[Dear Izami, from this moment onward we'll be able to communicate directly through this unrestricted email, without having to contact Central.]
Kimisu wrote while sitting in the living room, a laptop resting on his hands. It was late at night, nearly the start of dawn; yet, just as promised, he was reporting on the day he spent with Izumi.
[Izumi's first day was calm. I took him to Yetzirah so he could gain access to the system… Apparently, his card belongs to a Cherub angel named Veridiel. I managed to make him see the prana of individuals, allowing him to locate people within a scene. However, we're still searching for a way for him to see mana… Perhaps an amplifier will be ideal.]
With the window slightly open, a cold breeze ran down his spine. The television was on at low volume; Erik lay beside Kimisu, fast asleep.
It was a habit of the young Berta—whenever he wanted to escape the angel's voice, Erik watched hunting channels and searched for supernatural content online until he fell asleep.
[His partners are quite solid. They're a pair of twins, and so far they've been including Izu-kun a lot. Of course, we still have much to prepare them for, since an ordinary life hardly reflects what the world of demons truly is…]
Kimisu cracked his neck as he typed.
[…Earlier today I began teaching Izu-kun some fundamentals of summoning, and he did fairly well! He managed to hear a shikigami, though he couldn't fully summon it. We spent the rest of the day increasing the rotations of his prana disks—he's quite sharp now. Before, he could only see the body's outline; now he can see the entire anatomy—of course, still limited to prana.]
Pausing to review the text, he tried to recall other topics worth mentioning. Naturally, he had no intention of explaining everything to Izami—only the bare minimum.
[I want him to summon a shikigami tomorrow, before the captain arrives… Once Takashi-san gets here, the days will surely fly by… Anyway, don't worry about us. He'll be fine! And so will I, alright?! Have a good night. See you.]
Setting the laptop down on the glass table, Kimisu went to the refrigerator for a glass of water. As he drank, he looked out the window at the lawn: a charcoal circle painted on the grass where they had trained earlier.
Beside the refrigerator, not very well hidden, sat a wide box delivered that night by two DSSP officers. Izumi hadn't been awake to receive it—but it was meant for him.
Kimisu reflected on the day ahead, stretching his back as he returned to the laptop. He intended to shut it down and sleep, expecting Izami's reply only the next morning.
However, Izami had already read the email…
[Understood. Thank you for the report. Ayumi thanks you for taking care of Izumi…]
Kimisu's temple throbbed, and he snapped the laptop shut in irritation.
[But I don't care about you.]
'Ungrateful bastard!' he thought, wanting to shout—but restraining himself out of respect for the young Berta.
The following morning, Zeta Squad of Sector Four continued its preparations for the expedition toward the domain of Atziluth.
The Berta twins trained once more in physical combat, while Izumi followed the plan laid out by the supervisor, Kimisu.
At the center of the charcoal circle, Izumi increased the rotations of his energy disks. A full rotation was completed in a single second—his first goal as a beginner.
For a Sefira, the faster an energy rotation is completed, the more energy can be released at once.
Energy reserves, once naturally determined, are difficult to increase. Izumi's reserves weren't exorbitant—just acceptable, at best.
Without relics capable of expanding his energy pool, the most he could do was accelerate the rotation of his prana disks, allowing energy to spread more easily throughout his body.
When the disks spin at high speeds, it gives the impression that the energy reserves are larger—something purely psychological.
"In practice, once we finish casting a spell, another can be executed with precision," Kimisu explained, sitting by the side door. "That's possible because while we spend energy, it returns quickly."
Izumi raised the rotations again; sweat streamed down his face. His heartbeat spiked dramatically, his skin flushing red…
Sweat dripped.
The surge of energy began to manifest physically, creating a small disturbance in the wind.
His hair stood on end.
'Two rotations per second, and all this effort…' Kimisu assessed from afar.
His clothes fluttered violently, blades of grass flying up around him…
'I lack focus…' Izumi thought, straining. 'I need to increase the rotation… But this is my limit.'
Izumi's posture collapsed. He dropped to his knees, eyes wide, one hand clawing at the grass as he gasped for air.
Crossing one leg beneath the other, he pressed his forehead to the ground and clutched his chest.
"I'm a bit impressed… I thought you'd be more talented as a Sefira… Where's that fourteen-year-old boy who used to train all night with his cousin?" Kimisu said, standing and walking toward his apprentice.
