"The stars are screaming tonight, Arthur," Seraphina said without turning around. Her voice was steady, but Arthur's D-Sensing picked up the slight tremor in her spiritual veins. "They say a black hole has moved into the boy's dormitory. And they say a 'Shadow' vanished from the world an hour ago."
Arthur walked up beside her, leaning his back against the stone railing. He didn't look at the view; he looked at her. "The stars have a habit of being overly dramatic, Seraphina. And shadows... they don't vanish. They just find deeper places to hide."
Seraphina finally turned, her silver gaze clashing with his crimson eyes. She gasped softly, her hand instinctively moving to her chest. At Rank 3 (Core Awakening), she was one of the brightest talents in the school, but standing next to Arthur now felt like standing at the edge of an abyss.
"You... you reached Rank 4 (Spirit Condensation) in a single night?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "That's impossible. Even with a Grade-A resource, the human body can't stabilize that much energy that fast. Unless..."
"Unless I'm not using 'human' energy," Arthur finished for her, a dark, playful smirk crossing his face. He reached out, and for a second, the air between them shimmered. "Tell me, Oracle. In all your visions of the future, do you see a King on a golden throne, or do you see a Void that swallows the throne and the King alike?"
Seraphina shivered. Her Astro-Divination was telling her to run, to scream for Director Vance, to alert the Global Defense Front. But another part of her—the part that hungered for the truth beyond the "Gaia Protocol"—was fascinated.
"I see a world that is breaking," she admitted, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And I see you standing at the center of the fracture. Arthur, the Helios Clan... they know their spy is gone. They will send a Rank 6 (Domain Manifestation) elder next. You can't erase a Domain with just Rank 4 Qi."
Arthur laughed, a short, dry sound. "A Domain is just a localized dimension, Seraphina. And I? I am the master of dimensions. Let them send their elders. I need the practice."
He leaned closer, his scent of ozone and cold ash surrounding her. "I'm going to the student council meeting tomorrow. I want the keys to the academy's sub-space transmitter. Are you going to help me, or do I have to erase you too?"
Seraphina looked into his eyes and saw the absolute absence of mercy. She didn't feel fear; she felt a strange, terrifying thrill. "I'll give you the codes. But in exchange... I want to see the 'Leak' you felt. I want to know what's coming from the other side."