Shuzuka kneels, his breath shallow, staring at the fractured floorboards. His hand curls into a fist.

He rises—slowly, painfully—and turns toward Jade.

Jade hasn't moved. She's sitting in silence, eyes vacant, staff clutched tightly in her trembling hands.

"What... did he mean by that?"

Her voice is barely above a whisper, yet it cuts through the room like a knife.

Shuzuka's gaze drops. "It's nothing," he mutters, stepping past her.

But something tugs at his ankle. He looks down. Roots. Twisting from the floorboards. Binding him.

"You're one of them... aren't you?"

Her voice is cold now—fragile, but sharp.

"Don't make me do this," he warns, magic sparking around his hand.

"Then tell me," Jade pleads, her voice breaking. "Why are you here? Why..."

Her words fade, swallowed by the stillness that follows.

Shuzuka says nothing. He stands—but his shoulders sag, heavy with something unspoken.

"I was there," he finally says. "When you lost your father."

Jade's grip on her staff tightens. Her knuckles turn white.

"So you were one of them..."

Her voice cracks under the weight of betrayal. "Are you expecting me to just... forgive you?"

Shuzuka closes his eyes.

"No." He exhales quietly, then opens them again. "But—"

He stops mid-sentence. Their eyes meet.

Jade's gaze searches his—desperate for something.

A reason. A lie. A crack in his mask that could make this make sense.

But there's nothing.

No anger.

No remorse.

No denial.

Just the truth.

Her lips tremble.

"You stood there... while they took the only person left who cared about me..."

The words barely make it out. Her shoulders shake. A sob wells up—but she swallows it, forcing herself to stay upright.

A cold numbness begins to spread through her chest. She clutches her staff a little tighter.

Shuzuka averts his eyes.

"I couldn't—I was just following orders..."

It's not an excuse. He knows it.

It sounds hollow even to him.

Jade's voice softens—not out of forgiveness, but exhaustion.

"I trusted you," she whispers, like the memory hurts to hold.

"I thought you were here to help us..."

Her staff trembles in her grip. Her magic stirs.

And then—snap.

The air rips around her. A burst of energy floods the room like a heartbeat that's been held too long.

Her necklace glows violently, trying to suppress the flood—but it's too late.

"Please..." she whispers, her voice beginning to hollow out, fraying at the edges. "Just leave me alone..."

She hugs her staff tightly to her chest, repeating the words like a broken record.

Then, softer—more fragile—"Just... leave us alone..."

Her grip tightens—like she's holding onto more than just herself.

Why did it have to be him?

The thought cuts through her like a blade—then the magic answers in her place.

The floor groaned beneath her. Her necklace pulsed violently.

Jade curled inward, hugging herself tight. Her staff was caught between her arms, clutched like a lifeline.

The glow from her necklace surged—flaring in rhythm with her breath. Too fast. Too uneven.

Emotion flooded through her.

Grief. Rage. Betrayal.

Too much to contain.

The air stilled—unnaturally quiet.

Her arms trembled as she held herself tighter, like she could squeeze the magic back inside.

But it was too loud—her heart, her thoughts, her fear. Everything was breaking apart.

I just want it to stop. I just want to be alone.

Her thoughts echoed louder than the storm.

Then—

A brilliant green shockwave erupted from her.

It pulsed outward in a perfect circle, a ring of raw magic that rippled across the room. The walls groaned, the floor cracked, and light scattered like wind through leaves.

The floorboards beneath her shattered.

A crater bloomed outward as she floated higher, debris lifting in slow arcs around her.

She drew into herself, curling into a fetal position—

a storm wrapped in silence.

Her hair lifted.

The roots began to turn white.

Shuzuka stumbled back, shielding his face from the violent surge of debris.

He blinked—then froze.

Her hair.

White.

"Jade—" he gasped, clutching at his throat as he reached out—

and failed.

He dropped to one knee, vision dimming.

The air was vanishing—sucked out like a vacuum.

Fighting to breathe, he used the last of his strength to shout:

"H-he's... still... alive!"

The words cut through the noise like a thread pulled tight.

A fractured floorboard snapped beneath her.

And something in her snapped with it.

A sudden thump upstairs. Then hurried footsteps.

Touma and Akane rushed down the stairs, drawn by the crash and quiet.

What they saw stopped them cold.

Shuzuka—unconscious.

Jade—slowly being wrapped in living roots.

Touma stepped forward, hand raised.

A cold mist seeped from his fingertips, spreading across the vines.

Frost bloomed—sharp and growing.

The roots reacted.

Thorns burst out where the frost touched.

Touma flinched, pulling back at the last second.

Red scratches bloomed across his hand.

He stared at it—then at the roots.

The thorns slowly retracted.

