Rain beat against the windows in a hypnotic rhythm. The wind slipped through cracks, making the shutters creak.
In his room, Asher tossed and turned in bed, trapped in a nightmare. His hands clutched the sheets, his body tensed and relaxed like an overstretched cord.
Suddenly, his black eyes glowed a deep, fiery red. Possession. Magic. Something he couldn't control.
> "M… Miria…" he murmured.
A cruel, unsettling smile spread across his lips. His body stiffened, then relaxed, and he slowly sat up—awake, but changed.
The storm seemed to mirror his transformation, thrashing the room with distant thunder and pounding rain.
The next morning, at Gale's, soft sunlight filtered through the curtains.
Gale stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. As he dried off, a knock came at the door.
> "Who could that be so early…"
He opened it to find Isabella, eyes red and cast downward.
"Hi… I… I'm sorry to bother you."
"Don't worry, come in," Gale said gently.
"Thank you…"
She stepped inside, the room heavy with silence.
"What brings you here so early?" he asked.
Isabella broke into sobs.
"I… I'm just an idiot…"
"Why do you say that?"
She sat on the couch and, trembling, told him everything: the kiss with Ray, her hopes, and the brutal rejection. Tears streamed endlessly, and Gale listened, heart aching.
"I… I don't know… he finally said, sorry. I don't know what to say… I… I… I don't understand Ray."
"But… you knew… how?" Isabella whispered, surprised.
"I was there, after finishing my tasks… I came to check on you… and I saw you… kissing. I… I don't know what he wants."
Isabella cried harder.
"Me neither… I thought he loved me… but then… he rejected me…"
Gale approached and hugged her gently. She calmed slightly, leaning back, their faces close. A tender silence settled.
"Gale… can you… help me?" she finally asked.
He hesitated.
"How?"
She took a deep breath, summoned her courage, and kissed him.
"Isabella… what are you doing?" he murmured, gently pulling away.
"I just want to forget…" she whispered, slowly undressing, leaving herself bare before him.
Gale's heart raced, torn between shame and temptation.
"Isabella… you…"
She pressed closer, hands brushing his neck.
"Please… make me forget…" she murmured, pressing against him.
He tried to resist, to reason, but she kissed him again. His body responded despite himself, hands resting gently on her hips.
They slowly sank onto the couch, kisses growing more intimate. Gale's desire surged, yet he knew he couldn't fully give in.
"Isabella… this isn't right," he murmured. "You shouldn't take revenge on me… I don't love you, and you could regret this."
Isabella smiled sadly.
"You're a good person… I wish I could love you…"
Suddenly, someone entered. Both turned.
It was Ray. Without a word, he turned and left.
Gale quickly moved back.
"Damn…"
"Serves him right!" Isabella said, dressing, a mix of anger and amusement.
Gale sighed.
"How can you say that? He thinks we did something!"
"I don't care… why should it bother him? The one who said the kiss was an accident… why is he upset if I'm with someone else?"
In his car, Ray gripped the wheel. The image of Isabella against Gale haunted him.
He stopped at a house and knocked.
"Diana? It's me… Can we talk?"
Diana opened, surprised. She let him in.
"I… I don't know who to talk to," he confessed.
He told her everything. Diana shook her head.
"That doesn't sound like Gale…"
"You think I'm lying?" he asked, anxious.
She stayed silent.
"I shouldn't have come…" he muttered, and left.
Meanwhile, Miria and Asher trained in the practice room.
The spell from the night before—Veneficium Desiderii—was starting to take effect.
Asher, focused on his exercises, occasionally seemed distracted… instinctively brushing Miria, sometimes using his powers to make her stumble slightly or alter the object of her spell.
"Hey… Asher! But… is it just me…?" she murmured, confused.
Each time she looked up to catch him, he corrected himself immediately, as if nothing had happened. Miria told herself: No… it's impossible… just my imagination…
But the strange tension lingered, mixed with nervous amusement and a flutter of something she couldn't name.