A Shymphony of Destiny

The scenery shifted. Lumino blinked.

The woman was now sitting in front of a grand piano, her crimson dress flowing like blood over ivory keys.

"Sit beside me," she said with a soft smile.

Lumino didn't move. His voice, quiet but firm, broke the moment.

"You haven't answered my question."

Without a word, she began to play. The music was lively, rising with elegance and passion—a melody that refused to be ignored.

"Umm… my name is Seraphine," she finally said.

Seraphine, Lumino echoed in his mind.

"Come now. Sit." Her voice turned velvet and commanding. "Shall I make you?"

And before he could resist, his body moved on its own—guided by some unseen force—and he found himself seated beside her.

"Place your hands here," she whispered. "Let us play together."

He hesitated. "I can't play this instrument. I wasn't raised among nobles. I grew up in a small village… The only thing I've ever played is a flute."

"If I say you can, then you can," she said with a knowing smile.

She took both his hands, her fingers cold and delicate. Gently, she guided them to press the keys, one by one. Then, slowly, she let go.

And to his shock, his hands continued to move—on their own—creating a melody so hauntingly beautiful, it pulled at something deep inside him. Seraphine joined him, their duet flawless, as if their souls had once played this same song a hundred lifetimes ago.

When the final note faded, Lumino gasped. His chest rose and fell with exhilaration.

He had enjoyed it.

But then the realization hit him—and he stood abruptly, shaking his head.

No. Something was wrong.

"Don't come any closer!" Lumino shouted, stepping back.

Seraphine rose to her feet, smiling. "Dance with me."

She snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, music bloomed around them—violins and pianos intertwining in a rich, otherworldly waltz. Lumino's clothes shimmered and changed. He looked down—a tuxedo?—but there was no time to react.

She took his hand.

And they danced.

Each step perfect, each motion in harmony. He wasn't leading. She was. And he couldn't stop. He was pulled into her rhythm, her world.

"You're magnificent," she whispered.

As their lips drew closer, the melody reached its peak. Something in him wavered, surrendering—

But a piercing, shrieking sound rang in his ears.

Stop.

His eyes widened.

What am I doing?

He yanked himself free, breath ragged. "Enough…"

"Oh?" Seraphine tilted her head. "Was it conviction? Ambition? Love? What made you resist?"

Her voice was gentle. Too gentle.

"You are beautiful," Lumino said quietly, staring into those glowing red eyes. "More beautiful than anyone I've ever met. But I am not a puppet that moves at your will. Let me go. Send me back."

"You are destined to be with me," she said, stepping forward. "Together we will birth destruction. Open the gate to the Depths. We'll stand at the center of the Void Nexus."

"Take my hand, Lumino. Become the strongest entity across dimensions."

But Lumino smiled. "I'm not interested."

His body shone—golden and radiant. The sapphire in his eyes flared into gold. Seraphine gasped, her expression shifting—not to anger, but awe. Like she was looking at a masterpiece.

"Perfect," she whispered. "You truly are the one I've been waiting for… Come with me!"

Lumino closed his eyes, tightened his fists.

"WAKE UP!"

Lumino jolted awake.

He was lying on the cold floor. His hand clutched a half-burned book, smoke still curling from its edges. He sat up, confused, pressing his palm against his head.

"What… happened?"

He stomped out the flames, panic flashing across his face.

He didn't remember falling asleep. He didn't remember the book catching fire.

Then it hit him.

"Ah—Kael! I was looking for Kael!"

He jumped to his feet, shouting Kael's name as he ran toward the shelves.

Suddenly, a wall creaked open beside him. A hidden passage. From it, Kael and Alira emerged, walking side by side.

"Kael! And—wait, Lady Alira?! You two were together?" Lumino cried out, eyes wide with surprise.

Kael and Alira froze.

Then they both stared at him with stunned expressions.

"…Lumino," Kael said slowly, "why are you wearing a tuxedo?"

"Eh?" Lumino looked down at himself.

His eyes widened in horror.

"EEEHHHH?!"

************************************************************

Kael listened carefully as Alira spoke, her voice soft but clear.

"I came here with my fellow coven witches," she said. "The green witch, the purple one, the cyan, the pink, the blue, and the yellow… This library took them all. The coffins you saw—those were theirs."

Kael nodded slowly, understanding the implication.

So the empty coffin… that one's meant for her.

"I see," he replied, choosing not to ask further. There was a weight in her tone that he didn't want to press.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud chime and the flicker of a yellow hologram appearing before them.

"Warning: Fire detected on Floor 2, Shelf G-6. Do you wish to initiate extinguishing protocol?"

Kael blinked at the alert. "Fire? Don't tell me that's Lumino's doing."

Alira turned to him with a sharp look. "Wait—why aren't you with your friend in the first place?"

Kael scowled. "Wasn't it your fault he got mad at me?"

She rolled her eyes with dramatic disdain. "My fault? Watch that mouth of yours, mister attitude. He's mad because you couldn't keep your temper in check. Heh. So he's sulking, huh?"

She grinned.

"Stop smiling, you smug little witch," Kael grumbled and reached out to pinch her cheek.

"Ow—! Rude!"

"C'mon, let's go see what chaos he's caused now."

They began walking toward the source of the fire, Alira mumbling to herself as she moved her hand across a carved symbol near Shelf G-12. A stone panel slid open.

"So that's how you got through," she muttered. "A secret passage behind G-12…"

As the door opened fully, they were greeted by a strange, almost surreal sight.

Standing in the middle of the room was Lumino—expression vacant, eyes still dazed, dressed in a full tuxedo, his hair neatly slicked back with his bangs parted to reveal his forehead. He blinked at them, confused.

"Kael! And—wait, Lady Alira?! You two were together?"

Kael's jaw dropped. He pointed accusingly.

"Lumino! Why are you wearing a tuxedo?!"

"Huh?!" Lumino looked down and gasped. "Wh-What is this?!"

"I must say…" Alira chimed in with a wink, "It suits you, Lumino."

"I-I don't… remember changing…"

"We got an alert about a fire," Kael said, arms crossed. "You wanna explain what happened?"

Lumino paled.

Alira's eyes narrowed as she noticed something on the floor behind him.

Her face froze.

"…Wait a second. Is that…?"

She rushed forward, pushing past Lumino and falling to her knees. Her trembling hands scooped up the smoldering remains of a book. Her voice broke.

"No—NO! My precious book! That was a work by Lady Seraphine!! Why did you burn it!?"

Lumino backed away, guilt clear on his face. "I-I'm sorry… Lady Alira, I didn't mean to. I didn't even realize…"

Seraphine.

That name stirred something deep within him… but the memory wouldn't surface.

Kael couldn't help but laugh. He clapped Lumino hard on the back. "You burned her favorite book?! What a legend!"

"Stop laughing, Kael!!" Alira snapped, cradling the scorched remnants like a wounded animal.

Kael shrugged, grinning, then tugged at Alira's sleeve. "Who cares? This whole library's going down soon anyway. We're letting that scary creature out, remember? You are coming with us this time, right?"

Lumino tensed. He expected her to lash out again. But instead…She take a deep breath and—

Alira smiled. That same mischievous, dangerous smile.

"Of course. Who's afraid?" she said. "Let's burn it all down."

Lumino stared at the two of them.

Wait, since when they match each other energy?

He took a step back, looking between them—Kael with that smug grin, Alira with that chaotic twinkle in her eyes—and felt a strange, unshakable sensation.

Like somehow… he'd just felt like he's left behind.