Henry didn't stop walking until the cafeteria buzz was just a distant hum. He blitzed through the academy's spotless halls, ignoring the curious stares. Every step was a desperate attempt to outrun the feeling of being pinned down, of being watched. And he wasn't just being watched; he was being dissected, his every emotion logged like data by his divine warden. Helia's warm presence right behind him was a constant, suffocating reminder of his cage.
He ended up in one of the many training courtyards, a circle of perfectly trimmed grass surrounded by statues of forgotten heroes. It was empty. The perfect spot for a moment of peace. But peace wasn't on the menu for him.
"Running away, 'Just-Henry'?"
Lyra's sharp voice sliced through the quiet. She was standing at the entrance, arms crossed, a smirk plastered on her face. Her two goons flanked her, looking like they were ready for a show. "Saw you bolt from the cafeteria like a spooked dog. First sign of normal human interaction and you just… fall apart? Pathetic."
"I'm not in the mood for this, Lyra," Henry said, turning to face her. His hand instinctively found the cool hilt of his katana.
"Oh, but I am," she shot back, stepping onto the grass. Tiny arcs of electricity danced across her fingertips. "I told you, I'm your rival. And a rivalry needs competition. You might have the teachers' attention because you're some charity case, but out here? This is where real skill gets proven."
*Let me out*, the voice of his other half hissed in the back of his mind, a predator catching the scent of blood. *I'll wipe that arrogant smirk right off her face.*
"No," Henry whispered to himself, then louder to Lyra, "I'm not going to fight you."
"You don't have a choice," Lyra said. She snapped her fingers, and a crackling bolt of lightning slammed into the ground at Henry's feet, kicking up grass and dirt. "I challenge you. Right now. Or are you as much of a coward as you look?"
The humiliation in the lunchroom, the pressure of Helia's constant watch, the boiling rage from his dark self—it all just exploded. Raw determination hardened his face. He wouldn't be her monster. But he sure as hell wouldn't be her punching bag, either.
"Fine," Henry said, his katana sliding from its sheath with a soft *shing*. "You want a fight? You've got one."
Lyra smiled, a genuine, cruel smile. "Excellent."
Helia, who had arrived without a sound, stood at the edge of the courtyard. Her gold eyes watched, emotionless. She didn't step in. This, too, was part of her analysis.
The fight was on before Henry was even ready. Lyra was all speed and surgical precision. She wasn't conjuring big, flashy thunderstorms; she was weaving lightning whips and firing off bolts of electricity that moved at blinding speed. Henry fell back on Joseph's training, his movements fluid and defensive. He dodged and parried, his katana a silver blur as he deflected the electric strikes.
For a second, it looked like he could actually hang. But Lyra was playing a different game. She wasn't just attacking; she was controlling the whole field, forcing him back, predicting his every move.
"Is that all you've got?" she taunted, zipping behind him in a flash to land a kick to his back that sent him to his knees. "All this fuss over a glorified swordsman? What a letdown."
An electric whip coiled around his ankle, sending white-hot pain shooting up his leg. He cried out.
*You're weak! She's toying with you!* the voice screamed in his head, absolutely furious. *Let go of the reins! I'll end this!*
"I can… do this… myself!" Henry gasped, struggling back to his feet.
Across the courtyard, Kaelen came sprinting in, a look of panic on his face. "Stop! It's not a fair fight!" he yelled, trying to rush in, but Lyra's goons blocked him, laughing. "Stay out of it, silver-polisher," one of them sneered.
Lyra just laughed. "It's over." She raised her hand, energy crackling around it for the final blow.
Cornered, humiliated, and in agony, something inside Henry finally snapped. But it wasn't the gate to darkness that burst open. It was something else. His Solari heritage, that unstable, reactive light, flared in response to his desperation.
It wasn't a conscious act. A wave of raw, white light erupted from his body. It wasn't warm like Helia's sun, or cold like Tsukuyomi's moon. It was just… chaotic. The blast had no force, but it was so blindingly bright it overloaded everything. Lyra screamed, her concentration shattered, her own attack fizzling out as she shielded her eyes. The chaotic light washed over her, not like a punch, but like a wave of pure static, knocking her backward. Henry was thrown back by the recoil of his own power, hitting the ground with a hard thud.
When the light faded, the courtyard was dead silent. Lyra was on her feet, shaking, not from pain, but from pure rage. "What… was that?" she hissed. "That wasn't skill! That was a twitch! You're an uncontrollable animal!"
She was right. And that hurt more than any of her lightning.
Helia walked calmly into the center of the courtyard. She glanced at Lyra, then her golden gaze landed on Henry—bruised, exhausted, and utterly defeated on the ground.
"That's enough for today," Helia said, her voice shutting down the whole confrontation. Lyra just snorted, shot Henry one last look of contempt, and stormed off, her followers trailing behind her. Kaelen rushed to Henry's side. "Are you okay?"
Henry didn't answer. He was staring at Helia.
"You see now?" Helia asked, her voice totally void of sympathy. "You can't beat her like this."
"I know," Henry whispered, shame burning in his throat.
"No, you don't," she corrected. "You tried to fight like a trained warrior. That's not your nature. Joseph's training is valuable, but it's not the path to your real strength. And your power," she gestured to where the light had exploded, "it's not a tool for you to command. It's a reaction. You can't master the darkness by fighting with a light you can't even control."
She knelt, her golden eyes drilling into his. "Your battle isn't out here against her. It's in here," she said, tapping his forehead lightly. "As long as you fight as two halves of a broken whole, you will always lose."
Helia stood, leaving him on the grass with Kaelen trying to help him up. Her words echoed in his head. He couldn't win as the Henry of the day. He didn't dare win as the Henry of the night.
For the first time, he really got it. The true nature of his curse. It wasn't the darkness inside him. It was the endless war. And he was losing.