(Arin)
The air was heavy with the scent of sweat and sand. We were in the physical training session, as usual. The sun hung high above the arena, its rays scorching the ground beneath our feet. I watched my classmates — weak, clumsy, utterly unfit. Each one I sparred with fell easily, like leaves before the wind. But the ten... those ten were different.
They were sharper. Stronger.
And I'd done everything in my power to avoid them.
Especially him. Riven — Number 1.
Muscles carved like marble, a predator's stare, and a reputation that made most students tremble. I'd seen him today tearing through students as if they were paper dolls, flinging them across the training grounds with almost casual contempt. His power was unmistakable — not just brute strength, but something darker. A negative aura. Sinister... but stable.
And still — nothing compared to what slumbers inside me.
I kept to the shadows, hoping to stay unseen, unnoticed.
But fate — cruel and impatient — had other plans.
I heard his voice before I saw him.
"You there."
I turned slowly, feigning confusion. "Yes?"
He approached, cracking his neck. "They say you're strong."
"Whoever said that is lying," I said flatly, not breaking eye contact.
He smirked. "How about a little duel? Or are you scared?"
My jaw tightened. He knew exactly which string to pluck.
I should've walked away. I should've stayed hidden.
But he challenged me.
I nodded once. "Fine. Just a warm-up."
The ring was drawn quickly. The students gathered in a wide circle, whispers buzzing. My heart beat in a slow, deliberate rhythm.
He charged first. A blur. I read the motion, stepped aside — and in a single, careless punch, I hit him square in the gut.
Silence.
Riven collapsed.
Gasps rippled like waves. Even the instructors froze.
And I — I blinked, stunned by my own recklessness.
"What have I done...?" I muttered.
Murmurs rose: "Unbelievable!" "Is he a monster?"
All eyes burned into me. Then I saw her.
Lina — Number 7 — watching me with wide, unblinking eyes.
Everything inside me screamed Run.
So I slipped through the crowd, silent and swift, like vapor. I found the edge of the training yard, sat behind a column of stone, and cracked open a soda from my bag. The fizzy bitterness did little to settle my nerves.
My heart thudded violently. Not from the duel.
From hunger.
It had been a month.
A whole month since I last consumed an Emotica.
I clenched the can. I needed to go. Tonight. Leave the academy, slip into the city — hunt.
Before it was too late.
Just then, a shadow fell over me.
A girl. I didn't recognize her. Her uniform was spotless, her hands trembling.
"Um… excuse me," she stammered. "Do you… do you have a girlfriend?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
"I... I like you. Please, go out with me."
The world tilted. For a second, it wasn't mine.
Suddenly, memories surged — not mine, not now.
A boy. The same boy I killed weeks ago. His face twisted in desperation as he confessed: "Will you be my girlfriend?"
And her face — the same girl in front of me now.
Her reply, cold as frost: "You? Be with trash like you? Never."
Rage.
Darkness.
His transformation began that day.
I snapped back to the present. Her voice again, soft: "Arin?"
I stared at her — truly stared.
She was the one. The one who broke him.
The one who shoved a fragile soul into the mouth of the abyss.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Do you know someone named... Kalen?"
She blinked. "Kalen? I don't think so."
My heart went cold.
"Are you sure?"
She tilted her head. "Oh wait, maybe... he transferred last year or something?"
Transferred.
That's what they told the students.
But I knew the truth.
He never left. He died. Alone. As a monster.
I glared at her. For a second, my red eyes shimmered — she took a step back.
I could see it — the flicker in her aura.
The beginning of change.
If I rejected her now… the same darkness would awaken in her.
And this time, others might die.
I sighed heavily. My fists clenched.
This isn't fair. I didn't ask to play god.
"Sure," I said coldly. "We can go out."
Her eyes lit up.
But mine…
Mine saw the curse already taking root.