"No," I whined and gave him a sad look. "You can't use that against me. It’s screwed me up far too many times."
He looked at my puppy-eyed expression before he sighed and kissed my forehead. "Fine. It's not like you're not allowed to know. I think they just didn't want to tell you because you're not fully recovered from that crazy fiasco.
"Crazy is an understatement," I commented and let myself relax against him.
A week had gone by since the black pill incident. It took me a few days of being in and out of consciousness to realize what had gone down after I'd been trapped in the dome of darkness.
Professor Phoenix had to explain the details as they came in from multiple sources, but the general explanation was that Kaito and I had walked on to a planned cult meeting of some sort.
The evidence gathered so far explained that since more than a month ago, pills had been distributed secretly in two circumstances. The first was by a man who had substituted at the medical center and said the pills would aid those with anxiety and other mental health issues triggered by the stress of the approaching exams and Semester Eight, while others were told the pills would give them a boost in magic as time went on, like a multivitamin.
They were instructed to take the pill consistently for thirty days, so they would be able to test out the effects of the pill and determine if they wanted a longer supply. The demand for the pills grew quickly but the individual never showed up after substituting that day.
One of the students had gotten his contact information, and they organized in two locations. A group would meet in the courtyard while the remainder would be at the football practice field.
After autopsies were done on those who perished from the drug immediately after ingesting it, it was discovered that the new pills had some sort of chemical reaction that was based on one's magic level. Those who took it who were weak would die instantly. Those whose magic levels reached a certain threshold would hear constant voices in their head that drove them into insanity.
Once the insanity stage was triggered, the dark element of the capsule component would activate, and the student would be engulfed in darkness. I'd thought they were all dead, but from Professor Phoenix's explanation, the majority of those who survived the initial introduction of the drug into their system were alive and cloaked in darkness. It would take up to forty-eight hours for the host to die and the shadow to take full control of the body for whatever they willed.
It was scary to think about, reminding me of apocalyptic literature that gave a glimpse of some evil drug that killed humankind and left zombies in their wake.
Needless to say, Finnick had come to the rescue by using the golden bow of protection. The arrows had pierced all the students who'd been taken over, getting rid of the darkness and returning them back to normal.
Though there were a few casualties.
Close to twenty students didn't make it, which was due to them either fighting one another or killing themselves before they were taken over. Additionally, a good five to seven were killed by Kaito.
That could have been one of the many things weighing heavily on his heart. The guilt of killing them as they fought to injure him and hold him back from reaching me.
I immediately worried that he'd be charged, but due to the magnitude of evidence that showed it was self-defence, he was thankfully off the hook. Those who survived and tested positive for taking the drug would be charged and suspended from Witchling Academy.
That left me worried once again for Kaito's wellbeing and our team's status, but because Kaito had gone for a checkup and the substitute had stated a trial med would be administrated, it saved him from getting kicked out.
That only furthered my worrying about Master ZenSu and Kaito's position on the kendo team, but everything seemed to work in our favor because I'd messaged Professor Phoenix about Kaito's struggles and she'd confronted Master ZenSu minutes after as they were already planning on meeting up to discuss Kaito's behavior.
Master ZenSu had noticed a significant difference in Kaito, especially when it came to his concentration. It was obvious something was wrong, but he didn't want to stress Kaito into thinking he was in trouble.