The air in the courtyard was thick with tension. Sean stood frozen, staring at the swirling shadows around him. The ground beneath his feet was cracked, and the dark energy that had surged from his body was still hanging in the air, a heavy weight pressing down on him.
The crowd had gone completely silent. The students who had been so eager to see his failure were now staring at him, their faces filled with a mix of *shock* and *fear*.
Sean's heart was racing. What had just happened? The anger, the frustration—it had all built up inside him, but he never imagined it would manifest like this. He had no idea what this *darkness magic* was, or where it had come from. All he knew was that it felt… *wrong*. Dangerous. And he couldn't control it.
He looked down at his hands, his fingers trembling as the shadows still swirled around him. The dark tendrils danced in the air like serpents, but he couldn't stop them. He tried to focus, to *will* the shadows back into his body, but nothing worked. The darkness was alive, twisting and writhing in a way he couldn't understand.
"W-what the hell is that?" Kai's voice broke through the stillness. His usual cocky grin had faded, replaced by a look of genuine concern. "Sean… what are you doing?"
The question echoed in Sean's mind. What was he doing? He didn't know. The power felt foreign, like it wasn't even his. His body was shaking, and he could feel the *magic* growing stronger, like it was trying to break free from his control.
Lira stepped forward, her expression a mix of concern and caution. "Sean… please. You need to calm down."
He turned to her, his eyes wide with confusion. "I… I don't know how. I can't stop it."
Lira's eyes softened. She took a careful step toward him, her voice gentle but firm. "Sean, listen to me. You're not alone. You have control over this. You just need to focus. You can't let it control you."
But how? How could he focus when the darkness inside him felt so *overwhelming*? How could he keep calm when the very thing that made him feel *powerless* had suddenly turned into something so destructive?
Before he could respond, a loud voice rang out from the back of the crowd.
"Enough!"
It was *Professor Ilona*. She had emerged from the academy, her presence commanding the attention of everyone present. Her eyes were narrowed, and the air around her seemed to shimmer with *magical energy*.
"Sean Black," she called, her voice steady but full of authority. "What is the meaning of this?"
Sean's heart sank. He knew what was coming. The professor was a strict woman, and if there was one thing she couldn't tolerate, it was *uncontrolled magic*.
"I… I didn't mean to—" Sean began, but his voice faltered. The shadows around him still refused to dissipate.
Professor Ilona's gaze softened just slightly. "You've awakened your magic, Sean," she said, her tone almost… pitying. "But this is not the time or the place for this kind of display. You must learn to control it."
Control. That word echoed in Sean's mind. He had never been able to control magic. How was he supposed to control something that had never been his? Something that had only just appeared, with no warning, and no explanation?
Before he could speak again, Professor Ilona raised her hand, and the shadows surrounding him instantly dissipated, sucked back into the ground as if they had never existed. Sean felt the power leave him in an instant, the pressure lifting from his chest.
"Go back to your dormitory, Sean," Professor Ilona said, her voice softer now, but still firm. "We will discuss this later. For now, you are dismissed."
---
*A Lingering Fear*
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Sean barely remembered walking back to the orphanage. His mind was a storm of thoughts, each one more confused and frightening than the last. What had happened to him? Why had this magic awakened now, and why was it so *dangerous*?
As he entered his small room at the orphanage, he collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing. The shadows… they had felt so real, so powerful. But they hadn't felt like his magic. They had felt like something else—something *dark*, something that didn't belong in him.
Was this the *darkness* that the professors had warned him about? Was this the *curse* that came with being *magic-less*—the price of being *powerless* in a world of magic?
The questions were endless, and Sean had no answers. All he knew was that something inside him had changed, and he couldn't go back. His body had *awakened* to something he didn't understand, and now there was no turning back.
---
*A Visit from Lira*
The next morning, Sean was still lying in bed when he heard a soft knock on his door. He reluctantly sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes, and walked over to open it.
It was Lira.
Her expression was gentle, but there was concern in her eyes. "Can I come in?" she asked softly.
Sean nodded, stepping aside to let her in. He hadn't seen much of her since the sparring match, and he could tell from the look on her face that she was worried about him.
"Are you okay?" Lira asked, her voice quiet. "You didn't look well after… yesterday."
Sean rubbed his face. "I don't know if I'm okay," he admitted. "I don't understand what happened. It was like… it was like something inside me just *broke*."
Lira stepped closer, her eyes never leaving his. "Sean, you don't have to go through this alone. I can help you. We can figure this out together."
Sean's heart skipped a beat. She was the only person who had ever believed in him, the only person who had never made him feel like a *failure*.
"I don't even know what this is," Sean said, his voice cracking. "What if this is something I can't control? What if I can't keep it from hurting someone?"
Lira reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone in this. I'll be here for you, Sean. Whatever happens, we'll face it together."
For the first time in days, Sean felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as *alone* as he thought.