[Tokyo – Hunter Association Testing Complex, Sector 9]
Yuki stood frozen before a set of colossal black doors engraved with strange, shimmering glyphs. The building looked less like a government facility and more like a futuristic fortress.
Ken Amagi adjusted his glasses, sipping his fourth cup of coffee as if they weren't walking into a place crawling with elite warriors.
"Try not to be nervous," he said casually. "Most new Awakened either pass out or cry during their first scan. You look like you might do both."
Yuki gave a dry glare. "Encouraging."
Hiroshi said nothing, as usual. Just scanned his wristband at the door, causing it to hiss open.
A voice echoed from the corridor ahead:
"Welcome, Candidate #017 – Konno, Yuki. Please proceed to the Evaluation Zone."
The Evaluation Zone – Soul Signature Scan
Yuki stepped into a massive chamber—circular, metallic, and humming with faint energy. Blue lights pulsed in the floor beneath his feet. In the center floated a Soul Resonator, a strange crystalline orb held in a ring of spinning mechanisms.
Kuro whispered in his mind:
"Don't resist. Let it read you."
He nodded subtly.
Ken stood by a glass panel with three other people—observers. One of them wore a white lab coat and held a clipboard. Another wore sleek battle gear and had long crimson hair tied in a high ponytail.
"Is this the Realmbreaker?" the crimson-haired woman asked. Her tone was sharp. Suspicious.
"Confirmed Class F+ Awakening," said the scientist. "But the anomaly markers are… odd."
Ken grinned. "Told you he wasn't normal."
The Resonator began to spin faster.
[Soulforce Signature Detected: Unknown Variant]
[Class: Phantomborne]
[Sub-Type: Shadeborn – Unregistered Class]
[Warning: System conflict – Memory Seals Detected]
[Trait Detected: Eclipse Marked – Origin Unclassified]
[Rank Evaluation Incomplete – Potential Rating: S???]
Everyone froze.
The crimson-haired woman snapped, "Shut it down!"
But the Resonator pulsed.
Images flooded the chamber—flickers of Yuki's memories. His pain. The basement. The bullying. The forest. The voice calling to him.
And then…
A fragment of Reiji Tsukuma's face.
Eyes burning yellow.
The whole Resonator exploded in a pulse of shadow and violet energy.
Yuki staggered back, clutching his head.
Ken dropped his coffee. "Holy hell."
Aftermath
In the medical bay, Yuki lay on a gurney, staring at the ceiling. His hands trembled.
Kuro sat beside him, arms crossed.
"That shouldn't have happened. The seal on your past is cracking faster than expected."
He looked at her. "I saw him. That guy—Reiji."
Kuro's eyes darkened. "That means he's already tethered to your soul signature. You're connected."
Yuki swallowed. "Is that bad?"
She didn't answer.
Meet the Newbloods
Later, Yuki was led to a wide open gymnasium where other new Awakened trained, sparred, and showed off.
A short but muscular girl with silver hair was throwing knives into floating targets.
A tall, bookish guy in glasses floated midair, flipping through a glowing spellbook.
Ken nudged him. "Welcome to the baby pool. These are your fellow Candidates. You'll be in Class D-17."
Yuki blinked. "Like school?"
Ken grinned. "With more death."
Suddenly, a voice rang out behind him.
"Hey. You're the freak who blew up the scanner, right?"
Yuki turned to see a smug boy with dyed purple hair and piercings walking up. His name tag read Shogo.
"Didn't think they let unstable trash walk around this place."
Yuki frowned. "What's your problem?"
Shogo smirked, raising a hand that glowed with pulsing heat. "You're my problem."
But before he could strike—
CLANG.
A knife embedded itself in the wall beside Shogo's face.
The silver-haired girl from earlier strolled up, chewing gum.
"Back off, Shogo. You try to roast another Candidate outside the ring and I'll report you to Instructors."
Shogo hissed and backed off.
The girl turned to Yuki.
"Ignore him. He thinks being born into an Awakened family makes him special."
Yuki stared. "Thanks. You are…?"
She offered a hand.
"Aiko. Class D-17. I throw things. They usually hit."
He shook her hand, a flicker of a smile tugging at his lips.
The Final Test – The Shadow Arena
Later that day, all Candidates were summoned to a chamber known as the Shadow Arena, a simulated realm where controlled tests could be run using mana fields and soul-forged constructs.
The Instructor, a tall woman named Commander Setsuna, addressed the group.
"You've all awakened. Now we see if you're actually useful."
She pointed to Yuki.
"You're first. Let's see what the Phantomborne can do."
Yuki's throat went dry.
Kuro's voice echoed in his mind:
"Remember. Pain is your weapon. Your phantom… is your soul unchained."
He stepped into the arena.
Dark walls closed around him.
The room shifted.
He was suddenly standing in a re-creation of the orphanage basement.
Cold. Dark. The sound of rats.
Then—
[Simulation Initiated: Fear Manifestation]
From the shadows, dozens of black hands emerged, clawing toward him.
Yuki's heart pounded.
"No…"
He clenched his fist.
The shadow dagger appeared again—Shadow Fang.
But it wasn't enough.
The hands overwhelmed him.
Until—
A second version of him, cloaked in darkness, stepped out from his body.
Eyes glowing. Blade longer. Sharper. Faster.
[Skill: Phantom Divide – Active]
The phantom fought beside him.
Slicing. Protecting.
Together, they pushed back the fear.
Yuki stood, panting, surrounded by crumbling shadows.
The simulation faded.
Silence.
Then Commander Setsuna spoke.
"…Not bad, Rookie."
Ken muttered in the observation room, "…I think we just saw the birth of a monster."
End of Chapter 5