Akane knelt beside Shuzuka, small hands pushing at his side.

She looked to her brother. "Help me get him to the couch."

Touma's eyes lingered on the roots... then he nodded.

Together, they hauled Shuzuka's weight toward the couch, settling him beside it.

Akane glanced back.

The last of the roots curled shut—Jade was gone, sealed inside a smooth wooden shell.

The vines stilled.

She looked to Shuzuka again—still unconscious.

She knelt, shaking his arm.

"Shuzuka...wake up..."

Nothing.

"Shuzuka..." she whispered again, softer.

"Please..."

That voice again.

"Shuzuka! Wake up!"

Another voice layered in—familiar, younger.

"Nadia, don't bother your brother. He's had a long day."

"But he promised we'd play outside..."

Listen to our mother Nadia

"You can play with him after he recovers, okay?"

"NO! I want to play!"

No...

This isn't how it happened.

Quit shaking me, Nadia.

"Shuzuka! Shuzuka!"

Stop it...

"Shuzuka!"

I said quit—

"Why did you leave us."

His breath caught.

Shuzuka's eyes burst open, wide and raw, his chest heaving beneath clasped hands.

Trembling.

He sat up slowly, disoriented, drenched in cold air.

His gaze turned.

There—

Konnie stood at the edge of the doorway.

Eyes locked on the wooden shell rooted in the center of the room.

"What happened to... Jade?"

Konnie slowly approached the shell.

Shuzuka stared at her face—still filled with curiosity and innocence—but her eyes betrayed concern and fear. Her hands trembled as she reached out toward the shell's surface.

Shuzuka closed his eyes and leaned forward on the couch, rubbing his face with both hands.

"Protecting herself."

Konnie's hand froze just before touching it. She turned her head, tilting it slightly.

"From what?"

Silence.

Shuzuka met her gaze again. A deep exhale left his lungs before he laid back down, turning away.

Konnie stood still, staring at his back. Her eyes scanned the room—

No sign of Itona.

She looked down. The floorboards beneath her were splintered and cracked, black mold blooming along their edges.

A small hand slipped into hers.

Konnie turned, startled slightly, but relaxed when she saw Akane. The girl's eyes twitched faintly

"I'm glad you made it back safely," she said softly. "Jade was really worried about you..."

Konnie's eyes widened. Slowly, she turned back to the wooden shell.

Jade's face flashed in her mind—ears drooped, voice trembling, the softest whisper:

"I'm sorry."

Konnie pressed her lips together and clenched her fists. A single tear escaped down her cheek.

"She shouldn't be worried about someone like me. We just met, and... I did more harm to her than she did to me."

From the top of the stairs, Red spoke—her voice low, almost lost in thought. She sat with her eyes on her hands.

"That's the thing about Jade. No matter who you are... as long as you're inside her domain, she'll take care of you. She'll bond with you. Everyone who ends up here—there's a reason. Escaping fate... or trying to find salvation."

Touma made his way up to her and gently helped her down the steps, his arm firm around hers, practically carrying her.

"Hah... Honestly, I haven't seen her this worried. She tapped into her strongest magic just to find you."

Red sat down in front of Konnie, slipping one arm around her waist.

"I don't know why, but... a part of me can tell Jade cares about you more than anyone here. I don't know who you are to her—but when she first brought you to my shop... I'd never seen her that happy."

She turned, her gaze lingering on the shell.

Konnie approached the shell and gently placed her hand on it. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she ran her fingers along the hardened surface.

"Can she hear me?" she asked quietly.

"No idea. Last time I saw her, she was unconscious," Shuzuka replied, turning to lie on his back.

Konnie let out a soft sigh, her expression warm for a brief moment before she turned toward the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Red asked.

"The library. Gotta return this book," Konnie said, pulling a thin volume from her cloak—Illusion Magic for Dummies.

Red snorted. "Isn't that the one for kids? Y'know, party tricks?"

Konnie smacked her lips. "It's not just party tricks. It's mostly illusion magic, yeah—but it mixes in the basics of magic theory and—" She trailed off, still talking as Red's smile softened.

Watching her, Red felt a familiar warmth in her chest. The way Konnie rambled, she couldn't help but remember someone.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Red chuckled, waving her hand. "We'll take care of Jade. You go return that book."

Konnie paused mid-sentence and gave her a firm nod.

Akane leaned close to Red, whispering, "She kinda reminded me of Jade just now..."

"Yeah," Red murmured, turning her gaze to the slowly growing tree, the shell nestled at its center. "Now I see why you care about her."

Konnie dashed through the village streets, her cloak fluttering behind her as she made her way to the library tucked at the far edge of town.

Inside, she peeked over the front counter, rising on her toes.

"Camie?" she called.

