NOVEL WEB Chapter 25 – Team Formation
Khael's POV
After minutes of talking with Master Isen, I finally returned to school. (Luckily... no one seems suspicious of my sudden disappearance.)
Everyone must've been too focused on the arena chaos. That whole scene with Shigeo probably overshadowed by everything else.
As for the Eclipse Vanguard… yeah, I know they find me suspicious especially after that unexpected disappearance. But Master Isen already told me:
"Don't worry. Let me handle them."
So I'll trust him.
Now, here we are. Back in the classroom.
The familiar buzz of students murmuring was still there. A mix of tension and curiosity lingered after today's battles. Some were whispering about who won what, others debating strategies.
Then—
Clink.
Clink.
Sensei Shun Asamaru entered. His coat flowed like a wave behind him, long and dark, reinforced with some kind of Echo-thread lining. At his hip, the Echo-inscribed blade chimed faintly with every step.
His single visible eye swept the classroom with a calm, almost bored sharpness. The other was covered beneath a faintly glowing seal-mark—rumor says it sees too much.
He stood at the front, arms behind his back.
"Now that the arena mock battle is over," he began, voice low but clear, "it's time we proceed with the real work."
Everyone went quiet. Even the loudmouths at the back stopped.
"You've all been prepared for this." He paced once across the board. "Combat training. Missions. Echo development. This is where you'll be tested."
He paused, then looked right at us.
"As I've said before: Three students. One teacher per team."
Another girl across the room:
"Wait… does that mean we'll be leaving campus soon?"
I leaned back, arms crossed.
Sensei snapped his fingers.
A glyph floated in the air beside him rows of names slowly appearing in Echo light.
"Your teams will be announced now. Stand when you're called."
My heart thudded a little.
(Alright. Let's see who I'm paired with…)
One by one, glowing names shimmered into place.
"Team 1."
Sensei's voice was like a blade: sharp, direct.
"Mentor: Crimson Veinwalker Atsuko Reign – Flame."
A murmur of awe rippled through the class.
Atsuko Reign. A walking storm of fire. Suppressed entire war camps singlehandedly during the Eastern Echo Conflicts. Her name was legend.
"1. Kai Varma – Storm Affinity."
A tall guy with spiked hair stood and cracked his knuckles. A cocky grin formed across his face.
"2. Luka Takahashi – Flame Affinity."
Luka smirked as she stood—flame tattoos spiraling along her arms. Definitely fireborn.
"3. Damon Araragi – Stone Affinity."
Damon nodded stoically and adjusted his gloves. The type who speaks through fists.
…
"Team 2."
"Mentor: Crimson Veinwalker Mira Dasani – Wave."
The room went silent again. Mira Dasani, known for manipulating raw emotion mid-battle, said to have deflected rage-fueled berserker void with a glance.
"1. Sora West – Wave Affinity."
Sora gave a lazy wave as he stood. Quiet, cool type.
"2. Anaya Nakamura – Bloom Affinity."
Anaya stood slowly. Calm, collected. The school's top medic-type Echo user. A pink luminescence faintly shimmered around her.
"3. Riku Iyer – Storm Affinity."
Riku flicked his hood up, eyes half-lidded, but something dangerous shimmered beneath.
Then, the room dimmed a little.
A strange fluctuation in the glyph.
It pulsed—once.
Twice.
Then flared.
"Team 3."
Everyone turned.
"Rael Eluron."
The Lightning-Wind hybrid prodigy stood slowly. His gaze flicked over the class—measured, calculating, cold.
(Rael… he's dangerous. Focused. A strategist, but also ruthless.)
"Affinity: Lightning, Wind… and Bloom."
"Lira Valenne."
A petite girl stood. Her eyes sparkled faintly with pink and gold Echo energy.
"Affinity: Bloom—Hope."
Soft-spoken, but her Echo signature was serene and powerful. A stabilizer.
Then—
The final name glowed.
And the entire class froze.
"Kaen Suro."
(…What?)
Whispers exploded like static.
"Him?"
"Wait… Kaen? Seriously?"
"That guy's not even ranked…"
"He couldn't even control his Echo last term—"
I stayed quiet. But even I felt the tension rise.
Kaen Suro stood up slowly.
Quiet. Unassuming. Slightly messy hair, bandaged arm. His presence was… dim. Forgettable.
But something stirred.
A faint pulse from the glyph. As if recognizing him.
(Why him…? He's no prodigy. At least, that's what everyone thinks.)
But that wasn't true.
Not at all.
They didn't know the truth behind his lineage.
Kaen Suro wasn't just "some guy."
He was the protagonist of the Kaen Eclipse manga.
He went from an outcast mocked, underestimated to a legend that united nations. His power wasn't just talent.
It was forged.
(If he ever fully unseals that shade affinity… and masters his Echo, then…)
(Then he'll be able to access all six affinities.)
Flame. Wave. Storm. Stone. Bloom… and Shade.
Why?
Because of The Seal.
The Voidrot's Beacon.
It was created during the Eclipse Rite, a forbidden ritual performed by the Suro Clan. They had one goal: forge the ultimate warrior one who could balance all elemental forces.
The price?
Sacrifice both parents. Infuse the child with a meteorite fragment—
The Hollow Vein.
That's what lived inside Kaen now.
(He's a timebomb… but also a miracle.)
I stared at him as he sat down again, completely unfazed by the stares.
(You'd better wake up soon, Kaen… Because the Voidrot won't wait for you.)
And then—
"Mentor: Raiden Kurogami.
Rank: Eclipse Vanguard
Affinity: Thunder
Nickname: 'Thunder God'
Traits: Lazy genius, unpredictable, observant."
"He will be overseeing Team 3."
The room exploded in quiet tension.
A hush that roared in everyone's ears.
"An Eclipse Vanguard...? For a student team?!"
"That's Rael's influence, right?"
"But Kaen? How the hell..."
..
Kaen's POV
As the names echoed in the air, my jaw tightened.
(Finally... a chance to prove myself...)
The classroom's reaction didn't faze me. The whispers, the glances—they were nothing new. I've lived in the shadows of rumors and forgotten legacies for years.
But this was different.
Raiden Kurogami.
The Thunder God himself.
(If he trained me to the point of becoming stronger than others... then no one can deny my existence.)
I exhaled quietly, but then I heard the next name again:
Rael Eluron.
My eyelid twitched.
(...But why that bastard is my teammate? Hmph.)
He sat so composed at the front, back perfectly straight like royalty. His silver eyes didn't even glance my way.
(Don't look down on me, Rael. One day you'll see
….
Rael's POV
The name Kaen Suro made my stomach twist in silent irritation.
(Tsk... Kaen. That loser... is my teammate?)
Sensei must be joking. Shade Affinity or not, Kaen has always been a mess of repressed power and bad attitude. A walking fire hazard with no discipline.
I clenched my fingers under the desk.
(How can I evolve my Echo Arts properly if I'm chained to him?)
(Lira's fine. She'll stay out of the way. But Kaen? He's unpredictable... reckless.)
To be continue