---
**[Cutscene - Selvaria's Room – Academy Dormitory, Late Night]**
Selvaria entered her room, shedding her robe and hanging it on a hook on the wall. Her senses still vibrated from earlier, the lingering tremor of that overwhelming aura.
She sat at her desk, gazing out the window at the moon.
Her thoughts churned.
> "That aura… is far too powerful for a normal human…"
She lightly touched her thumb, something she only did when truly concerned.
> "Is he… truly… the reincarnation of the Dark Magic God?"
She recalled the times Shujin had appeared—a magical pressure unlike any she had felt, be it from goddess or demon.
> "Shujin… are you our true enemy?"
"Or… are you something else entirely?"
Her eyes narrowed as she remembered Kuro's cold demeanor in the classroom, calculating yet possessing an intelligence beyond his years.
> "Kuro… you speak like a prodigy. Too composed. Too steady."
"And somehow… you've managed to make me interested in you."
She inhaled and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her fingers gently touched the silver ring hanging from her neck—a memento from her homeland, a reminder of her mission.
> "But we must focus on Ryuto."
> "Not Kuro… not yet."
She turned on her side and closed her eyes.
---
**[Cutscene - Kuro's Dream – Mental Realm]**
A vast white field stretched out, a gentle breeze blowing. Kuro stood alone, surrounded by fragments of memories. He saw a younger version of himself walking with his parents… laughing. Then Rei, with her violet eyes, smiling as she offered him a flower.
His fingers trembled slightly, as if reaching back for that flower.
The corner of his mouth almost twitched into a smile.
> "Rei… that day… I… felt happy…"
Suddenly—
Darkness.
Everything went dark.
The warm memories shattered like glass.
> "Kuro…"
A cold, mocking voice echoed around him. His own voice, but more twisted and hollow.
> "You're enjoying those fake feelings? How pathetic."
A figure—a shadowy doppelgänger of Kuro—emerged from the darkness. But its eyes were lifeless, voids, and its smile was cruel.
> "The emotionless Darkness Lord, pretending to be a happy boy. I can't even believe it myself."
"I am you. You are me."
Kuro narrowed his eyes. "You again…"
The dark image tilted its head.
> "You think you can escape from me? Those feelings are fakes, deceptions. You are unworthy of peace."
Kuro clenched his fist. "One thing you said is right."
He summoned dark magic into his palm—swirling like shadows.
> "But I won't accept it. I will decide what is real for myself, not you."
He unleashed the magic.
"Disappear."
A wave of magic swept through the space, swallowing the dark doppelgänger. As it crumbled, one last, echoing laugh emerged.
> "Kuro… you will see the price of loss. The day you experience true happiness… will be the day of your end and Things you own..."
Silence.
The light returned.
---
**[Cutscene - Kuro's Room – Before Dawn]**
Kuro's eyes opened.
No sweat. No panic.
Just silence.
He slowly sat up, staring at the floor.
"…He's messing with my mind again," he whispered softly.
His voice was steady, but it carried weight.
Rei was still asleep in the girls' room. He hadn't woken her.
He stood by the window, looking at the fading stars.
> "The price of loss, hmm…"
"Then I must make sure I lose nothing."
He lightly touched his chest—where his heart should be.
> "Or anyone I would lose."
---
✦ **To Be Continued...**