The next day, Lucias walked through the college gates, the familiar buzz of students filling the air. Yet, everything felt different now—distant, detached. The weight of the past few days hung over him like a dark cloud. As he made his way across campus, a group of friends his Alter had made waved to him, shouting greetings.
"Hey, Lucias! You coming to the café later?" one called out.
Lucias glanced at them but said nothing, his face blank, his mind elsewhere. They exchanged confused looks, whispering among themselves as he walked away. He wasn't trying to be rude—it was as if their voices barely registered. His thoughts churned with everything he had learned at Stargent, the lingering memory of Tazer's bloodlust, and the heavy realization of what his Alter was capable of.
When he entered the classroom, he automatically went to his usual table, sitting down and opening his laptop. For several minutes, he stared at the blank screen, his mind a million miles away. He was only brought back to reality when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. It was Mia.
She entered the classroom, her presence drawing his attention like a magnet. For a moment like usual maybe she would sit next to him, like always. Maybe they could talk. But Mia didn't even glance his way. She walked past him, her face expressionless, and sat on the far side of the room.
Lucias's heart sank. He knew why. It wasn't her fault. It was his Alter—the lunatic expression on his face, the bloodlust she had seen, the destruction he had nearly caused. He had no words to explain it to her, no way to make it right. He simply stared at her from a distance, his guilt weighing heavily on him. But deep in his mind- He know his Alter just want to protect them. And now the voice that haunted Lucias mind before is gone.
The lecture began, and Dr. Sarah entered the room, her sharp gaze sweeping across the students. She launched into her lesson, her voice clear and commanding. Lucias tried to focus, but the words barely reached him. He glanced at his laptop screen, still blank, his fingers frozen above the keyboard. The classroom seemed to blur around him, a haze of voices and movement that he couldn't penetrate.
Dr. Sarah paused mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing as she noticed Lucias's lack of focus. She said nothing for now, continuing the lecture, but her gaze lingered on him more than once.
When the class ended, students began filing out, their chatter filling the room. Lucias packed up his things, ready to leave as quickly as possible. But before he could, Dr. Sarah called out, "Lucias, a word after class."
He froze, then turned to face her, his expression neutral. "Yes, Dr. Sarah?"
She gestured for him to come closer. When the room was empty, she folded her arms and studied him. "You've been distracted. Not just today, but for a while now. What's going on?"
Lucias hesitated, the question catching him off guard. He could sense her piercing gaze, like she could see through every layer he had built to hide what was happening. He forced a shrug. "It's nothing. I'm just… tired."
Dr. Sarah's eyes softened slightly, but she didn't relent. "Lucias, I've seen enough to know that's not true. Your condition—it's affecting you, isn't it?"
His heart skipped a beat. How much did she know? "Condition?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
She leaned forward slightly, her voice low but steady. "You don't have to pretend. I know about your... other self. Your Alter."
Lucias stiffened, his mind racing. How could she know? Had she been involved with Stargent somehow? He opened his mouth to ask, but then stopped himself. It didn't matter. None of it mattered.
"Don't worry about it," he said abruptly, his tone flat. "I'm fine."
Dr. Sarah frowned, clearly unconvinced. "Lucias—"
"Never mind," he interrupted, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "Thanks, but I'm good. Really."
Before she could respond, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving her standing there, her concern etched across her face. As he exited the building, the weight in his chest grew heavier. He wasn't sure what to do anymore—or if he even wanted to find out.
As Lucias walked out of the college gates, the late afternoon sun cast long shadows on the pavement. His footsteps were heavy, his mind an endless torrent of thoughts. The conversation with Dr. Sarah, Mia's cold distance in the classroom, the horrifying truths about Tazer, and the weight of his Alter—it all swirled together like a storm inside him.
He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder and sighed, staring at the cracks on the road beneath his feet. His path was aimless, the thought of going home only offering a fraction of comfort. As he turned the corner leading out of the campus, he froze.
There she was—Mia.
She stood by the edge of the sidewalk, her back leaning against a lamppost, the orange hue of the setting sun outlining her figure. Her face was turned slightly downward, lost in her phone. Lucias's heart sank deeper, guilt gnawing at him again. He hadn't spoken to her since the his Alter take control. He wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to apologize, his Alter just want to protect us and to explain that he was back —the real Lucias.
But as he stood there, watching her, he couldn't move. The weight of his guilt held him back. He didn't deserve to explain himself. Not after what happen. Not after the terror he had put her through.
He lowered his gaze and decided to walk past her. Maybe she wouldn't notice. Maybe he could just leave this moment behind like all the others he had abandoned. His footsteps quickened, and for a moment, it seemed like he might succeed. But then her voice cut through the stillness.
"Lucias… you're back."
He froze in place. The simple, soft words struck him like a blow. Slowly, he turned his head halfway toward her, his face shadowed by the fading light.
