I Became the Academy's Disabled Student-Chapter 258: Obsession (1)

The fire is dangerous.

It’s common sense, something that doesn’t require specific teaching or touching the flames to learn.

Even a flame that dances beautifully, it’s impossible not to instinctively sense the threat when feeling its intense heat on your skin.

One instinctively recoils from fire. Everyone knows that fire causes pain when it burns.

"Qu, quhh...!"

After experiencing it firsthand, I had no choice but to revise my previous thoughts.

It’s not just moderately painful; it’s truly excruciatingly painful.

The fire that clung to my arm. The outer skin was instantly blackened and charred. Between the cracked skin, blood bubbled up like molten lava, spilling down.

Cruelly, that scene was reflected in my retina. My arm, engulfed in flames, burned before my eyes in real-time.

Thoughts flickered in and out. My consciousness fluctuated, but survival instincts surged rapidly.

I squirmed on the ground like a bug that had burst open.

"Ah, shit."

The thoughts that had been disconnected resumed. The flash of clarity that followed contorted my face.

"I, I was... adjusting my magic power, taking the elixir, but..."

Before I could resist, a sudden wave of intense pain crashed over me, and I lost consciousness.

And then I woke up, trapped in a nightmare.

It was a familiar nightmare.

A house engulfed in flames, myself writhing in pain in a nearby alley, the horrible burning sensation searing through my brain...

It was the day my house burned down.

"Ugh..."

Of course, fire causes pain. I knew that even back then, but now, with a full understanding of the situation, I recognize the true nature of this burning sensation.

Fear fire.

A violent, overwhelming fire that leads the world in its brutality, one I cannot deny after experiencing it firsthand.

"It's, it's okay..."

Fire is terrifying. After that day, just seeing fire sent me into a panic.

It took a lot of courage to even get used to using the gas stove later.

But now, it's okay.

To be exact, after receiving affection from Hong Yeonhwa, I became okay with it.

Before that, I had no good memories with fire, but after Hong Yeonhwa's affection, I began to form positive associations with it.

It's not scary. Hong Yeonhwa’s fire is warm and comforting. It doesn’t pose any threat to me, only offering kind warmth.

So it’s okay, it’s not scary. I can endure the pain...

Repeating this in my mind, I curled up. The flames did not spread from my right arm.

I don’t know how to end this nightmare quickly.

I just have to endure the pain, let time pass naturally until it ends.

"Ugh..."

Even so, my body in the nightmare crawled on the ground. It dragged over the rough ground, tearing my clothes and skin.

With my arm burning in the flames, I reached toward the house that was burning down.

Why? I can’t say for certain. Even now, I can’t be sure. I was a confused, complicated mess back then, unable to make any definite statements.

A place that only offered misery, a place that provided nothing but nightmares.

But with all the confusion, I wanted to confirm something as I crawled on the floor.

The place where something should be, the only remaining blood relative, the only existing relationship, the one I hoped might give me affection.

Crawling like that, I confirmed the place that had nothing left, staring blankly at the ruins of the house, waiting for the fire to burn out on my arm, rationalizing that it was satisfying, and the nightmare ended like that.

This nightmare always ended like that.

"Ah, shit...! A civilian...!"

"...?"

I had never heard another voice before.

I suddenly lifted my head from the ground.

Through my blurry vision, I saw a man stumbling.

His red eyes were fixed on me. A familiar shade of red. His eyes, tangled with guilt and confusion, squeezed shut.

"Shit, ahhh...!"

At a glance, he didn’t look okay. The man, with his head bowed, grabbed his hair.

His body swayed as if it were about to collapse, his head being pulled by one hand. The man slammed his head into the wall.

Bang! With a loud noise, the wall crumbled. Rubble fell, and a cloud of dust arose. I opened my eyes wide.

The moment the man’s body was engulfed by the dust cloud, flames erupted from his body and devoured the dust cloud.

It was the fear fire—the one that burned the house, killed my parents, and turned my arm into a useless mess, a vivid memory.

"Ahhh, ughhh...!"

The man who caused the fear fire groaned in pain. He grabbed his hair and face, stumbling in place. Drool hung from the corner of his mouth.

‘What’s going on?’

I didn’t understand. This had never happened in my nightmares.

No, had this ever happened in the past...?

‘...Had it?’

My thoughts abruptly stopped. In fact, the memory of that day isn’t clear. It’s fragmented, an imperfectly tangled, unstable memory.

One day, a fire broke out in my house. With a loud explosion, my body was hurled through the air, and I crashed into a nearby alley.

I saw the house crumbling in flames, heard the screams of pain.

I writhed in agony from the flames on my right arm, crawling toward the house, and at some point, staring blankly at the ruins of my home while the flames on my arm died down.

That’s where the memory ends. I had never encountered a man who caused fear fire like this.

"Ugh..."

While the pain from my burned arm lingered, I tried to recall the past. Suddenly, the man stopped moving.

His staggering legs, his swaying upper body, and his trembling hands clutching his hair and face.

Everything unnaturally froze. At the same time, the groans mixed with saliva ceased.

For a moment, everything around me was swallowed by silence.

Even though I could still see my arm burning in the corner of my vision, there was no sound.

Suddenly, a deep vibration pushed through the silence. It was a heavy sound, like a drumbeat. My skin grew hot in an instant.

The source of the sound was the stumbling man. It wasn’t the sound of a drum; it was the sound of the man’s heartbeat.

