The Fading Chant

Kenshin didn't sleep that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Yoshino's face shimmering before him—her silver hair glowing in the moonlight, her golden eyes watching him with a patience that unsettled and comforted him all at once. She sat by his window, legs dangling, humming a tune he didn't recognize. It was soft and warm, but carried a sadness he couldn't place.

"You should sleep, Master," Yoshino whispered. Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed a hint of worry.

"I can't," Kenshin admitted, sitting up in bed. "Everyone's talking about me. About… us."

That night, sleep barely came. By dawn, gray light seeped through the curtains of Kenshin's small dorm room. But instead of his alarm, it was the sudden ring of the crystal communicator on his desk—a shimmering orb attuned only to his family—that jolted him awake.

He hesitated before touching it. When he did, his parents' faces appeared in the swirling light: his mother's gentle eyes wide with worry, his father's brow furrowed so deeply it looked like a canyon.

"Kenshin!" his mother cried first, voice crackling through the magic connection. "We heard what happened—rumors reached town overnight. Are you okay? What have you gotten yourself into?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Kenshin said quickly, though his voice was hoarse. "It's… complicated."

His father's voice was low and sharp. "You summoned something no one understands, son. Do you realize what that means? The wrong people could see you as a threat or a weapon."

Kenshin's hands shook. "I didn't want any of this."

There was a pause. His mother reached out through the crystal, as if she could touch his cheek. "We don't want you to come home yet—we want you safe, but running will only bring more eyes. Be careful. Please. Trust no one until you know who's on your side."

His father nodded reluctantly. "You always had a strange way with Manna… but if the academy's worried, if they try to expel you, don't argue. Just get out and come home. We'll find a way to protect you."

The orb flickered as the first rays of morning sunlight hit his window, their worried faces fading with it. Silence fell over the room once more, broken only by Kenshin's uneven breathing.

***

Morning arrived with the academy's bells ringing sharp and shrill. Kenshin dragged himself through the dorm corridors, shoulders hunched under the weight of every stare and hushed whisper.

"He's the one who summoned a spirit girl, right?""I heard she called him 'Master'—like a knight or something!""Do you think he's dangerous?"

Ayame intercepted him at the stairwell, eyes wide with worry and annoyance. "Where were you last night? The headmaster was looking for you everywhere!"

"He found me," Kenshin said tiredly. "And… he told me to keep Yoshino hidden. For now."

Ayame crossed her arms. "You mean she's with you right now?"

A shimmer danced at Kenshin's shoulder, and Yoshino emerged half-visible, giving Ayame a polite bow. "Good morning, Lady Ayame," she said, smiling gently.

Ayame squeaked, nearly falling down the stairs. "She's so pretty—wait, I mean—! Don't just pop out of nowhere!"

They walked together to class, Yoshino trailing them invisibly. As they approached the main hall, Kazuki and Ryo were already leaning against the doorframe, watching the gathering crowd with predatory smiles.

"Well, if it isn't the academy's new mascot," Kazuki drawled as Kenshin came close. "Summoned any other cute girls lately?"

Ryo snickered, eyes glinting with mischief. "Or maybe she's the one controlling you?"

"Back off," Ayame snapped. "He doesn't owe you anything."

"Oh, I disagree," Kazuki said softly, stepping closer until his face was inches from Kenshin's. "You made a spectacle, and that spectacle embarrassed all of us. The academy's reputation is at stake—and we can't let a nobody like you make us look weak."

The air between them crackled. Yoshino's outline flickered into view, and for a split second, Kazuki's confident grin faltered as her golden gaze fell on him like a silent challenge.

Before anyone could speak, the headmaster's voice boomed down the corridor. "Enough! Inside, all of you."

Professor Makabe was already waiting by the blackboard, chalk in hand, but eyes fixed firmly on Kenshin. "Today," he began slowly, "we discuss the ethics of summoning. When magic transcends what is safe—or what is known—what responsibilities do we hold?"

Every head in the room turned toward Kenshin. His face burned with shame and frustration.

Makabe's eyes softened slightly. "Mister Hoshimiya, would you care to share your thoughts?"

"I didn't mean to do it," Kenshin said quietly, fists clenched in his lap. "I never learned advanced summoning. I don't even know how I did it."

A murmur rippled through the class. Kazuki leaned back, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

Yoshino appeared beside Kenshin's desk, only visible to him and Ayame. She rested a delicate hand on his shoulder. You did not call me by accident, she said into his mind, her voice warm but insistent. You carry something inside you. I heard it, and it resonated with my spirit.

Kenshin nearly jumped. You can talk directly into my head?

Of course, Yoshino replied with a playful smile. That's what a bond is, Master.

***

After class, rumors exploded faster than wildfire. Students crowded the halls, debates breaking out at every corner.

"Kenshin's spirit is actually the lost princess!""No, she's an angel who fell from the heavens!""I heard he'll be expelled—or made the academy's champion!"

Kenshin tried to slip away, but Ayame grabbed his arm. "Hey—don't let them get to you. You've got me, okay?" She glanced at Yoshino, who appeared fully now, and added, "And… her."

Kenshin sighed. "That's what I'm worried about."

Later that evening, the headmaster called an emergency meeting of the academy's council. The hall was silent but tense, the walls lined with portraits of long-dead archmages who had kept the academy's secrets for generations.

"He summoned a spirit beyond our comprehension," Professor Makabe said, voice low. "If the Devil King learns of this boy, he will move to claim or destroy him."

The headmaster tapped his cane on the marble floor. "Then we must protect him—and keep this contained. Or the academy itself will be the first battlefield."

***

Far beyond the academy's gates, in the heart of a storm-wracked keep, the Devil King stood before a circle of kneeling figures. His eyes, dark and fathomless, stared into the swirling shadows of his scrying pool.

"So… the world's resilience still lingers," he murmured, voice like cold iron. "And it has chosen a vessel."

He raised a hand, fingers curling. The shadows in the pool writhed, taking shape as monstrous beasts with glistening fangs.

"Send them. Flush him out. If he truly carries the last Chant`s, I will have it."

Back at the academy, as night fell over Astral's towering spires, Yoshino sat silently at the edge of Kenshin's narrow dorm bed. Moonlight streamed through the window, catching in her silver hair, painting her like a phantom.

For a long moment, she only watched the storm gather beyond the glass. Then, in a voice soft as falling rain, she spoke.

"When I first came into this world, everything felt alive. Light danced through the skies, and even the quietest breeze carried warmth. But I've watched it dim, year by year, until only shadows remain. I never thought I'd find someone who could still feel what's been lost."

Kenshin's breath caught. "You mean… there's still hope?"

Yoshino turned to him, her golden eyes reflecting distant lightning. A sad, knowing smile touched her lips. "Yes, Master. What's gone isn't gone forever. It's only sleeping. And you… You might be the one to wake it."

Outside, thunder rolled across the hills, and for the first time, Kenshin felt the weight of it all: the world's fate wasn't some old story. It had found him—and it wouldn't let him go.