Chapter Text
Rumi walked down a long hallway, footsteps echoing off the walls. The pathway lit dimply with oil lanterns, the Academy liked to keep things old-school that way. Her hands smoothed over her braid nervously before she reached for the doors of the training grounds.
None of her peers knew who she truly was, or rather what she was. They saw the quiet girl with the distant eyes, someone who never joined in, never laughed, never let anyone close. A loner that showed up to class and disappeared as soon as the bell rang. But it wasn’t just a matter of popularity, despite how hard Rumi tried to suppress her demon wavelength, everyone could tell that her soul felt – wrong. So, they whispered behind her back, called her cursed. And she let them. It was easier that way.
Rumi was born a half-demon. Her soul, though singular, carried two wavelengths: one human and one demonic. She spent her life training to split them and resonate separately, suppressing her demon wavelength until it was nothing more than a whisper in her chest. She didn’t know what would happen if those two parts of her merged, she was too terrified to find out.
Today, Rumi was ready to become a real meister, again. This was not the first time by a long shot. She has had many failed attempts or chemistry tests, as Celine, her aunt and the Academy’s headmistress, had called them.
She had spent most of her life training with regular weapons, so was never allowed to hunt corrupted souls on her own. But when it came to fighting with a demon-weapon partner, none of them could handle her. Her resonance shattered blades, broke bones and left scars on those who tried to fight beside her.
Celine has always told her that her purpose was singular, to defeat the Demon King, but how could she? If no weapon was strong enough to be wielded by her.
Today, Celine paired her with two demon-weapons. Mira and Zoey – Academy’s most promising demon-weapon candidates. Celine had chosen them carefully. They both had unique quirks that made them tough matches for other meisters, yet, according to her, there was a real chance at success.
Rumi's hand trembled on the door handle; forcing her hand to move she unlatched the door and pushed through.
As soon as she entered, she was met with the familiar icy gaze. Celine stood, quietly with a suppressed urgency of a commander who knows time was a luxury that they no longer had. Everyone was waiting for her to start the first trial. The moment when all her years of training, every whispered reprimand and every stolen hour of practice, must pay off.
Rumi squared her shoulders, feeling the twin wavelengths coil within.
Chapter 1
Soul Count: 0
The Academy’s underground training facility felt colder than usual. It was imbedded below the surface, build to mask Rumi’s demon wavelength, allowing her to practice unleashing it. She had spent most of her waking hours practicing here. Still, today somehow felt different.
Rumi walked in feeling anxiety creeping up her spine. Across from her, leaning against the wall was a tall woman, arms crossed, jaw clenched. Her crimson hair draped over her shoulders and came down to her waist. She looked pretty in an intimidating way, her facial expression screamed “get the fuck away”, but there was a glimmer of warmth in her eyes. Next to her sat a shorter woman, legs folded, fingers nervously tapping against her knee. She had raven black hair with cute, cropped bangs and splatter of freckles across her cheeks.
They had been summoned for the chemistry test. A standard procedure to see a meister and the demon-weapon partners were compatible.
“Hi, I’m Rumi,” Rumi introduced herself, bowing slightly.
“Mira,” the taller woman nodded toward her.
“Zoey,” the shorter woman stood up, grabbing Rumi’s hands. “We are excited to meet you,” she said giving her hands a light squeeze.
To Mira and Zoey, Celine’s orders were clear: Resonate or be replaced. As though it was up to them. Soul resonance was entirely in the hands of the weapon meister, so they could only hope that Rumi could match them.
Mira had rejected every meister that came before. She didn’t trust easily, or at all. Her history demanded vigilance. And as she watched Rumi walk in, blood flickered behind her eyes. The familiar image of her hands half-transformed, trembling with horror, the sound of screams, and the deafening silence that followed. She shook off the memory, nails biting into the palm of her hand to keep her in the present moment. She had never let anyone wield her since.
That is, until she met Zoey.
Zoey had been the only one who stayed by Mira’s side, despite her flaws. The only one who didn’t look at her like she was a freak. She had accepted Mira’s jagged edges, even when they cut deep. Zoey wasn’t a meister of course, but they did their best to protect each other from the onslaught of demon-weapon assholes. They grew-up together since they were 15, and now, nine years later, they were still inseparable. Neither of them knew whether their wavelengths have always been matched, or grew into their similarities along the way.
The fact was, they were the only paired demon-weapons at the Academy.
Zoey’s story was different; she had never been chosen by a meister as their partner. That left her wondering for years if she was broken. Then Mira burst into her life. And for the first time since being dropped off at the foot of the academy, she felt seen.
Now, they were being asked to fight alongside Rumi. This was different for both of them, they had been hand-picked, chosen for this pairing and they desperately wanted it to work. Needed it to work.
“Okay, let us begin,” Celine called, “single wavelength for now,” she gave Rumi a knowing look.
Mira and Zoey exchanged a glance, then transformed.
Mira’s form was that of a scythe with a jagged crimson blade. Her edge always looked like a sweeping crescent of sharp, bloodied teeth. Her handle was carved from onyx-black alloy, wrapped in glowing scarlet lines that pulsed faintly in time with her heartbeat. A small counterweight dangled at the end, a tarnished locket, with an engraving Rumi couldn’t make out, it clicked softly when she took the scythe into her hands. In her weapon form, Mira went by Hound.
Zoey was a unique versatile weapon and so could shift into almost anything - blades, chains, shields. Her current form was a hidden blade that latched around Rumi’s right forearm. The cutting edge shifted-colors, the design on the handle beautifully intricate. Her specialty was a prismatic flair, making her hard for the enemy to see.
