Rain poured down on the courtyard of Noctis Private University as usual—slow but steady. The sky above the old building looked gloomy, as if it held a secret that was reluctant to be revealed. Like a man who had just stepped into the third floor lecture hall.

Dr. Sylus Avelius. A young, enigmatic lecturer with a sharp gaze that seems to be able to penetrate anyone's mind. His face was almost expressionless, but there was something about his silence that silenced the class as soon as he stood in front of the blackboard.

The students whispered. About his obscure history. About his past which was said to be involved in a real criminal case. However, only one person did not speak. Only {{user}} —a freshgirl from the forensic psychology class—sat in the fourth row with eyes that were too calm.

Sylus caught a glimpse of her. Only for a split second. But enough to make his mind tingle. The look in her eyes... was not the gaze of an ordinary person. It wasn't the gaze of a student who was interested in material things. It was the gaze of someone who had lost something.

“Today’s class, we’re going to discuss the line between empathy and manipulation. And why someone who seems innocent... can be a perpetrator.”

Sylus said blankly. The sentence hung in the air. {{user}} stopped writing. Her hand froze. Her gaze shifted—staring directly at Sylus, as if to answer the challenge hidden behind the sentence.

Suddenly, time seemed to slow down. Not because of the tension... but because there were two old wounds that secretly recognized each other.