The evening had begun to settle over Arcadia Academy, painting the sky in soft gradients of amber and deepening violet as the last light of day slowly receded. The grounds, usually filled with calm conversation and quiet movement, now seemed to blur past in fragments as Luca ran through them with hurried, uneven steps.

His breathing was ragged.

Unsteady.

Each inhale felt shallow, each exhale strained as the discomfort within his chest surged once more, sharper than before.

It's happening again…

The thought echoed frantically in his mind.

Sweat clung to his skin, tracing along his neck and temples as his body struggled to keep pace with the urgency driving him forward. The faint black unease, though not yet visible, pressed heavily beneath the surface, the same unnatural sensation tightening within him like an unseen grip.

How… how do I calm this down…?

His thoughts scattered, refusing to settle into anything useful.

He turned sharply around a corner—

And collided into another student.

The impact staggered him slightly, forcing a brief pause as the other student stepped back in surprise.

"Sorry—" Luca muttered quickly, barely sparing a glance as he steadied himself.

He did not wait for a response.

He moved again.

Faster.

More desperate.

Professor Seraphina…

The thought surfaced suddenly, cutting through the haze.

That's right… she can suppress it—

He changed direction immediately, his steps turning toward the academic wing as hope flickered faintly within him.

But just as quickly—

Doubt followed.

N-no… she might still be in the class teaching…

His pace faltered for a fraction of a second.

I can't interrupt her now…

His teeth clenched slightly as the discomfort surged again.

"I—I just need to hold on…" he muttered under his breath.

"I'll go back… wait it out…"

The decision formed quickly.

He shifted direction again, forcing his body toward the dormitory building, his movements now less controlled, more strained as each step demanded effort.

By the time he reached the stairs, his pace had slowed into an uneven stagger.

His hand brushed against the railing for support as he climbed upward, each step heavier than the last, his breathing growing louder in the quiet corridor.

Finally—

He reached his door.

His hand fumbled slightly as he pushed it open, the movement lacking its usual steadiness.

The door swung inward.

Luca stepped inside—

And collapsed onto the bed.

His body sank into the mattress as he lay there, chest rising and falling rapidly, each breath labored as sweat glistened across his skin, his entire form tense under the weight of the unfamiliar condition.

The room was silent.

But within him—

The storm had returned.

The room remained suffocatingly quiet, the stillness pressing against Luca as he lay sprawled across the bed, his chest rising and falling in uneven, strained breaths. The faint light from the window stretched across the floor, yet it felt distant, irrelevant compared to the turmoil building inside him.

His fingers curled tightly into the sheets.

"T-this… again…" he muttered under his breath, his voice broken, uneven, as though even speaking required effort.

A sharp pulse of discomfort spread through his chest.

His body tensed.

"Damn it…" he whispered, his teeth clenching as frustration surfaced through the pain. "What… is this thing…?"

His breath hitched.

Another wave struck.

Stronger.

More invasive.

"I just… calmed it down…" he murmured, his voice trembling now, frustration blending with the rising helplessness. "Why is it—"

He stopped.

His body trembled.

Not slightly.

Not subtly.

Violently.

As though something inside him was forcing its way outward, refusing to remain contained any longer.

His hand pressed against his chest instinctively, fingers digging into the fabric of his uniform as if he could physically suppress whatever was happening.

"Ghh—!"

A strained sound escaped him as his back arched slightly against the bed, his entire body tightening under the pressure.

Then—

It appeared.

At first, it was faint.

A thin wisp of black smoke slipped from his arm, curling upward into the air before fading.

Then another.

And another.

Within seconds, it was no longer just his hand.

The dark smoke began to seep from multiple points across his body, thin strands at first, then thicker, more visible, rising from his shoulders, his chest, his arms—spreading like something alive, something reacting to the chaos within him.

Luca's eyes widened.

"…No… this is… worse…" he breathed out, his voice laced with disbelief.

The smoke did not stop.

It intensified.

The strands grew denser, darker, swirling faintly around him as though responding to his condition, the air in the room beginning to feel heavier with its presence.

"…It's stronger than yesterday…" he muttered, his voice low, strained, realization settling heavily within him.

