(Opening Scene: Headmaster Theron is attempting to heal Xander's hand, the infirmary filled with a tense atmosphere following Xander's agonizing encounter with the Null Blade.)
Just as Headmaster Theron's healing magic began to soothe some of the frostbite on Xander's hand, Zane did something utterly unexpected. With a focused will, he materialized the Black Crown once more. The matte black artifact shimmered into existence above his head, casting a subtle pall over his features.
Then, to the astonishment of everyone in the room, Zane carefully lifted the Black Crown from his own head and, moving with a deliberate purpose, placed it gently onto Astrid's head.
A collective gasp filled the infirmary. Lady Elara cried out, her hand flying to her mouth in horror. Xander, still pale and trembling, stared in disbelief. Headmaster Theron paused in his healing, his golden light flickering erratically as he looked at Astrid, the Black Crown now resting on her brow.
Astrid herself looked up, her eyes wide with surprise and a flicker of apprehension as the cool, smooth weight settled on her head. She could feel a strange resonance, a subtle hum emanating from the crown, but it wasn't the terrifying void-like emptiness Xander had described. Instead, there was a sense of… connection, a faint whisper in the back of her mind.
As the Black Crown rested on Astrid's dark hair, an immediate and dramatic change occurred outside the infirmary window. The clear, early morning sky abruptly darkened. Clouds, heavy and black as ink, swirled into existence with unnatural speed, blotting out the nascent sunlight. A low, ominous rumble echoed in the distance, growing louder with each passing second.
Then, a single, terrifying bolt of lightning ripped through the darkened sky. But this was no ordinary lightning. It was a jagged spear of pure shadow, crackling with a malevolent energy, illuminating the swirling clouds with an eerie, negative light before striking the ground somewhere outside the academy walls with a deafening crack.
The sudden darkness and the appearance of the dark lightning sent a wave of fear through the infirmary. The air crackled with an unseen energy, and the implications of Zane's action hung heavy in the stunned silence.