Two hours into the training session, and I still couldn't summon even a drop of water. My knees ached against the cold concrete floor of the facility, and sweat trickled down my neck despite the air conditioning blasting overhead.
"Just give up already, Anjero," Yoku called from across the training room. "We're about to switch positions soon."
I gritted my teeth. "Shut up, Yoku. I'm almost there."
Rafearu, our stern-faced instructor, crouched beside me. His gray eyes, flecked with silver that betrayed his own powerful spirit, assessed me critically. "That's it," he said, his voice unexpectedly gentle. "Just feel it swell up inside you."
I closed my eyes, searching for that warm pulse I'd felt when my spirit first awakened three days ago. It had been terrifying—water erupting from my hands during math class, destroying my textbook and soaking half the students. That's when the Guardians had come for me, explaining that I was one of the rare teens whose spirit had manifested. Less than one percent of the population ever awakened a spirit, they said. Lucky me.
Now, strained to reconnect with that power, to draw it forth willingly instead of in a panic. Deep inside my chest, something flickered—a cool sensation spreading through my veins.
"I t-think I got it," stammered, opening my eyes to see my hands glowing with a soft blue light. Water began to coalesce in my palm, forming a perfect sphere that hovered above my skin.
"Oh my gosh, Anjero, you did it!" Yoku squealed.
"Shush, Yoku," I hissed, struggling to maintain concentration. "It's hard to focus."
"Sorry," she whispered, clasping her hands over her mouth.
With extreme care, I rose to my feet, the water sphere still balanced in my palm. The target stood twenty feet away—a simple bullseye that had been mocking me all morning. I extended my arm, tried to visualize the water not as an object but as an extension of myself, and pushed.
The sphere transformed into a beam of pressurized water that shot across the room and obliterated the target, sending fragments of synthetic material scattering across the floor.
"Huh...huh..." I panted, suddenly exhausted. "I did it."
Rafearu nodded, the closest thing to approval I'd seen from him. "Congrats, kid. Now come back tomorrow and do it again."
Before I could savor the moment, Yoku was tugging at my sleeve. Her spirit—something to do with energy transference—made her perpetually bouncy. "Come on, Anjero! On to the next position!"
"Wait," I protested, my throat parched from exertion. "I need something to drink."
"No time! We're late for combat practice!"
I sighed but followed her lead. Only three days at the Guardian Academy, and I was already learning that everything operated on a strict schedule. Train. Study. Train more. Learn to control the power that had suddenly upended my normal life.
*I'm so tired*, I thought as we jogged across the extensive grounds toward the combat training facility. The buildings of the Academy spread across what used to be an abandoned military complex, repurposed now for training teenage Spirit Guardians. The government kept our existence mostly secret—too many people would panic at the idea of adolescents with supernatural abilities. Others would want to weaponize us. The Academy existed to teach us control and responsibility, or so they claimed.
We entered the combat facility, a massive gymnasium ringed with high-tech equipment and padded walls. Immediately, a booming voice greeted us.
"Hey, Rookie! How're you doing?!"
Mashū, a second-year student built like a linebacker, was currently engaged in combat with six practice A.I. holograms simultaneously. His spirit gave him enhanced strength, and he was using it to devastating effect, sending holographic opponents flying with each punch.
"Hey," he called between strikes, "when I'm done with these guys, why don't we have a little sparring match, you and I?"
My stomach dropped. "Um, I don't know about that..." I started, then noticed one of the A.I. opponents sneaking up behind him. "Hey, watch out!"
"Huh?" Mashū turned too late.
The A.I. landed a solid kick to the back of his head, sending him staggering forward.
His face contorted with rage. "You stupid hologram! GO DIE!" He whirled and obliterated the A.I. with a single punch, its projected form dissolving into digital particles.
"You know what?" I said, taking a step back. "I'm good."
Mashū shrugged, already turning his attention back to his remaining opponents. "If you say so, little man."
I scanned the facility, looking for Kamira, the only other first-year who'd been somewhat friendly to me. "I wonder where Kamira is," I muttered. "I came into this facility with her, and now she's gone..." Then I spotted her across the room and froze. "Oh, there she is. OMG!"
Kamira was engaged in combat with another student, and it wasn't going well—for her opponent. She moved with frightening precision, her enhanced muscles allowing her to execute perfect takedowns against a boy who looked about my age.
"Hahaha! You really think you could beat me with your measly animal powers, Romaji?" she taunted, pinning him to the mat with apparent ease.
I winced in sympathy. *She's beating the breaks off this guy. Poor kid.*
The boy—Romaji—squirmed beneath her grip. He had striking features: dark hair streaked with a single blond stripe, and eyes that seemed to shift color even from this distance. "Geez, Kamira, can you take it easy for once?" he complained. "Not everyone can have a muscle-enhancing spirit like you."
