Shinkai - The Eyes That Shouldn't Exist

Kazuo hit the ground. Again.

Dust flew. His ribs ached. His pride, worse.

He coughed, rolled onto his back, squinting up at the pale sun.

Was the god up there laughing? It sure felt like it.

A shadow blocked the light.

Setsuna stood above him, arms folded. "You're getting slower."

"Or you're getting meaner," Kazuo groaned.

"You want to go again?"

Kazuo let his head thud against the dirt. "I'd rather be unconscious."

Tetsu scribbled something quickly in his notepad. "He's holding up better than expected."

Sora perched on a crate nearby, licking a popsicle. Ears twitching "Ten out of ten landing, Kazuo. Bonus points for the dramatic groan."

Kazuo sat up slowly, brushing gravel off his arm. The past few days had been nothing but training, beatdowns, bruises, and banter. But what stuck with him most wasn't the hits — it was that one thing Setsuna said on the first day of training: "I noticed something"

Now seemed like the right moment.

He looked up. "Can you finally tell me what you noticed or was that just a bluff?"

Setsuna paused mid-step. Then turned. "I was just making sure first."

He stepped into the ring again and knelt down, dragging the tip of his sword across the dirt in a slow arc. "You've been holding back. Calculating. I don't mean playing it safe — I mean deliberately avoiding something."

Kazuo frowned. "Avoiding what?"

Setsuna locked eyes with him. "You know Arcane Magic, don't you?"

Kazuo hesitated, then blinked. "…I mean, I have something. A spell. But I never use it."

Sora's popsicle stopped mid-air. "Wait. Wait. You can use Arcane-level magic? You? This whole time?!"

Even Tetsu looked up from his notes, glasses sliding down his nose.

Kazuo scratched the back of his head. "It's just one spell. Arcane of Water: Vortex. I learned it by accident. It… nearly drowned a guy. And a horse. I promised Gramps I'd never use it again."

Setsuna gave a small, satisfied nod. "Good instincts. But bad control."

He tapped the dirt again with his sword tip. "You've got raw force. But no structure. So listen."

Tetsu muttered, flipping a page, "Oh no. Not again. Another monologue session…"

He stepped back and raised his hand slightly. A patch of frost bloomed beneath his feet, spreading in delicate veins.

"This—" he said, "—is Level One. Instinctual Magic. No incantations, no formations. Just flow. Touch your element. Move it. Like this."

With a flick of his fingers, the frost twirled upward like mist around his arm — smooth, effortless. It's like heating up tea with fire magic.

Kazuo nodded, watching.

"Ice Magic: Ice Splitter!"

A sharp crack rang out as a wall of jagged ice erupted beside him, crystalline and fierce, slicing into the training ring like it had always belonged there.

Kazuo's eyes widened. "That's… Combat Magic?"

"Standard tier," Setsuna confirmed. "Named spells. Controlled output. What you've been using — your Torrent, Shuriken, Water Wall — all fall here."

Kazuo nodded slowly, still watching the wall glitter under the light. He'd seen nobles cast magic before, but Setsuna's was different. Precise. Commanding. Like the magic itself respected him.

Setsuna continued, voice steady.

"Arcane Magic is the next tier. More output. More danger. It's the line where most people stop."

Kazuo tilted his head. "So… Vortex counts as that?"

"You're lucky you figured it out yourself," Setsuna said. "Arcane spells aren't used casually. They're wide-range, high-impact — and they don't care who gets caught in the blast."

He paused, then added, "There's a reason we don't train them here."

Kazuo blinked. "You mean… you can't show me one?"

Setsuna shook his head. "Not unless you want the entire courtyard leveled."

He gestured to the ground around them. "This ring is meant for combat magic. Anything Arcane or higher is tested on reinforced grounds. Underground chambers. Isolated fields. Places built to contain the fallout."

Kazuo stiffened slightly. "Right. That makes sense."

Tetsu chimed in, flipping a page. "Arcane spells require at least f

Then Setsuna placed a hand on the ice wall.

No spell name this time.

A subtle vibration rippled out — and suddenly, cold mist fanned across the training field. The dirt cracked. A thin layer of frost stretched under everyone's feet, spreading outward like the ground itself had turned traitor.

Kazuo stumbled back half a step. "Whoa—what the hell—?"

