Gravel bit into Damian's knees as he knelt, his posture stiff and unnaturally straight. A golden, draconic light flared behind his dilated pupils, completely erasing any trace of the arrogant rival who had challenged Isaac to a lethal duel only moments ago. Aurelius smiled through the boy's lips, a cruel, mocking stretch of flesh that sent cold shivers down Isaac’s spine.
"Do you like this view, my love?" Damian's voice had been replaced by a low, resonant purr that vibrated deep in Isaac's chest. "He wanted to hurt you. I merely corrected his posture. It is only fitting that he bows before my beautiful bride."
Cold sweat dripped down Isaac's neck, soaking the collar of his academy uniform. He stared at his classmate's hollow gaze, realizing with sudden, sickening clarity how effortlessly the monster could puppet anyone. If Damian, a talented second-tier mage, could be bent so easily, then no one in this academy was safe. Every friend, every stranger, every authority figure could be a mask for the dragon.
"Let him go," Isaac whispered, his own hands shaking as he gripped the hilt of his wooden practice sword. "Stop doing this. This is insane!"
Golden light flared brighter in Damian's eyes as he reached out, trying to grab Isaac's wrist. "Come closer. Let me feel your heart, little bird. It beats so beautifully when you are afraid."
Wrenching his hand away with a violent gasp, Isaac stumbled backward, nearly tripping over a stray training dummy. The touch of the possessed boy felt like hot oil on bare skin, a violation of both Damian's autonomy and his own. He couldn't look at Damian's face anymore, not when it was warped by a cosmic parasite that cared nothing for human lives.
Turning on his heel, he sprinted away from the training grounds, leaving the possessed boy kneeling in the dirt. Mud splattered against his boots as his lungs burned, the cold morning air tearing at his throat like broken glass. He didn't care who saw him run, nor did he care about the whispers of the few early-rising students who watched him flee in absolute terror.
---
Heavy breaths rattled in his chest as he navigated the winding stone pathways of Solaris Academy. Every shadow seemed to stretch toward him, every distant laugh sounding like Aurelius's mocking chuckle. He felt watched, hunted by an invisible predator that could wear any face, use any voice, and force him into submission.
Passing the grand library, he kept his head down, ignoring the curious glances of classmates who usually ignored him anyway. They didn't know the nightmare he was living. They didn't know that a calamity-class beast was currently using their world as a personal playground to stalk him.
Panic clawed at his chest, making it impossible to breathe properly. He ran blindly toward the western edge of the academy grounds, where the ruins of an ancient, abandoned bell tower loomed against the gray, overcast sky. It was a place of isolation, a crumbling monument of stone where students rarely ventured due to rumors of lingering, unstable mana.
Thick wooden doors groaned as he threw them open, slipping into the damp darkness of the tower's base. He slammed the doors shut behind him, throwing the rusted iron bolt into place with a resounding, metallic clang that echoed through the hollow structure. The silence of the tower pressed against his ears, heavy and suffocating.
"Show yourself!" Isaac screamed into the empty, vaulted space, his voice cracking with raw, unfiltered terror. "Stop hiding behind other people! Show me who you really are, you coward!"
Tears of pure frustration finally spilled over his eyelashes, hot and stinging against his cold cheeks. He sank against the rough stone wall, burying his face in his trembling hands as his shoulders shook. It was happening again—just like in his past life, he was being treated as a toy, manipulated and controlled by forces far stronger than himself.
Back in his old life, Isaac had always been the one who was left behind, the one who changed himself to fit the molds of people who never truly cared. He had hoped that transmigration would give him a fresh start, a chance to build a life of his own. Instead, he had merely swapped one cage for another, trading human neglect for the terrifying, obsessive clutches of a dragon.
Suddenly, the air in the tower grew heavy and suffocatingly warm. The smell of ozone, ancient ozone, and burning gold filled his senses, chasing away the damp chill of the ruins.
A shimmering projection materialized in the center of the room, casting a brilliant golden glow over the cracked stone floor. It was Aurelius, towering and magnificent, with horns of obsidian and eyes that burned like twin suns. Yet, his expression wasn't one of malice; instead, he looked at Isaac with a deeply unsettling, possessive warmth.
"Why do you weep, little bird?" Aurelius asked, his voice a physical weight that vibrated through the stone walls and settled deep in Isaac's bones. He stepped closer, his form flickering like flame, yet radiating a comfort that Isaac hated himself for wanting. "I only protect what is mine. You should be pleased."
