Smoke still drifted from the charred remains of the flesh-eating briars, filling the greenhouse with a bitter, acrid stench.
Ash fell like black snow over the polished stone pathways, coating the boots of terrified students who huddled near the glass walls. The sudden magical flare-up had cracked several of the overhead window panes, letting in a cool draft of mountain air that did little to soothe the rising tension.
Roger stood frozen, his face drained of all color as he stared at the pile of black dust that had almost consumed him.
His fingers twitched, still covered in the sticky, glowing sap of the briars he had tried to weaponize against Isaac. Trembling, he pointed a shaking finger at Isaac, his eyes wide with a mixture of terror and outrage.
Whispers erupted among the surrounding students, sharp and accusing as they pointed toward Isaac.
Everyone knew Isaac was a zero-tier outcast who shouldn't have been able to summon a simple shield, let alone incinerate high-grade magical flora with a single spark.
"He cheated!" Roger finally screamed, his voice cracking with panic. "There is no way a zero-tier loser could cast a defensive ward that powerful! He must be using forbidden dark magic!"
Step by step, Professor Vance closed the distance between them, his heavy boots clicking rhythmically against the stone floor.
The air in the greenhouse grew heavy, pressing down on the students' chests like lead as Vance's presence dominated the room.
"I am the one who assisted Mr. Harrison with his defensive wards," Vance declared, his voice carrying an unnatural, resonant vibration that made the glass panes rattle.
His stance was commanding, shoulders squared, presenting an impenetrable wall of authority that silenced the entire class.
Tilting his head, the possessed professor fixed Roger with an icy, unblinking stare. "Do you have a problem with my teaching methods, Roger? Or perhaps you would like to test your own defensive wards against my lessons next?"
Silence blanketed the greenhouse, heavy and suffocating.
No one dared to breathe, let alone challenge the most volatile professor in the academy.
Roger swallowed hard, his chest heaving as he looked between the imposing professor and the smoldering ruins of the magical plants.
He quickly lowered his hand, his arrogant posture crumbling into a pathetic hunch.
"No, sir," Roger muttered, backing away until his spine hit the edge of a planting table. "I... I apologize."
Dismissing the class with a sharp wave of his hand, Vance commanded everyone to leave except for Isaac.
The students scrambled out the door, throwing suspicious, lingering glances in Isaac's direction as they fled the oppressive room.
Panic seized Isaac's chest as the heavy wooden door clicked shut, leaving him entirely alone with the dragon who had hijacked his professor's body.
Once the room was clear, the oppressive, academic air melted into something far more dangerous.
Vance's rigid posture slumped into an elegant, lazy slouch, and a wicked, entirely non-academic smirk spread across his lips.
"You did wonderfully, my sweet little tamer," Aurelius purred through the professor’s mouth, stepping close enough for Isaac to feel the heat radiating from his chest.
His golden eyes gleamed with absolute delight, reflecting the flickering embers on the floor.
Reaching into his breast pocket, Vance pulled out a small, square foil packet with a flourish, presenting it as if it were a rare delicacy.
He caught Isaac's hand, sliding the shiny object into his palm with a playful wink.
"A little reward for surviving your first lesson," the dragon whispered, sliding the shiny object into Isaac's trembling palm.
Confused, Isaac looked down, expecting a piece of enchanted candy or perhaps some magical recovery herb to soothe his frayed nerves.
Crimson heat instantly rushed to his cheeks when he recognized the distinct, ribbed texture of a modern condom wrapper.
Shoving the packet deep into his trouser pocket before his brain could even process the absurdity, Isaac looked around wildly to ensure no lingering students were peeking through the greenhouse glass.
"What is wrong with you?" Isaac hissed, his voice barely a squeak as he clutched his burning face. "This is a school! He is a professor! You can't just hand me... things like that!"
Leaning in so close his lips brushed Isaac's ear, Vance chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated straight down Isaac's spine.
"If you have any other professor in mind, I will possess them," Aurelius whispered, his breath hot and smelling faintly of ozone. "No questions asked. Just say the word, darling, and your favorite educator will be yours to command."
Shaking his head in utter disbelief, Isaac pushed past the possessed man and bolted out of the greenhouse.
