A couple of hours passed before I finally opened my eyes.
The classroom was empty.
My friends were gone.
Of course they were.
I let out a quiet sigh and slowly pushed myself up from the floor, my clothes still stained with the remains of insects.
The storm is over…
The rain hadn't stopped, though. It lingered—soft, gray, persistent.
Classes are over… and I'm still here.
Alone.
Footsteps echoed faintly in the hallway.
I turned toward the door.
— "So, you're finally awake, dear Dark."
There she was.
Professor Eclipse stepped into the room, sitting casually on the teacher's desk, a cigarette resting between her fingers. Smoke curled lazily into the air.
Her violet eyes locked onto mine.
— "Your friends left after what happened earlier."
I nodded faintly.
She inhaled, then exhaled slowly.
— "You know… lately I've been thinking about how beautiful storms are… and the mysteries they hide."
Her gaze pierced deeper than before.
It felt like she wasn't just looking at me—
—but through me.
— "I guess…" I replied quietly. "I like rain… but not storms. Especially not like that one."
She smiled.
Soft. Elegant.
Dangerous.
— "Interesting taste," she said. "But that doesn't make storms any less beautiful, does it?"
I hesitated.
Her presence was suffocating—
—and strangely comforting.
— "Everyone has different tastes," I muttered.
There was a pause.
Then—
She leaned slightly forward.
— "Tell me…"
A subtle smile formed on her lips.
— "What do you think about magic… and the supernatural?"
There it was.
The question.
Her smile didn't change—
—but something behind it did.
Something darker.
I swallowed.
— "I've said it before," I replied, forcing steadiness into my voice. "I don't believe in it. Everything has an explanation. Magic… other worlds… those things—"
My hands trembled.
— "—they're just illusions."
Silence.
Heavy.
Cold.
She watched me carefully.
She knew.
— "Are you sure?" she asked, leaning back, crossing her legs as she removed the cigarette from her lips.
Smoke drifted upward.
— "You love horror. Paranormal stories. Why enjoy something you don't believe in?"
I closed my eyes for a second.
Then met her gaze.
— "Because liking something doesn't mean you have to believe in it," I said. "It's like… reading about justice without believing it exists."
She frowned slightly.
— "That doesn't answer my question."
I stepped closer.
My heart was racing.
— "Do you believe in love?"
That hit her.
Hard.
Her expression cracked.
— "Of course not."
Her answer came sharp.
Immediate.
Defensive.
I stepped even closer.
— "Why not?" I asked quietly. "Love exists. Or does it stop existing just because you don't believe in it?"
Her gaze faltered.
She looked away.
For the first time—
she hesitated.
— "You said it yourself," I continued. "Not believing in something doesn't make it unreal… or are you contradicting yourself?"
Her hand slammed against the desk.
A sharp sound echoed through the room.
Her lips trembled—
then split slightly as she bit them too hard.
A drop of blood.
— "That's not—" she started, but stopped.
Her composure was breaking.
— "Then we agree," I said softly. "Love doesn't exist… just like the supernatural."
She stood up.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Then walked toward me.
Each step heavier than the last.
Her eyes sharpened—
like blades.
— "Even if you deny this world…" she said quietly, her voice low and oppressive, "the fact that you belong to it will never disappear."
I couldn't breathe.
— "This world will claim you," she continued. "Sooner or later."
Closer.
Closer.
— "You can deny it all you want… but it won't change what you are."
Her eyes glowed faintly.
Violet deepening into something darker.
— "One of us."
A pause.
— "Another victim of destiny."
Silence.
Then—
She turned.
Walked away.
At the door, she stopped for a brief second.
Her eyes flickered again—
a deeper violet.
And then she smiled.
But this time…
It wasn't confidence.
It wasn't superiority.
It was something else.
Something closer to—
pain.
Then she disappeared into the hallway.
She's right.
I sank into the chair behind me.
No matter how much I deny it… nothing changes.
I exhaled slowly.
— "Why do I feel like this…?"
Empty.
Heavy.
— "This didn't go the way I expected…"
The faint scent of her cigarette still lingered in the air.
Even after she was gone.
After a moment, I grabbed my bag and left the classroom.
The halls were quiet.
Too quiet.
I stepped outside—
—and there she was again.
Waiting.
— "Hey, Dark. Want to come with me?"
— "Where?"
— "The park. There's something I want to show you."
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
— "Alright."
We walked in silence for a long time.
The rain softened into a distant whisper.
The world felt… muted.
— "It's time I show you a secret of this place," she said.
I sighed and dropped onto the ground.
— "Give me a minute… I'm exhausted."
She nodded, leaning against a tree, lighting another cigarette.
Minutes passed.
I stood up again—
—and looked ahead.
The tree.
Thar'nöth Tree.
— "It's there… right?"
She smiled faintly.
— "Yes."
We walked toward it.
— "It's majestic, isn't it?" she asked.
— "Yeah… it's beautiful," I replied. "How did it even grow that big?"
She looked up.
The top vanished into the clouds.
— "It's been alive for thousands of years," she said. "And with every year… it becomes more mysterious."
I frowned slightly.
— "I guess…"
— "You'll understand soon."
I lowered my gaze.
I just want to go home.
— "Don't look so discouraged," she added softly. "This is important."
Something in her tone…
felt hidden.
I ignored it.
— "Maybe after this… we could go to the library?"
She smiled.
— "I was thinking the same thing."
We reached the base of the tree.
Its roots stretched outward like veins breaking through the earth.
She knelt—
and gestured for me to do the same.
I did.
She took my hand.
Gently.
Then pressed it against one of the roots.
And—
everything changed.
My veins bulged instantly.
Dark lines spreading across my skin.
— "W-what's happening…?"
A sharp, pulling sensation.
Like something was draining me—
from the inside.
My blood.
The root absorbed it.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Then—
A symbol formed.
Three crescent moons.
Separated—
yet connected by thorn-covered roots.
And at the center—
a twenty-pointed star.
— "This is only the beginning…"
she whispered.
Then—
rustling.
Fast.
Violent.
From the bushes—
Kim burst forward, her fist engulfed in flames.
She lunged at Eclipse—
—but before she could reach her—
I moved.
Without thinking.
Without control.
I stepped in front of her—
and caught her arm.
— "What are you doing?!" Kim shouted.
— "I… don't know…"
My voice was barely a whisper.
Kim stared at me.
Then at Eclipse.
Her eyes burned with fury.
Eclipse only smiled.
Calm.
Untouchable.
Kim turned—
and left.
Silence returned.
— "Professor…"
I looked at her.
She smiled again.
This time… gentle.
— "Yes?"
I exhaled.
— "Let's go to the library."
She closed her eyes briefly.
— "Alright."
We sat on the roots of the tree for a while.
Watching the sunset bleed into the horizon.
Neither of us spoke.
But something had changed.
Something irreversible.
And when we finally stood—
we walked toward the library.
Together.