Chapter 16: Cracks, Confessions & Chaotic Hearts
{Still in Aether High}.
The air in Aether High felt heavier that morning.
Kaito trudged through the hallways, each footstep echoing louder than usual. He swiped at his uniform—trying to remove phantom stains from the previous night's madness—but nothing would disappear. Tainted or not, he looked like he'd survived a haunted blender.
He nearly bumped into Jin, who was hovering by a locker with wide eyes. Books spilled to the floor.
"Whoa—" Kaito flailed, catching them. "Sorry, my fault."
Jin's face flushed. "No, no, I—just… got startled."
They awkwardly knelt together to pick up papers. Kaito's heart went *thump* when Jin's wrist bumped his. Their eyes locked. He swallowed hard.
From behind, David's voice echoed loud enough for half the hallway to hear:
"Rom-com energy right here, folks!"
Kaito and Jin froze. Students in the corridor snickered. He felt like he was glowing neon.
Kaito muttered, "Why does this always happen near lockers?"
Jin coughed. "They build spirits out of lockers these days, I guess."
Alexander appeared at the end of the hall, expression unreadable. He watched, then turned and walked away. That sent a flicker of pride through Kaito's embarrassment.
As class began, the screens flickered with the cursed symbol, more intense than ever. Students gasped. The symbol burned into every translucent wall—ominous and impossible to ignore.
Professor Wraithwing entered, her banshee voice cold. "Today's lesson: *Veil Breach Control*. Successful casters will gain temporary control over unleashed sigils. Fail, and... chaos follows."
Kaito bit his lip, glancing sideways at Jin. Jin nodded, lips trembling. He looked more determined than Kaito had ever seen him.
At the mid-point of the lesson, Kaito's turn came. He stood before the glowing sigil floating midair. He raised his hands... and the sigil exploded outward in black shards.
One shard flew and gouged a hole through the ceiling. A geyser of spirit wind rushed in. A student's hair exploded upward. Spirit papers whirled.
Kaito stumbled backward, arms flailing. He tripped over his own feet and fell into Jin, sending them both crashing into a nearby table. Their faces collided. Mouth to mouth.
The world froze.
He heard a single gasp from somewhere.
Jin's lips parted. Kaito's lungs screamed. His heart might've skipped two beats.
The shard of sigil flickered above them—and then dissolved.
Professor Wraithwing cleared her throat. "Interesting method. You two will remain after class for extra training."
Kaito wanted to vanish. He wanted to die. He wanted the earth—or spectral flooring—to swallow him whole.
Jin bolted upright. "I—the sigil—sorry!"
Students near them whispered. David turned around, jaw snapping open, then shut again. White Louise shot daggers from her eyes.
Kaito whispered, "You okay?"
Jin blinked, voice soft, "Yes… though maybe I'm not."
The rest of class dragged on. Kaito sat stiff as a board, cheeks burning. Every pair of eyes felt like spotlights.
[ Just when kaito thinks he has seen it all it gets more dramatic].
{Night in kaito dorm}
That night, Kaito paced in the dorm lounge, unable to sleep. His hands shook from overthinking and residual embarrassment.
Jin appeared quietly beside him, holding two cups of holographic tea—one glowing pale blue, the other pink.
"I made us a tea for feelings," Jin said softly.
Kaito accepted the cup with trembling fingers. "Thanks."
They sat side by side, silence stretching. The moonlight through the window made their shadows dance.
Finally, Kaito asked, voice low, "Why did you stay close during class, instead of running away from me like everyone else?"
Jin looked away, fidgeting. "Because… I trust you. And because when you fell into me... even that accident felt like it was supposed to happen."
Kaito's throat tightened. He nearly burned.
Jin continued, quiet but fierce: "I don't know what the past means yet, but in this life—I want to fight beside you. Not behind you."
Kaito's chest twisted. He leaned his head on Jin's shoulder. "I've never been so scared and so hopeful at the same time."
Jin dropped the pink tea into Kaito's palms. "Maybe hope is stronger than fear."
They stayed like that—teacups cooling, hearts pounding.
But the night wasn't done.
A crack echoed in the mirror behind them. The glass spider-webbed. A dark silhouette flickered.
Kaito and Jin jumped. Alexander stood framed in the doorway, arms folded.
White Louise slipped in behind him, Clare and Mara at her sides.
The mirror cracked further, shimmering with that broken-eye sigil.
White's voice was cold: "I hope you two enjoy the moment. Because soon, you won't be able to hide from what lies underneath."
Alexander stepped to White. "Stay out of this."
She smirked. "Or what? You'll push me away next? After how close you got with him?"
Kaito glared at her, though his legs felt weak.
Jin stood, quietly placing a hand on Kaito's shoulder. "Don't worry… we're in this together."
Alexander's eyes flickered—something soft, protective. Then he turned to the mirror.
In the crack, an image formed: Kaito and Alexander's past selves, shadows twisting, lost promises echoing.
The air vibrated.
Kaito gripped Jin's hand tighter. Jin squeezed back.
And as moonlight, whispers, and sigils swirled, a truth crystallized:
Their greatest battle wasn't outside. It was inside them.