She first saw him from the rooftop.
Wind tangled her jet-black hair as she stared down at the school courtyard. Her eyes were pale — not white, not grey — but the color of a moon cracked in half. Calm. Distant. Watching.
"So… he's the one."
Her name was Aira Nocté, and inside her lived something ancient.
Not as old as his, but old enough to remember what the world forgot.
Down below, Rei felt it again — the itch. The pressure. That cold sensation at the back of his neck like he was being watched.
He turned quickly. Nothing.
But when he looked up…
There she was.
They didn't speak that day.
Not until the incident in the art room.
Rei had stayed back after class to help clean up. No one else around. Quiet. Still.
Until he noticed the shadows moving across the canvas behind him.
Not his.Not anyone's.
And then — a voice. Soft. Sharp. Right behind him.
"It's growing, isn't it?"
He spun around, startled.
There she stood. Pale skin, dark uniform, a red ribbon tied carelessly to her collar. Her eyes… stared through him.
"Who are you?" Rei asked.
"Nocté. Aira Nocté." She stepped forward slowly. "And you… are being claimed."
"What?"
"I can smell it," she said. "The grinning one. It touched you."
Rei backed away, heart pounding. "You're insane."
"No," she said. "I'm familiar."
She raised her hand. Her shadow bent unnaturally, coiling like smoke. From within it, something blinked — a third eye, burning faint violet.
"You've seen yours," she whispered. "Now you've seen mine."
"What are you?" he asked.
"A vessel. Like you. But mine is… lesser. A servant.""Yours is the Smiling Shadow."
Rei froze. "You know what it is?"
"No one knows it. Not truly. But it's one of the Seven. And if it's chosen you…"
She took a step closer. Her voice turned colder.
"…then you're either going to die…"
Another step.
"…or you're going to become something very, very dangerous."