[Celestial Academy — Administrative Wing Corridor — 11:52 AM]
Alex's hair changed first.
In seconds — the black giving way from the roots to the tips, the color draining like ink dissolved in water, until what remained was completely white.
His eyes completely crimson, with no visible iris.
His posture different — not Alex's combat posture, not the specific tension of someone who had been fighting for twenty‑two minutes against something he couldn't kill.
Father Matthias had produced a seriousness in Alex that the team remembered.
This was something else.
Matthias had been the moment where Alex understood he could die.
This was the moment where whatever was using Alex's body did not process death as a relevant variable.
Not a single word came from his mouth.
But everyone heard it.
---
The voice arrived without a source.
