As they walked along the beach in silence, Mason kept trying—over and over—to strike up a conversation with Samael.
There was absolutely nothing in that place that could pass for entertainment. Just sand, the gray sea, and an oppressive sky that seemed to crush the horizon. For someone like Mason, it was torture.
That was when he discovered something very interesting.
Provoking Samael with conversation.
Who would've thought that the person with the worst infamy in the academy would be so… easy to tease?Shy. Awkward. Socially inept to a level that was almost painful to watch.
Mason could already imagine the suffering Samael would go through once he and Summer decided to gang up on him.
The thought amused him far more than it should have.
"Hey, Samael…" Mason said, wearing a grin that didn't bother hiding its malice. "How many girlfriends have you had?"
Samael flinched.
"N-none…" he answered in a low voice, keeping his head down, as if staring at the sand was safer than looking at Mason.
Mason raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
"Seriously? But you're good-looking," he said, now with a hint of real curiosity. "Why?"
Samael hesitated.
"It's… complicated," he murmured.
He took a deep breath, as if forcing himself to continue.
"I had a lot of problems because of that… so I've never been in a relationship."
Before Mason could say anything else, Samael took a few quick steps forward and moved closer to Elizabeth, shooting her a silent, desperate look.
Save me.
Elizabeth noticed immediately.
She looked away, pretending not to see.
Deal with it, she thought, with a coldness that surprised even herself.
Mason and Summer were clearly pent-up. Bored. And that could turn into a problem sooner or later.
Fortunately, she already had the solution.
Samael.
She just had to… let him loose on them.
Elizabeth had to admit it: watching Samael get teased was, in a way, entertaining.
Very entertaining.
Of course, she would never do it openly.A leader had to preserve her image.
But internally, a small smile threatened to form.
After several hours of what Samael could only describe as severe psychological torture, something unexpected happened.
He felt… lighter.
Despite everything, the group made him feel less isolated.
But there was no time to reflect on that.
They failed to reach the temporary base before the limit.
The transition began.
Elizabeth and Mason stepped back a few paces, watching in silence.
Samael felt his bones dissolve from the inside, turning into something like liquid metal, fluid as mercury. His shadow twisted unnaturally, writhing as if it had a will of its own. When he tried to focus on his reflection on the damp surface of the sand, everything looked blurred, unstable.
It felt as if his body was being stripped of any remaining shred of dignity.
Seconds later, something changed.
His perspective felt… lower.
Had Mason and Elizabeth grown taller?
No.
Mason, who had previously been a little shorter than him, was now looking down at him.Elizabeth, who had been clearly smaller, was now almost the same height.
"Wow…" Mason commented, breaking into an unrestrained grin. "Samael, you're beautiful."
Samael looked away, his face burning.
"U-um… could you use masculine pronouns when referring to me, please…?" he replied in his usual low, restrained tone.
"Sure," Mason said, chuckling softly. "So, Samael… does it feel very different?"
"Yes," Samael answered after a moment. "Very different from usual. And… quite uncomfortable."
Mason observed him with even greater interest.
"Wow… now that you've turned into a woman, combined with that antisocial attitude of yours… I might actually fall for you."
"P-please don't," Samael blurted out far too quickly, his words tripping over one another in panic.
His face was completely red.
I want to disappear.Someone, please… just kill me.
The embarrassment was almost physical.
A few minutes later—
"Have Elizabeth and Mason arrived yet?" Henry asked, looking around with concern.
"No…" Summer replied. "Do you think something happened?"
"I don't know," Henry said, keeping his voice steady. "But something could have."
He crossed his arms.
"Or they might've found something. Elizabeth is strong… let's wait a little longer."
Henry had been trained to maintain calm and composure, regardless of the situation.
Not long after—
"They're here, Henry," Summer said.
As the two approached, there was an unfamiliar girl walking with them.
She had hair streaked with gold and white, golden eyes, and a face far too symmetrical to go unnoticed. In terms of appearance, she didn't lose out to Elizabeth at all.
Still, something about her caused an unsettling sense of discomfort.
And besides that…
She was covered in injuries.
Henry turned to Elizabeth.
"Who is she?"
"Samael Necroline," Elizabeth replied.
Summer's and Henry's minds went blank.
Especially Henry's—he knew Samael.
And then he understood.
That wrong feeling he had sensed… wasn't new.
"How…?" he asked cautiously.
"That's his Flaw," Elizabeth answered.
It was the first time Samael's Flaw had been revealed to the entire group.Even when traveling together, people rarely shared that kind of information.
"I see," Henry said, falling silent.
Summer watched Samael with suspicion.
She had heard the rumors.
And they made her deeply uneasy.
"Hey, Summer, come here," Mason called.
"What?" she replied, walking over.
"I found something fun to do in this end-of-the-world," Mason said with a conspiratorial grin.
He knew she was just as bored.
"What is it? Spit it out," Summer asked eagerly. The boredom of the past few days had been eating away at her. After all, they were still young… and young people got bored easily.
"Teasing Samael is the most fun thing imaginable," Mason said.
Summer's eyes widened.
"Tease that maniac?" she asked, as if Mason had lost his mind. "Isn't he the one who attacked Leon like a lunatic, for no reason?"
"He's shy and has serious social issues," Mason corrected. "I can't imagine him doing that without a reason. You know how rumors are."
Summer hesitated.
"True… but are you sure it's safe?"
Mason smiled confidently.
"I am. I did it the whole way here."
"And as you can see…" he added. "I'm still in one piece."