The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
Mona sat by the window of her room, knees pulled to her chest, eyes fixed on the night sky. The stars looked dimmer tonight. The moon, barely visible.
She hadn't spoken since they returned.
She hadn't let anyone near her—especially not Sunghoon.
Especially not Jake.
And definitely not Niki.
Because he was still in the infirmary. Unconscious.
Because she had done that.
Her palm still burned where the blast had come from. And something was… still there. Something alive.
Something whispering.
"Do it again."
"Feel the power. He deserved it."
She covered her ears. "Shut up," she whispered.
But the voice only laughed.
Elsewhere – In the Infirmary
Niki stirred.
The machines beeped faster. His eyes opened slowly, groggy and bloodshot.
"Where's… Mona?" he rasped.
Jake, who had been sitting beside him the entire time, flinched.
"She's okay," Jake said quickly. "You're okay."
Niki looked down. His chest was bandaged. His veins were faintly glowing red.
"I don't feel okay," he said darkly.
"You were hit by a Lightborn blast," Jake explained. "It messed with your energy. But you're alive. That's all that matters."
Niki turned his head. "Is it?"
Jake's face crumbled. "I'm sorry. It was my fault. They were coming for me, and I didn't say anything. I just… I didn't know how."
Niki didn't answer.
Just stared at the ceiling. Silent.
Back in Mona's Room
Sunghoon knocked once. She didn't answer. He came in anyway.
"You're locking yourself away," he said. "That's not going to help."
"I hurt him," she whispered, voice hoarse. "I almost killed him."
"But you didn't."
"I wanted to."
That made him stop.
She looked up, eyes rimmed in red.
"I felt it. When the power took over. I wanted to lash out. To burn something. To break someone."
Sunghoon knelt in front of her, voice calm but low. "It wasn't you."
"Yes, it was. It's in me. This… thing. This voice."
"He fears you now," it whispered again in her mind.
"But I don't. I am you."
"Then let me help," Sunghoon said, reaching for her hand.
She pulled away. "No. I might hurt you too."
He stood, his face unreadable. But his voice shook.
"You already are."
Later That Night
Niki was standing outside in the garden when Mona finally came down.
She didn't expect him to be awake. Let alone upright.
His eyes looked duller. Or maybe… darker.
"You came," he said, voice softer than she remembered.
She approached slowly. "Niki… I'm sorry."
He turned toward her. "It's okay."
"No, it's not. I blasted you. You weren't moving. I thought—"
He stepped closer. "You thought you killed me."
She nodded, tears rising.
"I'm still here," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "But so are you. And the girl who kissed me… she's still in there."
"I don't know who I am anymore," Mona whispered. "There's something inside me. It wants control."
Niki leaned closer, their foreheads almost touching.
"Then let me fight it with you."
A tear slid down her cheek.
But as she blinked—
—for a second, Niki's reflection in her eyes shimmered.
No shadow.
Again.
And this time… his irises flickered red and gold.
"He's not the same," the voice in her head purred.
"He's mine now."
Mona stumbled back, heart hammering.
"What's wrong?" Niki asked, brows furrowed.
But she didn't answer.
Because deep in her soul…
She felt it.
She hadn't just lost control that night.
She had awakened something inside him too.