The room was suffocating.

Nyx sat up abruptly, her breath shallow, her body cold with the remnants of nightmares she couldn’t remember. The silence in the apartment was unnatural—almost like the walls themselves were waiting, holding their breath.

Her arms reached out instinctively, searching the bed.

Empty.

Her heart clenched.

Seia?

She quickly scanned the room, her pulse picking up when she noticed something was… different. The disorder of her space—the ripped photos, the shattered glass—had been cleaned. The remnants of her breakdown had been erased.

Nyx swallowed hard, her throat dry.

She didn’t deserve this kindness.

Forcing herself up, she trudged toward the stairs, each step feeling heavier than the last. When she reached the bottom, her eyes landed on Seia, standing in the dim light of the kitchen. Relief flickered through her for a fleeting moment.

Then she saw her.

Mika.

A venomous heat coiled in Nyx’s chest.

Why was she here?

Mika leaned lazily against the counter, arms crossed, watching Nyx descend like a predator toying with its prey.

"You’re awake," Mika said casually, but there was an edge to her tone, a razor beneath the silk. Her sharp gaze flicked to Seia. “Now tell me—why is she here?”

Nyx stiffened, her grip tightening on the railing.

"What’s the purpose?” Mika continued, voice dripping with disdain. “Did you think bringing Seia here would change anything? That it would fix what you did?”

Nyx exhaled slowly, forcing control over the anger bubbling beneath the surface.

"You don’t have the authority to ask questions," she said coldly. "Not when you’ve already been thrown out of the Tea Party."

Mika chuckled, tilting her head slightly. "Oh, that's fine." She took a step forward, the amusement in her eyes darkening. "But let’s be real, I’m still stronger than you. Always have been. And ever since we saw you lose your mind…"

Her smirk widened.

"You seem even worse than before."

A muscle in Nyx’s jaw twitched. The room felt colder, the air pressing down on her like the weight of the past week had physically manifested.

“Stop,” Seia interrupted, stepping between them. "There’s no point in arguing. Mika, you know I can still find ways to see Nyx."

Mika's eyes snapped to Seia, and for the first time, there was something other than amusement in them. Something unreadable.

Then, without warning, Seia let out a weak cough.

She barely had time to react before her legs gave out beneath her.

"Seia!"

Mika caught her before she hit the ground. The moment stretched, Nyx’s mind struggling to process what she was seeing.

Mika’s grip was firm but gentle as she steadied Seia, guiding her to sit on the couch. Nyx could only stare, her breath hitching at the sight of Seia’s pale face.

Mika turned her head slightly, eyes locked onto Nyx with something cruel and knowing.

“She’s sick,” Mika said, voice quieter now. “And there’s no cure.”

Nyx felt her stomach drop.

Seia’s breaths were shallow, her body trembling ever so slightly.

“She put herself in harm’s way because of you,” Mika continued, her tone colder than before. “Because she didn’t want you to be alone. And do you know what that means?”

She didn’t wait for an answer.

“It means you put her in danger.”

A deep, gnawing dread slithered through Nyx’s veins.

"This is already enough for me to hate you," Mika said flatly.

Nyx’s lips parted, a million words fighting to come out—excuses, explanations, apologies.

But Mika didn’t give her the chance.

"You’re going to say you weren’t in the right mind," Mika interrupted, stepping closer. “That you didn’t mean it. That you regret it.”

Nyx flinched.

Mika’s voice was sharp, like a blade pressing against an open wound.

"But tell me, Nyx… Wasn’t this all because you weren’t getting what you wanted?"

Nyx froze.

The silence stretched between them, suffocating, unbearable.

Mika tilted her head, a slow, knowing smile creeping onto her lips.

"So it is true."

The words landed like a gunshot.

Seia weakly shifted on the couch, her golden eyes flickering between them, but she didn’t speak.

Mika’s gaze burned into Nyx, her voice almost gentle now.

"Sometimes, it's the little things that reveal the bigger truths we try to ignore."

Nyx’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, her nails biting into her skin.