Kamira released him and stood up, not even breathing hard. "Stop crying and get up. I haven't even broken a sweat yet." She spotted me watching and waved. "Oh, hey, waterboy! How'd the first training session go?"
I approached cautiously, still wary of getting too close to her sparring area. "It took me two hours to finally use some of my spirit power," I admitted, "but I still haven't gotten the hang of it yet."
She slapped me on the back with enough force to make me stumble. "Well, you just awakened. Don't sweat the small stuff—you'll get the hang of it, buddy boy."
Romaji clambered to his feet, eyeing me with undisguised suspicion. "Wait... is this the new recruit for the club?"
"Who are you?" I asked. "And are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay," he said dismissively, then thrust his chin out. "Anyway, I'm Romaji. You'll have to earn the right to learn my last name, loser!"
I blinked, taken aback by his hostility. "What's his problem?" I asked Kamira.
She rolled her eyes. "He has a main character complex."
"That's right!" Romaji declared. "I should've been the main character of this story. My spirit is way more interesting than this guy's water spirit."
I frowned, confused. "Who is he talking to?"
"Just go with it," Kamira whispered.
"Waterboy!" Romaji shouted, pointing at me dramatically.
*I'm starting to hate that nickname...*
"Fight me to be the main character of this series!"
I looked between him and Kamira, bewildered. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I don't know how to use my powers almost at all." I sighed, recognizing the determined look in his eyes. "But I guess I have no choice."
Kamira stepped between us. "I'll watch over this fight." She turned to me. "Oh, what types of fight styles do you know, Anjero?"
"SpiritKido and spirit boxing," I replied. "My mother had me and my siblings study a few styles when we were young."
Her expression softened slightly. "I forgot you had siblings. Haven't awakened yet, have they?"
I shook my head, thinking of my younger brother and sister back home. "No. I kinda hope they don't have spirits. I don't want them getting mixed up in this stuff."
"I get it," Kamira nodded. "I don't want my siblings involved in this either."
"HELLO! LET'S FIGHT!" Romaji interrupted, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Okay, okay," I grumbled. "Geez, I've never seen someone so thirsty to fight in my life."
We moved to an open area of mats. Romaji took a fighting stance across from me, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Ready yourself, loser," he said, pulling a coin from his pocket. It began to glow with amber light as he flipped it into the air and caught it with practiced ease. "I call upon the cheetah!"
Before I could react, Romaji had closed the distance between us, moving with impossible speed. His fist connected with my face, sending me staggering backward.
"Ahh... what the hell was that?" I touched my cheek, feeling it swell.
"Romaji, you're out of line for that," Kamira warned from the sidelines.
I held up a hand. "No, no, it's okay. Just training, right?" I tried to sound confident, but I was rattled. His speed was incredible.
Romaji didn't wait for me to recover. He darted around me, landing punches from different angles—not hard enough to seriously hurt me, but enough to make his point. I could barely track his movements, let alone defend myself.
"Ready to give up, weak man?" he taunted, circling me.
I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the stinging in my ribs where he'd landed his last blow. *He's not hitting that hard*, I realized. *I just have to focus.*
"Just... a stream... of water should do... do," I muttered, trying to summon the same feeling from earlier. The cool sensation returned, spreading through my arms. I aimed and fired a beam of water straight ahead.
Romaji easily ducked under it—just as I'd anticipated. As he dropped low, I stuck out my foot and tripped him, sending him sprawling. Before he could recover, I grabbed the front of his training suit.
"Ouch!" he complained. "You cheated, stupid bastard!"
Kamira laughed. "He cheated? You used your powers on him knowing he couldn't use his yet!"
Romaji squirmed out of my grip and stood up, brushing himself off. "I'll get you next time, loser," he growled, wincing as he put weight on his ankle.
"I guess that's enough training for today," Kamira announced. "Let's all get some rest."
Relief washed over me. "Finally, I get to go home after all this."
Mashū, finished with his training, joined our group. "Oh yeah, Waterboy, you're coming with us!"
I frowned. "Where exactly?"
"See, we Guardians-in-training live in the school dorms now," he explained.
"This place has dorm rooms?" I hadn't packed anything. Hadn't said a proper goodbye to my family. The realization hit me like a physical blow—this wasn't just a training program; it was my new life.
"Yeah," Mashū continued, oblivious to my distress. "It's so we can be on time for missions, and the school and faculty can keep an eye on us—you know, keep us safe and out of trouble."
I nodded slowly, the weight of my new reality settling on my shoulders. "I guess that makes sense."
As we headed toward the dormitories, I couldn't help but wonder what I'd gotten myself into—or rather, what my awakened spirit had thrown me into. Three days ago, I was a normal high school student. Now I was being trained to control supernatural water powers alongside other teens with their own abilities.
And somewhere out there, according to our instructors, were people who would want to use us—or destroy us—because of what we could do.
Welcome to Guardian Academy, I thought grimly. Goodbye, normal life.