinforced wall. But Rei refused to be caught off-guard. As he soared through the air, he instinctively repositioned his body, anticipating Ryuu's next move based on patterns observed throughout their training. Just as he predicted, Ryuu appeared behind him—but Rei wasn't prepared for what came next.

  With both hands clasped together, Ryuu slammed Rei toward the ground, the double-fisted blow carrying the weight of a small car. The impact shook the entire training facility, creating a shallow crater in the reinforced floor. Dust billowed outward from the point of impact, momentarily obscuring Rei from view.

  Josuke's eyes widened. "Holy shit..."

  Despite the blow, Rei pushed himself up from the crater, his body barely showing signs of damage. His regenerative abilities were impressive, but what stood out more was his calm in the face of such overwhelming force. Then, in an unexpected move, he slammed both palms into the ground, channeling his mana into the floor itself.

  The entire floor rumbled and cracked, fissures spreading outward from his hands like a spiderweb. The vibrations intensified, making it difficult for anyone—even Ryuu—to maintain perfect balance.

  "What the hell is Rei doing?" Josuke muttered, gripping the edge of the bench as it trembled beneath him.

  Ryuu's eyes narrowed. He understood immediately—Rei was trying to disrupt the battlefield, changing the conditions to gain an advantage. It was a smart move, one that showed tactical thinking beyond brute force, considering the environment as a weapon rather than merely a stage.

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  With a single, devastating punch to the ground, Ryuu canceled the rumbling, stabilizing the floor instantly. The display of power left everyone speechless—countering a concept manipulation through sheer physical force was nearly unheard of.

  Ryuu straightened up, dusting off his hands as he walked toward Rei. "That's enough. Your mind seems more at ease."

  Rei nodded, his breathing controlled despite the intensity of their match. Sweat glistened on his forehead, but his composure remained intact.

  "You finally took life into your own hands, didn't you?" Ryuu observed, more statement than question.

  Rei stood there, wiping blood from a small cut on his lip, his mind drifting to the days prior when everything had changed—when he had finally begun to reclaim his identity.

  Three Days Earlier — Academy Database

  Frustration burned through Rei as another search yielded nothing. The blue glow of the computer screen illuminated his face in the otherwise darkened room, casting harsh shadows that accentuated his growing irritation. He had spent hours combing through the Academy's records, looking for any trace of his identity—his real identity, not the hollow shell he'd been living as.

  "Sato," he muttered, typing the name again. The same meager results appeared on screen: basic registration information, his honorary license details, medical records from the hospital. Nothing about his past. Nothing about his family. Nothing about who he truly was.

  He slammed his fist against the desk, the wood creaking under the impact. The sound echoed in the empty database room, a physical manifestation of his inner turmoil.

  Inside his mind, the familiar red door creaked open, the sound reverberating through his mental landscape. Leonis stepped out, his fiery eyes observing Rei's frustration with thinly veiled amusement.

  "Why are you searching the Sato surname?" Leonis asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Rei looked up, momentarily startled by the intrusion. "That's my last name... is it not?"

  Leonis shook his head, a look of pity crossing his scarred face. "Your life truly is a mystery, young master. Your father was the ruler of the Tachibana clan. Your mother was married into it from the Shimazu—another reputable clan known for its warriors, though they were dwindling in power by then."

  Rei began rubbing his temples, the information hitting him like physical blows. Learning the truth about his family should have been a relief, but it only brought more questions. More mysteries to unravel, more fragments of a past he couldn't remember.

  "So that would make me Rei Tachibana then, right?" he asked, trying to process this new information, to fit it into the puzzle of his existence. "What were my parents' names, Leonis?"

  Leonis began to laugh, a deep, rumbling sound that echoed through Rei's mindscape, filling the void with its resonance. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you, master. Your mother's name was Mizuki of the Beautiful Moon."

  "The Beautiful Moon?" Rei thought to himself, the title stirring something deep within him—a faint echo of memory, perhaps, or simply an appreciation for the poetry of the name.

  "And what of my father?"

