The towering walls of the Supreme Mamluk Academy rose like stone blades that cut the horizon. Their surfaces were carved with intricate technological patterns that pulsed with a faint blue light whenever a student carrying a Glimmer approached.
To the outside world, the academy was a factory of legends.
To Yoshin Darumo, it was a golden prison whose gates were finally ready to be broken.
He walked through the crowd with a straight back and calm steps that betrayed nothing of the storm raging in his chest. He wore the uniform of Sharo Nairo School, one of the academy's divisions: a black high-collared jacket fastened with brass buttons engraved with the emblem of a broken blade.
After hundreds of humiliating tests… after they spat on my ambition and called me a faded Glimmer… the passage has finally opened. Today, I won't be just another shadow drifting through these halls.
"Yoshin! Hey, man—stop walking like you're carrying a coffin!"
The voice came from behind him, followed by a heavy slap on his shoulder.
It was Ray, the friend whose smile refused to disappear even in the worst circumstances. Beside him stood Celine, clutching her books tightly, and Tom, who was scanning the crowd with cautious eyes.
"Are you ready?" Celine asked, her voice carrying a trace of worry. "They say this year's tests in the Sovereignty Passage will be as psychological as they are combat-based."
Yoshin looked at his three friends. A faint warmth crept through the ice in his heart.
"I've been ready since the day I entered this school," he said. "This is our last chance to prove that strength isn't inherited through family names."
Ray grinned.
"Exactly! And we already decided something. When the team selection starts, we're with you. Doesn't matter who stands against you—you're our leader."
The students entered the academy's grand hall, a vast chamber crowned by a glass ceiling through which the sky was visible. The walls were lined with shields once carried by past heroes.
At the front stood Professor Sargon, his rigid features carved like stone. Next to him stood a mysterious figure in a long coat, wearing a half-mask that covered his right eye.
The Presenter.
Silence fell over the hall as the masked man stepped forward. His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a resonance that made every spine stiffen.
"Welcome to the Year of Sovereignty."
His gaze moved slowly across the crowd.
"Sovereignty is not a rank. It is a state of existence. The Sovereignty Passage is not a competition—it is a process that removes everything weak within you."
A ripple of whispers passed through the students.
"The only tool you will possess," he continued calmly, "is the Clean Sword—a blade born from the depths of your soul. Its color and nature will change according to your intentions."
Excitement and fear spread through the hall.
"The one who earns the Card of Sovereignty will gain everything: immunity, authority, and a life of endless luxury."
He paused.
"The losers… will remain nothing more than numbers in the records of the forgotten."
"Now," Professor Sargon said, cutting through the silence, "each class will be divided into two teams."
He glanced at a floating screen beside him.
"Based on combat records and Glimmer tests, the leaders for this class will be…"
A brief pause followed.
"Baidok.
Yoshin Darumo."
Heads turned like waves toward the back seats.
There sat Baidok.
He wasn't particularly tall, yet his presence seemed to dominate the room. His black hair was neatly arranged, and his eyes carried a chilling, royal calm. The faint smile on his lips suggested he knew every secret hidden within the room.
Baidok stood slowly, adjusting the collar of his shirt before looking at Yoshin.
It wasn't the gaze of a challenger.
It was worse.
It was the gaze of someone evaluating an insect to determine how irritating it might be.
"Professor," Baidok said with a smooth, measured tone. "I accept the leadership role."
A small pause followed.
"But… is it really fair to place these poor students under someone like Yoshin? Leadership is a heavy responsibility. I wouldn't want our classmates to fall because of poor judgment."
Flames ignited in Yoshin's eyes.
"Responsibility is proven inside the Passage, Baidok," he replied coldly, "not by hiding behind your family name."
Baidok's faint smile deepened.
"We'll see."
The team selection began.
And with it, Yoshin's bitter reality unfolded.
One by one, students moved toward Baidok's side.
Baidok didn't plead with them. He didn't even speak much. He merely watched them with quiet confidence.
They gathered around him like moths drawn to flame—some driven by fear of failure, others by the desire to stand beneath the protection of his shadow.
"I'm with Baidok," one student said, avoiding Yoshin's gaze. "I want to win. Baidok is the only guarantee."
When the selection ended, Yoshin stood on one side of the hall…
with only his three friends beside him.
Across from them stood Baidok, surrounded by what looked like a small army.
Then something unexpected happened.
A girl stepped out from the dark corner of the hall. Her footsteps were almost silent.
Mira.
Beside her walked a tall young man with unreadable features.
Ken.
Without saying a word, they took their place behind Yoshin.
Baidok observed the small group and slowly shook his head with theatrical pity.
"So this is what you gathered, Yoshin. The leftovers of the class."
His smile turned sharper.
"The 'Loyalty Team.' I hope emotions will be enough to protect you when the swords begin tearing flesh."
Later, the students of Sharo Nairo School gathered in the academy's vast outer courtyard.
The scene felt almost cinematic.
Hundreds of students stood in formation. At the front were the leaders.
Baidok stood confidently with his large force.
Opposite him stood Yoshin and his small, tightly bound team.
The Presenter stepped onto a high platform and raised his hand toward the sky.
Suddenly, a massive burst of light erupted from the heart of the academy. It pierced the clouds and carved the symbol of Sovereignty across the heavens.
"You have one month!" the Presenter's voice thundered across the courtyard.
"One month to sharpen your souls and prepare your blades. The Sovereignty Passage will open in thirty days."
His voice echoed like a decree.
"Let the masters prepare… and let the slaves hide!"
Cheers erupted across the courtyard.
Most of them were chanting Baidok's name.
Yoshin remained still, standing like a stone pillar.
He looked at his team… then at his own palm.
A faint green Glimmer pulsed beneath his skin—so subtle that no one else noticed it.
Laugh, Baidok… laugh while you can.
Because within this month…
I will forge this despair into a blade that cuts your arrogance before it ever touches your body.
Across the courtyard, Baidok's organized army stood like a wall of steel.
Opposite them stood Yoshin's small team.
While everyone else looked toward the future…
Yoshin looked only toward the passage.
The Sovereignty Passage—the path that would change everything.