The hallway was quiet when Arthur returned, the usual hum of chatter among the other teams or the sight of someone lingering outside was gone.
He'd just turned the corner when Jackie stepped out of his dorm room. Their eyes met for a brief second.
Without any hesitation, Jackie's body transformed into a crackling bolt of lightning, and he teleported away in a flash.
Arthur's stomach dropped, "You better not." He shoved the door open with a forceful push.
Miles sat curled on his bed, knees pulled to his chest, his face buried in his arms.
His Wyrm coiled around him, its shadowy form gently caressing his head with a tender, "It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's not your fault." The quiet whispers slithered from the Wyrm's mouth.
"Miles?" Arthur called, his voice cutting through the silence.
No answer. The Wyrm's grip tightened, its tendrils coiling protectively.
Arthur stepped closer, "What happened?" he asked, his tone gentle but insistent.
Miles was silent for a moment, before he finally spoke, his voice raw and trembling, "I thought he was lying when he said he had the video. But it turns out he has it on his phone."
Arthur sat on the edge of the bed, waiting. The Wyrm's tail twitched but didn't stop him.
Miles' voice cracked as he continued, "I was twelve. My mom wasn't a good mother growing up. She was a prime example of why you shouldn't marry an irresponsible person, but for some reason, my dad loved her. One day, she was yelling at me again, believing I was turning Dad against her. How I didn't have friends. How I was constantly getting beaten up at school. No matter the reason, she just decided to bring it all up on that day." His fingers dug into his arms, leaving red marks, "On that day, my Trigger awakened. When I snapped, my shadow hand strangled her to death."
A pause hung in the air. The Wyrm let out a sound like a whimper.
"I felt relief about it until I realized what I had done," Miles finally looked up, his eyes red-rimmed and glistening with tears, "I panicked, and I didn't know what they would do to me. So I stuffed her body in her car. Immediately, I drove off to Coastal Forest and hanged her body on a tree to make it look like a suicide. Seconds later, my Wyrm appeared, coiled around my body."
Arthur didn't flinch, "And how is Jackie involved?"
"He was my neighbor. It was known between us that his dad and my mom were having an affair. He wanted his mom out of the way of his dad's company, and he didn't like my family at all. From what he said, he's been secretly recording my mom and his dad meeting for blackmail material. But when he heard that argument between us, he recorded it all and even followed me to Coastal Forest."
The Wyrm nuzzled against Miles' shoulder.
Arthur stood abruptly, "I'll kill him."
"No." Miles grabbed his wrist, his grip firm and desperate, "That's what he wants. To break me before the finals." His hold tightened, his voice hardening with resolve, "I won't let him. I will show him that I can become a hero, regardless of my past actions."