  Leonis's expression shifted, becoming uncharacteristically serious. The air within Rei's mind thickened with tension, pressure building like the moments before a storm breaks.

  "Your father," Leonis said slowly, each word measured, "his name was Hikito. Hikito Tachibana..."

  The revelation hit Rei like a physical blow, stealing the breath from his lungs. The room seemed to spin around him as the implications crashed over him in waves. Hikito—the voice inside his head, the entity that claimed to be his twin brother, the presence that had saved them all with such terrifying efficiency—shared his father's name.

  His hands trembled as he gripped the edge of the desk, knuckles white with the force of his grip. It wasn't coincidence. It couldn't be. The name, the connection, the way Hikito had spoken with such intimate knowledge of their family—it all pointed to a truth he wasn't sure he was ready to face.

  At that moment, the blue door across his mindscape trembled violently, as if responding to the name. A deep rumbling echoed through his consciousness, and for a brief second, Rei swore he heard laughter from behind it—soft at first, then building, a sound both familiar and alien.

  "I can't escape him, can I?" Rei whispered, his voice barely audible even to himself. "Even my father's name ties me to him."

  He stared at the quivering blue door, his thoughts racing. What did this mean? Was Hikito truly his brother, or something else entirely? What plans existed for him that extended beyond his own understanding? The name connection felt like another piece of a puzzle he didn't want to solve, yet couldn't ignore.

  "Leonis," Rei said, his voice strained with the weight of revelation, "is there more you're not telling me?"

  Leonis's expression darkened, shadows gathering around his leonine features. "There is always more, young master. But how about you search for the truth yourself instead of always relying on me, before I kill you."

  Despite everything—the shocking revelations, the trembling door, the weight of his father's legacy—Rei found himself laughing. It was a short, genuine sound that surprised even him. Trust Leonis to threaten death as a form of encouragement. In the warrior's twisted way, it was almost affectionate.

  "There it is," Leonis said with satisfaction, his fierce expression softening slightly. "The first real emotion I've seen from you in days. Perhaps you're finally ready to face whatever truths await you, young master."

  Present Time — Academy Training Grounds

  "I did find some things," Rei admitted to Ryuu, his voice carrying new weight, new certainty. "Disturbing, but I've found it."

  Ryuu's smirk widened slightly, satisfaction evident in his expression. Haikito's words continued to prove true, piece by piece, the puzzle assembling itself as predicted.

  "Oh? Then tell me, Rei—who are you?"

  Rei stood tall, his posture straighter than it had been in weeks. His voice carried a newfound conviction, no longer the flat monotone that had become his trademark. The revelation of his heritage—both the pride and the burden of it—had crystallized something within him.

  "I'm Rei... Rei Tachibana. Son of Hikito Tachibana."

  The words hung in the air with the weight of acceptance, of claimed identity, of a legacy both chosen and inherited. There was power in the declaration—not just of his name, but of his willingness to embrace whatever that name meant, whatever responsibilities and dangers it carried.

  Ryuu nodded slowly, profound satisfaction evident in his expression. This was what Haikito had been waiting for—not just the vessel awakening to its power, but the man accepting his place in a larger tapestry of fate and bloodline.

  The momentary silence was shattered as the atmosphere in the training ground suddenly shifted. A new presence filled the room—familiar, yet more sinister than before. The air itself seemed to grow heavy, shadows stretching unnaturally across the floor as if reaching toward something—or someone.

  Walking through the entrance in his immaculate suit and luxurious trench coat was Kage. His appearance had changed; his once-clean face now sported a light stubble, and his eyes carried a darkness that hadn't been there before. There was something different in his demeanor—a coiled tension, like a predator returning from injury, more dangerous than ever.

  "Ryuu Hanma?" Kage remarked, not bothering to look at the Beast of the East. "It's a pleasure to see you."

  He continued walking, his focus entirely on Rei. Each step was deliberate, calculated, until he stood mere inches from Rei's face, invading his personal space with deliberate intimidation.

  "Hello there, brat," Kage said, his voice dripping with sarcastic smugness. "Or should I say... Hikito?"