The next morning, soft golden sunlight slipped through the curtains, gently illuminating the quiet hallway.
Ken stood in front of Lucy's door and knocked lightly.
"Lucy… Lucy!" he called.
A faint rustling came from inside before the door slowly opened. Lucy appeared, rubbing her eyes, her movements sluggish and unfocused from sleep. Strands of her crimson hair fell across her face, glowing faintly under the morning light.
"Come on, breakfast is ready," Ken said softly.
"Okay…" Lucy replied, her voice soft, still heavy with drowsiness.
As Lucy stepped into the kitchen, the warm aroma of food wrapped around her. The gentle clinking of utensils and soft chatter filled the space. Then suddenly—it hit her. She was in Ken's house.
Her eyes widened slightly, and a blush quickly spread across her cheeks.
"Come here, Lucy. Eat your breakfast," Ken's grandmother said warmly.
"Yes, ma'am," Lucy replied, sitting down carefully, trying to hide her embarrassment.
As they ate, Ken's family began asking questions, their curiosity gentle but noticeable.
"Is that really your natural hair color?" Ken's mother asked.
"Uhm… yes," Lucy responded.
Ken's father leaned back, observing the two with interest. "Hmm… it feels like fate brought the two of you together."
Lucy smiled shyly, her grip tightening slightly on her spoon.
"You know, it's extremely rare for people to have natural red hair… maybe the two of you are the only ones who have it," Ken's father continued.
Luna's gaze sharpened slightly as she observed them. "And if you look closely, your hair is really identical—the texture and even the brightness of the color."
Ken's mother smiled warmly. "We're happy because this is the first time our son has introduced a friend."
Ken scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"You know, you two look good together," Ken's grandmother said, smiling.
"Grandma…" Ken muttered shyly.
Lucy's face turned even redder as she lowered her gaze.
Then Luna spoke again, her tone calm but probing. "By the way, Lucy, where are your parents?"
The atmosphere shifted. Lucy froze. The warmth in her expression faded, replaced by something distant—something guarded. A quiet sadness filled her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can't answer that. I don't want to talk about them," she whispered.
A brief silence followed.
"I'm sorry for asking," Luna said softly.
"It's okay," Lucy replied.
A few minutes later, Lucy and Ken stood by the door, now fully dressed.
"We're heading out now," Ken said.
"Take care," his mother called.
"Goodbye," Lucy replied with a smile.
As they walked toward the bus stop, the morning air brushed lightly against them.
After a moment of silence, Lucy spoke, her voice carrying regret.
"Ken, I'm sorry for how I treated you before. I've been dealing with a lot of problems… I'm sorry you got dragged into them too."
She avoided his gaze.
Ken smiled gently. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing to me. You don't have to think about it anymore."
Lucy looked at him, then smiled softly. "Thank you very much."
The bus ride was quiet. Ken leaned back slightly, exhaling as thoughts filled his mind.
I'll help Lucy as much as I can, he thought, glancing at her.
Lucy stared out the window, her reflection faint against the moving scenery.
Soon, they arrived on campus. Immediately, they felt it. Eyes. Whispers. Students turned to look at them.
Lucy—admired by many boys. Ken—argued over by many girls. Now walking side by side.
Whispers spread quickly, some filled with envy, others with admiration. Many thought the same thing—they looked like the perfect couple.
Lucy's cheeks flushed pink again.
Then—
"Lucy!! Ken!" Hiley called.
"Good morning to both of you," Mira said.
"Good morning, Mira, Hiley," Lucy replied.
"Good morning as well," Ken added.
Mira crossed her arms slightly, a teasing smile forming. "You two have been spending a lot of time together lately."
"Uhm… well…" Lucy hesitated.
"We live close to each other, so I walk with her," Ken explained.
"Yes, that's right," Lucy added.
Mira tilted her head, her eyes narrowing playfully. "Ahh…"
Then suddenly—a scream.
A male student collapsed, clutching his head.
His body trembled violently.
Students froze. Teachers rushed in. Ken, Lucy, Mira, and Hiley stepped closer instinctively.
But then—
Another scream. Louder. Sharper. Filled with pain.
They stopped. Something felt terribly wrong.
The student's body twisted unnaturally—then—he exploded.
A horrifying burst of blood and force.
For a moment—silence.
Then chaos erupted. Classes were immediately canceled. Police sirens echoed across the campus. Detectives arrived.
Media followed. Students cried, some shaking in fear.
Lucy stood frozen, unable to process what she had just seen.
Ken clenched his fists, his heart pounding violently.
The news spread rapidly. Mysterious explosions. Unexplainable deaths. Panic gripped the public.
Some students became too afraid to leave their homes.
Experts couldn't explain it. Science had no answers. Schools were closed for two weeks.
Two days later, Lucy still couldn't believe what she had witnessed.
Ken was no different—he could barely eat whenever he remembered it.
Ken's parents worried deeply about both of them.
Four days after the incident, Ken and Lucy finally gathered the courage to go outside again.
"How are you, Lucy?" Ken asked.
"For now… I'm okay," she replied.
"What happened was really terrifying… I never thought I'd witness something like that," Ken said.
"Sigh… let's not talk about it. I don't want to think about it anymore," Lucy said.
As they walked, a voice called out—
"Lucy! Ken!"
"Aunt Luna!" Ken responded.
"Hello, Aunt Luna," Lucy greeted.
"Hello, Lucy. By the way, I'm going to buy some things for the upcoming winter. Do you want to come with me?" Luna asked.
They both agreed.
"How have you two been?" Luna asked, concerned.
"We're doing fine, Aunt," they replied in unison.
"That's good. You know, we've been worried about you," Luna added.
Lucy smiled and blushed slightly, warmth filling her chest.
As they approached the mall, a sudden scream cut through the air.
A woman stood in the distance, clutching her head, her body trembling uncontrollably.
People backed away in fear.
Lucy's eyes widened. It was just like before.
Everyone's attention was locked onto the woman.
Lucy felt frozen in place.
Then—the woman screamed again, just like the student. She was about to explode.
But—
Luna stepped forward calmly and raised her hand toward the woman. Her voice rang out clearly:
"Lumen Exsolvere!"
The air shifted. The wind twisted unnaturally around them.
Luna's eyes glowed.
A radiant light burst from the woman's body—then slowly faded away into nothingness.
The woman collapsed unconscious.
No explosion.
The crowd was left confused.
No one understood what had just happened.
From where Ken and Lucy stood, the spell remained unseen by others. But they saw everything.
"A-Aunt Luna… what was that?" Ken stammered.
They were both in shock. It was as if Luna had stopped the explosion itself.
"I'll explain everything to you two later. For now, let's continue buying what we need," Luna said.
Time passed as they continued shopping.
But Ken's mind was elsewhere. Everything started connecting.
The men who blocked their path before.
The moment Luna was about to say something—
but didn't, because Ken punched the man who tried to touch her.
Then—the one that erased all CCTV footage that day.
Minutes later, they were on their way home. The sky had already begun to dim.
"Tomorrow, at 2AM, go outside your house. I'll be waiting for you in the garden. I have something to tell both of you," Luna said suddenly.
Ken and Lucy exchanged glances. Curiosity filled their eyes. They both agreed.
But for Ken—it meant something more.
He wanted answers. About Luna.
About himself. Because once… he had already awakened a power that should not exist.