Ryu sat in class, staring blankly at the blackboard. The teacher's words melted into a dull hum. Something was wrong. His fingers twitched uncontrollably. Every now and then, the shadows in the room seemed to stretch and move on their own.
"Ryu?" Haruto nudged him. "You okay, man?"
He blinked, forcing a smile. "Yeah. Just tired."
But it wasn't just tiredness. It was like a storm building inside of him.
During lunch, Alice approached him for the first time since the attack.
"Come with me," she said, her tone firm but not hostile.
They climbed to the rooftop, where the city spread beneath them. The wind carried her scent—like lightning and silver.
"There's something inside you," she said without turning. "Something dark."
Ryu hesitated. "You felt it too?"
Alice finally looked at him, her heterochromatic eyes serious. "Have you heard voices? Seen things that aren't there?"
He nodded slowly.
"It's not just power. It's a presence. And if you lose control, I won't hesitate. I will kill you."
Ryu stepped back instinctively.
"But," she added, softer, "I think you deserve a chance. I can help you learn to contain it."
Ryu looked down at his hands. "Why would you help someone like me?"
Alice looked up at the sky. "Because sometimes... power chooses the wrong person. And sometimes, that person turns out to be the right one."
Later that day, in the locker room, Ryu noticed something strange.
A mark.
Black, jagged, and pulsing faintly just below his collarbone. It burned as if branded into his skin.
He stumbled back, his breath short. The mark throbbed every time he felt anxious or angry. It was like a leash tied to something deeper.
Something alive.
High above the school, Mizuki watched him from a rooftop, her red eyes glinting.
"It's beginning," she whispered. "Piece by piece, your mind will shatter. And she won't be able to save you."
She grinned, folding her arms.
"Let the cracks spread."
That night, Ryu stood in front of his bathroom mirror.
He stared at the mark.
His eyes flickered red for a moment.
Then he clenched his fists.
If that thing inside me wants control... then I have to be stronger.
I have to learn to master it.
I won't let it destroy me.