The school on a Saturday was a skeletal version of itself. Without the thundering footsteps of hundreds of students, the hallways felt unnervingly long, and every creak of the floorboards echoed like a heartbeat.
Yui and Konone sat in the back of the library, surrounded by stacks of history textbooks. While Konone was meticulously mapping out the timeline of the French Revolution as if it were a military campaign, Yui was currently using her eraser to play "desk soccer."
"Yui," Konone said without looking up, "if you do not pass this make-up exam, your 'academic sector' will collapse. Focus."
"I’m trying! But the dates are all blurry," Yui groaned, sliding out of her chair. "I’m going to go find that 'Illustrated History' book in the deep stacks. Pictures help my brain stay in its lane. Be right back!"
Yui wandered into the "Silent Zone," a section of the library where the shelves were so tall they blocked out the sun. The air here was cooler, smelling of old paper and something else—a sharp, metallic scent that made the hair on her arms stand up.
"Illustrated... Illustrated..." Yui murmured, reaching for a thick spine.
"It's on the top shelf, Yui-chan."
Yui jumped, spinning around. Standing at the end of the aisle was Mahiru. She was wearing the school uniform, but she looked like a doll carved from ice. Her presence didn't just feel cold; it felt empty.
"Mahiru? You’re a student here too?" Yui asked, her hand dropping from the shelf. "Wait... Konone has been looking for you! She’s right in the next room, we should—"
"Konone is only looking for a ghost," Mahiru interrupted, stepping closer. Her voice had a strange, rhythmic quality to it, like a ticking clock. "She doesn't want me. She wants the world she lost. And she's using your 'Hope' to rebuild it. Once she has what she wants, what happens to you, Yui? You’re just a battery to her."
"That’s not true!" Yui shouted, but her voice felt heavy, as if she were shouting underwater.
Mahiru reached out, her fingers ghosting over Yui’s forehead. Her violet eyes began to glow, swirling with a dark, hypnotic mist. "Look into the Void, Yui. See the truth. There is no warmth in the sun. There is only the cold, white silence."
Yui tried to look away, but her body felt like lead. As she locked eyes with Mahiru, a surge of freezing energy poured into her mind. The vibrant colors of the library—the red of the carpets, the gold of the book spines—began to bleed away into a dull, flat gray.
"Your heart is so loud," Mahiru whispered, her face inches from Yui's. "Let's make it quiet."
The light in Yui’s eyes didn't just fade—it vanished. Her pupils dilated until her eyes were nothing but vacant, milky white orbs, devoid of any thought, spark, or "Happy-Go-Lucky" energy. She stood perfectly still, her arms hanging limp at her sides.
"Good girl," Mahiru smiled, a cold, predatory expression. "Now, let’s go show Konone what happens when 'Hope' freezes over."
Outside, the ground shook. A massive, gnarled root burst through the library floor, followed by the roar of a monster. But Yui didn't flinch. She simply turned and began to walk toward the exit, her footsteps perfectly synchronized with Mahiru’s.
The Yui that loved strawberry milk and superheroes was gone. In her place was a hollow shell, ready to be filled with the King's shadow.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZqNUPYrAs
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