Miko waited until the last student exited the room, hesitating only a moment before grabbing his battered bag and slinging it over his shoulder. The hallway outside was alive with movement, filled with the buzz of students heading eagerly toward the training grounds. He kept his head down, hoping to blend into the crowd and avoid drawing any attention. A cluster of voices rose above the noise, catching his attention despite himself. At the center of the approaching group was Elena, her silver hair shimmering under the hallway lights, her graceful stride and effortless presence commanding the space around her. Miko’s chest tightened as he recognized her and her entourage. “Well, look who it is—the pride of Clan Dusk,” a boy sneered, his voice loud enough to echo over the chatter. “Careful,” a girl chimed in mockingly, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Stay too close, and you might catch whatever it is that keeps him at the bottom.” Laughter followed, sharp and biting. Miko’s grip on

Miko stood in the middle of the red wasteland, his chest heaving as the monstrous creatures closed in. His legs were trembling, his hands clammy as he gripped the pendant around his neck like a lifeline. His thoughts were a mess, swirling in chaos. “What do I do? What should I do? Think, Miko, think!” he muttered under his breath, taking shaky steps backward. His eyes darted around, searching for an escape, but the creatures were everywhere. The guttural growls grew louder, closer, each sound cutting into his nerves like a blade. Miko’s pendant grew hotter on his neck, almost burning. “This thing… what are you supposed to do?!” he hissed as he took it off, holding it up and glaring at it like it would answer him. The creatures lunged. “No!” Miko shouted, shutting his eyes. A blinding blue light exploded from the pendant, so intense that it forced his eyes open again. The light shot outward like a wave, slamming into the creatures with a deafening roar. The creatures were obli

“But why was one here?” Miko asked, his voice filled with frustration. “Why was there no guard? Why didn’t anyone help me?” The principal let out a long sigh, then sat down. “That’s a question we don’t have an easy answer to. The Abyss—well, the wraiths—first appeared seventy years ago. Back then, the world was normal, peaceful. But one day, portals started opening. Mirrors, windows, random reflective surfaces. And with them, came the Eidolon wraiths.” Miko frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. “The wraiths?” “Yes,” the principal continued, nodding. “They’re not just monsters—they’re the result of a strange occurrence. The moment the Abyss started to leak mana into our world, it birthed elemental powers. Fire, water, air, earth, all of it became possible, but at a cost. The wraiths, these creatures you saw, are the products of that very leak. They are elemental beings, born from the Abyss’s influence.” “So... the wraiths are made from elemental magic?” Miko asked, pieci

“Whit whee whoe whoe whoe whit whee,” Miko whistled as he washed in the shower.“Hahh,” he exhaled softly as he washed his face, finally turning off the shower.He sat down on a bench, looking around at lockers before fixing his gaze on the large mirror before him.“After the encounter with the abyss,” he shivered. “Think I might have mirror-phobia,” he said as he giggled.**Soon after, he stepped out of the school bathroom.“Well, now that I’ve officially got no place to return to, I guess the school is now home,” he said as he looked around.“Hiyahh!““Hiyuh!”“Wind spike!!!”“Fire ball!”“Looks like the school is busy today, not everyone went back home,” Miko wandered through the quiet halls of the training arena late at night. As he approached the large doors of the practice room, faint sounds of combat echoed from within—fire crackling, wind slicing, and bright light beaming. He hesitated before pushing the door open slightly, peering inside. Akiya stood in the center of the

The stadium was in complete silence, the only sound the distant echo of the commentator’s voice still ringing in the air. The crowd murmured in disbelief, their voices rising in volume, some in awe, others in confusion. The spectacle of a mage with two elements. They had always known Miko as the weakling with the Ash element, barely able to conjure a puff of smoke. Now, he had just summoned fire. Pure, blazing fire. “Wait… did he just… use fire?” someone whispered, their voice trembling in disbelief. “He’s an Ash mage… Ash, not fire!” another voice, filled with confusion, responded. The murmurs grew louder, echoing through the stands, bouncing off the stone walls of the arena. Even the respected Professor Ryn was taken aback, his eyes wide in astonishment. He exchanged a glance with another professor sitting nearby, both of them still processing what had just happened. “Impossible…” a voice from the back of the stands stuttered. “You need two separate affinities to use two e