Setsuna's voice was calm, but sharp.

"This is Terrain Enforcement."

The chill deepened, not painful — but present. Heavy. Even the air felt different.

"I'm not attacking you," Setsuna said. "I'm controlling the field. My magic becomes the environment. Ice beneath your feet. Cold in your lungs. Your reaction speed drops. Your footing weakens. And you start fighting on my terms."

Kazuo turned slowly, watching how the ring had transformed — the boundaries, the tone, even the pressure. It was like a different world now. Created in seconds.

He breathed out. "That's insane."

Sora pulled her tail off the frosted ground with a grunt. "It's rude, is what it is."

Even Tetsu looked impressed. "You expanded your element's radius by over six meters without breaking incantation. That's… statistically improbable."

Setsuna gave a short nod, then dragged his sword across the ice — clean, simple — and the entire field reverted. Ice melted. Mist cleared.

Kazuo blinked. "So… I can do that with water?"

"In theory," Setsuna said, sheathing his blade. "But you'll have to train for months just to stop it from flooding the whole city."

Setsuna dragged the edge of his sword across the frost — smooth and effortless — and the entire field began to thaw, mist evaporating into the air like a sigh.

The silence that followed felt heavier than before.

Kazuo stood still.

That wasn't just control… That was dominance.The way the ice obeyed. The way the battlefield shifted. When Setsuna had claimed to be the strongest under Cedric, Kazuo had believed it. But now? Now he understood.

That wasn't just a claim.

That was proof.

The gap between them wasn't just wide — it was chillingly vast.

Setsuna finally broke the silence. "The reason I'm showing you all this—"He stepped forward, tone calm but absolute. "—is not because I think you'll master it before the tournament."

Kazuo blinked. "Then… why?"

"Because this is the level of magic you'll be facing," Setsuna said. "Arcane casters. Terrain users. People who can twist the rules of the ring around their element. You need to recognize it when it happens — and respond accordingly."

Kazuo's eyes lingered on the fading mist. He swallowed. "Right…"

Then Setsuna turned back to him, eyes sharp. "And now… the final tier."

The air tensed again.

"Esoteric Art."

Kazuo repeated it slowly. "Esoteric… Art?"

Setsuna nodded once. "This is your trump card."

He stepped into the center of the ring, planting his sword down lightly — not with force this time, but with intent.

"It's not just high-tier magic. It drains more than mana. It drains spirit."

Kazuo frowned. "Wait… spirit? Like… actual spirits?"

He paused, then added, "I saw them. In the Hollow Veins. People down there use small ones — firefly spirits — as light. You mean that kind of spirit?"

Setsuna gave him a long look, then shook his head. "Not exactly"

He crouched slightly, planting his sword in the dirt.

"What those people use — the spirits you saw — those are fragments. Echoes. Pieces of something bigger. But what I'm talking about…" He tapped his chest. "...is your spirit. The core inside you. The thing that says: I won't fall. That's what fuels an Esoteric Art."

Setsuna continued. "You can't open with it. You can't spam it. Once it's gone, you're done. Which is why it's used as a last resort. A final stand. That's why we call it a trump card."

Kazuo looked down at his hands. He had power and talent — sure. But he hadn't even scratched at the kind of weight these people were carrying.

Kazuo looked down, voice lower now."So can I train to unlock my Esoteric Art?"

Setsuna paused. Then answered, firm and clear: "You can't train it. You don't learn an Esoteric Art. You awaken it. Alone." He looked him dead in the eye. "You can't force it. And you can't fake it."

Kazuo exhaled. "And if someone uses theirs in the tournament?"

"Then survive it," Setsuna said. "That's why you train."

Kazuo gave a dry laugh. "Comforting."

Setsuna offered a hand. "Get up."

Kazuo took it, slower this time.

"You're not here to win with brute force," Setsuna said. "You're here to survive. Understand what's coming. Fight smart."

Kazuo nodded once. "Yeah. I'll be ready."

Sora leaned toward Tetsu. "I give him three minutes."

Tetsu raised his notebook. "Bet on it?"

Kazuo muttered, "One day, I won't get back up."

Setsuna smirked. "Then die with flair. Kazu"

Kazuo rolled his eyes

Meanwhile at the Royal Palace The Council gathered. The Topic being discussed? Kazuo