"Dead," Izumi replied, struggling to steady his breathing. "And I only trained physically. I know the movements of Rain Blade and Sea Fists, but Father never taught me everything about prana."
"That's because prana doesn't rely solely on awakening and instruction. You learn it, then evolve on your own. You develop your own energy techniques… That's how things work."
Placing a hand on Izumi's shoulder, Kimisu lifted him and guided him into a cross-legged seated position.
Still breathing heavily, Izumi saw prana outlining Kimisu's figure as he crouched before him.
In that moment, Izumi realized something peculiar: beyond seeing the outline, he could feel the expressions. The tone and instability of the prana made it clear.
Kimisu, despite maintaining the posture of someone disappointed, was worried.
'His rotation is unstable… He's trying to hold two rotations, but can't. It easily drops back to one… That seems to be his current limit.'
Standing up, Kimisu walked back into the house.
As Izumi tried to control his breathing, his master returned carrying a long wooden box in his arms. To Izumi's eyes, it was a rectangular object wrapped in an aura of prana.
Yet inside the box, the energy outline was even stronger.
'That artifact…' he pondered, eyes widening.
Kimisu carefully set the box on the ground. Opening it, he revealed a beautiful double-edged sword of medium length. The guard was small, forged from a solid metal plate. From an orb at its center, lines of energy ran along the hilt, fading at the pommel.
The master was momentarily taken by the weapon's form. But before praising the artifact, he remembered a request he had made to Izumi as soon as they left Yetzirah.
"Do you remember when I told you not to open the system until I gave the order?" he asked, gripping the sword with both hands.
"I do…"
"Use it now."
Without objection, Izumi complied.
[Sephirot System initializing…]
[The Great Will is analyzing your DNA…]
[Lineage detected…]
[You have been linked to the Michizane family data. All members of the Michizane family are now aware of your awakening.]
The words dyed Izumi's vision in an intense red, still familiar from his recent memories—though they slowly faded.
[You have been linked to a ]
[You have been linked to the Angel of Truth, Veridiel!]
[Individual Profile]
Name: [Izumi Kairen]
Age: [18]
Guardian Angel: [The Truth]
Level: [1]
Rank: [Feeble]
Potential: [120]
Suit: [Spades]
Status: [Revealed]
"Wow…" he murmured, stunned.
This was the system he had always dreamed of seeing…
Now truly being treated as a Revealed.
"Which suit?" Kimisu asked, not allowing him time to fully absorb the change.
"Huh? Ah… Spades," Izumi replied, shaking his head.
"Yeah…" Kimisu muttered, lamenting that he had to hand that sword over to his apprentice.
A system screen revealed what that sword meant to the Kairen family.
"So this sword is your inheritance."
Crouching with the blade in hand, Kimisu made sure Izumi took it carefully, so he wouldn't cut himself on the freshly maintained edge—personally cared for by Izami.
[Taiga Kairen's Legacy]
Elemental Bond: [Water]
Ideal Suit: [Spades]
Rarity: [Mythic]
Description: [Left by Taiga within the Michizane, a remnant card from the battle between the Rising Sun people and the forces of the King of Gluttony. An artifact capable of binding a spirit…]
"You recognize it, don't you?"
The blade was bathed in Izumi's prana, now outlined by a blue energy.
Izumi exhaled a refreshing breath, almost hugging the sword. He felt relieved—yet confused.
"It belonged to Grandpa… But why? Father displayed it like a trophy in the dojo. It was untouchable, even to the eyes…" Izumi said, watching the beautiful energy flow.
"It's a sign of trust. Nothing more."
Stepping back toward the door, Kimisu picked up the wooden box and put it away inside.
Then he turned back to Izumi and leaned his shoulder against the doorframe.
"Besides helping prevent energy loss, a charcoal circle also serves another purpose…" Kimisu said with a satisfied smile. "It's a cage for energy. Yesterday, we were talking about shikigamis and how they're beings of pure energy…"
Confused and unintentionally, Izumi flooded the sword with his prana, triggering a simple reaction…
Simple—yet binding…
It was a contract. An unconscious pact.
"Have you ever tried looking up?" Kimisu asked with a wide grin.
"What?"
[A spirit has reacted to Taiga Kairen's Legacy.]
A figure, formed of deep navy-blue prana, took shape above Izumi—long, silky hair flowing in the air. Slowly descending from the sky, a peculiar sound echoed in his mind.
It was the contagious laughter of a young lady.