It was 2AM.
Elias was bleeding, frustrated, and so done with the day. He'd spent hours struggling through a ridiculous, impossible exam—one that had ended with a chaotic explosion of magical energy and his blood splattered across the final page. A complete disaster.
Now, he was wandering through the forbidden wing of the Arcanum library—against every warning—and limping from a misfired spell that had left a nasty gash on his side.
"First, I blow up my exam. Then I get cursed. And now, I'm trespassing. Could this get any worse?" he muttered, holding his side as he stumbled deeper into the rows of dusty, ancient tomes.
He didn't mean to trip.
But he did mean to touch the damn glowing rune in front of him.
It was an accident, he swore. He wasn't trying to summon anything—certainly not that.
Suddenly, the air crackled like static. The ground beneath him shifted.
Before Elias could even react, the ceiling exploded with a thunderous boom.
Something—someone—came crashing down, tearing through the stone and dust like a comet. The air vibrated. The entire room shook. The next thing Elias knew, he was pinned to the floor with a massive weight on top of him.
THUD.
There was a long moment of silence.
Then, a voice—a deep, gravelly voice—spoke, just inches from his ear: "I've been waiting for this, little mage."
Elias's eyes snapped open, staring up into the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. Eyes that glowed, like the sky just before a storm. Eyes that saw through him.
The creature above him was huge—tall, broad-shouldered, and completely naked. His skin shimmered, humanoid, with a faint, ethereal glow, like he wasn't entirely of this world.
Blonde hair cascaded down in messy waves, framing a chiseled face—a face that looked like it was carved by the gods themselves.
But it wasn't just his face that caught Elias's attention.
It was the demon's body.
Muscles. Everywhere. Rippling biceps, thick thighs, and an almost cartoonish, jaw-dropping bubble butt. Elias's eyes couldn't help but follow the contours of the demon's chest, which was covered in what could only be described as pecs—and no shirt.
And it wasn't just his body. It was the undeniable pull in the air. The magic that throbbed around him, powerful and intoxicating.
Elias blinked twice, rubbed his eyes, and then cursed. "What the hell is going on? Did I summon you?!"
The demon grinned down at him, flashing sharp, unnervingly perfect teeth.
"Oh, you summoned me. No doubt about that. With your blood. Your magic. Your… mistake," he purred, leaning in closer, his breath hot against Elias's neck. "And I am not going anywhere, little spellcaster."
Elias's heart skipped, then slammed in his chest. He squirmed under the weight of the demon, pushing against him, trying to sit up—but the demon was pressing him flat into the cold stone floor with a surprising amount of ease.
"Seriously?" Elias scowled, trying not to let the absurdity of the situation get to him. "You're naked. You fall from the ceiling like a damn meteor, and you're calling me 'little spellcaster'?"
The demon raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a smug smile. "You have a problem with my entrance?"
"Yeah! You're—you're—naked!" Elias snapped, looking away.
The demon's grin widened, and before Elias could protest further, the demon moved closer, his muscled chest pressing right against Elias's.
"I think you like it. I can feel your heartbeat," the demon purred, voice like velvet with a dangerous edge.
"I—no!" Elias stammered, his voice failing him, caught between rage and something else he wasn't ready to face.
The demon's laugh was low and dark. "It's okay to admit it," he said, the words dripping with both amusement and something... else. Something far more sinister.
"Are you always this cocky?" Elias growled, eyes narrowing as he tried to push himself free.
"Not always. Just when I'm around." The demon winked. "By the way, the name's Rael'Zhar. I'm your new problem."
The air between them crackled, tension building in ways Elias didn't know how to handle. He didn't know if he should scream, run, or… do something else entirely.
But before he could decide, the demon's face loomed closer, eyes glowing brighter. And when Rael'Zhar's lips almost brushed against his ear, the demon's voice lowered into a dangerous whisper.
"Tell me, little spellcaster, do you want me to stay… or will you beg me to leave?"