Plan Breaker

The changing room was a tiny space, barely big enough for two people, and the air inside was stale. I adjusted the gi, tightening the belt around my waist, trying to calm my nerves. My hands were trembling slightly as I processed what Fang had just told me. I tried my best not to let my nervousness show. As the Dark King, a servant of Cacophony, and Fang's 'friend', it was shameful to let something on this level get to me.

Fang pointed at me with narrowed eyes, "You've got to deal with that neck of yours. Can't have you walking around with those bite marks on full display. Might as well hand over an invitation to get caught."

In a grandiose fashion that would have made any drama queen proud, I reached up to my collar and pulled down, revealing the bandages I'd wrapped around my neck earlier. "Already taken care of, my friend. Did you truly think that your feeble mind could come up with something that I'd overlook? Now tremble in the face of the proof of my superior ability!" I declared, my voice dripping with exaggerated confidence.

Fang sighed, rubbing his temples as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "You're really something, you know that?"

We both left the changing room, stepping into the sparring area beyond. As we entered, I was immediately struck by how vast the space was compared to the exterior of the building. The dojo's interior was expansive, with high ceilings and wide, open floors that could easily accommodate multiple bouts at once. The walls were adorned with traditional weapons and ancient scrolls, and the floor was immaculately clean, a stark contrast to the dilapidated exterior.

"Looks like a completely different world inside. It must be some type of hyper-compression magic, right?!" I confidently noted, my eyes scanning the room in awe.

"Huh, wha- of course it isn't." Fang remarked. "It'll make more sense once you meet the dojo's master. He's... a piece of work that could even rival your insanity." 

As we walked deeper into the dojo, we noticed two girls sparring in the center of the room. They were both dressed in the same gi as us. What really took me by surprise was the fact that they were sparring with wooden swords.

It took a moment of processing to realize why it was so jarring, but when I realized it, it was dumbfounding. 

That's not what you should be wearing for sword training. They don't have any headgear or extra protection!

A gi is used for martial arts involving the hands and legs, when it comes to weapons it's different.

What kind of dojo is this?

Moving back to the fight. 

The first girl moved with fluid grace, her every step precise and calculated. She had long black hair tied back in a tight ponytail and a focused expression that barely wavered as she parried and countered her opponent's attacks. Oddly, she fought wearing red headphones that would've undoubtedly impaired their hearing. Even still, her strikes were crisp, each one carrying an air of discipline and control that spoke of years of rigorous training beyond her appearance.

Her opponent, however, was another story. The second girl was taller and had short, choppy grey hair. At first, she matched the black-haired girl's technique with surprising skill. But as the fight wore on, it became clear that she was struggling to keep up. Her movements became increasingly erratic, her strikes wilder and less controlled.

"Guess we came at the right time.", Fang noted.

The first girl's feet glided across the wooden floor with the heavenly grace of a swan in water. Her sword movements were swift yet at ease. Despite being on the defensive, it was undoubtedly she who was in control of the action. 

Anytime the grey-haired girl missed an attack, the girl in the red headphones would strike her side. When she then followed by making the mistake of sending a thrust, her punishment was a blow to the side of her head. 

Forced to her knees, a short stream of blood then dripped from the girl's forehead. Normally, you'd expect the match to be ended right then and there, but the girl with grey hair instead gave an inhuman grunt.

Her body forced itself up and charged forward. The speed of the battle picked up considerably. The grey-haired girl no longer held her sword with two hands, instead opting to violently swing her blade with her left hand. 

Her swings grew wilder, and more forceful, like she was trying to overpower her opponent with brute strength instead of technique. Still, each of her blows was parried with near effortlessness. 

Fed up with taking the onslaught, the girl in the red headphones dashed back, allowing the other girl's sword to hit the floor. Unexpectedly, the force of her attack broke the floorboards.

In that split moment when the grey-haired girl was about to get up, a final strike to the head took her down.

Her body slumped to the floor, unconscious. 

Finished with her match, the victor casually slid her headphones down and waved in our direction. 

"So, was it entertaining?", she asked. 

"Well, it wasn't really any different from the other times I've been here. Kana, you always end up winning in the end.", Fang casually replied.

Seemingly pleased by his answer, the girl gave a large grin. "I'm the best after all!" 

Moving over to where we stood, the girl extended her hand toward me. "Fang, introductions are in order. Do them, now." 

She's giving some serious Cacophony vibes right now... 

"Veri, this is Kana. She's a senior at our school and also the daughter of the school's Executive Director." 

"You might also know me as the student body president! I'm always on the announcements and at school events and stuff!", she chimed in.

"Oh... uh yeah... of course." 

Currently, I'm in the middle of my third year at my school. During that entire period, not once had I ever wondered about the student government. I mean, last year my homeroom teacher's intercom didn't even work so I couldn't listen to the announcements! Ignoring them is practically a learned habit.

I think it might be time that I started paying more attention to the world around me...

"It's really fine if you don't know. I'd just like to implore you to take note of those kinds of things. Next year will be your senior year, stuff like this might look unimportant, but it can have a serious impact.", her tone was so calm and patient. Somehow it made me more nervous than before. 

"Well, uh, I know for a fact that you must've heard of me, yes? The Great Dark King and Defender of the night kingdom of old. Nothing escapes my watchful gaze. That includes that little trick that you're pulling. All regarding your soul is clear to me!" 

A dazed look of shock flashed across her face. Her head then turned to Fang, who seemed annoyed. Clearly, he didn't wish to explain my odd demeanor to her. 

