As the students exited the classroom, they scattered across the campus beneath a gloomy, cloud-covered winter sky. Among them, Arya Clearwater walked calmly, hugging her book notes to her chest. Her long, curly midnight-blue hair swayed gently as she moved, the hem of her light blue coat fluttering with each step.
Suddenly, she spotted a familiar figure in the distance and rushed forward, her excitement evident. "Big sister!" she called out.
Hearing the familiar voice, Naia turned around and smiled softly. "Arya!"
"Did you attend the freshman class today?" Naia asked as Arya reached her.
Arya nodded. "Mhm."
Naia tilted her head. "How was it?"
"It was interesting," Arya replied as they fell into step beside each other.
Naia raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You found it interesting even though you probably already know everything being taught?"
Arya giggled. "Yes! The way Professor Rayner used both legends and historical records in his teaching was really inspiring."
Listening to Arya's enthusiastic recounting, Naia smiled, though there was a slight stiffness to it. Something about her expression seemed off—subtle, but noticeable to Arya's sharp eyes. As they walked side by side, Arya leaned forward slightly, studying Naia's face.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. "You seem troubled. Did something happen?"
Naia shook her head. "No, it's nothing."
Arya narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. Then, suddenly, a mischievous smile crept onto her lips. "Hmm… could it be that you had a fight with your boyfriend? The Radiant Sword Elros, was it?" She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.
Naia stopped in her tracks, momentarily taken aback. Then, with a swift motion, she reached out and pinched Arya's soft cheeks. "You dare tease me?" she huffed, feigning anger. "And for the record, he is not my boyfriend—we're just… just normal close friends! And we didn't fight!"
"Aww—awww! Ith herth!" Arya tried to protest, but her words came out awkwardly as her lips stretched from the pinching.
Naia burst into laughter at her little sister's distorted expression before finally letting go.
Arya rubbed her reddened cheeks, pouting. "Aww! That hurt!" she complained cutely.
Naia chuckled, crossing her arms. "That's what you get for teasing me."
Still rubbing her cheeks, Arya quickly caught up. "But if you didn't fight, then what happened? Why do you seem upset?"
Naia hesitated for a moment before finally answering. "It's about Elros's younger brother…" She trailed off, her expression darkening slightly. "He suddenly fell ill."
Arya raised a brow. "His younger brother? Ill?" She didn't quite understand why her sister seemed so troubled over something so minor.
Naia exhaled softly. "Well… I don't even know if calling it an illness is correct." She frowned, recalling the conversation she had with Elros that morning. Though she hadn't seen his younger brother's condition herself, Elros's reaction had been enough to alarm her. He had always been calm and confident, but today… Today, she had seen him shaken in a way she never had before.
***
In another corner of the academy, Professor Rayner Nightwood was making his way to the library after class when a familiar voice interrupted him.
"Good morning, handsome~"
Evelyn Thornays called out cheerfully as she approached, a radiant smile on her face. Her bright eyes sparkled mischievously, and her long auburn hair cascaded elegantly over her shoulders.
"Off to get your daily dose of books?" she teased, tilting her head slightly.
Rayner's expression remained stoic. He met her gaze and asked flatly, "And what are you doing here?"
Evelyn placed a hand on her hip and replied with pride, "Why, isn't it obvious? I'm here for my daily dose of Rayner." She giggled playfully.
Rayner's eye twitched ever so slightly. Maintaining his calm demeanor, he deadpanned, "You do realize that sometimes you sound like a complete maniac?"
Evelyn gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her chest. "What~? How rude~!" she pouted. "You can't just say that to a lady!"
Then, as if flipping a switch, her playful expression faded, and she adopted a more serious tone.
"Did you hear about what happened to Loric Cromwell?"
Rayner frowned slightly, the name stirring something in his memory. "Cromwell…? Loric Cromwell, the younger brother of the Radiant Sword, Elros Cromwell?" His eyes narrowed as a recent memory surfaced—an incident he had witnessed at a restaurant not long ago.
He turned to Evelyn. "What happened?"
She hesitated for a moment before replying in a solemn voice. "It seems like his mind has completely collapsed."
Rayner's frown deepened. "What…?"
***
Earlier That Morning – Academy Dorms
After finishing breakfast, one of Loric's friends noticed his absence and decided to check on him.
Knock! Knock!
"Loric! Are you in there?" he called out, rapping on the door. No response.