---
Cold sweat drenched his collar as he ran down the cobblestone paths of the academy, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
This was madness, an absolute nightmare from which he couldn't wake up.
Bound to an ancient, possessive dragon who could wear the faces of his instructors, Isaac knew his life was no longer his own.
He needed a way out.
Breaking a contract had to be possible, even one forged with a legendary beast of calamity.
Night fell quickly over Solaris, wrapping the ancient stone academy in deep, ink-blue shadows.
Sneaking out of the dorms was surprisingly easy, given how the security guards focused their patrols on the outer walls rather than the interior corridors.
Clutching a dim, hand-held magical crystal, Isaac navigated the labyrinthine hallways toward the Grand Archives.
Dust and old paper scented the air as he slipped through the towering arched entrance of the library.
High above, enchanted glass globes drifted like lazy fireflies, casting weak, pale light over rows of endless bookshelves.
Isaac kept his head low, moving silently toward the back of the library where the restricted archives were locked behind a massive wrought-iron gate.
Finding a way inside required a clever touch, but Isaac had spent his previous life being overlooked, making him exceptionally good at slipping unnoticed into places he shouldn't be.
Sliding a thin copper wire into the ancient keyhole, he twisted it gently until a satisfying click echoed in the quiet space.
Pushing the heavy iron gate open just wide enough to squeeze through, he slipped into the forbidden section.
Darker and colder than the main hall, this area housed texts bound in strange leathers, some even wrapped in chains to keep their volatile magic contained.
Isaac scanned the dusty titles, his heart thumping in his throat as his fingers traced the crumbling spines.
Minutes bled into hours as he searched for any mention of draconic magic, beast-taming pacts, or marriage contracts.
Finally, near the very back of a shelf buried under decades of neglect, his hand brushed against a massive, iron-clasped volume.
*Nine-Core Calamities*, the faded silver lettering on the cover read.
Dragging the heavy book to a secluded study desk, Isaac carefully unlatched the iron clasp, the screech of metal sounding agonizingly loud in the silence.
Flipping through the thick, brittle parchment, he searched for the section on ancient binding rituals.
Words swam before his eyes, written in an archaic dialect of Solaris that required him to translate every sentence with painstaking slowness.
He found a chapter titled *The Unbreakable Union of the Eternal Scale*.
Dropping his gaze to the text, he read the description of the marriage contract he had accidentally signed with his own blood.
"A bond forged in the blood of the calamity cannot be unmade by mortal hands," the text warned.
Isaac felt a cold dread pool in his stomach as his eyes darted down the page, searching for a loophole, a counter-spell, anything.
Reading further, his breath hitched as he reached the warning section at the bottom of the page.
"Should a summoner attempt to sever, break, or otherwise dissolve a draconic union, the backlash of the nine-core magic shall result in instantaneous and total soul dissolution."
Total soul dissolution.
He wouldn't just die; his very existence would be erased from the cosmos, leaving nothing behind.
Tears of sheer frustration and hopelessness gathered in his eyes, blurring the harsh, unforgiving letters on the page.
Trapped, he felt the familiar, suffocating panic of his past life creeping back.
If he stayed with Aurelius, he would be subjected to the dragon's suffocating, manipulative affection and constant invasions of privacy.
Attempting to run or break the bond would mean his literal destruction.
Resting his head in his hands, Isaac let out a shaky, quiet sob, the crushing weight of his codependent fears crashing over him.
Why did no one ever love him for who he was?
How was he always the one left behind in the dark, begging for a scrap of genuine affection while others played with his life?
Soft, deliberate footsteps sounded from the shadows behind him, cutting through the silence of the restricted section.
Isaac froze, his breath catching in his throat as he tried to wipe his tears away.
Slowly, a tall figure stepped into the dim circle of light cast by Isaac's magic crystal.
It was Keith, the handsome student librarian who usually spent his days quietly cataloging books and ignoring the rest of the academy.
But Keith wasn't wearing his usual sleepy, polite expression.
Looking down at Isaac, Keith's eyes flared with a familiar, mocking gold that sent a shiver of pure terror straight down Isaac's spine.
Before Isaac could scramble backward or try to explain his presence, Keith leaned down, his movements fluid and predatory.
Keith traps Isaac's hands against the open pages, whispering, "Looking for a divorce already, darling? I am deeply, deeply hurt."