The academy felt different the next day. Where once Damian had been greeted with smiles and admiration, now people avoided his eyes, their voices dropping when he passed. The golden boy was no longer untouchable; the shine had dulled, and the whispers grew louder.
Elena heard them all.
"Did you see him in class? He looked furious."
"He slammed the door on Professor Han."
"I don't recognize him anymore."
Each word sank into Elena's chest like stones. She wished she could shut them out, but they echoed the same truth she'd begun to see herself: Damian was unraveling.
And somehow, she was the thread pulling him apart.
---
After class, Elena walked quickly toward the courtyard, hoping to avoid another confrontation. But Damian was waiting.
"Elena," he called, his voice strained.
She froze, then forced herself to turn. He looked exhausted—dark circles beneath his eyes, his usually neat uniform disheveled.
"Can we talk?" he asked. "Just us."
She wanted to say no, but his brokenness tugged at her heart. She nodded slowly.
They slipped into an empty practice room. The silence there was suffocating.
"Elena," he began, his voice low, almost trembling, "I need you to understand. I love you. I've always loved you. He—Adrian—he's poison. He'll ruin you."
Her chest tightened. "Damian, you're not the same anymore. You're scaring people. You're scaring me."
His face crumpled. "No, no, please don't say that. I'm still me. I'm just… I can't lose you. If I lose you, I lose everything."
He reached for her hand, but she pulled back. The rejection cut across his face like a blade. For a moment, his eyes darkened, his jaw clenched—but then he forced a smile, too quick, too desperate.
"I'll prove it to you," he whispered. "I'll make you see he's the monster, not me."
---
That night, Adrian appeared at her window like a shadow summoned by her thoughts. He leaned against the frame, his smirk softening when he saw her weary eyes.
"He cornered you again," Adrian said. Not a question.
Elena nodded faintly. "He's falling apart. And I don't know how to help him."
"You can't," Adrian said flatly. "Damian was never the light you thought he was. He only shone because no one looked too closely. Now the mask is cracking, and you're finally seeing what's underneath."
She bit her lip. "But I cared for him once."
Adrian stepped closer, his fingers brushing her chin, tilting her face toward his. "And now you care for me."
Her heart stuttered. "Adrian…"
He leaned down, his lips grazing hers with deliberate slowness, reigniting the fire he had sparked the night before. This time, Elena didn't resist. She kissed him back, her hands clutching his shirt, her body surrendering to the dark safety he offered.
When they finally parted, her breath was shaky.
"You're dangerous," she whispered.
His smile was sinful. "Good. Because danger is the only thing that keeps you alive in this world."
---
Meanwhile, Damian sat alone in the music hall again, his hands hovering over the piano keys but unable to play. His reflection stared back at him, hollow and furious.
He thought of Adrian's smirk, of Elena's silence, of the way her eyes no longer looked at him the way they used to.
"I won't let him take you," he muttered to himself. His fists slammed the keys, a discordant note filling the empty room.
For the first time, Damian realized he didn't care if the world saw him break.
He would burn himself to ash if it meant dragging Adrian down with him.
And if Elena had to be caught in the flames… so be it.
---
The storm was only just beginning.