And the worst part—

It wasn't slowing down.

The black smoke continued to thicken, no longer faint wisps but dense, shifting strands that curled and coiled around Luca's body as though alive, responding to the turmoil raging within him. The air in the room grew heavy, oppressive, each breath harder to draw than the last as his senses began to dull at the edges.

His vision blurred.

His thoughts slowed.

"J-just… hold on…" he muttered weakly, his voice breaking between uneven breaths. "I—I just need to… hold until… p-professor Seraphina…"

His fingers trembled as he forced his arm to move, reaching toward the small table beside his bed where his communication crystal rested.

"…just… send… a message…"

His hand stretched forward—

But his strength failed him.

His fingertips brushed the edge of the crystal, knocking it loose as it slipped and fell to the floor with a dull, distant sound.

"…no…" he exhaled, frustration and desperation mixing in his voice as he tried to push himself further, his body refusing to respond the way he commanded.

The smoke thickened.

His breathing grew heavier.

His arm fell back weakly against the bed.

Just then—

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

His vision struggled to refocus.

And in that haze—

He saw something.

A pair of legs.

Standing directly in front of him.

Still.

Silent.

Real.

His heart skipped faintly as his gaze slowly lifted, his blurred vision sharpening just enough to make out the figure before him.

Dark hair.

A faint violet tint.

Ghostly pale skin.

Eyes that held that same unsettling depth he could never forget.

Recognition struck instantly.

"Y-you…" he whispered, his voice barely audible, disbelief flickering weakly through his fading awareness.

Before he could say anything more—

She moved.

Without hesitation.

Without warning.

Her body dropped forward onto his, the sudden weight pressing him back into the bed as his already weakened form failed to resist. Her hands braced lightly against him as she leaned down, her presence overwhelming, her proximity suffocating in a way that was not entirely physical.

And then—

Her lips met his.

Firm.

Decisive.

Silencing.

Luca's eyes widened faintly, his body stiffening for a brief second in shock, his thoughts scattering completely under the sudden intrusion.

He tried to speak.

To react.

But no sound came.

No resistance formed.

Only confusion.

Only instinct.

Only the fading awareness of what was happening.

And then—

A voice.

Low.

Cold.

Yet strangely controlled.

"Just… shut up."

The moment her lips sealed his, something within Luca snapped.

Not in resistance—

But in surrender.

The black smoke that had been raging uncontrollably around him began to react violently, surging and then collapsing inward as though drawn toward the point of contact between them. The suffocating pressure that had been crushing his chest shifted, transforming into something far more intense, far more overwhelming.

His fingers twitched weakly at first—

Then tightened.

Gripping.

Clinging.

The line between control and instinct blurred rapidly.

Clothing shifted, loosened, and slipped away in the struggle between restraint and something far more primal. Fabric brushed against skin, then fell away entirely, discarded without thought as the storm within him demanded release.

The bed beneath them creaked faintly at first—

Then louder.

Rhythmic.

Unsteady.

The quiet room that had once been suffocatingly still was now filled with uneven breaths, with the soft but unmistakable sounds of movement, of closeness, of something that neither of them seemed willing—or able—to stop.

Her presence remained dominant.

Controlled.

Yet not untouched.

A faint sound escaped her lips, low and restrained at first, then gradually less so as the moments stretched, her composure wavering under the same force that had overtaken Luca.

Time blurred.

Seconds became minutes.

Minutes lost meaning entirely.

The storm that had threatened to tear Luca apart slowly shifted, redirected, stabilized through that overwhelming connection.

And then—

Silence.

The room fell still once more.

The bed no longer moved.

The air, though still heavy, no longer pressed down with the same suffocating force.

The black smoke had vanished.

Completely.

The woman rose slowly from the bed, her movements calm once more, her expression returning to that same unreadable composure as though nothing had happened at all.

She looked down at him.

Luca lay there, his breathing faint, his strength completely spent, his vision barely holding onto clarity.

He forced his eyes open slightly, looking at her through the haze.

"W-who… are you…?" he managed to whisper weakly.

But there was no answer.

Before anything more could be said—

His vision darkened.

His consciousness slipped.

And just like that—

He lost awareness completely.