The Other Side of Darkness

Phantom

Lev gasped in joy. Vil, Leona, and the others were safe. She ran toward and threw her arms around the two tall Dorm Heads. 

"You guys are safe!" she cried. A weight felt like it had been lifted off her shoulders. 

"Leviline?" Azul gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Lev pulled away from Vil and Leona a bit but still held on to their hands, not wanting to totally let them go. 

"I came here to save you guys. I couldn't just sit back qnd wait while S.T.Y.X. did who-knows-what to you."

"But how did you get here?" Riddle asked. 

"I came with Rook and Epel."

"What?!" Vil exclaimed, clasping her hand in both of his. "Are they safe?"

Lev nodded. "We were only seperated because the scientists wanted to run tests on me." The aura in the room darkened.

"What did that shut-in do?!" Leona growled.

Images from the simulation dashed across her mind. Darkness. Jackals. Something told her she shouldn't tell them just yet. 

"Nothing major," she waved a hand dismissively before holding out her arms and turning once.  "See? I'm fine!"

Jamil didn't look satisfied. "Why did he even want to run tests in the first place?" He turned to look at the destroyed door. "And how did that happen?"

Lev smiled awkwardly. "Well...same reason actually." She cupped her hands and pulled energy to her fingertips. White fire grew from her fingers and filled the room with heat. 

Leona stared in confusion and amazment. "What the f-"

"YOU HAVE MAGIC?!" Riddle screeched. "How? When? Why?"

Lev put out the fire and lowered her eyes to the floor. "It only appeared recently. On the way here, actually. I don't know why or how it happened. Idia only has a hypothesis." She took a deep breath. "The only thing I know is my body is starting to produce magic, and when I get scared or frustrated it kinda...explodes." She nodded to the door. "For example." 

Azul straightened his glasses. "Well...this is quite the development."

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock." Lelie suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Unfortunately, we have a bigger problem."

Seeing the Heartless, a burst of fury shot through Lev's body. Fire danced across her fingertips. 

"You," she growled. "What are you doing here?"

Lelie smirked. "Same reason you are, hon. Gotta get these brutes out of here before they hurt themselves." She pulled out a bundle of clothing and threw it at Lev, who caught it. It was the Pomefiore outfit Rook had given her. The familiar smell and feeling calmed her again. But only a little bit.

The demon glanced at the others. "The rest of you, use your magic to change into something more durable. The hallways are filled with high-density blot." She nodded her head in the direction of the hallway, hinting to give Lev some privacy.

They looked hesitant, but followed her lead. Once they were gone, Lev quickly changed into the far more comfortable clothing, yanking off the stiff tunic and sliding into the flexible black suit and purple robe. She used a spare pen one of the scientists had left to pin up her hair.  As she moved to exit the room, something fell out of the folds in her clothing. It was her silver locket. She picked it up and smiled a bit.

With so much going on recently, she had often forgot about it. It was a shame she couldn't remember how she got it. She fiddled with the lock, but it would never open. A part of her never wanted to open it, unsure if she was ready to know the contents. For now, it was just her good luck charm.