Frowning, he twisted the doorknob. The door wasn't locked. "Loric, are you seriously still sleeping?" he muttered, stepping inside. As he approached the bed, he reached for the blanket, intending to yank it off and wake his friend.
The moment he pulled the blanket away, his breath hitched.
His entire body stiffened, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
"AHH!" he screamed, stumbling backward and falling onto the floor. His voice trembled as he stammered, "L-Lo-Loric? Wh-What—?!"
His face drained of color as he took in the horrifying sight before him. Without another thought, he scrambled to his feet and bolted out of the room, rushing to inform the academy officials.
Moments Later…
Elros Cromwell was alerted immediately. He rushed toward his younger brother's dorm, only to find a growing crowd of students gathered in the hallway. Inside the room, an academy official was attempting to assess Loric's condition, but the latter was curled in a corner, screaming and shaking violently.
"AHHHH!" Loric shrieked, clutching his head with both hands. Each time someone approached, his cries grew more frantic.
Elros's heart pounded in disbelief. Yesterday, Loric had been fine—tired, perhaps, but fine. How could he have deteriorated like this overnight? It was impossible.
His brother was unrecognizable.
Loric's once golden hair had turned stark white, like that of an old man. Worse, it was falling out in clumps, leaving bald patches across his scalp. His face was ashen, his once-healthy physique reduced to a frail, almost skeletal frame. His cheekbones jutted out sharply, and his entire body trembled, drenched in cold sweat. His unfocused eyes stared downward, as if trapped in a nightmare only he could see.
Elros swallowed hard, forcing himself to speak. "Wh-what happened?"
One of the academy physicians turned toward him. He was an elderly man in a deep blue robe adorned with the academy's insignia—a full moon at the center, flanked by two crescent moons, set against a backdrop of tiny shimmering stars. His expression was grim.
"We don't know yet," the old man replied. "He appears to be suffering from a severe mental breakdown. We need to move him to the clinic for a thorough examination."
***
Inside Loric's Mind
Loric stood in complete darkness.
There was no ground, no horizon, no walls—just an endless void. Even when he stretched his hands forward, he saw nothing. He was utterly alone.
Or so he thought.
Above him, an enormous eye loomed.
It did not blink. It did not move… It simply watched.
Whenever he lifted his head, it was as though a starless night sky formed the shape of a huge nightmarish gaze—vast and inescapable. The sclera was pitch black, darker than the abyss itself, while its pupil pulsed with an eerie blue glow, like a frozen flame burning within its depths.
Terror gripped Loric's soul.
"AHHHHHH!"
He clutched his head and screamed with every ounce of his being. Sometimes, he called for his parents. Sometimes, he begged for his brother. Other times, he pleaded for forgiveness—though he had no idea what crime he had committed.
He had no sense of time anymore.
Had he been here for days? Weeks? Years?
"Mother…! Father…!"
"Big Sister…! Big Brother…!"
"Forgive me!... Someone, help me…! Please…!" He screamed, his voice breaking into desperate sobs.
This nightmare was far too cruel for a fourteen-year-old boy to endure.
His mind cracked, bit by bit, as the weight of the void crushed his sanity.
***
Back to Rayner and Evelyn
Evelyn sighed before speaking. "After examining him, the healers discovered a wisp of lingering negative energy within his core. It had been eroding his mind slowly, unnoticed by anyone." She paused, her expression grim. "Although they managed to cleanse it, it was already too late. The damage had been done. The boy has lost his sanity. Even if he somehow recovers, it will take years… perhaps decades—if ever."
Rayner felt a chill run down his spine.
His mind flashed back to the suffocating pressure he had experienced at the restaurant. His fists clenched inside his coat pocket as he questioned himself inwardly—did a strand of that man's energy seep into Loric at that moment? Was it intentional, or merely a side effect of his presence?
Even now, just recalling that dreadful aura sent goosebumps across Rayner's skin. And if he had only felt it in passing… what had Loric, the true target, experienced?
Rayner took a deep breath before asking, "What did the head healer say about this… negative energy?"
Evelyn's expression darkened. "He was shocked. Even though the energy was little and faint, it was potent—at least for someone at Loric's level. He said that whoever possessed such an energy is either someone truly sinister…" She hesitated, her voice lowering. "Or someone who has endured a hellish experience to develop such negativity."
Rayner remained silent, his mind replaying the image of the ghastly man from the restaurant. A deep unease settled in his chest.
Without another word, he turned on his heel and made his way toward the clinic.
The library could wait.
He wanted to see Loric himself before they sent him home.