"W-wait a second…" Leci pleaded. She tried to move her head side to side, desperate to free herself. But instead of breaking free, she found it even harder to breathe.
Slowly, her vision began to blur, and the color drained from her face. The strength of a man was nothing a woman could match—especially when the difference between their bodies was this vast. Kieron was tall and athletic, built like an athlete, while Leci was just a slender girl who hardly ever exercised.
"S-sir… please… let me go," Leci begged hoarsely. If Kieron didn't release her soon, she was sure her life would truly end here. "Let's… talk this out… calmly…"
When Leci's face started to turn blue, Kieron finally loosened his grip around her neck. "What is there to talk about?" he asked in a cold, terrifying voice.
A shiver crawled down Leci's spine as she felt Kieron's breath ghost across her lips. Instinctively, her eyes flew open — and their gazes locked. Again, she felt something strange stir inside her after meeting those obsidian eyes.
"I won't tell anyone… so please, let me go," Leci pleaded, silently praying in her heart. The fear wrapping around her body sent a chill racing down her back. Her mind screamed one clear truth — something was very wrong with her Biology teacher.
Grab!
Kieron's hand shifted, gripping Leci's jaw tightly with just one hand—forcing her to look up, their eyes locked once again. This time, Leci's head spun violently as she met Kieron's gaze.
Am I being hypnotized? she wondered, her mind swirling in confusion. Her vision began to double, then slowly blur.
"Strange…"
Kieron's quiet murmur snapped Leci back to awareness. The moment his grip loosened, she shoved him away with all her remaining strength. I have to get out of here! her mind screamed as she reached for the doorknob.
But the infirmary room door didn't budge, no matter how many times she twisted it. There was no lock—so it was impossible for it to be locked from the inside.
From the outside…? she guessed, peering through the keyhole in panic.
Unfortunately, the keyhole was empty—which meant the door wasn't locked from the outside either. Then why wouldn't it open?
Leci had no choice but to turn around, narrowing her eyes sharply at Kieron, who was still lowering his head in confusion. Though… she couldn't tell what he was confused about.
"Open the door!" Leci demanded. Standing face-to-face with him felt like standing before a predator.
The man didn't even flinch under her glare. "If I let you go," he said coldly, "you'll run straight to the Headmaster, won't you?"
Leci froze—because Kieron was right.
Seeing her silence, he began to move again, slow and deliberate, each step cornering her further. He braced his arms on either side of her head, caging her in, leaning close enough for her to see the faint gleam of his obsidian eyes reflected in hers.
"You'd report me… wouldn't you? Hm?" he murmured, his voice dangerously soft.
The girl instinctively held her breath when Kieron once again leaned in—so close their noses nearly brushed. His warm breath fanned against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine and tightening her chest with a mix of fear and dread.
"I-I…"
Kieron kept closing the distance between them, his body towering dangerously close. Leci kept retreating until her back hit the cold surface of the door. "I-I won't tell anyone, as long as you let me out," she stammered, squeezing her eyes shut in fear.
Kieron didn't reply—he only stared at her, unblinking.
Finally, he stepped back, giving her space. Leci exhaled shakily, her relief almost dizzying.T the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at Kieron before reaching for the doorknob and twisting it.
"Wait."
A pale, firm hand reached out and caught Leci's, stopping her from turning the doorknob. Kieron was now standing beside her, his eyes filled with a strange curiosity as Leci silently cursed him in her mind, wishing he'd just let her go.
"What is it now, Sir?" she snapped under her breath.
Unexpectedly, Kieron pulled her hand closer, examining her palm as if it were something precious. His brows furrowed. "What did you do to your body?" he asked quietly, his tone unreadable.
Leci frowned, completely confused by the random question. "My body? What about it?"
This time, Kieron reached out his hand, brushing Leci's cheek with the tip of his fingers—a touch that sent a faint sting through her skin. His eyes glimmered, as if he were studying something fascinating.
"There's something coating your body," he murmured. "It's stopping me from absorbing your soul."
Leci's mind spun. For a moment, she felt as if she were floating somewhere far above the earth, her thoughts scattering in disbelief.
Absorbing my soul?
So the reason my head always spins whenever I look into his eyes is because… he's been trying to take my soul?!
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. The realization made her stomach twist. Reflexively, her gaze darted toward Amanda's lifeless body on the floor.
Don't tell me…
Leci no longer cared about Kieron, who was still trying to figure out the strange anomaly in her body. All she could think about was Amanda's condition.