"Fang, you really do have a good eye. At school, this guy just seems like a totally wild weirdo, but to think he'd have such a knack for magic. He could even tell that I was using a spell!" 

Wait, for real? Was she actually using a spell? I was spouting off nonsense and thought about throwing in that soul stuff that Cacophony had told me about. Fang didn't tell her anything to disprove her assumption so I won't tell her the truth. Let's simply pretend that I really am an all-seeing king...

Instead of replying to what Kana had said, Fang pointed to the girl still passed out in the sparring area. "So, are you going to leave her there?" 

"Aww, don't make me out to be some kind of bad person! This is her fault for always thinking that she could beat me. She'll wake up in a minute or two." 

Kana smirked as she turned her attention back to Fang. "You're always so serious, Fang. Can't you lighten up for once? Here, I'll even give you a chance to redeem yourself. Let's have a little spar, you and me."

Fang's expression didn't change, but I could see his shoulders tense. "No, thank you. I'm not interested in wasting even more energy today, I've enough to worry about as is," he replied flatly, but Kana's grin only widened.

"Oh, come on," she insisted, her voice a playful sing-song. "Don't be a coward! Afraid you might lose to little ol' me? Afraid I'll embarrass you in front of your friend here?" She leaned in closer to him, more than you would with an average friend.

Leaning back, Fang retorted, "You know it wouldn't be fair. Your ability is basically cheating." 

"That little gimmick that I sensed earlier?"

Kana turned to me, nodding with a proud grin. "Oh, absolutely! It's my inscribed spell. With it, I instantly become a master at wielding any weapon I touch. Swords, spears, whips, bows—whatever it is, I handle it like I've been training with it for decades." She brandished the wooden sword with a flourish, striking a mock pose. "Pretty cool, huh? It's called Instant Weapon's Mastery!"

I had to admit, it did sound impressive. Fang, however, remained unimpressed. "A fancy trick," he muttered, "but it's just that—a trick. Real mastery takes time, discipline, and—"

Kana cut him off with a mocking gasp. "How rude! Now then, you came here to introduce me to this new guy right? He'll be joining our little group." 

"No, actually it's-", Fang's sentence was cut off by the arrival of those two women from earlier. Meiying and Farra, both clad in their gi. For some reason, it looked like they had marks on their body that they didn't before. Scratches, bite marks, and other signs of a sibling-type fight.

Fang stopped whatever he was saying as they walked in. Discreetly, he made a hand sign to Kana. Wordlessly, she did a light nod. All her boundless energy seemed to subside and the two looked to be steeled for a more serious encounter. 

I was left standing there out of the loop. I wasn't part of whatever group Kana had just mentioned and I certainly didn't fully understand whatever mage stuff was going on in the background of all this. The only thing that I truly had was my resolve.

'I think I get where Fang was coming from. Right now, I have this burning desire to protect this little world that I'm in. I don't want to go back to what I had before.'

My fist clenched just a tad bit tighter.

-Fang

Damn it, I really screwed up by letting these two idiots take the lead! 

I was swept away in their stupid antics and squandered all the time that was allotted to us! A golden opportunity like that isn't going to show itself again. With Meiying and Farra temporarily out of the picture, I should've just gotten straight to business and skipped the stupid pleasantries. 

Both Kana and the currently sleeping Tiana have no clue how much of a mess this all is. I should've really saved this trip for another day. All I wanted to do was catch them up on the current situation regarding the empress and all. These two aren't the type to flip on me and go crying the Magic Order. After all, at the start of the year, I made them join that group. 

'The Shores Charter School Society of Magical Protection!' 

A group formed purely out of my self-interest and meant to help maintain my new life. Recruiting the two other mages that go to my school was a no-brainer. When she's serious, Kana can be pretty useful. On the other hand, Tiana isn't so useful. Either way, I was lucky that I happened to teach them those hand signs. Communication without needing to speak is important. 

'Danger.'

That's what I told Kana just now with my hand sign. It seems that she understood.

The way things stand, Veri is the only thing saving me from total failure. As a non-mage, his presence here serves as a hindrance to Meiying and Farra's mission. Ranking officers would never take even the slightest chance of a non-mage getting wrapped up in magic. 

That defense only stands as long as they don't find out that he already is involved in this mess. As a master tactician, there's no shot that I'd blunder such a vital piece.

"This intense pain! It must be my demon eye, it's reacting to the introduction of another evil force! Yes, you, the tiny girl. You must be the source. You must be a non-human demon. You may be a lesser lifeform, but I recognize you as one of my kin." 

"Tiny? Lesser lifeform? I'll kill you."

...

It took less than a minute for him to make an enemy out of her... Well, at least he didn't reveal anything important. I mean, no one would take something like that too seriously anyway... 

Things could be a lot worse. 

 My train of thought was abruptly interrupted as the door to the dojo creaked open. The sound was faint but somehow felt unnervingly ominous in the suddenly tense air. I turned my head to look, and I could feel as my face wrapped into an annoyed expression. 

A woman stepped into the room, moving with a slow, deliberate grace. She had long, flowing red hair that seemed to shimmer like blood under the dim lights of the dojo. Her eyes were a piercing shade of crimson, sharp and predatory, and her smile was far too serene for comfort. Her aura radiated a kind of overwhelming authority, commanding attention from everyone present without a word.

"Veri! It was boring at home so I thought I'd stop by." 

... 

How'd she even-

Why would she-

Cacophony... No way... this is the absolute worst-case scenario.