When the black veil covered the sky above Nurmengard, Kai Adler, who had already returned to his room, suddenly clutched his head.
A familiar, needle-like pain struck. Kai blinked his left eye hard, feeling a surge of Black Magic residing deep within it, resonating with a distant, unknown place.
Damn, what is the Old Man doing now?
There had always been a current of Black Magic buried in his left eye that he hadn't yet assimilated — the Prophecy Seed Grindelwald had implanted in him.
It was the Old Man forcibly peeling away a fragment of his potential, wrapping it in Black Magic, and sealing it into his eye. Before he could truly master the Prophecy Power, he first had to strip away the Black Magic residue left by the Old Man.
In truth, this was the Old Man's way of protecting him; without that layer of Black Magic shielding it, the moment the Prophecy Seed had been embedded, Kai's head would've exploded under the sheer force of its power.
Obviously, this was an immense, delicate process. He had been away from Nurmengard for a year, and the Seed had only reacted twice.
The first time, it led him straight to Lockhart — the fraud responsible for opening the Chamber of Secrets.
The second time… it dragged him headfirst into Berlin's chaos. His parents with their hidden identities, Werewolves, Vampires, Magicians, Stand Users, pure-blood families with assassination plots…
Kai endured the excruciating pain, waiting to see what the Prophecy Seed would reveal this time.
But no matter how hard he focused, all that filled his vision were golden stars flashing from the sheer agony.
Only when the "needle" in his head finally withdrew did he collapse onto the bed, gasping for breath, clutching his left eye with a bitter smile.
So, just because the Old Man's stirring up trouble somewhere far away, I have to suffer the consequences?
I thought it was going to show its power.
Kai massaged his temples, thinking of going next door to check on Hermione before turning in for the night.
But the moment he took a step, he froze in place.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion burst inside his skull, like someone had detonated high-yield C4 in his head.
A blinding white flash filled his vision, fragmented images streaked past, and then — nothing.
He didn't know how long he was out. But when his senses returned, a dull dizziness clouded his mind.
Covering his eye with one hand, he slowly sat up from the floor, staring blankly at the morning sunlight filtering through the window.
It's morning?!
Blinking rapidly, fragments of memory flooded back like a tidal wave.
Right… my head exploded.
Touching his skull — still intact, to his relief — Kai could feel the overflowing Black Magic simmering beneath his skin, barely restrained.
He sighed, dragging himself to the bathroom.
He already understood what that explosion was.
The Old Man had remotely undone the seal on the Prophecy Seed last night.
Is he seriously not worried my head might blow apart like a watermelon?
Reckless bastard…
Kai jammed the toothbrush into his mouth, recalling life back at Nurmengard. You couldn't expect much from an Old Man whose preferred disciplinary method involved the Cruciatus Curse.
He pressed his aching temples.
The good news: his head didn't explode like a watermelon.
The bad news: his mind was now an uncontrollable warzone.
The Prophecy Power from the Seed, the Old Man's forcibly sealed Black Magic, and his own volatile Obscurus were clashing inside his skull.
The sealed Black Magic, once kept stable by the Old Man, now rampaged like a wild animal set loose. The Prophecy Power, stripped of any of the Old Man's lingering imprint, no longer recognized its origin and was ready to fight back.
Trailing behind the two was his own Black Magic, struggling to mediate.
It's my body, for god's sake… If Kai's Black Magic had consciousness, it would probably be crying right now.
Whatever the Old Man's intentions, Kai understood one thing — his situation had become far more dangerous.
He was already a walking time bomb; his Obscurus could erupt at any moment. Now, with the Old Man's meddling, it was like strapping a second, unstable explosive to his chest.
Kai exhaled slowly, staring into the bathroom mirror.
The young face staring back was sharp and handsome, pale as porcelain, the kind of delicate features that would make old ladies swoon in the streets.
But today, those eyes looked monstrous.
His irises were black as ink, swallowing the whites of his eyes, while the left pupil glowed a disturbing milky white — like something from a horror film.
Suddenly, a vision flickered across his mind. Kai spun toward the door.
A second later, his breath caught in his throat. His fists clenched, body trembling, and black mist bled from his pores, unstable and wild. His clothes disintegrated to ash under its corrosive touch.
Bang, bang, bang!
Soft knocking came from the door.
Hermione stood outside, lips pressed tight with worry. When there was no response, she knocked again, more firmly this time.
"Kai? Are you in there?"
His strange reaction last night hadn't escaped her notice. She'd tried not to pry, respecting his space, but today…
She couldn't sit still.
Since moving into the castle with her family, it had become routine for Kai to prepare breakfast before she even woke. At first, she'd protested, but after countless failed attempts to stop him, she had reluctantly accepted it.
But today, he hadn't shown up.
Fear twisting in her chest, Hermione had dressed hurriedly and rushed next door.
Still no sound. Frowning, she drew her wand.
Creak—
The door opened suddenly. Hermione froze, then yelped, throwing a hand over her flushed face.
"Why aren't you wearing clothes?!"
Kai, his hair still dripping, glanced down at his towel-clad waist, an amused smile tugging at his lips.
"I am wearing something."
"Wearing what? You pervert!" Hermione scolded, fingers slightly parted as she peeked between them.
Kai leaned lazily against the doorframe, unbothered.
"I overslept. Woke up late. Was taking a shower."
Hermione's gaze trailed over him — damp hair clinging to flushed skin, water droplets tracing sharp collarbones — and she quickly shook her head.
Focus!
"What, haven't seen enough? Want to come in?"
Her eyes widened like a startled deer.
Bang!
The door slammed in his face, narrowly missing his nose. Kai chuckled softly, turning back into the bathroom.
In the mirror, his eyes had returned to normal.
He smiled, wide, unsettling — all teeth, no sound — the black mist leaking out of him like pressure from an uncapped soda bottle.
Moments ago, the chaotic clash of foreign and native forces within him had nearly transformed him into a monster. The unleashed Prophecy Power had granted a brief glimpse of the future — Hermione, knocking.
To avoid scaring her, he had forcibly vented the Obscurus, uncorking the pressure inside. But now, the cap couldn't be closed again.
Breathing heavily, he dressed quickly, the silver hem of his robe catching the light.
His gaze landed beneath the bed, where Ciel's limp body lay partially hidden.
"Oh, almost forgot about you."
With a flick of his hand, black mist devoured the corpse, erasing every trace.
It hardly mattered now — his Obscurus was in a semi-berserk state, and it had been nearly two weeks since his last outbreak.
Meaning he had half a month left to fix his condition.
Otherwise, once the Obscurus erupted completely, there wouldn't even be a corpse left behind — perhaps the best-case scenario.
The worst?
The Obscurus overwhelming his sanity, seizing control of his body.
An Obscurus capable of independent thought… infused with his Black Magic, a fragment of Grindelwald's Black Magic, and all the Prophecy Power.
That would be a nightmare.
Old Man… you really trust me that much, huh?
He lowered his head, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes, and smiled — cold, dangerous, silent.