If Kieron had really absorbed her soul… did that mean the girl was dead? With trembling hands, Leci placed her index finger in front of Amanda's nose.
She… she's still breathing.
Relief washed over Leci, but it came hand in hand with confusion. She had no idea what Kieron had actually done.
"I didn't kill her," Kieron said suddenly, as if reading her thoughts. "I did take part of her soul, but not enough to kill her."
His words only deepened the storm in Leci's mind. What is that supposed to mean? she thought, her brow furrowing. "Then why hasn't Amanda woken up?"
Kieron leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. With a body that perfect, even the simplest movement made him look effortlessly composed.
"Of course she'd faint after losing part of her soul. Any human would," he said coolly.
He said that as if he wasn't human himself. Not that he was wrong—no human could absorb someone's soul, Leci thought. The fear that had gripped her earlier began to fade, replaced by unease. "There must be side effects, right? It's the soul we're talking about, after all."
The man smiled then, looking at Leci with something that resembled respect. "You're quite clever," he said. His words sounded like praise, but his tone carried a trace of mockery. "There's no physical side effect. But her lifespan… will be shortened by ten years."
He said it far too casually, as if stealing a decade of someone's life was no more serious than taking a breath.
Leci's eyes widened in shock. "Reduced lifespan?! How many times have you done that to Amanda?!"
Kieron straightened his back, motioning for her to calm down. "Don't make such a fuss. I've only done it three times."
Everything he said pushed Leci's patience to its limit. Without another thought, she pulled out the small notebook she always carried everywhere. "Smoke Storm… Spell!"
Ssshhh…
In an instant, the entire infirmary was swallowed by thick smoke. A dense gray haze veiled their sight, turning everything into a blur. Kieron's eyes widened—he hadn't expected this.
Before he could react, something swift moved toward him from the left.
Sring!
Grab!
With nothing but his bare hands, Kieron caught the golden dagger Leci had thrust toward him. "I think I understand now," he murmured, a faint realization dawning in his eyes. At last, he'd found the reason why he couldn't absorb Leci's soul. "Are you—"
"Shadow Tendril Spell!"
Kieron flinched as the golden dagger in his grasp pulsed with dark light. Shadows burst forth, crawling up his arm and wrapping tightly around his entire body. Leci's spell sought to bind him—to restrain his movement completely.
Her intent was clear: to trap Kieron within her shadow vines before he could counter.
Now it was Leci's turn to push him down. She shoved Kieron until he hit the floor, bound by the coiling tendrils. Straddling him, she pressed the edge of her golden dagger against his throat.
"Tell me," she demanded, her voice trembling with fury and fear. "What are you, exactly?!"
Instead of being frightened by Leci's threat, Kieron found himself oddly fascinated by the dagger in her hand.
He hadn't seen it clearly before because of the smoke, but now that the dagger hovered just above his throat, he noticed its intricate design—feathers etched along the golden edge.
"Nice dagger," he remarked, his tone calm, almost teasing. "But you do realize bringing sharp weapons to school is a violation, right?"
Leci glared at him, her grip tightening. She pushed the dagger closer—just a millimeter more and it would pierce his skin.
"Stop pretending to be a teacher in this school!" she snapped, her voice trembling between anger and fear. "Show me your true form, you vile creature!"
Kieron exhaled, a rough, weary sigh escaping his lips. His eyes, however, glinted with amusement. "It seems," he murmured, "you're not someone I can reason with."
Pats!
Whooosh!
Leci's eyes widened in shock as Kieron effortlessly tore apart the shadow tendrils binding his body. A strong gust of wind burst from him, scattering the thick smoke that had filled the room.
He straightened his back in one smooth motion, his movements forcing Leci to step backward. Before she could retreat any further, Kieron caught her wrist—the one still clutching the golden dagger—and deliberately guided it toward his own neck.
The dagger pierced his skin, sinking in about a centimeter. Fresh blood trickled down instantly.
Leci froze in horror, instinctively dispelling her magic; the golden dagger vanished from her hand. Her heart skipped a beat when the wound on Kieron's neck closed up in mere seconds, leaving not even a scar behind.
"What… what do you want?" she stammered, her voice trembling. Kieron's grip on her wrist remained firm—unyielding, almost possessive.
He wasn't letting her go.
Even worse, their position was dangerously close. Leci was still crouched between Kieron's legs, while he sat with a relaxed, open posture. The man deliberately kept her trapped, unable to move away.
"Let's make a deal," he said quietly.