Silence.

She circled behind the counter, venturing deeper between rows of towering shelves. But something was off—whole sections of books were missing, carved out in perfect rectangular gaps. A few volumes were even sliced clean in half.

"...Wait. Is this supposed to be here?"

Curious, she reached toward one of the empty spaces. Her hand vanished into thin air.

Eyes wide, she jerked it back, then cautiously pushed it in again—this time, all the way.

"...Illusion magic," she whispered.

She poked her head through—and froze.

Camie lay on a table, her hair submerged in a basin of water.

Konnie pressed her lips together, coughed lightly. "Ehem..."

Camie bolted upright, nearly slipping off the table.

"WOAAAH—don't just barge in like that!!"

She sat up, legs dangling off the edge, and grabbed a towel to dry her dripping hair. Her voice came muffled through the fabric.

"How did you even get in here?"

"Uhhh..." Konnie hesitated, but before she could answer, Camie stood, towel still draped over her shoulders.

"Nevermind. What do you need?"

"I'm here to return the book—in exchange for another." Konnie held it out.

"Hmm... alright."

With a snap of her fingers, the room blinked away. In an instant, they were outside.

Konnie stumbled, regaining her footing.

The ground beneath Camie rose like a platform, lifting her to the highest shelf. She touched the space—rather than slotting in, the book vanished into a shimmer of light.

Below, the floor beneath Konnie twisted into a spiral staircase. Camie stepped down, and as her foot touched the floor—

—They were transported again, this time into a circular room.

Konnie dropped to one knee, covering her mouth.

"Don't worry," Camie giggled. "You'll get used to it."

Beside her, the floor shifted—raising a glass of water from a small opening.

"So! What book are you looking for exactly?"

She flicked her hand, and the circular walls began to rotate slowly. Konnie's eyes followed the shelves, hypnotized. She swayed slightly, then closed her eyes to steady herself.

"Uhh... something about... dark magic?"

Camie froze.

Her smile faded.

"...Dark magic?"

Her gaze locked sharply onto Konnie.

Konnie peeked through her lashes, still dazed.

"Dark... magic?" she repeated, tilting her head.

Camie narrowed her eyes, lips pressed.

"I don't think I can give you that."

She studied Konnie.

"What exactly do you need it for?"

Konnie paused.

"I've been seeing things... visions. A while ago, I blacked out. I did something—but it wasn't me."

Camie frowned. "You blacked out?"

Konnie nodded. "I wasn't in control. I don't know what happened. I think it's... side effects of dark magic."

Camie turned, arms folded.

"That's not dark magic. That sounds a lot like burnout—when you push too hard, your body tends to shut itself down."

Konnie hesitated.

"Does that also include... almost killing someone?"

Camie's eyes widened slightly. A chair formed beneath her, and she sat down, tapping her chin.

"That's... new. What exactly happened?"

"I blacked out. I was in an open field. I saw... something. It merged with me. It felt calm, like I belonged to it."

She glanced at her hands.

"Mitsuki said something about corruption."

"Wait—Mitsuki? The fate reader in the woods?"

Konnie nodded.

"I went to have my fate read. She was explaining something when... I passed out."

"And you woke up nearly killing her?"

Konnie gave a guilty nod.

"I didn't mean to. I asked what happened, and she told me to read about it. That's why I came here."

Camie went quiet. Her eyes fluttered slightly, she closes her eyes and inhales

"Okay... I recommend you stop using dark magic for now—at least unless absolutely necessary. I've read about the effects of corruption, but... this doesn't match them. Not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"Corruption is slow. Painful. Once it takes you, you're gone. Your soul isn't yours anymore. You're trapped—watching helplessly as your body attacks anyone close."

Her voice softened.

"But that kind of loss of control doesn't happen suddenly. Not unless..."

She trailed off, deep in thought.

Konnie looked down, clenching her fist, trembling.

Camie stared at her, the change clear now—guilt, fear, confusion.

"You can still cleanse it," she said gently.

"White Lily has ways to treat corruption. If you're serious about removing it, I recommend seeing her."

Then, with a small clap, they were both back at the front desk.

"Alright. I'll dig around and let you know if I find anything. In the meantime—"

She handed Konnie two books: Veilmorne's Guide to Understanding Magic and The Seven Pillars of Hope.

Camie leaned closer with a small smile, pointing to the first book.

"Read this after Basic Magic." She chuckled.

"Oh... I don't have anything to pay with."

"Don't worry. I'll put it on Jade's tab. Just ruin it—or you're paying double." winking at her, Konnie chuckles as she stares down at the book, she lets out a soft smile "thank you, for this"

Camie raises an eyebrow with a slight smirk "psh.. Its nothing"

I remember this day.

How could I not?