Mika leaned in slightly, her voice dropping into a whisper.

“The truth that weighs down on all of us.”

Nyx wanted to look away. She wanted to deny everything Mika was saying.

But she couldn’t.

Because deep down, she knew.

Mika stepped back, exhaling softly. "Some of us are evil."

Her next words came with the quiet finality of a death sentence.

"Right, Nyx?"

The world tilted.

Nyx couldn’t breathe.

She thought about Seia’s pain, her suffering. She thought about the blood on her own hands, the chaos she had unleashed, the selfishness that had driven her to that breaking point.

She thought about the monster she had become.

The monster Mika saw.

The monster she saw.

Nyx opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

There were no words that could save her.

Mika already knew the answer.

Mika let out a quiet chuckle, shaking her head as she leaned back against the counter.

“You know, Nyx… I always thought I was crazy.”

Her voice was oddly light, almost amused. But the edge of something darker, something raw, lurked beneath her words.

“But after watching you fall apart?” She tilted her head, her grin widening. “I’ve never felt more normal in my entire life.”

Nyx didn’t respond.

Her body was still, her expression unreadable, but her hands were clenched at her sides.

Mika exhaled, her gaze drifting toward Seia.

“And the worst part?” she continued. “You weren’t even in control. Something else took over. And we have no idea what the hell that was.”

Silence hung heavy in the air.

Nyx’s stomach twisted.

She didn’t want to talk about that.

She didn’t want to remember.

But Mika wasn’t done.

“Let’s not forget,” Mika added, eyes narrowing, “Seia stopped you. With just her hand.”

Nyx’s breath hitched.

She hadn’t forgotten.

That moment—Seia’s trembling fingers against her arm, the sudden halt of everything—it had seared itself into her mind like a scar.

A power.

Something completely unknown.

Something that made Nyx feel—

Weak.

Mika pushed off the counter, stepping forward slowly, like she was approaching a wounded animal.

“That wasn’t just luck,” she murmured. “You didn’t stop because you wanted to. You didn’t stop because of guilt, or regret.”

Nyx swallowed hard.

Mika’s gaze sharpened.

“You didn’t even hear her pleading, did you?”

Nyx opened her mouth to protest—

But she froze.

Mika was right.

She had seen Seia’s tears.

But she hadn’t heard her voice.

The screaming, the begging—none of it had reached her through the haze of madness.

It had only stopped when Seia touched her.

“…You did something,” Mika said, her voice quieter now, her eyes flicking toward Seia.

Seia was silent, her golden eyes troubled.

“So,” Mika continued, taking a step back. “Let’s test it.”

Nyx tensed. “What?”

Mika crossed her arms. “Summon that scythe.”

Nyx’s heart dropped.

“I… I don’t know how,” she admitted. Her voice felt hollow in her own ears. “It only happened when I—”

She stopped herself.

When she lost her mind.

Mika’s smirk returned, full of mockery. “Exactly. Which means it’s still inside you. You’re just too much of a mess to reach it.”

Nyx lowered her gaze.

Seia coughed weakly from the couch. “It… could be possible,” she murmured. “With enough willpower.”

Nyx let out a bitter laugh.

“Willpower?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her eyes darkened, her expression unreadable.

“There’s nothing left.”

Mika raised an eyebrow, watching as Nyx turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen.

Her footsteps were slow. Heavy.

Empty.

Mika exhaled sharply.

“Of course she acts like this,” she muttered. “She’s no different from the others. Just another weak, broken—”

“You’re no different from her.”

Mika flinched.

Seia’s voice had been soft. Quiet. But it cut through Mika like a blade.

Mika turned, her smirk faltering. “What?”

Seia met her gaze.

Her golden eyes, though tired, burned with something Mika couldn’t quite place.

“You and Nyx,” Seia continued weakly, “you act nearly the same.”

Mika’s breath caught.

She wanted to deny it.

She wanted to laugh.

But she couldn’t.

Because for the first time, Mika was left with nothing to say.