That crystal on my chest—the stabilizer, the Quantum—continued humming in that uneven, pulse-like way. It always reacted when Helena was near.
But this rhythm was different.
Calmer. Controlled.
The way it resonated when she was in her other identity.
I walked down the corridor toward the common room.
Students laughed, chatted, and reenacted lines from the performance. Some congratulated me with shy bows or excited stammers.
I smiled back—well, the version of my smile reserved for public consumption.
I have been the Star.I have been the spectacle.I know how to shine when demanded.
But the closer I got to the common room, the more the Quantum shifted — like it sensed something carefully veiled. A disguised presence. A suppressed mana signature.
Helena's mana signature.
I pushed the door open.
And froze.
She was there.
Not my love.Nor the one who teased and bit and kissed me behind locked doors.
But Professor Lovecraft.
