Episode 5: The Silence That Loved Him First

Nick had learned long ago how to be quiet.

Not the absence of sound—but the presence of restraint. The kind that watched, understood, and never reached out even when the ache became unbearable.

The underground archive breathed softly around him, shelves rearranging themselves as he passed. Ancient books whispered in languages no one spoke anymore.

Nick didn’t listen.

He was thinking about Joy.

The way Joy’s magic felt—warm, chaotic, alive. The way it pulled at the world like it wanted to belong somewhere.

Like it wanted to belong to someone.

Nick stopped before a sealed door, runes etched deep into black stone.

RESTRICTED: SOUL-BOUND RECORDS

He placed his palm against it.

The runes dimmed.

They recognized him.

Inside, a single crystal hovered in the air, fractured but glowing. Within it—memories.

Nick’s.

A younger boy.

Chains of light.

A ritual circle soaked in blood—not his own.

“They said you were special,” a voice echoed from the past.

“Born to be a key.”Nick clenched his fist.

He remembered the pain. The way magic had been forced into his veins until it rewrote him from the inside out. How emotions became… dangerous.

How attachment became lethal.

That was when Jack had found him.

Not as a savior.

As a shield.

Present — Training Hall

Nick stood silently at the edge as students practiced spell control. He wasn’t assigned today.

He was observing.

Joy laughed suddenly when Mork misfired a spell and turned his own boots purple. The sound was unguarded. Bright.

Nick’s chest tightened.

He doesn’t know yet, Nick thought. How much he changes the air just by existing.

Jack stood beside Joy, arms crossed, expression neutral—but his magic told the truth. It bent toward Joy unconsciously, shadows leaning closer to light.

Emma noticed.

She always did.

“You care,” she said to Nick without looking at him.

Nick didn’t respond.

“That’s dangerous for you,” Emma continued. “And for him.”

Nick finally spoke. “I know.”

Emma’s lips curved. “Then why stay?”Nick’s eyes followed Joy as he nearly stumbled during a spell—only to be steadied instantly by Jack’s hand.

“Because,” Nick said softly, “some disasters are worth witnessing.”

That Evening — Rain Corridor

Joy was alone, hurrying through a glass corridor as rain slid upward against the ceiling.

“Joy.”

He turned.

Nick stood there, soaked not by rain but by shadow.

“Are you avoiding Jack?” Nick asked.

Joy hesitated. “I don’t know where I stand with him.”

Nick nodded. “That’s fair.”

Joy frowned. “Why are you helping me?”

Nick’s gaze softened. “Because if you don’t understand him soon… you’ll lose him.”

Joy swallowed. “And you?”

Nick smiled faintly. “I already lost.”

Silence stretched.

Then Joy asked the question Nick had feared.

“Do you love him?”

Nick closed his eyes.

When he opened them, there was no lie left.

“Yes.”Joy’s heart cracked—not with jealousy.

With understanding.

“And yet,” Joy said quietly, “you’re pushing him toward me.”

Nick stepped closer, voice low. “Because your magic answers his. And mine… destroys what it holds too tightly.”

Joy shook his head. “That’s not love.”

Nick’s smile was sad. “It’s the only kind I’m allowed.”

Above them, the rain froze midair.

Magic trembled.

Far away, in the sealed tower, William’s voice echoed through stone.

“Ah… the sacrificial lover.”

He laughed.

“Always my favorite.”

Nick felt it then—the seal tightening around his heart.

Time was running out.

And love, once again, was choosing someone else.Jack hated memories.

They arrived without permission—sharp, precise, merciless.

The dream came again.

Fire-lit halls.

A circle carved into marble.

Screams that echoed long after mouths were sealed.

Jack woke with a gasp.

Darkness pressed close, the dorm lamps dimmed low. His chest burned, magic thrashing beneath his skin like it wanted out.

Control it.

He sat up slowly, fingers digging into the sheets.

Across the room, Joy slept.

Peacefully.

Too peacefully for someone who carried chaos in his veins.

Jack watched him longer than he meant to. Moonlight brushed Joy’s face, softening everything—his lashes, his lips, the faint crease between his brows like he was always thinking even in sleep.

Danger, Jack reminded himself.

That was what attachment became.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***