Rumi held them, humming thoughtfully, noticing the similarities between them. She reached out to them with her soul and their wavelengths surged to meet hers.
The weight of the scythe felt good, well balanced, she could wield it easily. The hidden blade clung tightly to her skin; she flipped it out and retracted it.
A small success. She could wield both at the same time.
Rumi was a master of controlling the wavelength of her human soul, she matched both of her weapons beat for beat. The issue has always been her demon wavelength.
“Rumi, now!” Celine commanded.
Rumi knew the drill, she had done it before. She felt anxiety grow steadily in her chest; she hoped that this time things will be different.
She took a deep breath, replacing her human wavelength with the demonic. She started with the Hound, trying not to overwhelm Mira. She pushed just one percent, feeling Mira shiver in her hands. Then three, tension building. At seven she dared to move, swinging the Hound in a precise ark, right shoulder to left hip, the new wavelength adding both speed and power to her movements.
When Mira held, she pushed to ten. Still very low, not what Celine wanted to see, but it was enough to break Mira. Mira screamed, the unfamiliar power searing its way through her veins. She transformed mid-air, and collapsed to the ground gasping.
“I am so sorry!” Rumi hurried forward, hands hovering over Mira.
Celine’s eyes narrowed as she watched the scene play out before her.
Zoey de-transformed coming to Mira’s side.
“No!” Mira shouted, staggering to her feet. She held up her hands to stop everybody’s approach, “I’m fine. I want a second chance.”
Rumi lowered her voice, so that only Mira could hear. “You really don’t have to – ”
“Shut up!” Mira snapped.
Rumi blinked, faced with her unyielding stare.
“You think I can’t handle it?” Mira crowded her, voice sharp. “You think I’m weak?”
Zoey watched the two of them wide eyed.
“If we’re going to fight together, I need to know what you are.” Mira demanded.
Fear surged, Rumi hadn’t gotten this far with any partner before.
“I’m not… human. Not fully.”
Zoey and Mira stared at her speechless.
“I have a soul with two wavelengths. The one you felt, the one that hurt, it’s demonic.” She said matter of fact, the tremble in her voice giving away the nervousness.
“Okay,” Mira said thoughtfully, digesting the information, “I guess that explains why it feels like a thunderstorm.”
Rumi stared. “Wait. You’re not… afraid?”
Zoey smiled, soft and sincere. “We’ve got our own demons.”
Mira nodded in agreement.
“Tell us how we can make the match easier.” Mira asked, “I have never heard of a dual wavelength meister, I don’t quite understand how you are doing this.”
Rumi looked at her then. Really looked at her. “If you are sure,” she said, amplifying her demon wavelength.
The air thickened.
Her presence became heavier, darker.
“Then you don’t need to understand how. Just focus on surviving.”
Mira swallowed, giving a short nod. “Then let’s see if we can.”
Something inside Rumi shifted - something unfamiliar. Something close to trust.
They tried again.
She started at five percent, then seven, then - She hesitated, anticipating the pain that she was about to inflict. Her soul trembled with uncertainty.
Mira sensed it immediately.
Hound's vibrations jolted Rumi back to the present moment. In her mind bloomed a low, steady melody.
Mira hummed a tune she remembered from when she was little. She hoped that it will bring Rumi the same peace it always brought her.
It wasn’t magic, but it was grounding. Rumi tuned into the sound, her demon wavelength steadying.
She amplified, ten percent, twelve, fifteen…
This time, Mira held.
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The windows of their old dorm room groaned, resisting the howling wind outside.
Rumi, Zoey and Mira had been assigned to move-in together. A private housing chamber on the top floor of the academy following their resounding success in the first trial.
Tonight was Mira and Zoey’s last night in their old room, the one they have spent the last nine years making their home.
Zoey laid sprawled across her bed, eyes wide, heart still humming from the trial. Mira sat at the window, staring out into the night. Brooding, as Zoey would call it.
Neither of them had exchanged more than a few words since the trial.
Finally, Zoey broke the silence, “She’s… unreal.”
“Yeah," Mira said softly, eyes tracing the walkways of the courtyard outside.
“I mean, I’ve never felt anything like that.” Zoey spoke quickly, “Her soul - the power of it just burned through me. It was so hard to hold shape, felt like if I fluctuated too much I would just shatter.”
Mira’s jaw tightened. “And that was with her holding back.”
Zoey nodded. “Even that fifteen percent… it was enough to make my whole-body buzz. Though I suppose we will have to get used to it.”
“She could probably kill us if she wanted to,” Mira said, she felt her fear surface at the thought.
“You think so?” Zoey shot up. “I could tell she really didn't want to hurt us.”
Mira turned then, her eyes sharp. “That’s what scares me. That she could if she wanted.”
Zoey frowned. “So, you don’t trust her?”
“I don’t trust anyone,” Mira said flatly. “But I do respect her, I can’t imagine what it was like to grow up with a soul like that.”
“Do you think she’s strong enough to kill Gwi-Ma?”
Mira didn’t answer right away, considering.
“I don’t know. But if what she told us was true, she is the only one who could be.”
Zoey pulled her knees to her chest. “Are you sure you want to do this? You know, you could probably find a meister, like, yesterday.”
Mira’s voice softened, “You know that there is no other way for me.”
“Then I am with you,” Zoey smiled. “And Rumi?”
Mira relaxed against the windowsill, “I guess she’s one of us now.”