Cold air scraped against Isaac's raw throat as he sprinted up the spiral stone stairs. Sprinting up from the forbidden catacombs, he didn't dare look back at the suffocating dark. Lungs burning, he forced his legs to move faster, pushing through the heavy iron grate that led back to the academy's ground floor. Shadows seemed to stretch after him like grasping fingers, but he slammed the grate shut, his hands shaking violently as he locked it. Safe, for now. Clutching his chest, he leaned against the cold stone corridor, trying to quiet his frantic breathing. He had just summoned an ancient, dead king. Worse, that absolute freak of a spirit had possessed a teacher and tried to force himself onto Isaac. Panic clawed at his chest, hot and sharp. If anyone found out he practiced necromancy, he wouldn't just be expelled. They would lock him in the deep dungeons of Tivati, or worse, execute him. Shaking his head to clear the terrifying thoughts, he checked the grandfather clock ticking loudly at the end of the hall. Eight-fifteen. Morning Alchemy lecture had already started. Swearing under his breath, he smoothed down his wrinkled uniform jacket and hurried toward the lecture hall. Sliding through the heavy oak doors, Isaac tried to make himself invisible. Forty heads remained focused on the front of the room, thankfully ignoring his quiet entry. He slipped into an empty seat in the back row, his heart still hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. Up at the podium, Professor Vance was writing complex chemical formulas on the massive blackboard. Vance was a strict, imposing man whose sharp eyes usually missed nothing, but today he seemed distracted, rubbing his temples with a pale hand. Isaac let out a slow, trembling breath, sinking lower into his wooden chair. Beside him, the air felt strangely cold, a lingering reminder of the entity he had unleashed. He tried to focus on his notebook, grabbing a quill with fingers that wouldn't stop shaking. "Pay attention, trash," a sneering voice whispered from a few desks down. Julian Vance, the professor's nephew and Isaac's most volatile rival, was glaring at him. Wealthy, arrogant, and blessed with a highly coveted fire magic, Julian made it his personal mission to make Isaac's life a living hell. Isaac ignored him, keeping his eyes glued to the chalkboard, though his jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. "Did you sleep in a ditch, Isaac?" Julian mocked, his voice carrying just enough to draw a few snickers from the surrounding students. "You look like garbage." "Shut up, Julian," Isaac muttered, his hot temper flaring despite his terror. "Make me, loser," Julian hissed, sparks of orange flame dancing lazily across his knuckles before he extinguished them with a smug grin. Professor Vance turned from the blackboard, his voice echoing through the vaulted room. "Today we are discussing the volatile properties of spirit-infused quicksilver," the professor announced, his eyes sweeping over the students. Julian raised his hand, eager to show off as always. "Ah, Julian. Explain the stabilization process," Professor Vance commanded. Standing up with practiced grace, Julian smirked down at Isaac before addressing the class. "To stabilize quicksilver, one must balance the ambient temperature with—" Suddenly, Julian stopped. Mid-sentence, his voice cut off into an abrupt, dead silence. Isaac frowned, glancing up from his notebook. Julian stood completely rigid, his mouth slightly open, his eyes staring blankly at the wall. Whispers broke out among the students as seconds ticked by without a word. "Julian?" Professor Vance frowned, stepping forward. "Are you quite finished?" No response came from the wealthy heir. Slowly, Julian's head tilted to the side with a sickening, audible click of his neck. His shoulders dropped, losing their rigid posture and adopting a loose, predatory grace that did not belong to him. When he blinked, the familiar, arrogant blue of his eyes was entirely gone. Deep, unnatural violet flooded his irises, glowing with an eerie, ancient power that made Isaac's blood run cold. Alistair. Horror paralyzed Isaac as Julian-Alistair turned his gaze directly toward the back row. Those violet eyes locked onto Isaac, sparkling with a dark, possessive amusement. Ignoring his uncle and the forty staring students, Julian-Alistair stepped out from behind his desk. His movements were fluid, majestic, and entirely terrifying in their confidence. "Julian, what is the meaning of this?" Professor Vance demanded, his voice laced with growing anger. "Sit down immediately." Julian-Alistair didn't even glance at him. He walked slowly up the stepped aisles of the lecture hall, his eyes never leaving Isaac's pale face. Every step he took seemed to drag the temperature of the room down, leaving a trail of frost in the air that only Isaac seemed to notice. Isaac gripped the edges of his desk, his knuckles turning white as he fought the urge to bolt. If he ran, he would confirm his guilt. If he stayed, he was at the mercy of a literal monster. Students whispered frantically, watching the bizarre display as the class golden boy marched toward the class outcast. Stopping right in front of Isaac's desk, Julian-Alistair leaned over the wooden surface. He placed both hands on the desk, invading Isaac's personal space until their faces were only inches apart. Ozone and ancient lavender filled Isaac's senses, choking him. "Found you, my little necromancer," Alistair purred, using Julian's voice, but layering it with a resonant, ancient undertone that vibrated deep in Isaac's chest. Isaac's breath hitched, his heart hammering so loudly he was sure everyone could hear it. "Get away from me," Isaac hissed through gritted teeth, his voice barely a whisper. "Oh, but I missed you so terribly," Julian-Alistair whispered back, his eyes dancing with wicked delight. He reached out, his fingers brushing lightly against Isaac's burning cheek. Your skin is so beautifully warm," Julian-Alistair murmured, his voice loud enough to carry to the nearby desks. "I can still feel the heat of your magic clinging to my soul. Tell me, did you dream of me while you ran?" Blushing furiously, Isaac felt forty pairs of eyes burning holes into his back. Humiliation and dread warred in his chest, making him want to sink into the floorboards and die. "Stop this," Isaac pleaded under his breath, his eyes darting to the staring classmates. "They're watching." "Let them watch," Julian-Alistair chuckled, his violet eyes darkening with a dangerous, obsessive intensity. "Let them see who you belong to. You summoned me, Isaac. You bound your soul to mine. There is nowhere you can hide from your king." Before Isaac could react, Julian-Alistair leaned even closer, his lips brushing the shell of Isaac's ear. "I can't wait to taste you when we finally seal our little contract," he whispered, a scandalous, intimate tease that made Isaac's entire body freeze in absolute horror. "You will beg me to take every piece of you." Rage and terror finally broke through Isaac's paralysis. He shoved Julian-Alistair back, his face burning with a mixture of intense embarrassment and raw fury. "Get the hell off me!" Isaac snapped, his voice ringing clearly through the silent lecture hall. Suddenly, the violet light in Julian's eyes flickered violently. Julian's posture went limp, the predatory grace vanishing in an instant. Like a puppet with its strings cut, Julian's body collapsed forward, falling directly onto Isaac's lap. What did you do to him?!" Professor Vance roared, marching up the stairs with his hand raised, ready to unleash his own magic. Panicking, Isaac grabbed Julian's shoulders, trying desperately to push the unconscious boy off him. "I didn't do anything! He just fainted!" Isaac yelled, struggling against the dead weight. As he gripped Julian's collar to shove him away, the fabric pulled back, exposing the side of Julian's neck. Isaac froze. Gleaming against the pale skin was a complex, glowing brand. No one else in the room reacted to it; Professor Vance was still shouting, and the students were murmuring in panic. Only a necromancer could see the glowing mark of Alistair's possession. Julian's body suddenly collapses onto Isaac's lap, and as Isaac tries to push him off, he notices Julian's neck is branded with an glowing, invisible royal crest that only a necromancer can see.

Chapter 2: The Tyrant in the Classroom