Part One: The Announcement
Three days passed after the border mission. Kazuma spent them healing.
His ribs were bruised. His back was scraped where the construct's claws had shattered the crystal outcrop. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the weight in his chest. The white eyes of the construct followed him into his waking hours. He saw them when he closed his eyes. He heard the screech of the small nightmare that had spotted them.
"You are thinking about it again," Kage said.
"I cannot stop."
"You will learn. In time."
Kazuma sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the grey uniform hanging on the back of his chair. The silver threading caught the aurora light. The crescent shadow emblem seemed to pulse.
A knock on the door.
Shiori entered without waiting. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes were sharp.
"Kagura-sama is calling a meeting. All apprentices. The Magic Games have been announced."
Kazuma's heart skipped. He had read about the Magic Games. Every tower apprentice dreamed of competing. It was the one chance to prove yourself before the entire Dream World.
"When?"
"Now. Move."
She left.
Kazuma dressed quickly and walked to the main courtyard.
Part Two: The Courtyard
The courtyard was crowded.
Students stood in clusters, their uniforms bright against the grey crystal floor. Instructors stood at the edges, arms crossed, faces grim. The air was thick with anticipation.
Kagura stood on a raised platform at the center. Her white uniform was pristine. Her violet eyes swept the crowd.
"The Magic Games are in three weeks," she announced. "Representatives from every tower will compete in a series of events. Combat. Strategy. Endurance. The Games determine resource allocation and tower rankings for the coming year."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Hikari Tou has not placed in the top three for a decade." Kagura's voice was cold. "That changes this year."
She unrolled a parchment. Names glowed in silver light.
"The team captain will be Shiori Amano."
Shiori stepped forward, her expression calm. The other students nodded. She was the strongest. It made sense.
"The other members will be Ren, Yuki, and..."
Kagura paused. Her eyes found Kazuma.
"Kazuma Sato."
Silence.
Then whispers.
"The Mumei sha?"
"He has only been here a few weeks!"
"He is not even a real witch!"
Ren crossed his arms. "You cannot be serious."
"I am serious." Kagura's voice cut through the noise. "Kazuma has proven himself in the field. His shadow is a unique asset. He will compete."
"And if his shadow turns on us?" a student called out.
"Then he will control it. Or he will be removed." Kagura looked at Kazuma. "Is that understood?"
Kazuma stepped forward. "Understood."
The whispers continued, but no one else objected aloud.
Shiori walked over to him. Her face was unreadable.
"You will train with me every morning," she said. "And every evening. I will not let you embarrass our tower."
"I do not intend to."
"Good." She walked away.
"She is still angry," Kage said.
"She is always angry."
"At you?"
"At the situation. At me for being here. At herself for not being able to hate me."
"That is complicated."
"Welcome to my life."
Part Three: The Weight of Expectation
Kagura summoned Kazuma to her study after the announcement.
The fire crackled. The crystal walls glowed softly. She stood by the window, her back to him.
"Do you understand what you have agreed to?" she asked.
"The Games. Competing. Proving myself."
"More than that." She turned. Her violet eyes were serious. "The other towers will be watching. The Shin Tou. The Honoo Tou. Everyone who thinks you are a monster. If you lose control, if your shadow hurts someone, they will have all the excuse they need to lock you away."
Kazuma nodded. "I know."
"And still you accepted."
"Because I have nothing to lose."
Kagura studied him. "That is not true. You have everything to lose. You just have not realized it yet."
She walked toward him.
"The Games will be dangerous. Not just physically. Politically. Other towers will try to provoke you. To make your shadow lash out."
"I will not let them."
"You cannot control everything. But you can prepare." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I will train you myself. Not just your shadow. Your mind. Your heart. Your will."
Kazuma bowed his head. "Thank you, Kagura-sama."
"Do not thank me yet. Thank me after you survive."
Part Four: The First Training
The next morning, Shiori was waiting for him in the training chamber.
No crystal dummies this time. Just open floor and bare walls.
"No shadow today," she said. "We work on your body. Your reflexes. Your endurance."
"My shadow is my power."
"Your shadow is a crutch. If you rely on it too much, you will fall the moment it fails." She tossed him a wooden sword. "Block."
She attacked.
Her strikes were faster than before. Harder. Kazuma raised the sword, but the impact jarred his arms. He stumbled back.
"Again."
She struck again. And again. And again.
Kazuma's arms screamed. His legs burned. But he did not fall.
"Better," Shiori said. "Not good. Better."
"I am trying."
"Try harder." She lowered her sword. "The Games will have combat rounds. You will face witches from other towers. They will not hold back."
"I know."
"Do you? They will see your grey uniform. They will know you are the Mumei sha. They will try to break you. To humiliate you. To prove that Hikari Tou is weak for accepting a nightmare."
Kazuma's jaw tightened. "Let them try."
Shiori studied him. Then she nodded.
"Again."
Part Five: The Shadow Work
That evening, Kagura trained him in the meditation chamber.
"Show me the consumption ability," she said.
Kazuma hesitated.
"Do it," Kage said. "She already knows about the Nest Keeper. But not the full extent."
He raised his hand. His shadow stretched toward a small crystal on the floor. It touched the crystal. The crystal's glow dimmed, then faded.
Kagura watched intently.
"How does it feel?" she asked.
"Like... drinking. But not water. Something thicker. Heavier."
"Does it hurt?"
"No. But it leaves a residue. A memory of what was consumed."
Kagura nodded. "That is the danger. Kodoku consumed so many dreams, so many nightmares, that he lost himself in the residue. He could no longer tell where he ended and the consumed began."
Kazuma looked at his shadow. "Will that happen to me?"
"Not if you control it. Not if you remember who you are." Kagura knelt beside him. "The Games will test your control. You will face opponents who use powerful magic. Your shadow will want to consume them. You must resist. Or at least, consume only what is necessary."
"I understand."
"Good. Now show me the claws."
Kazuma focused. His shadow stretched, forming sharp talons.
"Faster."
The claws extended quicker.
"Stronger."
They grew larger, darker.
"Now retract."
They snapped back.
"Again."
They trained until Kazuma could summon and dismiss the claws in a single breath.
Part Six: The Night Before the Games
Three weeks passed in a blur of pain, sweat, and progress.
Kazuma's body had changed. He was leaner, harder. His reflexes were sharper. His endurance had grown. He could now hold his own against Shiori for several minutes before being disarmed.
His shadow had changed too. Kage was more responsive. Faster. The consumption ability was still rough, but Kazuma could now drain small amounts of magic without exhausting himself.
The night before the Games, Kazuma sat by his window. The aurora sky was bright, greens and purples dancing.
"Are you afraid?" Kage asked.
"Yes."
"Good. Fear keeps us alive."
"Tomorrow, we face the other towers. The Shin Tou. Everyone who thinks I am a monster."
"Then we prove them wrong."
Kazuma looked at his shadow. "Together."
"Together."
He lay down on his bed. He did not sleep. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for dawn.
The ceiling had no cracks.
He was not the same boy who had stared at a white ceiling in a grey room.
He was something else now. Something new.
And tomorrow, the world would see what he had become.
END OF CHAPTER 10