Mia took a step closer, her voice trembling slightly. "Why didn't you tell me you were back?"
Lucias clenched his jaw, his mind screaming at him to walk away. To leave. To avoid this. But the sound of her voice—the hope, the confusion—kept him rooted to the spot. He turned to face her fully, his expression unreadable.
"No," he said softly, cutting her off before she could say more.
Mia blinked, her face twisting with confusion. "What do you mean, 'no'? Lucias—"
"Lucias isn't coming back," he interrupted, his voice sharper now, tinged with something heavy and final.
Mia stared at him, her brows furrowing. "What are you talking about? You're here, aren't you? You're Lucias—"
"No," he said again, shaking his head. "I'm not. Not the Lucias you knew. Not anymore."
His words hung in the air between them, each syllable weighted with pain. For a moment, Mia was speechless, her mouth opening slightly but no words coming out. Her hands clenched at her sides as she tried to process what he was saying.
"Then… who are you?" she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Lucias didn't answer. Instead, he gave her a look—one filled with sorrow, regret, and something else she couldn't quite place. Without another word, he turned away, his footsteps echoing on the pavement as he walked past her.
Mia reached out instinctively, as if to stop him, but her hand froze mid-air. "Lucias…" she called softly, her voice trembling. But he didn't stop. He didn't even look back.
As he disappeared down the street, Mia stood there, her heart heavy with unanswered questions. She could feel the weight of something unspoken, something he was carrying that he refused to share. Whatever it was, it was tearing him apart—and now, it was tearing her apart, too.
The clock ticked away, hour after hour, as Lucias sat in his dimly lit room, consumed by the chaos of his thoughts. His mind was a battlefield, caught between questions that refused to give him peace. Tazer. Stargent. His Alter.
"What….what I must do?" Lucias muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. His hands clutched his head, trying to make sense of it all. He thought back to the kid—the strange, enigmatic boy who asked that riddle-like question: In a room full of darkness, you will find the light. In a room full of light, beware the darkness. But what do you find when light and darkness are balanced?
The words haunted him, their meaning just out of reach. He exhaled sharply, frustration boiling within him. "What are you trying to tell me?" he whispered, almost as if asking his Alter. "You're supposed to protect me, right? Protect us?"
There was silence—cold, deafening silence.
Lucias stared at the reflection in the window, almost expecting his Alter to answer, to appear in the reflection as he had done so many times before. But there was nothing. The absence was both unsettling and suffocating. "Say something," he said louder, desperation creeping into his tone. "Just… anything."
Still, nothing. The silence felt like a rejection, a void that swallowed every ounce of his hope. Lucias clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "Maybe… maybe you're not coming back," he whispered, his voice trembling.
Meanwhile, at one of Stargent's secondary headquarters, chaos unfolded.
The quiet hum of machinery was shattered by the sound of alarms and screams. Agents rushed down the halls, weapons drawn, as a shadow moved through the building like a storm. One by one, they fell, unconscious, some without even seeing the threat coming. Papers scattered, equipment shattered, and the once-secure facility was thrown into complete disarray.
Tazer moved through the carnage with a calm yet menacing demeanor, crimson eyes glowing faintly. His every step exuded an aura of bloodlust. He wasn't here for destruction—this was a message.
In the control room of Stargent's primary headquarters, Nathan stood watching the live feed from the monitors. The scene of the unconscious agents and Tazer's smirk filled him with rage. Tazer's voice echoed from the hacked speakers: "Come and get me, Nathan. Let's settle this."
Nathan slammed his fist against the desk, his orange aura faintly flickering around him. "I'm going" he growled, turning toward the exit.
"Nathan," the Director called out firmly.
Nathan stopped but didn't turn to face him. "Don't stop me. Not now."
The Director's voice softened slightly, though the gravity of his words remained. "I'm not stopping you. I'm telling you to buy us time."
Nathan turned his head slightly, catching the Director's determined gaze. He nodded. "Understood."
Without another word, Nathan stormed out, his orange aura now blazing as he rushed to confront Tazer.
Back in his room, Lucias sat motionless, staring blankly at the floor. His mind had gone quiet, but the silence wasn't empty—it was sharp, filled with a sense of clarity. Slowly, his eyes widened as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. The kid's words echoed in his mind again, this time resonating differently:
In a room full of darkness, you will find the light. In a room full of light, beware the darkness. But what do you find when light and darkness are balanced?
His breathing quickened as the answer dawned on him.
Lucias stood up, his hands trembling slightly as a new resolve filled his chest. "I know what I have to do now," he said to himself, his voice firm. He glanced at his reflection in the window, this time not with fear or desperation but with determination. "I have to make things right."
At the secondary headquarters, Nathan arrived, his aura blazing brighter than ever as he confronted Tazer amidst the wreckage. But far away, in his quiet room, Lucias's journey toward understanding his true self had only just begun. The question now wasn't whether he could face Tazer or even protect himself.