After a brief moment, the man lifted his head.

I gasped as his face came into view.

Familiar red hair, the same familiar red eyes.

But now, it was different. Crack! His red eyes cracked open, with fragments falling off, revealing the dark bloodshot eyes beneath.

For a moment, the eyes scanned the surroundings before locking onto me. The gaze froze me in place.

My body and mind burned hot. My head flared up just like the burning flames on my arm.

『What’s this, a fairy... no, something else?』

The man, or something within him, tilted his head.

Just then, Ha-Yul’s necklace reacted to the anomaly, and the actions of the two became rapid.

"Aurora!"

Riana, holding Ha-Yul in her arms, immediately summoned the spirits.

With her cry, mana radiated from her body, intertwining with the surrounding magical energy, quickly forming various shapes.

There were lower-tier spirits with blue halos, intermediate-tier spirits shaped according to their characteristics.

Among them was a higher-tier spirit, shaped like a human.

"Aurora! Hurry!"

Aurora, the higher-tier water spirit contracted with Riana, gracefully rose behind her, quickly extending her hand in response to her command.

Whoooosh! The lower and intermediate water spirits that had been summoned added their power.

Water spirits can also provide healing, and under the direction of the higher-tier spirit, the magic began to seep into Ha-Yul’s body with healing properties.

"Activation, Healing Rhythm."

Elia wasn’t idle either. With a soft gaze, she closed her eyes and formed magic with her hands. Her magic split into two parts, piercing Ha-Yul’s body.

"Instant Regeneration" and "Healing Amplification." She perfectly controlled the ratio of both procedures. The urgent areas were healed with regeneration, and the areas with more time available were restored with quick healing.

Even with such quick responses, the chilling sounds coming from Ha-Yul didn’t stop.

"Now! His body is tearing apart!"

Elia, who was focusing on controlling the magic, shouted anxiously.

"The healing isn’t working well!"

"Not good news at all!"

Riana gritted her teeth.

Ha-Yul’s body, cradled in her arms, trembled violently. The ominous sound didn’t cease. Something strange was happening to Ha-Yul’s body.

The frustrating part was that they didn’t understand the cause.

Typically, when someone overdoses on elixirs, mana runs rampant, destroying the circuits and core, leading the body to break down.

But what was happening to Ha-Yul now was different. His core and circuits were intact. Yet, his body was tearing apart.

Even Elia, with her medical expertise, and Riana, with her frontline experience, had no idea what was happening.

There was no clear response to this phenomenon because they couldn’t explain it.

[Excruciating Pain] [Terror] [Severe Burning]

"Ugh...!"

"Aah, damn it!"

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The necklace and the squirming body of the child in their arms made both of them feel their hearts burn with anguish.

They hadn’t listened to the child. They trusted him too much. How could they have trusted his claims, even though he might die from any slight lapse in attention?

The elixir’s production came from a reliable source, and Riana hadn’t found any issues when she checked. Yet, they had blindly believed and administered it...!

"Ha-Yul!"

"My baby...!"

It didn’t take long.

A soft groan escaped from Ha-Yul’s lips, and at the same time, the ominous sounds from his body ceased. Both of them, drenched in cold sweat, opened their eyes wide.

[Question] [Connection?] [Pain...]

Hearing the voice continue, they quickly checked Ha-Yul’s condition.

"Baby! Can you hear me?!"

"Ha-Yul! You can’t lose consciousness again! You have to stay awake no matter how hard it is!"

Riana gently held Ha-Yul’s face, who was squirming in her arms.

She held his face as if it were a delicate craft, carefully bringing it up and filling her vision with his face.

The breath in front of her was so delicate, it almost felt like it might vanish at any moment, a sense of fear lingering.

[Professor Riana...] [Elia...]

Ha-Yul, gasping for breath, shook his head. The clear sign of consciousness caused their faces to brighten.

"Yes, I’m here. Are you okay? Is your body... is it okay?"

"I’m fine! I can fix it right away! It’s all fixed already! Everything’s okay now...?"

As the two of them anxiously checked Ha-Yul’s condition, they suddenly blinked.

His body felt tight, and breathing was uncomfortable.

Wondering why, they lowered their gaze to see the blue cords tightly wrapped around him.

[Fear] [Obsession] [Possessiveness]

"Eh...?"

It was Ha-Yul’s artifact. The wings that had been present just a moment ago were now divided into dozens of cords that bound both of them and pulled tightly.

The grip was strong. It was difficult to breathe because of the pressure.

"Baby... just wait a moment... we need to check your condition. Could you let go of this...?"

[No...] [Stay with me...] [Don’t leave...]

"Ugh..."

As Riana gently stroked his head to calm him down, Ha-Yul shook his head and tightened his grip even more. A strange groan escaped as his body pressed against theirs.

[Don’t disappear...] [You’re mine...]

"No, no... I’m not an object..."

"Ah... I think I’m okay..."

[No...! You’re mine...! Professor, make me yours...!]

Ha-Yul’s arms wrapped around Riana’s waist, pulling her tightly.

In that moment, it felt like his grip might choke her. Ha-Yul buried his face between her breasts, whining uncontrollably.

"Ugh, ughh..."

The desperate and clingy emotions in his voice and actions were overwhelming.

Riana, feeling this, shuddered. The urgency on her face mixed with a sense of embarrassment and redness.