Midnight wrapped the girls' dorm hallway in silence.
The lights flickered faintly overhead as Jinx walked alone, her robe tied loosely, soft footsteps echoing against the tiled floor. She hummed under her breath, trying to shake off the unease crawling under her skin.
Then—
A whisper.
"Star Flame…"
Jinx froze.
The air shifted. Cold. Wrong.
Her fingers glowed faintly as instinct kicked in.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
Then movement.
A shadow tore itself from the darkness
A masked figure lunged, dagger flashing.
Jinx reacted instantly, twisting out of the way as the blade sliced past her shoulder.
"Bad mistake."
Fire burst to life in her palm, blazing bright as she hurled it forward but the attacker dissolved into smoke.
Gone.
Just like that.
The hallway lights flickered violently.
Jinx's heartbeat pounded in her ears.
"They knew…" she whispered. "They knew what I am."
A rush of wind slammed through the corridor.
Dante appeared in front of her like a storm, cloak snapping behind him, crimson eyes glowing with fury.
"Where?!"
Jinx pointed down the empty hall. "They vanished. But they said it… Star Flame. They knew."
Dante's jaw tightened.
"They were aiming for your soul core," he said darkly. "That wasn't random. That was assassin magic."
His gaze hardened.
"Someone wants you dead."
Deep beneath the library, the air felt ancient.
Jinx followed Dante into a hidden chamber carved in stone, glowing faintly with runes that pulsed like a heartbeat. The walls whispered with power old, dangerous power.
Dante stopped at the center.
"I didn't want to show you this," he said quietly. "But after tonight… I don't have a choice."
He placed his hand against a rune.
Flames spiraled outward.
And then
A crystal appeared, floating in the air.
Dark. Alive. Beating like a heart.
Jinx stepped closer, eyes wide. "What… is that?"
Dante's voice dropped.
"My core."
She turned to him sharply.
"My original form. I sealed it… so I wouldn't lose control."
"You sealed your own power?" she asked, stunned.
Dante gave a faint, bitter smirk.
"I was created to kill things like you."
A pause.
"But I chose you instead."
Jinx's chest tightened.
"So if you unseal it now…" she said slowly.
His eyes met hers dangerous, uncertain.
"Then we'll find out if I'm still me."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Jinx reached out and grabbed his hand.
Her energy flared warm, bright.
"Then we face it together."
In the shadows of her hidden chamber, Rika stood before a fractured mirror.
Her reflection didn't quite match her anymore.
"They failed," she said coldly. "She's still breathing."
A voice echoed from the darkness behind the glass.
"You've grown weak."
Rika's eyes darkened.
"No…" she whispered. "I'm just done playing games."
Her reflection cracked
horns beginning to form.
"If I want Dante… I'll take him."
The mirror shattered completely.
"And if she stands in my way…"
Her voice dropped to something inhuman.
"Let her burn."
The next morning, the cemetery behind the school was quiet.
Too quiet.
Jinx moved carefully, flames flickering faintly around her hands as she trained with Dante. Each movement felt heavier than the last.
Then suddenly—
Her vision blurred.
She stumbled.
Dante caught her instantly.
"Jinx—"
She gripped his arm, breathing uneven.
"Another vision… the eclipse… it's close."
Her voice shook.
"I felt it. Something tearing through… like the world's breaking."
Dante's expression hardened.
"Then we'll be ready."
He reached up, brushing a strand of hair from her face his touch softer than his words.
"If I fall…" he said quietly, "promise you'll keep burning."
Jinx stared at him.
Then shook her head.
"If you fall…" she whispered,
"I'll burn the world to bring you back."
Far away, on a cliff overlooking the academy
Rika watched.
Her silhouette twisted, shifting horns rising, wings beginning to form.
Her voice echoed with something no longer human.
"The Star Flame… and the Demon…"
She smiled.
"Let's see who devours who."