The office was silent, the weight of Shiroko's words pressing down like an anvil. Sensei sat behind his desk, his fingers intertwined as his expression darkened.

"Say that again," he said, his voice unnervingly calm.

Shiroko took a deep breath, her own voice barely above a whisper. "Seia... She's dead."

Sensei’s gaze flickered up, disbelief flashing across his face.

"How?"

Shiroko hesitated before answering, "Yume snapped her neck."

The moment those words left her lips, the atmosphere shifted. The calm, unreadable expression on Sensei's face wavered, revealing something raw—disappointment, anger, grief. His hands tightened into fists on his desk.

"I explicitly told Nyx to rest. I told her to keep Seia out of battle." His voice grew sharper. "She knew how frail Seia was..."

Shiroko looked down. "She wasn't alone in that choice. I told Nyx to bring Seia."

Sensei’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. "Why? Why didn’t you say no? Why didn’t Nyx stop her?"

Shiroko’s shoulders stiffened. "...Because she agreed with it."

Silence.

A sharp exhale left Sensei's lips as he pushed himself up from his chair. He didn’t say another word—he didn’t have to. His disappointment was palpable. He walked past Shiroko without looking at her.

"Where is she?"

Shiroko hesitated. "Sensei... Nyx isn’t in a state to talk. She looks like she needs to be institutionalized."

"I don’t care."

Sensei stormed into the room. Nyx was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall. The room was dim, curtains drawn, and the air felt suffocating. She didn’t even flinch when he entered.

Her once vibrant presence was now... hollow.

Sensei clenched his jaw before speaking, his voice ice-cold.

"You got Seia killed."

No response.

"You disobeyed me. You didn’t rest, you didn’t keep Seia out of battle, and now she’s dead."

Nyx’s eyes finally moved, slowly shifting toward him. When she spoke, her voice was void of emotion.

"If I didn’t fight... Seia would’ve died anyway." Her fingers dug into the bedsheets. "So would everyone else."

Sensei's eyes narrowed. "We could've stopped Yume together—"

Nyx let out a bitter laugh. "We?" She looked up at him, expression unreadable. "We couldn’t stop Yume. I had to stop her. Alone." She leaned forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "You waited. You would’ve just given orders from a safe distance." Her voice turned sharp, venomous. "Because you're human. You can die so easily. You’re—"

SLAP

The sound echoed through the room. Nyx’s head snapped to the side, a red mark forming on her cheek. She didn’t move, didn’t react.

From the doorway, Mika stood in shock, eyes wide, tears forming as she clutched her arms.

Sensei’s voice was eerily calm. "I may be weak. But at least I’m not a disappointment."

He turned and walked away.

Mika stepped into the room, her usual mischievous glint gone. She didn’t even look angry. Just... hollow.

"Get out," she said.

Nyx blinked slowly, her voice detached. "What?"

Mika’s hands trembled. "You're banished from Trinity. Don’t ever step foot here again."

Nyx stared at her, but Mika wasn’t done.

"I trusted you. We trusted you. And now..." Her voice cracked. "Now Seia’s dead. You were supposed to be all-powerful, right? You were supposed to protect her. But you couldn't even do that."

Nyx flinched. Those words hit deeper than any wound.

The last part echoed in her mind.

"You couldn’t even save her."

Something inside Nyx snapped.

In a blink, she had Mika pinned against the wall, her hands gripping her collar.

"I tried!" Nyx’s voice was raw, filled with something that bordered on hysteria. "I TRIED EVERYTHING! I PROTECTED YOUR SCHOOL, YOUR CITY! I HELD THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT YOU COULDN’T! THAT SENSEI COULDN’T!"

Mika’s expression twisted, and before Nyx could react, Mika punched her in the stomach.

Nyx staggered back, breath caught in her throat.

Mika didn’t stop. Her voice trembled with rage, with grief. "You think I was lucky?" Her voice cracked as she took a step forward. "I was never lucky."

Tears slipped down Mika's cheeks as she glared at Nyx.

"I lost both my best friends. Now I’m alone. I don't have Nagi-chan to play with. I don't have Seia to tease. I might lose my position in the Tea Party again. And if Trinity falls... it’ll be because of you."

Nyx opened her mouth, but Mika cut her off.

"This isn’t about you playing the victim." Mika’s voice turned into a growl. "Because in the end, it’s your fault."

Nyx’s breath hitched.

Mika took a step forward, glaring up at her with bloodshot eyes.

"You made the choice to fight me—which got Nagisa killed. You made the choice to stop Yume—which got Seia killed."

Her hands clenched into fists.

"You are a disappointment, Nyx."

Nyx’s breath shuddered, her whole body trembling.

She tried to say something—anything—but the words wouldn’t come.

Her vision blurred. The weight of everything crushed her.

Mika took a deep breath, her voice breaking.

"Get out."

Nyx didn’t move.

"GET OUT!"

In a swirl of energy, Nyx teleported away—disappearing into the abyss.

Mika stood there, her whole body shaking.

She sank to the floor, gripping her arms, and let out a quiet, broken sob.