Looking at the dragon's radiant, powerful form, a dangerous warmth bloomed in Isaac's chest. His core wound, that terrible, aching fear of abandonment, flared to life, screaming at him to throw himself into those golden arms. It would be so easy to submit, to let this godlike entity take care of him, to finally be loved, even if that love was a gilded cage.
No. He bit his lower lip until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, using the sharp pain to anchor his fracturing resolve. He could not lose himself to this creature, nor could he let his own codependent weaknesses make him a willing slave.
"You call this protection?" Isaac spat, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, his jaw clenched tight to keep from sobbing. "You're suffocating me. You're turning everyone around me into puppets! How am I supposed to live a life when you can hijack anyone I speak to?"
Bitter laughter escaped his throat, bouncing off the high stone ceiling. "Vance yesterday, Damian today. Who next? The headmaster? The crown prince? You're treating my entire world like your personal wardrobe of skins. It makes me sick."
Aurelius's projection didn't flinch. Instead, he glided closer, his translucent feet hovering inches above the dusty floorboards. "I do what must be done to keep you close. Mortals are fickle creatures, Isaac. They would turn on you in a heartbeat if they knew what you were. I am the only constant in your life."
Those words struck a painful chord inside him. It was the exact fear that had plagued him his entire life—that people would always turn on him, always abandon him. Aurelius knew it, utilizing that psychological wound like a master violinist playing a tragic melody. It made Isaac want to scream, to tear his own hair out in sheer frustration.
Gazing at the boy, Aurelius tilted his head, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the trembling boy. "They are fragile things. Easily broken. Easily discarded. You are the only one who matters to me, Isaac. Their bodies are merely vessels for my affection."
"If you want me to be your good wife..." Isaac started, his voice shaking but gaining a sudden, desperate edge. He stood up straight, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. "If you want me to accept this insane contract and play your twisted game, then you have to give me something in return."
Amusement flickered across the dragon's sharp, elegant features, his tail sweeping lazily behind his projection. "Oh? And what does my little bird desire? Gold? Jewels? The heads of those who mock you?"
"You think you can just keep me as a helpless prize," Isaac continued, his voice growing stronger as his anger overtook his fear. "But I won't let you. In this world, power is everything. If I remain at zero-tier, I am nothing but a target for every ambitious mage in Solaris. If I die, your precious contract is broken anyway."
Draconic eyes flared, a dangerous spark of interest igniting in their golden depths. "A logical argument. You are smarter than you look, little bird."
"Teach me," Isaac demanded, taking a bold step forward despite the heat radiating from the projection. "Teach me how to advance to the ninth-tier mana core. The epitome of magic. If I am to be bound to a calamity-class dragon, I refuse to remain a useless, zero-tier outcast at the mercy of this academy."
Silence fell over the bell tower, heavy and expectant. Aurelius stared at him, his expression shifting from light amusement to a deep, calculating intensity that made Isaac's skin crawl with apprehension.
"A bold request," Aurelius murmured, his projection drifting closer until his breath—smelling of sulfur and sweet cinnamon—brushed Isaac's cheek. "The ninth tier is not meant for mortals. It requires breaking your soul and rebuilding it in my image. It is a path of agony."
"I don't care about the pain," Isaac hissed, though his heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. "I will not be your helpless pet. If you want me, make me strong enough to stand beside you, not beneath you. If I can't even defend myself, your 'wife' will just be a corpse."
Deep inside his chest, Isaac felt the terrible pull of his own codependency. He wanted Aurelius to validate him, to praise his ambition, to tell him he was worthy of such power. He hated how much he craved this monster's approval, even as he fought for his own survival and independence.
A dark chuckle escaped the dragon's chest, a rich, dark sound that echoed off the damp stone walls, shaking dust from the rafters. "You have fire in you, little wife. Very well. I shall teach you. But power comes with a price, and my lessons are not gentle. You will beg for mercy before we are through."
Step by step, the shimmering figure closed the remaining distance, his golden eyes burning with a possessive, predatory light. The heat rolling off him was nearly unbearable, yet Isaac found himself frozen, unable to pull away from the magnetic pull of the ancient beast.
"I am not afraid of pain," Isaac lied, his voice barely a whisper, though his body trembled under the intensity of the dragon's gaze.
Aurelius reaches out, his spectral fingers tracing Isaac's tears as he warns, 'The more you push me away, the more bodies I must break to hold you. Choose wisely, little master.'