Scene opens – late morning, a storm of spirit energy ripping through the sky.]
Jin Kuroya stood on the roof of his school, wind howling, sky split in glowing cracks like lightning frozen in time. Tsukiko stood beside him, calm and unreadable as always.
"So… we're really doing this?" Jin muttered.
"Not even a breakfast stop?"
Tsukiko didn't flinch. "You're about to step into a realm where time collapses, the air itself can slice through bone, and souls that fail to awaken their purpose are devoured by their own blades."
She turned to him.
"This is breakfast."
Jin sighed. "Awesome. Can't wait to almost die again."
She held out a charm—a thin strip of black fabric etched with spirit symbols. With a flick of her fingers, the air shattered like glass, revealing a swirling rift made of glowing mist and crimson light.
"Step through."
Jin hesitated, then cracked his neck and walked into the unknown.
---
[Scene shift – Rekikan Realm: The Soulborne Crossing]
The world flipped.
Jin's body felt like it was falling and floating at the same time. When his feet finally touched ground again, he was standing on an endless bridge made of light, suspended over a void of stars and fading memories.
At the end of the bridge stood a massive temple—dozens of towers, floating gardens, and glowing seals lining the sky like constellations. This wasn't just a building. It was alive. Watching him.
"This is the Rekikan," Tsukiko said.
"Heart of the Reiki Order. Soul of the Balance."
"It's like the Vatican if the Vatican was high on shrooms and built in a black hole," Jin muttered.
She ignored him.
They walked.
---
[Scene shift – inside the Temple, Main Courtyard]
Hundreds of trainees sparred, meditated, or spoke with their Kesshinken. Some wore full black-and-white robes. Others had raw soul energy leaking from their weapons. All of them stopped when Jin passed.
He felt the pressure. Their eyes. Their power.
"He's the new one?"
"I heard his blade chose him instantly."
"Is he… human?"
One trainee stepped forward—tall, lean, white hair tied back, golden tattoos glowing down his neck.
"Yo, newbie."
His voice was cocky. Friendly. Dangerous.
"Name's Renya Daze. I beat a Yomurei with my bare hands before I got my blade. What's your excuse?"
Jin looked him up and down.
"…I was minding my business and got chosen while bleeding out on a roof. What's your excuse for that haircut?"
The crowd oooh'd. Renya grinned. "Alright. I like you."
Tsukiko sighed. "Renya's from Squad Nine. Don't trust him with anything sharper than a spoon."
---
[Scene shift – Grand Hall of Echoes]
They entered a massive chamber with a ceiling made of starlight. In the center stood a circle of thrones—and seated in them, the Council of Twelve. The Soul Captains.
In front of them, floating midair, was a transparent scroll burning with ghostly fire.
"Jin Kuroya," one of the captains boomed, a voice deeper than thunder.
"You have been chosen by Renzai, the Crimson Blade. That alone marks you… but to wield it without training?"
Another captain, a woman with eyes like shattered mirrors, stood.
"He is either the key… or the calamity. The Rekikan must decide."
"Wait, I didn't ask to be chosen, alright?" Jin stepped forward.
"I didn't wake up hoping to get attacked by shadow monsters and dragged into soul school."
He clenched his fist.
"But if this blade picked me… I'm not backing down either."
There was silence. Then:
"Very well," the lead captain said.
"Initiation begins tomorrow. If you survive, you earn your place. If not—"
"He becomes one of them," Tsukiko finished, quiet.
---
[Final Scene – Training Ground, that night]
Jin stood alone in a stone arena.
His blade hadn't appeared again since the first night.
He closed his eyes.
"C'mon. You picked me. You chose me. Show yourself again."
A whisper echoed in his skull. Cold. Old. Alive.
"Then show me you're worth wielding me, Jin Kuroya."
Flames erupted around his arm. The blade—Renzai—formed in his grip, glowing blood-red, whispering like a heartbeat.
Jin grinned.
"Finally."